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MILLIGAN COLLEGE, Tenn. (April 26, 2016) – Milligan College’s Master of Education (M.Ed.) program celebrated its 25-year anniversary today by honoring several local alums with the distinction of “Teacher of the Year,” funded from a Tennessee Association of Colleges of Teacher Education (TACTE) grant.
The purpose of the TACTE grant was to acknowledge Milligan’s graduate “Teachers of the Year” and to help make legislators aware of the college’s graduate education program.
The honorees included Michael Dillow (’13), who teaches at Rock Springs Elementary in Kingsport, Tennessee; Holly Kent (’14), Happy Valley Elementary, Carter County; and Renee Wood (’11), North Side Elementary, Johnson City.
“We are thrilled to be celebrating 25 years of training teachers who have changed lives and shaped culture,” said Dr. Lyn Howell, chair of Milligan’s education area. “Our M.Ed. students, whether they are in the classroom or have gone on to be school principals or district superintendents, reflect the pride of Milligan’s prestigious reputation as well as the attitude of servant leadership common to all Milligan graduates.”
In addition, the program honored M.Ed. student Lacie Black, from Jonesborough, Tennessee, with the Paul Clark Teacher Education Award. Black plans to teach secondary English.
Several graduates students also were honored for their research including Black, who examined the impact of theatre-arts on student performance in a high school English class; Danielle Miranda, of Johnson City, Tennessee, who examined the factors affecting motivation and participation in a physical education class; and Daniel Couper, of Johnson City, who looked at the effects of using interdisciplinary integration and traditional strategies in a seventh grade English class.
Awards for best M.Ed. portfolio projects went to Melissa Preudhomme and Karlyssa Williams, both from Johnson City.
The M.Ed. program includes both initial licensure and advanced degree options. The initial licensure degree is typically a 15-month professional educational program that allows students to earn their teaching certificate or license and their degree. The advanced program is for current teachers seeking professional development and their master’s degree. The advanced M.Ed. program is a hybrid of online and on-campus options, allowing students the convenience of online courses and the opportunity to interact face to face with the knowledgeable, caring education faculty.