Navigate the WM Web W&M Home Contact the College Directions & Maps W&M A-Z Prospective Students Parents Alumni & Friends Current Students Faculty & Staff Campus Visitors About W&M Academics   Undergraduate   Graduate Administration Admission Athletics Board of Visitors Campus Construction Campus Life Development Office Diversity @ W&M Economic Development Employment Opportunities Events/Calendars Financial Aid Gateway W&M Giving to W&M Human Resources Libraries News & Media Office of the President Public Service Research Technology myWM Calendar view Submit an event Selected calendars Academic Alumni Athletic Box Office Dance Law School Lively Arts Series Muscarelle Museum of Art Music department The Andrews Gallery Theatre VIMS

School of Education: NCATE Focused Visit 2005

The College of William and Mary

The College of William and Mary is one of the nation's premier state-assisted liberal arts universities, William and Mary believes that excellence in teaching is the key to unlocking intellectual and personal possibilities for students. Dedicated to this philosophy and committed to limited enrollment, the College provides high-quality undergraduate, graduate, and professional education that prepares students to make significant contributions to the Commonwealth of Virginia and the nation. In recognition, the media have included William and Mary among the nation's prestigious "Public Ivys," and ranked it first among state institutions in terms of commitment to teaching.

William and Mary currently enrolls 7,500 students, of whom approximately 5,500 are undergraduates. Students come from 50 states and 75 foreign countries; 79 percent of current freshmen graduated in top tenth of their class with the middle 50 percent having total SAT scores ranging from 1240-1400; 28 percent of all students received need-based financial aid, totaling $14 million in 2000-2001.

Instructional faculty in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences and Schools of Education, Marine Science, Business Administration, and Law number 569. William and Mary's overall 12:1 student-faculty is among the lowest of national public universities.

The Mission of the College of William and Mary

The College of William and Mary, a public university in Williamsburg, Virginia, is the second-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. Established in 1693 by British royal charter, William and Mary is proud of its role as the Alma Mater of generations of American patriots, leaders and public servants. Now, in its fourth century, it continues this tradition of excellence by combining the best features of an undergraduate college with the opportunities offered by a modern research university. Its moderate size, dedicated faculty, and distinctive history give William and Mary a unique character among public institutions, and create a learning environment that fosters close interaction among students and teachers.

The university's predominantly residential undergraduate program provides a broad liberal education in a stimulating academic environment enhanced by a talented and diverse student body. This nationally acclaimed undergraduate program is integrated with selected graduate and professional programs in five faculties -- Arts and Sciences, Business, Education, Law, and Marine Science. Masters and doctoral programs in the humanities, the sciences, the social sciences, business, education, and law provide a wide variety of intellectual opportunities for students at both graduate and undergraduate levels.

At William and Mary, teaching, research, and public service are linked through programs designed to preserve, transmit, and expand knowledge. Effective teaching imparts knowledge and encourages the intellectual development of both student and teacher. Quality research supports the educational program by introducing students to the challenge and excitement of original discovery, and is a source of the knowledge and understanding needed for a better society. The university recognizes its special responsibility to the citizens of Virginia through public and community service to the Commonwealth as well as to national and international communities. Teaching, research, and public service are all integral parts of the mission of William and Mary.

Goals of the College of William and Mary

In fulfilling its mission, William and Mary adopts the following specific goals:

•  to attract outstanding students from diverse backgrounds;

•  to develop a diverse faculty which is nationally and internationally recognized for excellence in both teaching and research;

•  to provide a challenging undergraduate program with a liberal arts and sciences curriculum that encourages creativity, independent thought, and intellectual depth, breadth, and curiosity;

•  to offer high quality graduate and professional  programs that prepare students for intellectual, professional, and public leadership;

•  to instill in its students an appreciation for the human condition, a concern for the public well-being, and a life-long commitment to learning; and,

•  to use the scholarship and skills of its faculty and students to further human knowledge and understanding, and to address specific problems confronting the Commonwealth of Virginia, the nation, and the world.

2004-2008 Strategic Plan

As part of the Commonwealth of Virginia 's budget development process, the College of William and Mary has reviewed and realigned its strategic plan in response to guidance provided by the State Council of Higher Education (SCHEV) via its system-wide strategic plan for higher education, Advancing Virginia Through Higher Education. In accord with the SCHEV four year planning cycle, the College of William and Mary has updated its strategic plan in the context of the newly articulated SCHEV system-wide goals.

