Horizons
For alumni and friends of the SCHOOL OF LEADERSHIP AND EDUCATION SCIENCES
New SOLES Building to Have Major Impact on Programs!
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n the spring of 2006, a new San Diego landmark will begin to appear on the bluff overlooking the bay and City of San Diego. This 80,000 square foot building, to be constructed just west of Copley Library, will fulfill the School of Leadership and Education Sciences’ (SOLES) vital mission to improve education in our region, across the nation, and throughout the globe. This new facility will transform educational instruction at USD in the fields of education, counseling, leadership studies, marital and family therapy, and non-profit management, and in so doing it will help prepare professionals to make a significant difference in communities nationwide. In the past seven years, SOLES has grown from 15 to 35 faculty, and from fewer than 500 to nearly 1,000 students. However, the
school’s impressive growth and increasing prominence of programs are hindered by the lack of adequate facilities. With an expanding number of master’s and doctoral programs, the University is committed to providing future leaders with technology and facilities that will make them the best in their fields. The $36 million SOLES building will have state-of-the-art technology to deliver cutting-edge programs by utilizing: •
Smart Classrooms – To support the use of a variety of instructional techniques, the SOLES building will house classrooms that allow professors to use diverse and innovative teaching modes, from white
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Fall / winter 2006
Learning and Teaching Faculty Partner in $1 million Grant to Improve Science and Mathematics Teaching in San Diego County
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he California Mathematics and Science Partnership has awarded a grant worth approximately $1 million to the Inquiry Learning Partnership (ILP), a teacher professional development program bringing together the University of San Diego, the Chula Vista Elementary School District, the Lemon Grove School District, and the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center. As part of this partnership, SOLES faculty members, Dr. Sandy Buczynski, Dr. Bobbi Hansen, and Dr. Noriyuki Inoue, have joined with Dr. Perla Myers and faculty in the College of Arts and Sciences to create innovative academic experiences in science and mathematics for 4th through 8th grade teachers. Over 100 teachers from both the Chula Vista and Lemon Grove school districts have attended five-day inquiry institutes at the Fleet Science Center, exposing them to structured teaching approaches in science and mathematics and more open-ended inquiry-based teaching strategies. Each of the ILP teachers select a specialty area related to professional development, leadership, or choose to complete a Master’s degree.
Future home of the School of Leadership and Education Sciences, expected April 2007.
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