Message from the Dean: Spring 2023

04/28/2023

Dear SOE Billiken Alums,

It’s hard to believe that we are wrapping up another semester – the 2022-23 academic year has flown by! As the spring semester quickly comes to a close, the School of Education is busy making plans for the May pre-commencement ceremony. And we are delighted that this year’s ceremony will be held for our graduates, once again, in College Church at 9 a.m. on Thursday, May 18. We are pleased to share that Kelvin Adams, Ph.D., former long-time superintendent of St. Louis Public School District and associate dean and Regents’ Distinguished Professor of the College of Education, Harris-Stowe State University, has accepted our invitation to serve as our pre-commencement speaker. 

In this newsletter, we are excited to share that the School of Education is now offering its Master of Arts in Educational Leadership program in an online format. The University created this program in response to increased demand from educators across Missouri for online graduate programs. The new and more accessible program dovetails with SLU’s mission to serve the broader community. 

We also highlight a new collaboration with the education community in the St. Louis area. This spring, SLU’s School of Education hosted the regional Scripps Spelling Bee, beginning a partnership between the two that continues the university’s mission of inspiring and educating the next generation of leaders. The School of Education is sponsoring the winner of the regional spelling bee for a fully- funded trip to Washington, D.C., for the Scripps National Spelling Bee.

Finally, we are pleased to announce that the PRiME Center is entering its next phase of growth and expansion with a new executive team. Collin Hitt, Ph.D., PRiME’s new executive director, joins us from Southern Illinois University School of Medicine. Ashley Burle, who has worked with PRiME in various roles for several years, becomes PRiME’s first chief of operations. The new team will lead with a strong foundation of experience and knowledge to further PRiME’s mission of generating and disseminating better evidence to improve education policymaking and educational outcomes in Missouri.

As always, please let us know if there are ways we can support you better or communicate with you more effectively. Thank you for the good you do, and we look forward to seeing you on campus!

Best wishes,
Gary W. Ritter, Ph.D.
Dean, School of Education