Throughout the various planning exercises, consistent themes have emerged as critical to the College's future success. The College believes that these will continue to be foremost in its institutional effectiveness discussions and quality improvement plan over the next three years. These themes include:

•  Competitive salaries and teaching/research support allowing the College to attract and retain the best faculty;

•  Competitive scholarships and fellowships to attract the best students;

•  Maintenance of state-of-the-art laboratories and facilities to support teaching and research;

•  A commitment to nationally competitive graduate and professional programs to complement the College's outstanding undergraduate program;

•  Expanded study-away opportunities;

•  Expanded use of technology in the classroom;

•  The fostering of character, citizenship, and leadership skills in our students;

•  Maintaining a campus whose beauty reflects the quality of the College;

•  Maintaining a competitive athletic program that promotes the student athlete; and,

•  Establishing sufficient financial flexibility to respond to program needs, responsibilities, and opportunities.

Our strategic response to the State Council's system-wide strategic plan recognizes the consistency of these themes with the system-wide goals identified by SCHEV.

By virtually all measures, the College has achieved the broad inspirational goals established in its 1994 and 1999 strategic plans – it is the pre-eminent small public university in the nation and successfully competes in many areas with national universities both public and private. It is widely recognized as offering an exemplary undergraduate liberal arts degree competitive with the best private universities in the nation. Its graduate and professional programs are nationally competitive and annually increasing in stature. The faculty has sustained a steady increase in research over the past decade, such that externally funded research has doubled over this period. However, there remain important opportunities for improvement as the College enhances its educational programs to better serve its students, faculty, and the Commonwealth.

As the premier, small public university in the nation, The College of William and Mary aspires to become one of the truly great universities of the world, competing internationally with the best institutions, public or private, in the excellence of its students, faculty, and educational experience. To further this vision, the College will build on the special nature of a “university college” with select programs of advanced study and professional education that support and indeed enhance the excellence of its undergraduate program.

The School of Education

The School of Education is the recognized organizational unit in the College of William and Mary charged with responsibility for preparing teachers, administrators, supervisors and related school personnel. Within the framework of general College regulations, faculty in the School of Education formulate and implement policies and procedures related to initial certification programs, including instructional goals, requirements, admissions criteria and curricula for these programs. The Associate Dean for Professional Services of the School of Education is the Certification Officer for the College of William and Mary in relation to the Virginia Department of Education.

A Teacher Education Advisory Council (TEAC) advises the faculty and administration of the School of Education in the effective preparation of teachers in direct support of the mission of K-12 schools. TEAC consists of two working groups. The first, a K-12 Committee chaired by the Associate Dean for Professional Services, includes 10 school administrators and teachers and two School of Education faculty. The second working group, co-chaired by the Deans of the School of Education and the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, includes seven faculty from key Arts and Sciences departments, a faculty representative from the School of Marine Science, the Coordinator and one faculty members from the Curriculum and Instruction (C&I) Area. The two TEAC Committees focus on issues related to pre-professional preparation, professional development, and partnerships.

The School of Education has 35 full-time instructional faculty and three full-time administrative faculty. The School enrolls approximately 200 undergraduate students and 200 full-time and 200 part-time graduate students in masters and doctoral programs. Programs in the School of Education are accredited by the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE), and the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Professions (CACREP). By means of the Interstate Certification Compact, graduates who qualify for certification in Virginia may qualify for certification in 44 other states.

Mission of the School of Education

The mission of the School of Education at the College of William and Mary is the pursuit of excellence in the education of learners across the life-span. The School of Education fulfills this mission through its three-fold commitment to teaching, research, and service:

•  As the recognized organizational unit within the College with responsibility for initial and advanced preparation of professional educators, the School of Education prepares teachers, specialists, and administrators to be leaders in their respective roles committed to reflective practice and to working in partnership with others to improve educational programs.

•  The School of Education engages in scholarship and research addressing critical problems in education to generate and disseminate ideas that inform and advance educational discourse, policy, and practice.

•  Through a variety of outreach activities, the School of Education provides model programs in direct service to children, adolescents, and their families, as well as technical assistance and professional developmental opportunities for educators in K-12, higher education, and agency settings.

