COLLEGE OF EDUCATION AND HEALTH PROFESSIONS Dear Friends, The faculty and staff of the College of Education and Health Professions strongly believe that what we do on a daily basis has a tremendous impact now and in the future on the lives of our students and the community. Overwhelmingly, we see our students in service fields that can change their communities. We also believe in the importance of being leaders in our fields. We want the College of Education and Health Professions at Columbus State University to be recognized as the place to go for solutions to problems in the fields of education and health care, and we are establishing ourselves as such. With education reform sweeping the country, our education programs are emerging as leaders in the implementation of key initiatives. We have become national experts in new assessment tools for teacher preparation, and our involvement in the local school districts has led to such an increase in K-12 test scores that other universities around the country are asking how they can mimic our accomplishments. Our nursing faculty are presenting at national conferences about preparing nurses and offering high-quality patient care in health-care systems under strain due to workforce shortages. Exercise science faculty are conducting research to gain insight into the obesity problem that plagues our nation in an effort to prevent diseases. Our faculty continue to seek state, national, and international recognition through research, grant writing, and community partnerships. The many strong partnerships that are formed through collaboration within the community extend the level of engagement of our students, faculty, and staff. Our outreach centers support these efforts, providing invaluable service to the region and opportunities for students in our programs to enhance their professional skills as they engage with the community. As the College of Education and Health Professions moves to Uptown Columbus, we are excited about moving to the next level in providing a high-quality education to our students. The impact of moving to this first-choice facility will be evident in the College of Education and Health Professions’ emergence as a nationally acclaimed authority on innovation in education and health care. We look forward to expanding our impact as we work with you to improve the quality of life in our community and beyond!
Sincerely, Deirdre Greer, Ph.D. Dean, College of Education and Health Professions
Columbus State University’s College of Education and Health Professions is comprised of:
Four Academic Departments: • Counseling, Foundations, and Leadership • Health, Physical Education and Exercise Science • School of Nursing • Teacher Education
Five Educational Outreach Centers: • Coca-Cola Space Science Center • Oxbow Meadows Environmental Learning Center • Columbus Regional Mathematics Collaborative • Center for Quality Teaching and Learning • The Ivey Center for the Cultural Approach to History Students in the College of Education and Health Professions are called to serve others, whether children, adolescents, or adults. We have established a stellar reputation in the region through: • Relationships, internships, field experiences and practica with partner schools and medical centers. • Building the local workforce, evidenced by the fact that 65% of our health profession graduates stay in region and about 60% of Muscogee County School District teachers are Columbus State graduates. • Student research focused on educational improvement. • Quality graduate programs, including the university’s only doctorate. • A commitment to STEM teacher preparation, supported by three prestigious national grants. • Unparalleled opportunities for students to “try” teaching through our outreach centers, partner schools and year-long practicums. • Online degree options throughout the curriculum from teacher leadership opportunities to the RN-to-BSN degree program in nursing.
Our Campaign Vision: CSU’s College of Education and Health Professions will transform Columbus into a city known for innovation in education and healthcare. Our funding priorities to accomplish our strategic vision are to invest in:
First Choice People • Scholarships – $1.25 million Student scholarships are vital to attracting creatively talented and academically gifted students, especially in high-demand fields such as math and science education, and nursing. The ability to offer more and bigger scholarships will support the college’s strong reputation and position us to compete for highachieving students that often select a university where they receive the strongest financial support. Every $50,000 in endowed scholarship money allows the college to offer $2,000 in scholarships annually. By meeting the $1.25 million goal, we can impact hundreds of students who have a choice in education. Scholarships can help make CSU their first choice by attracting and retaining high-quality students. We have seen time and time again that this caliber of student will yield the best teachers, nurses and therapists in our community. • Professorships – $2.5 million Endowed professorships in areas such as special education will attract the best faculty available who are able to significantly contribute to the goal of improving the overall quality of life in the valley region. These endowed positions attract and retain engaged, pioneering faculty. This investment in people allows faculty to innovate, ask and answer questions, and engage our students in helping to solve some our greatest challenges of creating better systems of education and health care. Adding faculty known as trail blazers in their fields can be a game changer for this college in terms of continuing to build our reputation and seeking external funding through grants. A community with access to high-quality education (preschool through college) and excellent health care can attract top-level businesses that will promote a thriving, economically strong community.
