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News Release
February 13, 2007
Boise State University College of Education Celebrates 10th
Anniversary of First Doctoral Program Graduation
The Boise State University College of Education is marking the 10th anniversary
of the graduation of its first doctoral program candidates. The College of
Education program was the first doctoral program at Boise State, and its
graduates have gone on to work in nearly all levels of the education field in
Idaho.
“The Ed.D. program in Curriculum and Instruction has graduated over 50 students
who are making valuable contributions to the state of Idaho and the nation
through their expert knowledge and quality leadership,” said Diane Boothe, dean
of the College of Education.
Robert Barr, professor emeritus and dean who oversaw the development of the
program, said that the founders of the program “set out to develop a doctoral
program that was new, unique, distinctive, powerful, creative — we weren’t bound
by tradition.”
The program was designed around students’ lives, Barr said, offering a chance to
gain a doctorate without leaving the Treasure Valley — impossibility before the
program began.
“Our first group of doctoral students had been waiting here in the metropolitan
area for decades, waiting for a doctoral program to come to them so that they
might not have to resign their jobs, leave their families, leave their church,
and go out of state to go to a doctoral program,” Barr said.
Patricia Toney, recently of the State Board of Education, was in the first
graduating cohort in 1997. She had worked as an educator for several years at
Centennial High School and at Albertson College, but the new program gave her a
chance to further her career without uprooting her life.
“It was very exciting,” she said of her experience. “We had a great cohort and
we bonded very well.”
Kelly Cross, assistant principal at Taft Elementary in Boise, entered the
program in 2001 after working for nine years as an educator. The program has
changed the way she approaches her work, she said.
“My experience in the doctoral program was extremely rewarding,” Cross said. “I
became a much better writer, and a more critical reader. It changed the way I
read education journals. Now I pore over them; I’ve learned to look closely at
the key points, resources and citations. As a result, I have a more
comprehensive understanding of instruction and curriculum — and I know how to
read, interpret, and evaluate research.”
The College of Education will mark the anniversary with an invitation-only event
tonight that will reflect on the program’s successes and look forward to the
future. Keith Thiede recently took over as coordinator for the program, which is
still going strong.
“If you look throughout this valley, you’ll find our doctoral graduates in
leadership positions, providing the direction and the substance that truly is
taking public education into the future,” Barr said.
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Contact: Keith Thiede, College of Education, (208) 426-1278,
keiththiede@boisestate.edu
Media Contact: Julie Hahn, University Communications, (208) 426-5540,
juliehahn@boisestate.edu
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Last reviewed on
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
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