Common Assumptions and Values

Teaching and scholarship are central activities in the School of Education, and each individual in the School is valued for her or his unique contributions to these activities. The School is a community whose culture allows faculty to develop scholarly interests which reflect dedication to the development of new knowledge through their interests in teaching, research, and leadership. Faculty are committed to excellence in teaching, to serving as role models of exemplary instructional practice, and to experimenting with new instructional forms and structures. Within the mission of the School of Education, courses and academic degree programs are reflective of the theory, research, and national movements within a field. Faculty value the tradition and concept of shared governance, they are cognizant of the importance of clear and effective communication, and they are sensitive to their responsibilities for the quality and integrity of the university and its programs. Finally, the faculty and School serve as a primary link between The College of William and Mary and elementary and secondary schools, institutions of higher education, and human service agencies in the region. This link requires an individual and collective commitment among School of Education faculty to prepare personnel; to provide expert knowledge and service through consultation, institutes, conferences, and programs; and to provide direct services to children and adults.

Diverse Scholarly Community

The College of William and Mary and the School of Education is committed to equality of educational opportunity and does not discriminate against students or employees based on race, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, age or handicap. The College believes that "future U.S. economic competitiveness depends upon our ability to fully tap the human resources, the intellect and the creativity of all segments of our population."

Recent Restructuring

The Conceptual Framework of the School of Education was developed over a multiyear period of College and School restructuring. This restructuring process began in 1993 when The College of William and Mary engaged in a comprehensive strategic planning process that resulted in the document Into the Fourth Century: A Plan for the Future of the College of William and Mary. While the plan included some specific recommendations for the School of Education, it charged the Faculty of the School of Education to continue the restructuring process at the school level. School of Education faculty began the restructuring process in 1994 and by August 1996 approved a plan entitled Focus for the Future. In the plan, the School of Education refined its mission, set forth its common assumptions and values, distinguished its purpose, and renewed its commitment to diversity and equality. The School organized the restructuring recommendations in terms of 13 goals and 50 strategies that would guide decision-making.

Responding to the College's restructuring plan, Focus for the Future consolidated and focused both degree offerings and the governance structure. Subsequently, the School of Education (a) consolidated doctoral programs in educational administration and higher education into a single, unified degree as an Ed.D./Ph.D. in educational policy, planning, and leadership; (b) created the Ph.D. option for the School's other doctoral degree program in counselor education; (c) merged graduate teacher education programs in elementary, secondary, reading, gifted, and special education into a unified M.A.Ed. degree in curriculum and instruction; and (d) reorganized the School of Ed ucation by merging nine existing programs into three new areas: Curriculum and Instruction; Educational Policy, Planning, and Leadership; and School Psychology and Counselor Education.

The new curriculum devised during the consolidation efforts was at an initial stage of implementation when NCATE and VDOE conducted a joint visit in 1998. Formal adoption of a new curriculum plan in Curriculum and Instruction occurred in the spring of 1997. The curriculum sequences and courses received final approval in the fall of 1998 and were fully implemented during the 1999-2000 academic year.

Following this prolonged period of restructuring, the School of Education has recently entered a phase of monitoring and evaluation of the newly established curricula and governance structure. During the transition from the old program in Elementary Education to the new, for example, communication about the changes was viewed as a problem by students (identified through surveys collected during their last semester). Faculty rallied to address communication issues during the 2000-2001 academic year. In the fall of 2001, Elementary faculty members turned their attention to refinement of course content and completed an internally designed assessment instrument. Each faculty member indicated the extent to which their courses addressed 20 identified strands that the faculty identified as important components of a teacher preparation program, discussed during and after reform efforts. Faculty members continue to use these data to refine and align program objectives with NCATE and ACEI standards.

The School of Education Faculty, through its Executive Committee, also began a review of the current three-area structure. Special committees have been formed to examine (a) the Mission, Common Assumptions and Values, and the Conceptual Framework; (b) student and program assessment practices; and (c) incorporation of technology in the university and the field. These committees continue to offer suggestions for modifications even as we prepare for the next visit of NCATE and the VDOE in the fall of 2005.

Current Programs

The School of Education prepares students at the initial and advanced levels in 26 areas. The following table provides a listing of the programs, degree level(s), certification level(s), NCATE specialty organization or other accrediting body reviewing each program, and the status of the program reviews.

