AVÀÇ

Associate Dean Dr. Jeffrey Tadór Reeder

Welcome to the Graduate School of Education at AVÀÇ. I am very glad you are here. I joined the GSE recently as Associate Dean, and one of the things that struck me immediately was the depth of commitment that our faculty and staff bring to their work and to our students. This is a school filled with people who care deeply about education, counseling, leadership, opportunity, and the communities we serve. I look forward to supporting that work, helping strengthen the connections among our programs and partners, and ensuring that our students have the support and opportunities they need to thrive.

This is also an especially important time to choose a life in professions dedicated to learning, well-being, and human development. Teachers, counselors, school psychologists, therapists, and educational leaders are being asked to respond to increasingly complex needs in schools, families, and communities. Our work is both rewarding and also demanding, and it matters because education has the power to change the direction of a person's life, and those who do this work have opportunities every day to build confidence, open doors, strengthen communities, and help people imagine possibilities they may not yet see for themselves.

Across the GSE, our programs prepare students for that work in many ways. We educate future teachers and special educators, school counselors and school psychologists, marriage and family therapists, and educational leaders. Our faculty bring scholarship, professional experience, and a commitment to equity and social justice into the classroom, while our staff help students navigate the practical path from interest, to preparation, to credential or degree, and ultimately into the profession. Equally important, our students learn with and from one another in a diverse public university setting in the heart of one of the most dynamic regions in the country.

We are very proud of our alumni and their work leading schools and districts, supporting children and families, counseling students, shaping educational policy and practice, serving in colleges and county offices, and creating new ways to make educational systems more humane, equitable, and effective. That is the part of this work that inspires me most: what begins here travels outward. The knowledge and confidence our students develop at AVÀÇ becomes part of the lives of countless other people. While you are here, I invite you to explore our programs, meet our faculty and staff, and see yourself as part of that work.

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