Feasting on Buckeyes. Time capsule buried. SOE Banquet set. Busy times ahead.

DEAN’S MESSAGE – JANUARY 16, 2007

A popular book on the different ways men and women communicate was called, “Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus.” Anyone at UF who did not see our Florida Gators chew up the Ohio State Buckeyes Jan. 8 to win the NCAA national title must be from Pluto (where the Buckeyes would no doubt like to hide after their complete meltdown). Seriously, the game was terrific, and while we know this great university is primarily about outstanding academic accomplishments, we all enjoy the glow of victory a national championship brings, and being in the media spotlight.

The beginning of the new semester for the college has been rather quiet, a welcome change from the intense flurry of events that marked last year as we celebrated our 100-year centennial. The culminating activity was the burial of a time capsule in the Norman Hall courtyard Dec. 7, 2006, which will be opened in 2056. Every department and major administrative unit in the college contributed some artifacts (a technical term for what most people call “stuff” – a list of all of them can be found on the COE Web site that should be interesting to the college faculty, staff and students in the future. Unless a major medical breakthrough occurs to slow the onslaught of the aging process, it’s highly unlikely I will be here for the ceremony, but I certainly expect some of our younger alums, faculty and students will enjoy seeing just how education was viewed in the not so distant past. If the pace of change continues to accelerate in the way it did the last 50 years, I imagine the differences will be profound. In a future column, I will outline some ways I believe colleges of education will be very different from what most people perceive them to be now, a change that parallels general trends in higher education occurring around the country.

The next big event for the College this year will be our fifth annual “Scholarship of Engagement” banquet on April 25 in Emerson Alumni Hall. At this event, we honor all our student scholarship recipients and the generous donors whose gifts made these scholarships possible, along with the winners of our SOE awards. This year, because we now have so many faculty whose research and scholarly activity fits the model of the “scholarship of engagement” first envisioned by Ernest Boyer, we will be honoring five COE recipients – one from each department. The call for nominations for these awards will be sent out within the next few weeks, so please mark your calendars for this outstanding event. Each year, it has attracted more participants, and we anticipate another overflow crowd to celebrate the accomplishments of our students, UF, COE and PKY faculty, school district and community leaders, along with recognizing the generosity of our donors.

While the event calendar may not be as packed as it was last year, the College is still an incredibly busy place with all the research, teaching and service activities underway. Because of all the faculty searches now taking place, along with the ongoing admission process for each department, it’s an exciting time as we select the new people who will be joining the college in the fall. The pulse of the College is strong and vibrant, and I fully expect that the dynamism and energy of the past five years to be even stronger in the future. And after Jan. 8, what else can I say but this – it’s great to be a Florida Gator!

– Dean Catherine Emihovich