Table. School of Ed ucation K-12 Programs and Review Status

Program	Degree Level	Certification Level	SPA	Current Status
Administration -- Elementary Principal	Master's Doctoral	Advanced	ELCC	Recognized
Administration -- Gifted Educational Administrator	Doctoral	Advanced	CEC	Recognized
Counselor Education	Master's Doctoral	Advanced	CACREP	Recognized
Elementary Education	Bachelor's Master's	Initial	ACEI	Recognized
English/Language Arts	Bachelor's Master's	Initial	NCTE	Recognized
Foreign Languages -- French, German, Latin, Spanish	Bachelor's Master's	Initial	N/A	N/A
Gifted Education	Master's	Advanced	CEC	Recognized
Health & Physical Education	Bachelor's	Initial	AAHE	Not Recognized (Program currently suspended by the School of Education)*
Mathematics Education	Bachelor's Master's	Initial	NCTM	Recognized
Reading	Master's	Advanced	IRA	Recognized
School Psychology	Master's Specialist's	Advanced	NASP	Recognized
Science Education	Bachelor's Master's	Initial	NSTA	Recognized
Science Education -- Biology	Bachelor's Master's	Initial	NSTA	Recognized
Science Education -- Chemistry	Bachelor's Master's	Initial	NSTA	Recognized
Science Education -- Earth Science	Bachelor's Master's	Initial	NSTA	Recognized
Science Education -- Physics	Bachelor's Master's	Initial	NSTA	Recognized
Social Studies Education	Bachelor's Master's	Initial	NCSS	Recognized
Social Studies Education --History	Bachelor's Master's	Initial	NCSS	Not Recognized
Social Studies Education --Political Science	Bachelor's Master's	Initial	NCSS	Not Recognized
Special Education -- Emotionally Disturbed	Master's	Initial	CEC	Recognized
Special Education -- Learning Disabilities	Master's	Initial	CEC	Recognized
Special Education -- Mental Retardation	Master's	Initial	CEC	Recognized
Special Education -- Resource/Counselor	Master's	Advanced	CEC	Recognized

* The School of Education and the Department of Kinesiology have decided to suspend admission to the program leading to licensure in Health & Physical Education for four years. This decision comes as a result of changes brought about by the budget cuts that the College experienced in the 2002-2003 academic year and the restructuring that is occurring in the Department of Kinesiology.

CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

Development of the Conceptual Framework

The Conceptual Framework of the School of Education has been in development since preparations began for the NCATE visit of 1993. At the time of the NCATE review in 1993, the goal of the undergraduate and graduate programs was to prepare effective liberally educated school professionals. While maintaining its commitment to the liberal education tradition at William and Mary and after reviewing its programs in 1995-96, the faculty agreed to incorporate into its program the theme of teacher as Reflective Practitioner. The School of Education underwent a considerable strategic planning process that culminated in the adoption of new programs and degrees in the spring of 1997. These new programs and degrees were initially implemented in the fall of 1998 and fully implemented in the spring of 2000. In the fall of 2000, following the completion of program implementation, the faculty began to assess how well the new programs were meeting the goals set forth in Focus for the Future. Part of that process included an analysis of the Mission , Goals, and Conceptual Framework. The faculty concluded that the Conceptual Framework based on Reflective Practice was too narrow for the programs as currently designed. A Conceptual Framework Committee consisting of two members from each of the areas and the two associate deans was formed in the spring of 2001 to propose modifications to the Conceptual Framework. The committee met into the summer of 2001 and decided that because each area had different emphasis points, separate Conceptual Framework documents should be created by each area.

The Areas of the School of Education prepared their Conceptual Frameworks and shared them with the Conceptual Framework Committee in the fall of 2001 (see Area Conceptual Frameworks in the Evidence Room or on the web). An analysis by the Conceptual Framework Committee indicated that there were several themes in common to the separate frameworks (see Comparison of Conceptual Frameworks by Associate Deans in the Evidence Room). The associate deans agreed to create a synthesis Conceptual Framework that was built on the commonalities in the separate frameworks. The Conceptual Framework Committee reviewed the framework generated by the associate deans, and one member of the Committee modified the framework to accommodate the discussed changes. This version was adopted by the Conceptual Framework Committee as the final draft to be circulated to the faculty (see Conceptual Framework of the School of Education - KW's revision in the Evidence Room). This version of the Conceptual Framework expands the Conceptual Framework of 1996 to include the three central elements of Reflective Practice, Leadership, and Collaboration.

