School
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School
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UNCG COUNSELING PROGRAM, SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
RANKED NATIONALLY BY U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT
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GREENSBORO--The counseling program and the School of Education at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro have been ranked among the nation’s best graduate programs, according to new published rankings by U.S. News and World Report magazine for 2001-2002.
The Department of Counseling and Educational Development ranked seventh and the School of Education was ranked 33rd among graduate schools of education across the nation. This marks the seventh straight year that UNCG’s School of Education has been ranked in the top 50 graduate schools of education in the U. S. by the magazine. UNCG’s ranking rose to 33rd from a tie for 37th place in last year’s rankings.
Only two schools of education in North Carolina placed in the top 50 in the rankings, with the UNC-Chapel Hill School of Education ranked 18th nationally. Overall, the magazine ranked 182 graduate schools of education programs that grant the Ph.D. or Ed.D. degrees.
UNCG officials said that the continued high ranking by the School of Education reflects its leadership role in public education in the state and region. UNCG’s teacher education programs were ranked as the state’s best in January when the State Department of Public Instruction released its report on teacher preparation in the state. That leadership in education traces back to 1892 when the institution opened to train teachers as the State Normal and Industrial School.
UNCG Chancellor Patricia Sullivan, said of the rankings, “This confirms what we have known all along--that we have one of the finest schools of education in the nation, and that our counseling program is a national leader in that field. The school and the University are meeting their obligations of serving as multidisciplinary resources for solving problems in public education at the local, regional and national levels. It’s a real distinction to be so highly ranked on this selective list, and to be very competitive with schools that are double and triple our size.“
Dr. Dale Schunk, the school’s new dean, said, “Our School of Education is continuing as a leader in preparing students at the undergraduate and graduate levels to be professional educators who will meet the challenges that face public education. Considering the competition, any institution that ranks in the top 50 has a great deal to be proud of. This school is an asset to the Piedmont and the state, and this ranking is a testament to the talented and hard working faculty that we have.”
The Department of Counseling and Educational Development, chaired by Dr. L. DiAnne Borders, 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 programs all have full national accreditation. Graduates are employed in a variety of school, community, and university settings, both locally and nationally.
The department has provided leadership to the counseling field in numerous ways. Five of the 10 current faculty members have served as editors of national journals and seven have been elected to national leadership positions within the counseling profession. Current funded research projects and programs include research on enhancing girls' self-efficacy in math and science careers, violence prevention in the Washington DC schools, treatment programs for sexually abused adolescent girls, and factors affecting the academic success of undergraduate students-of-color. Faculty have received numerous awards for their research, service, student mentoring, and teaching. Three national counseling organizations—the National Board for Certified Counselors, Chi Sigma Iota, 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 in the 1990s as having the nation’s top counseling program.
The UNCG School of Education offers degrees at the undergraduate, master’s and doctoral levels, and is one of six professional schools at UNCG. During the 1999-2000 year, the school had an overall enrollment of more than 1,370 students, including 666 undergraduate student majors and 710 graduate majors. The latter figure included 204 doctoral students.
The school has approximately 50 full-time faculty members. Its six departments are counseling and educational development, curriculum and instruction, educational leadership and cultural foundations, educational research methodology, library and information studies and specialized education services. In addition, it also has a Teachers Academy and three professional centers: the Center for School Accountability, Center for Educational Studies and Development and 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 $75 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. The contract was renewed in early December for an additional five years and was increased to $36 million. In 1999-2000, faculty within the School of Education attracted $21.3 million in grants, contracts and other external funding.
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