Educational Partnerships and Resources

Educational Partnerships and Resources

SVSU has developed numerous partnerships to assist practicing teachers, aid school districts and better prepare its College of Education graduates.

The Math & Science Resource Center was among the most high-profile regional education developments. In 1989, the university initiated the Greater Saginaw Valley Regional Education Cooperative (GSVREC), a loose—nevertheless expansive—confederation of schools and organizations in a 14-county region encompassing Delta College, Mid-Michigan Community College, nine intermediate school districts, four regional education media centers and 68 school districts.

Ten grants totaling nearly $500,000 supported the plan, which put into use technology to link resources and make them available for educators and students from pre-K through the college level. In 1990, Ralph Coppola, the initial project director of sponsored programs at SVSU, said: “Problems in improvement of education mirror those of economic development … The major impediment to economic development has been the lack of sharing of resources and the lack of development of regional strategies for economic growth.” The goals were to create a math and science center to augment the Valley Library Consortium, establish a cooperative (ArtWorks) to support regional arts instruction and develop the Greater Saginaw Valley Telecommunications Network.20

In 1990, Ralph Coppola, the initial project director of sponsored programs at SVSU, said: “Problems in improvement of education mirror those of economic development … The major impediment to economic development has been the lack of sharing of resources and the lack of development of regional strategies for economic growth.”

In October 1995, biology professor Walter Rathkamp opened the Math & Science Center. He already had created the award-winning Project SOLVE (Science Outreach Leadership Venture for Excellence), an innovative teacher workshop on methods for teaching science to gifted students, and Project MOLVE, which focused on math instruction. Rathkamp, as a project designer for the GVSREC, spent years developing its math and science center, which among other services supported teachers with instruction kits.21 The Math and Science Center produced popular SMEK (Science, Mathematics, and Engineering for Kids) Extravaganzas that evolved into week-long summer day camps. SVSU was one of four universities in Michigan to receive state funding in 2007 to help math and science instructors at high-need schools.22

In response to a statewide shortage in the number of certified special education teachers, the College of Education in 1990 created endorsements for teachers of learning-disabled and emotionally-impaired students. The state also approved the university’s plan to offer five endorsement tracks for school administrators.23

The following year, the college unveiled its Master of Arts in Teaching-Special Education degree. In 1997, the college began offering an Education Specialist degree and created the Master of Science-Natural Science Teaching degree with the assistance of colleagues in the College of Science, Engineering & Technology.24

In October 1995, biology professor Walter Rathkamp opened the Math & Science Center.