The Conceptual Framework draft was circulated to the faculty in the spring of 2002. Revisions were made based on the feedback from the faculty, and three open forums were held to discuss the Conceptual Framework draft. These forums invited feedback from faculty, students, and colleagues in the schools. The feedback obtained from the open forums led to the inclusion of a fourth strand, Content Expertise, and a shortening of the Conceptual Framework to include the key elements. This final document (see below) was formally approved by the faculty in the fall of 2003. Since its adoption, the document has been broadly shared with students, Arts and Science faculty, and school personnel.

The Conceptual Framework

The Conceptual Framework of the School of Education at the College of William and Mary incorporates a shared view of how to best prepare our graduates to deliver services to children, schools, families, and communities in a manner that will promote educationally and psychologically healthy environments in a pluralistic society. This framework embodies the essential elements for our programs, courses, teaching, student and faculty scholarship, and student performance. As an integrative whole, the framework is comprised of the four main strands of the Content Expert, the Reflective Practitioner, the Educational Leader, and the Effective Collaborator, which we believe constitute a highly qualified professional who will positively and productively contribute to the lives of students, clients, community, and the profession.

Content Expert
The basis of the first strand is our belief that professionals must have specific knowledge to be able to learn in context and problem solve throughout a career. We understand that a deep and confident understanding of disciplinary subject matter is vital. We also understand that subject matter knowledge must be accompanied by pedagogical content knowledge so that individuals will have an understanding of how to interpret, communicate, and construct such knowledge so as to promote learning (Shulman, 1987; and Cohen, McLaughlin, and Talbert, 1993). The value of this long-standing commitment to intellectualism by our faculty is confirmed by recent research conducted by Monk (1994), Fetler (1999), Goldhaber and Brewer (1999), and Wenglinsky (2000) that validated the need for intellectual rigor in subject matter. Thus, the role of the program is to provide opportunities and a context for students to build and evaluate knowledge. A primary way to accomplish this goal is to help students study selected content appropriate to disciplinary foci, reflect on their actions, consider multiple perspectives, and generate various possible responses based on research and best practice. The organization and transfer of skills and knowledge across these experiences results in deeper meaning for the learner.

Reflective Practitioner
The second strand emanates from our belief in the position of Schon (1987) that the ideal preparation is one that produces a professional who is able to “reflect-in-action.” According to research-based principles of reflective practice, learning does not occur through direct transmission of knowledge from instructor to student. Instead, the learners are provided with opportunities to articulate their own ideas, experiment with the ideas, and make connections between their studies and the world in which they live. To this end, a style of reflective practice is cultivated that embraces the role of data, active inquiry, careful analysis, and a thoughtful process for decision-making. Although students in our programs may develop specializations, the broader focus is on the development of analytical and creative practices that allow them to approach new issues and problems in a proactive way. We believe that such multivariate patterns of thinking within role-specific contexts are necessary for dealing with the current and future level of complexity that working as a leader among professionals requires. We believe that teaching is a cognitive process involving decision making (Sergiovanni & Starratt, 1993). We hold that our responsibility is, in large part, to educate our students to reason soundly and to perform skillfully.

Educational Leader
The third strand highlights the notion that we expect our graduates to be prepared and willing to assume leadership roles that allow them to effectively impact educational and societal change. Today, educators not only are providing school-based leadership, but increasingly they are working as mentors to new teachers, undertaking professional development activities, and carrying out educational research (Dimock and McGree, 1995; Livingston, 1992). We believe that preparing students to be leaders must be proactive rather than reactive, helping students focus on how to improve educational contexts through the application of sound theory and ethical principles. Special attention is given to developing specific competencies required in each area of certification along with developing the affective side of students in respect to their personal sense of competence and confidence in leadership roles and their resilience in coping with change. We hope to prepare our students to understand human problems from a developmental and systemic perspective that allows them to formulate and implement individual and systemic plans of action for prevention, remediation, and growth. We are sensitive to the myriad of educational contexts that students will encounter in their careers. Thus preparation promotes the qualities of flexibility, interpersonal skills, and ethical behaviors that reach across such contexts and are essential to Educational Leadership.

Effective Collaborator
Finally, we promote and develop the use of collaborative styles in recognition of the need to work effectively and cooperatively in the professional community, no matter how broadly or narrowly defined. We agree with Bredson (1995) that the behaviors and skills related to collaborative work should be integral parts of the curriculum and not considered an add-on element. Evidence indicates that professionals grow through an interactive process of learning from each other (Ponticell, Olsen, & Charlier; 1995), and collaboration has been strongly supported by research in family-professional relations (Corrigan & Bishop, 1997). We believe that training in collaboration is an obligation of programs that are preparing individuals who will assume roles of teaching, service, and leadership.

