October 26, 2007n and Allied Professions has been named a recipient of the 2007 Christa McAuliffe Excellence in Teacher Education Award presented annually by the American Association of State 
Colleges and Universities. Our philosophy of teacher preparation at Western is in alignment with Christa McAuliffe’s often-quoted motto, “I touch the future. I teach.” Through our ongoing work with our many public school partners across Western North Carolina, we know we are living up to her legacy.
The award recognizes that Western is advancing the field of teacher education by identifying promising practices for measuring the impact of programs on teacher candidate knowledge, particularly on P-12 pupil learning.
The McAuliffe award is the second national recognition for Western’s teacher education program in the past two years. The Association of Teacher Educators in February 2006 presented its Distinguished Program in Teacher Education award, given to teacher education programs that exhibit outstanding collaboration with local school systems, to WCU in recognition of the success of its School University Teacher Education Partnership (SUTEP).
Our partnership encompasses a seamless approach to teacher education: recruitment, preparation, induction, and career-long professional development. Our partnership also significantly involves the stakeholders in teacher education. At the highest levels, the leadership of both Western Carolina University and the school districts in the partnership have strongly supported the partnership and its activities.
To everyone involved in our partnership, thank you for all that you have contributed. Together we are working to assure a high quality education for our P-16 students.
A. Michael Dougherty, Dean
College of Education and Allied Professions
