Centralight

CMU Today Star Doors Brooks Astronomical CMU's education programs Both the undergraduate and graduate programs received full accreditation from the Teacher Education Accreditation Council for the next five years. This marks the first change in the program's accreditation since CMU was accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education in 1954. College of Education and Human Services interim associate dean Ray Francis says the change is good news for students, both current and prospective. "The thing that TEAC gives us the opportunity to do is describe who and what we are as a program. It allows us to define ourselves. It means that students are guaranteed a high-quality program," Francis says. Francis adds that TEAC gives faculty more of an opportunity for participation and involvement in the education program's curriculum. "For CMU, we focus on consistently high GPAs, a strong undergraduate completion rate, and outstanding placement and employment opportunities for those in the program," he says. "It continues the traditions we've had since the 1950s as a highly effective program at the undergraduate and graduate levels." • receive 5-year accreditation Central Michigan University's teacher education programs have received a significant national endorsement for quality in educating future teachers. Observatory recently replaced its dome to one that automatically rotates and can open the observation doors with a push of a button. The previous system was completely manual. Student-focused renovations Teacher education senior Alexandria Kennedy grabs her peppermint mocha from the newly added Starbucks Coffee Company in the Bovee University Center and sits down to wait for her classmates to join her in the new second floor student lounge. Even though it is just after 10 a.m. on a Tuesday, groups of students sit on couches, at desks and in glass-walled study rooms. The large area is more than half full. "This is the place to be on campus," says Kennedy. "After I meet with my group members, I am going to grab lunch, pick up a book for class and stop in the Greek Life office. Everything is here." The $5 million University Center project renovation had the goal to increase the amount of variety and the quality of space dedicated to students, says Chad Garland, UC building coordinator. "To start the process, we asked students what they wanted to have in this location. And we listened." In addition to a U.S. Post Office, a gaming area and the coffee shop, several offices were renovated – including the Center for Inclusion and Diversity and the Mary Ellen Brandell Volunteer Center. • Senior Kelsey Karkkainen does her student teaching in a kindergarten class. alumni.cmich.edu/centralight for more 22 centralight spring '12

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