A Dynamic and Core Framework

We believe that the Conceptual Framework of the School of Education must be adaptable to the experience and background of the candidates within programs, the relative importance of the four strands within program areas, and to the external forces of our society. The dynamic nature of the framework is most clearly demonstrated by the relative emphasis placed on the four strands by each program. While all of our graduates embody the core qualities of the Content Expert, Reflective Practitioner, Educational Leader, and Effective Collaborator, we recognize and account for the valid and important degrees of emphasis, distinction, and definition that these core concepts take not only in a program area, but also with regard to the unique strengths and weaknesses of each student and over the duration of the professional life of a graduate and beyond.

Ultimately, the Conceptual Framework reflects the core elements of a graduate of the School of Education and, as such, it provides a structure for our programs and a process for generating and responding to new knowledge. The framework guides the experiences we require of students in their programs. The framework also provides the basis for the expectations and the evaluation of candidates and their programs. Through the process of candidate and program evaluation, we expect that our programs will produce highly qualified professionals and continuously evolve in response to our students' experiences within the program and our graduates' contributions to the profession as practitioners.

STANDARD 6: Unit Governance and Resources

Unit Leadership and Authority

The School of Education is the recognized organizational unit within the College of William and Mary with responsibility for initial and advanced preparation of professional educators. Given this authority, the School of Education provides the leadership for effectively planning, delivering, operating, and coordinating coherent programs of studies so that candidates are well prepared to meet institutional and professional standards.

The administrative structure of the College of William and Mary (See College of William and Mary's Board of Trustee's Bylaws and College/School organizational charts in the Evidence Room) includes the School of Education as one of five academic units within the institution. William and Mary Bylaws specify the authority of each of the academic deans as follows:

[T]he Deans of the Schools shall have general responsibility for the Faculty under their jurisdiction and for the direction of the work of the Faculty or School. The Deans shall report to the Provost, and shall be responsible for working directly with the Provost on academic planning, on personnel matters and actions relating to faculty and on curricular, budgetary, and educational policy matters for recommendations as appropriate to the President….They shall exercise leadership in the development of educational programs within their jurisdictions, and shall preside at meetings of the Faculty over which they have jurisdiction except when the President or the Provost chooses to preside.… [T]he Dean of a School, except as otherwise provided, shall advise with the Provost in the formation of the Faculty, the determination of curriculum, and matters concerning all the interests under their jurisdiction.

The organizational chart for the School of Education (available in the Evidence Room and on the web) depicts the current structure of the unit. Since 1996, the Education faculty have been organized into three functional Areas: Curriculum and Instruction (C&I); Educational Policy, Planning, and Leadership (EPPL); and School Psychology and Counselor Education (SPACE). For each Area, a faculty member has been recommended by the faculty and appointed by the Dean to serve for two or more years as Area Coordinator. Coordinators serve as the contact person for the Area, represent the Area in School-wide policy discussions and decisions, coordinate efforts to refine the curriculum, manage budget allocations for Areas, help develop course schedules, and assist in searches for new faculty. Area Coordinators receive a course release as compensation for their time spent in the administrative role. Administrative staff in the School of Education include the Dean, two Associate Deans, a Director of the Learning Resource Center (half-time), Director of the School Leadership Institute, and Director of Development. Position descriptions for these administrative and professional faculty members are available for review on the web.

Bylaws of the School of Education describe the governance structure of the unit. As noted, standing committees of the Faculty have designated responsibilities for critical functions such as admissions, curriculum, and faculty evaluation. Current Committee rosters are available on the web. An Executive Committee advises the Dean. Its formal charge as stated in the Bylaws is as follows:

The Committee shall examine issues brought to it by the Faculty, its committees, or the Dean; and recommend to the Faculty long-range plans, policies, and procedures necessary for the School of Education to fulfill its mission. The Committee shall review proposals including those related to programs, course offerings, and degree requirements which have resource implications and make recommendations to the Dean.

