The UT Martin Educator Preparation Program in the College of Education, Health and Behavioral Sciences will host its second annual Diversity Conference from 8 a.m. to noon on Wednesday, Oct. 18, in Watkins Auditorium in the Boling University Center. Light refreshments will be served.
While the primary audience of the event is education students, the public is welcome to attend.
This year’s conference topic is “Diversity in K-12 Schools,” and it includes panelists from various local education agency partnering districts. Panelists for the Diversity Conference include:
• Nadie Beard, a teacher at Jackson Central-Merry 6-12 Middle and High School
• Craig Clay, a college access counselor for Gibson County Schools
• Dr. Jamie Elliott, the assistant principal at East Elementary School in the Humboldt City Schools district
• Grover Harwell, the principal of Humboldt Junior and Senior High School
• Dr. Taurus Hines, the principal of Rozelle Elementary School for Creative and Performing Arts in the Memphis-Shelby County School district
• Mrs. Whitney Pope, the school counselor for South Fulton Middle and High School
• Kamela Rogers, the principal of Dyersburg Middle School
• Dorothea Roye, the principal of McKenzie Middle School
• Dr. Patrick Washington, the executive director of Man Up Teacher Fellowship, a nonprofit recruiting and training organization for men of color seeking a career in education
Dr. Cheryl Stewart, the manager of the UTM New Teacher Program, will serve as the moderator for the event.
The Fall 2023 Diversity Conference will address the needs of students while aligning with the Educator Preparation Program, university mission and accreditation standards and goals for recruitment and retention.
The UT Martin Educator Preparation Program (EPP) in the College of Education, Health and Behavioral Sciences prepares teachers to become facilitators of active learning for preschool through 12th-grade students through a variety of diverse field-placement opportunities.
These experiences are intended to provide candidates with the necessary knowledge and skills to effectively lead a classroom, collaborate with colleagues and impact the community.
The UT Martin EPP serves more than 35 school districts per semester representing a large footprint throughout the state.
The UT Martin EPP has diversified teacher preparation pathways to accommodate the recent need for licensed educators in all program areas across the state. The university serves as one of the largest job-embedded graduate programs as well as the largest career and technical education certification program in the state.
Additionally, UT Martin’s New Teacher Induction Program continues to provide unique support to program completers for the first three years following graduation in an effort to accelerate the success of new teachers, students and school districts where they serve.
This program enhances the EPP’s continuous improvement efforts as well as primary and state partnerships with the local education agencies that it serves. For more information, contact Stewart at cstewa72@utm.edu or 731-881-7201.