College of Education and Health Professions at Columbus State University
First-Choice Facility • NEW Building downtown – $25 million Relocating the College of Education and Health Professions to Uptown Columbus allows us to expand our capabilities to transform education and health care in our region with state-ofthe art laboratories and classrooms, and will serve as a physical reminder of the value placed on teaching and health care. With our students, these facilities and the faculty leaders we have, we can address some of this region’s most important issues. For instance, our nurses will learn in high-tech classrooms that look like hospitals; our faculty will monitor student reaction and interaction through observations rooms; and our young teachers will have access to very latest tools, resources and centers. Through this move, CSU will assume a high-profile position as a regional leader in educator preparation and health care and give us more opportunities to engage with the community around the topics of education and health care. This beautiful and historic building in downtown Columbus will be the northern-most anchor of Columbus State University’s RiverPark campus. Acquiring this unique building and property for an academic college initially will bring more than 1,700 students, faculty and staff into downtown, continuing the university’s tradition of transforming unused vacant spaces into vibrant, updated facilities teeming with activity.
First-Choice Programming • (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) STEM Teacher Preparation – $3 million The College of Education and Health Professions plays a leading role in the university’s emergence as a national leader in preparing teachers of math and science. Columbus State has earned three multi-million dollar national grants for this critically needed initiative and seeks to expand those efforts to become
College of Education and Health Professions at Columbus State University
a nationally recognized UTeach model of STEM teach Preparation. Further development of these programs will position the College of Education and Health Professions to continue these highly effective initiatives and be a national leader in the field of STEM teacher preparation in terms of quality and quantity. The payoff from these investments is a new generation of young people who emerge from school with a true desire to learn more about how the world works, how to solve problems, how to develop the next technology that makes our life easier, or how to solve our most dire health issues.
• CSU Fund ($2.5 million) The CSU Fund allows the college to be more effective, competitive, and responsive to the academic – and often unexpected – needs of our faculty, staff and students. Ongoing support to the College of the Education and Health Professions provides critical support for scholarships, teaching, equipment, faculty and student travel, and program support at our community outreach centers such as Oxbow Meadows Environmental Learning Center, Coca-Cola Space Science Center, or the Columbus Regional Mathematics Collaborative. These centers are designed to ignite interest in math, science and environmental issues by hosting thousands of school children every week along with students in our teacher preparation programs and members of the community. Cultivating these passions in youth today ensures a better global community tomorrow. These community outreach centers are open to the public and can be used as learning and research centers for college students and faculty.
Summary of Campaign Priorities: • Student Scholarships . . . . . . . . . . . . $1.25 Million • Professorships . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $2.5 Million • Ledger-Enquirer building purchase, renovation and construction . . . . . . . . . $25 Million • STEM Teacher Preparation . . . . . . . . . . $3 Million • CSU Fund . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$2.5 Million
$34.25 Million
College of Education and Health Professions at Columbus State University
Making Our Vision a Reality Columbus State University’s College of Education and Health Professions has a profound responsibility to train the people that teach our children, care for our ill, rehabilitate our injured and inspire our future. The ripple effect of our programs can be felt throughout the region. The caliber of the education provided by our faculty and partners is reflected in thousands of people who go through our local clinics, hospitals and schools every day. This campaign will honor this responsibility and provide fitting support to propel our college into national prominence. Several of our programs have already been recognized by US News & World report as among the best in the country, and more than $4 million in national grants shows the quality of our professors. We need to continue this momentum by investing in the most creative people, the most unique learning environments, and the most solutions-based programs to achieve our goals. Fulfilling our campaign goals will allow Columbus State University’s College of Education and Health Professions to: • achieve a new level of preeminence in education and health care and will continue a tradition of significantly contributing to the vitality of Columbus, • inspire our faculty and students to be passionate and curious to solve major problems in our society and, • enhance our community by creating a hub of learning and energy in the UPtown Columbus area. We hope you will join with us as we make our vision a reality. Columbus State University College of Education and Health Professions Office of Development 4225 University Ave Columbus, GA 31907