2008 Woodie Awards
Lakeland recieves national accreditation
Rob Pockat
Issue date: 9/20/07 Section: News
- Page 1 of 1
Lakeland has become the first college in Wisconsin to earn accreditation from the Teacher Education Accreditation Council (TEAC).
With this accreditation, Lakeland becomes one of just 41 teacher programs in 38 institutions of higher education to obtain this distinction.
TEAC's membership represents education programs within a broad range of higher education institutions, from small liberal arts colleges to large research universities. TEAC is recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation and by the U.S. Department of Education.
The council is also a member of the Association of Specialized and Professional Accreditation, the American Council on Education, Association of Teacher Educators, and the National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification.
The certification process was headed by Mehraban Khodavandi, chair of Lakeland's education division. "TEAC has affirmed what we knew all along, that Lakeland is preparing teachers to serve the needs of all students by teaching them the knowledge and skills necessary to become caring, competent and professional educators," said Khodavandi. "It feels really good to be in the company of universities such as Princeton University and the University of Virginia."
"We could not have achieved certification without the help of the Lakeland students and staff," said Wayne Homstad, a professor in the education department. During this time, Lakeland's education division was also simultaneously in the recertification process with the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI). "This made the process quite challenging," said Homstad.
Homstad credits Khodavandi as the driving force behind this accreditation. "This is a great achievement for our education program…Dr. Khodavandi worked extremely hard to get this certification for the school."
The certification process began in the spring of 2006. TEAC auditors were at the Lakeland campus in April to evaluate the education program. Additional evaluation was then conducted in May by the council. In June, Lakeland learned that they had gained the TEAC accreditation for a period of five years.
According to its Web site, "TEAC, founded in 1997, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving academic degree programs for professional educators, those who will teach and lead in schools, pre-k through grade 12. TEAC's goal is to support the preparation of competent, caring, and qualified professional educators."
With this accreditation, Lakeland becomes one of just 41 teacher programs in 38 institutions of higher education to obtain this distinction.
TEAC's membership represents education programs within a broad range of higher education institutions, from small liberal arts colleges to large research universities. TEAC is recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation and by the U.S. Department of Education.
The council is also a member of the Association of Specialized and Professional Accreditation, the American Council on Education, Association of Teacher Educators, and the National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification.
The certification process was headed by Mehraban Khodavandi, chair of Lakeland's education division. "TEAC has affirmed what we knew all along, that Lakeland is preparing teachers to serve the needs of all students by teaching them the knowledge and skills necessary to become caring, competent and professional educators," said Khodavandi. "It feels really good to be in the company of universities such as Princeton University and the University of Virginia."
"We could not have achieved certification without the help of the Lakeland students and staff," said Wayne Homstad, a professor in the education department. During this time, Lakeland's education division was also simultaneously in the recertification process with the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI). "This made the process quite challenging," said Homstad.
Homstad credits Khodavandi as the driving force behind this accreditation. "This is a great achievement for our education program…Dr. Khodavandi worked extremely hard to get this certification for the school."
The certification process began in the spring of 2006. TEAC auditors were at the Lakeland campus in April to evaluate the education program. Additional evaluation was then conducted in May by the council. In June, Lakeland learned that they had gained the TEAC accreditation for a period of five years.
According to its Web site, "TEAC, founded in 1997, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving academic degree programs for professional educators, those who will teach and lead in schools, pre-k through grade 12. TEAC's goal is to support the preparation of competent, caring, and qualified professional educators."
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