NewsRelease

U.S. News and World Report: UNCG Counseling Program, School of Education Among Best in Nation

GREENSBORO – The University of North Carolina at Greensboro’s counselor education program and School of Education are among the best in the nation, according to an annual ranking of graduate schools by U.S. News and World Report.

 The Department of Counseling and Educational Development is ranked fifth among counseling programs in the magazine’s 2004 list. The program – the only specialty education program in the state to be ranked – was ranked third last year and seventh the year before.

 The School of Education is ranked 33rd, placing it in the top 50 for the ninth consecutive year. It was ranked 29th last year and 33rd two years ago. The UNC-Chapel Hill School of Education, ranked 31st, is the only other North Carolina school in this year’s top 50.

“I’m extremely pleased with the rankings. They indicate the high quality of our programs,” said Dr. Dale H. Schunk, dean of the School of Education. “I’m especially pleased with the outstanding ranking that our counseling program achieved.”

UNCG’s leadership in public education traces to 1892 when the institution opened to train teachers as the State Normal and Industrial School. The University’s teacher-education program has earned an “exemplary” rating on the state's report card for three straight years.

The Department of Counseling and Educational Development has programs in community counseling, marriage and family counseling, gerontological counseling, school counseling, and student development in higher education at the master's level, as well as doctoral study in counseling and counselor education. Its graduates are employed in a variety of school, community, and university settings, both locally and nationally.

“Our ranking among elite research universities recognizes the quality of our alumni, faculty and students,” said Dr. L. DiAnne Borders, department chairwoman. “It will help us attract more of the top students in our field.”

Five of the department’s nine current faculty members have served as editors of national journals, and seven have been elected to national leadership positions within the counseling profession.

Professors are researching girls’ interest in math and science, school violence and bullying, substance abuse prevention and treatment, teen parenting behaviors, wellness, adopted children and their families, and use of technology in counselor training.

Three national counseling organizations - the National Board for Certified Counselors, Chi Sigma Iota International Honorary Society, and the Educational Resources Information Center/Clearinghouse on Counseling and Student Services - are located in Greensboro and are affiliated with the program.  The Department was twice recognized during the 1990s for having the nation’s top counseling program.

The School of Education, one of six professional schools at the University, offers degrees at the undergraduate, master’s and doctoral levels. The school has about 55 full-time faculty members and 1,600 students, including roughly 850 undergraduates and 750 graduate students.

Its six departments are counseling and educational development, curriculum and instruction, educational leadership and cultural foundations, library and information studies, educational research methodology, and specialized education services.

 In addition, the School of Education is the home of the University’s Teachers Academy and three professional centers: the Center for School Accountability, the Center for Educational Studies and Development and the Center for Educational Research and Evaluation. The school has a Professional Development Schools program for students majoring in elementary and middle grades education.

The UNCG School of Education has been awarded more than $80 million in federal contracts since 1990 to operate the southeastern regional education laboratory at SERVE that assists state and local educators at the K-12 level in a six-state area in the Southeast.

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