COE Alum is Devoted to Life Long Learning

 

Robert Askren (BAE ’63) has been devoted to “life long learning”.  He earned a MEd in English and a PhD in Counseling as part of his learning career. Askren also earned a Master’s degree at Virginia Theological Seminary in 1966 to prepare for ordination as an Episcopal Priest. He served in parish ministry in Florida for 45 years before retiring in 2006.  During his ministry, Askren taught classes for local colleges. After his retirement, Askren began work at the Bolles School in Jacksonville, Florida where he taught English, Latin, French and Spanish as adjunct faculty. In 2005-2006, Askren taught college writing for Purdue University in Indiana while serving as interim rector for a local Episcopal Church for two years.

Askren serves as Canon for Adult Education for St. John’s Episcopal Cathedral in Jacksonville, where he is director of The Institute for Christian Studies.  He is a Florida certified teacher in Language Arts, grades 6-12 and is currently attending COE’s Distance Learning program to renew his teaching certification for 2013.

 

 

 

 

COE Alumnus Appointed Principal of Gainesville High

David Shelnutt ( EDS ’03, Ed Leadership) has been appointed the new principal of Gainesville High School.  He will replace another COE alumnus, Wiley Dixon (PhD ’84), who is retiring this month after serving as principal since 2002.

Shelnutt currently serves as assistant principal for curriculum at Buchholz High. He was the assistant principal at Fort Clarke Middle School in 2005 before returning to Buchholz a year later. Shelnutt was the 2004 Alachua County Teacher of the Year. He previously was an assistant chair in the social studies department at Buchholz, where he taught regular, honors and advanced placement classes in American history and world history for over six years. He has served as a board member on the College of Education Alumni Council since 2001.