Vol. 22 No. 1, Fall 2013 Putting Our Best Education Students Benefit from Gift from Best-Selling Author Foot Forward page 2 National Merit Finalist. A launched a website, Read Kiddo “Mr. Patterson chose Emporia desire to give back to an inner Read, that includes lesson plans State University as a recipient Profiles of city community. Inspired by for educators as well as a forum of his generosity because he Patterson Scholars page 7 teachers who served as mentors. for teachers to exchange their was impressed with how The These are just some ways to own lesson plans. Teachers College is preparing The Teachers College describe eight Emporia State The author’s books include the the next generation of great University students who have Alex Cross and Woman’s Murder teachers,” said Weaver. “This Speaker Series page 3 two very Club series for adults and gift will make a substantial important Maximum Ride, Witch & Wizard difference in the lives of these things in and Middle School series for students.” What's inside: common young adults. Patterson holds Identifying the recipients was a Fulhage Gift ...................................2 - they are the Guinness record for the group effort that happened in a College Notes ..............................2-5 pursuing author with the most titles to short time frame, Weaver said. Alumni Notes .................... 3-6, 9-10 education hit No. 1 on the New York Times After hearing from Patterson Student Notes .............................6-8 degrees from bestseller list. and accepting his gift, The University Notes ............................9 The Teachers The Patterson Family Teachers College and university Personnel Changes .......................11 College at Foundation provides funding officials created an electronic Final Notes ...................................11 ESU and, for scholarships at three other application procedure that was thanks to the James Patterson higher education institutions, extensive. generosity all alma maters of James and Applicants had to submit: Newsletter Available of best-selling author James Sue Patterson, as well as James personal essays about their Patterson, they each will receive Patterson Teacher Education commitment to become Online editions of The Teachers $6,000 toward their freshman Scholarships at 17 schools. teachers; statements from at least College Newsletter are available year. Patterson is passionate about one parent about their student’s online www.emporia.edu/teach/ “My passion is to get more and getting children to read and interest in becoming a teacher; newsletter/. more kids excited about reading, believes that teachers are key to two letters of recommendation and training the next generation the effort, explained Dr. Ken from a teacher and high school of great teachers is essential Weaver, dean of The Teachers Connect with continued on page 7 The Teachers College to that mission,” explained College. Patterson, who established To stay connected with the James Patterson Teacher The Teachers College, visit us on Education Scholarships at ESU. Facebook at www.facebook.com/ Patterson contacted ESU ESUTTC. President Dr. Michael D. Shonrock in April to offer To find out the news and upcom- the scholarships. Wrote ing events of the college, visit its Patterson: “I’ve been looking new web page at www.emporia.edu/ to bring the Teacher Education teach/. Scholarships to more schools and, after studying a number of institutions and programs, I think The Teachers College would be a great addition.” A prolific author of novels for adults, young adults and The 2013 Patterson Scholars (l-r): Samantha Buchanan, Travisray Salyers, Sarah Johnson, middle-school age, Patterson Leanne Feathers, JaShawn Wallace, Michelle Berg, Jennifer Gottstein, and Joseph Hamer College Notes Fulhage gift brings added harmony to Emporia State’s music program A gift of a quarter-million dollars is making the decision to come to the Kansas City (KS) public school system where she retired in 1977 as Emporia State University an easy one for 20 music students, several of coordinator of music. She was 96 years old when she died in June 2012. which are students in The Teachers College as well. They are the first re- “Somewhere along the way, someone planted an idea in Mildred cipients of the Fulhage Music Scholarships, made possible by a gift from Fulhage’s mind about leaving a gift to Emporia State. Her generosity will the estate of an alumna, Mildred Fulhage. truly change lives,” said Michael D. Shonrock, Ph.D., Emporia State The 20 students receiving Fulhage scholarships were introduced in president. September. The Fulhage scholarships mean ESU's music department can attract Fulhage was posthumously inducted in the Beach Hall of Distinction more students to the program. during ESU music department’s Annual Benefit Gala September 14. The scholarships will also help create an ensemble of graduate music A schoolteacher for 41 years, Fulhage earned a bachelor of music