Northwestern College | Classic magazine - Winter 2004-05 - Vol. 76 ...

CampusnewsNorthwestern ClassicNWC happeningsState reaccreditsteacher educationprogramNorthwestern’s teacher education program has been officiallyreaccredited by the Iowa Board of Education through2009-10. Evaluators visited the campus last fall.The Board of Education said NWC met all six of its standards:governance and resources, diversity, faculty performanceand development, clinical practice, assessment of candidateknowledge, and assessment of the unit. “In many ways,this program serves as a model for standards- and performance-basedpractitioner preparation programs,” the boardsaid in its report. “The institution is to be commended [forits] excellent program and contributions to the state of Iowa.”Reviewers praised Northwestern’s education faculty, sayingthey provide highly individualized assistance to studentsand are respected across the campus and in area schools.They also cited as strengths the department’s extensivefield experience requirements, as well as the college’s facilities,supportive administration and commitment to diversity.Evaluators noted that the education program’s conceptualframework, “Teacher as Servant,” is well-aligned withNorthwestern’s mission and pervasive throughout thedepartment.Last spring, the education program received continuingaccreditation from the National Council for Accreditation ofTeacher Education (NCATE). Only four other colleges’ educationprograms in Iowa (Graceland, Luther, Morningside andWartburg) are accredited by NCATE.Faculty/staff newsKaren Acker, art, had artworkchosen for inclusion intwo fall juried exhibitions:the Will Creek Survey 2004Exhibition at the SavilleGallery in Cumberland,Md., and the 49th annualInternational OpenExhibition by NorthernCalifornia Arts in Carmichael.Dan Daily,director ofRamakerLibrary, hasbeenappointedby Gov. TomVilsack to the State HistoricalRecords Advisory Board.Dr. Laird Edman, psychology,and three professors atthe University of Minnesotapublished an article,“Psychometric Analysis of theMinnesota Test of CriticalThinking” in PsychologicalReports. The article is ananalysis of the first version ofa test of critical thinkingEdman and two of the coauthorsare developing.Piet Koene, Spanish, hasmet all the requirements tobe listed as an approvedinterpreter on the official rosterof Iowa court interpreters.An article by Dr. AnnLundberg, English, has beenpublished in ATQ, a quarterlyjournal of 19th-centuryAmerican literature and culture.Her essay, “‘The Ruinsof a Bygone GeologicEmpire’: Clarence King andthe Place of the Primitive inthe Evolution of AmericanIdentity,” is part of a specialissue on adventure andexploration.Dr. Andrew Sauerwein,music, co-directed “ForgingLinks,” a conference forchurch members, worshipleaders, musicians and teachersheld in Durham, N.C., inSeptember. He gave a presentationon modeling relationshipsand wrote a choral settingof Psalm 29 that wasperformed at the conference.Greg Scheer, music, spokeon worship composition atthe “Forging Links” conference.As part of the event, apiece he composed for stringquartet, 6, was performed atDuke University.Dr. Ed Starkenburg, education,presented a session onusing research-based strategiesto teach math at theHeartland Educators’Convention in Sioux Centerin October.Lila Sybesma, education,also spoke at the HeartlandEducators’ Convention. Shediscussed reading strategiesteachers can use to increasestudents’ grasp of contentmaterial.Dr. Alexandar Tokarev,business and economics,won a scholarship to coverhis participation in a RonaldCoase Institute workshop oninstitutional analysis and theannual meeting of theInternational Society for NewInstitutional Economics, heldin Tucson, Ariz., this fall.Tokarev presented a paper onthe link between church andstate institutions.Dr. Marc Wooldridge,music, performed percussionat November concerts atWestern WashingtonUniversity and Coe College,Cedar Rapids, Iowa. At thelatter event, he also presenteda lecture on music forpercussion, film andvisual art.8 ▲ Winter 2004-05