SU Elementary Education Cohort Welcomes New Class
SALISBURY, MD---Students on Maryland’s Mid- and Upper Shore interested in pursuing an elementary education degree from Salisbury University continue to enjoy the option of the Elementary Education Cohort Program offered at the Eastern Shore Higher Education Center (ESHEC) at Chesapeake College in Wye Mills, MD.
This fall, a new group of 12 students enrolled in the program: Cindy Berkey, Isa Cook and Heather Montgomery of Denton, MD; Christie Carels of Hurlock, MD; Lindsay Bell of Ridgely, MD; Kristin Price of Church Hill, MD; Tunisia Waller of Cambridge, MD; Michael Doyle of Stevensville, MD; Danielle Lowe of Kent Island, MD; Jennifer Forbes of Cordova, MD; Casey Tyler of Chestertown, MD; and Victoria Gebert of Vienna, MD.
Most students enrolled in the program have completed an Associate of Arts in Teaching at Chesapeake College or Anne Arundel Community College and have been accepted into the Professional Teacher Education Program at Salisbury University. They will continue taking classes at the ESHEC and will be joined in the spring by additional A.A.T. graduates and students. The newest cohort group will graduate in spring 2012.
“The program has helped us meet our goal of providing a seamless transition from the first two years at Chesapeake or other community colleges and the four-year program at SU,” said Dr. Dennis Pataniczek, dean of SU’s Samuel W. and Marilyn C. Seidel School of Education and Professional Studies. “The students who have completed the program have been so very impressive, and the profession will be richer for their presence.”
Faculty and staff at SU and Chesapeake College support the cohort program. A number of SU faculty and adjunct instructors travel to the ESHEC each semester to provide methods instruction.
Dr. Amy Stephens Meekins, SU professor emeritus, is a cohort instructor and serves as the program liaison. She works closely with Deborah Urry, the executive director of the ESHEC, and Dr. Deanna Stock of Chesapeake College to present a program that allows students to study close to their homes.
“The cohort program is such a wonderful option for those of us who live and work in Queen Anne's County and surrounding areas,” said Price. “I love the fact that the classes are small and we are able to have a one-on-one relationship with our teachers and fellow cohort members.”
The program began in spring 2007 with a group of Chesapeake College A.A.T. graduates. Since then, two groups of cohort students have graduated from SU, in 2009 and 2010. Additional students joined the cohort program in the fall of 2009 and now are members of a fourth cohort group that will graduate in spring 2011. Students work in a cooperative environment and have established a system whereby each cohort group advises the next, assisting them with registration advice and general cohort information.
For more information contact Meekins at 410-543-6391 or asmeekins@salisbury.edu.