edu- students who will travel to schools, work with students and serve as cation degree from Kansas State Teachers College in 1936. She taught outreach for the university. vocal music in Thayer and Cedar Vale before joining the teaching staff of The Teachers College: Putting Our Best Foot Forward Every Day in Every Way The 1989 movie Field of Dreams had the classic line “If the Teacher Work Sample or receiving funding for profes- you build it, they will come” referring to a farmer who sional travel or research project. For alumni and visitors, constructed a baseball diamond in the middle of a corn the website is an opportunity to access the college’s story field. The phrase has become a metaphor for the necessity and current events. To better serve each constituency more of excellence in one’s operation—if you build excellence, effectively, the website has undergone a renovation to reflect they (students, customers, alumni) will come. Certainly, the needs of each group as well as reflect the new webpage Message excellence is essential but so is sharing that excellence with template and standards adopted by the university. others. The faculty and staff of The Teachers College strive To ensure the website’s functionality and the accuracy and from the for excellence every day, whether teaching, researching, or currency of the content, the college has transitioned from a serving. Our goal is to inspire students to become outstand- corps of department webmasters to a single college webmas- Dean ing professionals in whatever they aspire to be. To comple- ter. Terri Weast who edits The Teachers College Newslet- ment this effort, the college has initiated two outlets to ter among a variety of responsibilities has added college share its excellence with others. webmaster to that list. The college will greatly benefit from The Teachers College presents itself to many through its Terri’s strong web skills. Please visit The Teachers College website www.emporia.edu/teach/. For high school and com- website. munity college students and their parents, the website is the The second outlet is our new Facebook page, www.face- first point of contact with the college. For current students book.com/ESUTTC. This enables the college to advertise and faculty, the website is a source of information about department and college programs, activities, and events to ESU students, faculty, and staff as well as the extended col- lege community. In addition, articles, pictures, and videos of what our students and faculty are doing can be posted soon after the activities conclude. Lucie Eusey, the college’s Media and Marketing Director, has added the Facebook page to her responsibilities. Please visit the college on Facebook at and “like” us to receive updates as they are posted. Both outlets share the goal of keeping our wonderful alumni connected to the college in meaningful and informative ways! Best wishes for a warm holiday season and a wonderful New Year. Sincerely, Ken Weaver page 2 College Notes The Teachers College Speaker Series Bringing a School Back from the Brink In 2007, the smallest school in a rural Kansas the Walton school district and now an associ- Other presentations in Fall 2013 from The school district was facing closure. Today this ate professor in ESU’s School Leadership/Mid- Teachers College Speaker Series included: same school is a project-based learning charter dle and Secondary Teacher Education depart- "Getting Professionally Published," a talk elementary school – complete with a teaching ment, led the presentation about the school’s by Donovan R. Walling (BS ’70) was held barn, greenhouse and wind turbine. metamorphosis. He was joined by Natise Vogt, September 9, 2013. Sponsored by the Instruc- The leaders of the school’s transformation Principal of the Walton 21st Century Rural tional Design and Technology department, spoke about how Walton Elementary went Life Center, and Derrick Richling, an ESU The Teachers College, and Phi Delta Kappa. from an elementary school struggling to alumni and teacher at Walton. This speech can be found at remain open to become the Walton 21st Cen- The lecture was held October 30 and was part https://connect.emporia.edu/p2ncoxhejk4/. tury Rural Life Center. Regarded as a model of The Teachers College Speaker Series; it was Connie Phelp’s lecture "A Perspective on for struggling rural communities, the school sponsored by the Flint Hills Chapter of Phi Gifted Education in France," held September has succeeded beyond the most optimistic vi- Delta Kappa. 18, 2013. Phelps is ESU’s gifted program sion of those involved with the project. A webcast of the lecture can be seen at director and is an associate professor in the Dr. John Morton, former superintendent for http://goo.gl/LWP6BQ. department of elementary education, early The school was the subject of a US Depart- childhood, and special education. Her talk was ment of Education video which can be seen at sponsored by the Phi Delta Kappa.