Additional ad-hoc committees are formed on an as-need basis. Minutes of School of Education Faculty Meetings provide evidence of governance work and actions taken for effective program leadership. On matters pertaining to graduate programs, the School of Education has final authority. When the School of Education approves changes in its undergraduate elementary or secondary education programs, those changes must also be reviewed and approved by the College-wide Educational Policy Committee (EPC), on which the School has representation. EPC is one of the formal mechanisms that ensures that Arts and Sciences faculty are actively involved in the design of programs for preparation of school personnel.

A major vehicle for collaboration in program design, delivery, and evaluation is the William and Mary Teacher Education Advisory Council (TEAC). TEAC was reconfigured in 2002 to include two working groups: (a) a K-12 Committee chaired by the Associate Dean for Professional Services and (b) a College-wide Committee chaired by the Dean of the School of Education and Co-chaired by the Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. The purpose of TEAC is “to strengthen William and Mary teacher preparation programs through closer collaboration among Arts and Sciences and Education faculty and K-12 school personnel.” The K-12 Committee comprised of teacher, principal, central office, and Education faculty representatives focuses primarily on issues related to pre-professional preparation, professional development, and partnerships. The College-wide Committee, with representatives from relevant departments, the School of Marine Science, and Education, also addresses issues of preservice preparation with attention to alignment of general and concentration requirements with national and state standards, recruitment, and student advising issues. Overall, TEAC provides a forum for development and coordination of outreach programs to serve practicing professionals and K-12 students. Additional information about TEAC is provided in the Evidence Room.

Beyond the major structures described above, Education faculty members actively maintain close working relationships with colleagues across the College and in K-12 schools. The size and culture of William and Mary encourages collaborative interactions and a sense of community more difficult to achieve in larger universities. For example, faculty from relevant Arts and Sciences departments and practicing school professionals routinely serve on search committees for Education faculty. Faculty often collaborate on recruitment, professional development, and research projects (see Standard 5 and faculty vitae). Such relationships, together with perceived program strengths and productivity in scholarship and service, have heightened recognition of the School of Education's leadership role.

Unit Budget

The School of Education receives sufficient budgetary allocations, at least proportional to other academic units on campus and similar units on other campuses, to provide programs that prepare candidates to meet professional standards. Data prepared for a recent summative Report of Accomplishments Since the 1996 Plan for Restructuring the School of Education at the College of William and Mary, noted increases in overall funding for the unit and critical changes in funding sources over the past seven years. The chart below shows total School of Ed ucation revenue for Fiscal Year 2005.

The School's total funding of $14.1 million represents an increase of $8.3 million over the 1996 revenue. State funding (Education and General or E&G Funds) increased from $3.6 to $5.1 million over this nine-year period. Nearly all of the increments in state E&G funding supported faculty-staff salary increases and new positions. Unrestricted budgets for operational support in FY05 are at nearly the same level as FY96. Although base E&G funding has remained level over the period, during the last year the College began supplementing the School of Education 's allotment of the Equipment Trust Fund (ETF). Last year the School of Education received $60,000 additional ETF dollars.

 

Figure 6.1. FY05 Funding Sources

 

 

In reality, funding was not flat throughout the seven-year period, but slight gains achieved were undone by severe budget cuts over the past two years. Like many states, the Commonwealth of Virginia experienced a significant budget crisis beginning in 2001. In Fall 2001, the Governor announced that the Commonwealth was facing an approximate $890 million revenue shortfall, but that figure eventually grew to more than $1.5 billion. As higher education was forced to absorb a disproportionate share of the cuts, the College of William and Mary lost a total of more than $28 million in state funding. State funds now support only 18.7% of the university's budget. The College-wide Budget Policy Advisory Committee (BPAC) advised the Provost and Vice President for Finance on targeted reduction priorities, and each unit developed and submitted plans for one-time and base reductions. From FY02 through FY04, the School of Ed ucation lost a total of $284,440, $253,940 from base budgets and $30,500 one-time cuts. Overall, the School of Education lost one faculty line, two staff positions, and four graduate assistantships. Cuts to the operating budget led to reduced course offerings, a freeze on faculty professional travel, limited hardware and software purchases, and very limited provision of office supplies.

Over the past eight years, the proportion of state funding has dropped from approximately 67% to 36% of the total School of Education revenue. As indicated in Figure 6.1 above, the School of Education has been highly successful in bringing in additional funds through grants and contracts, development, and revenue-generating programs (local accounts). The external support has enabled School of Education faculty, staff, and students to pursue many of their academic, research, and service goals despite the lack of state funding.

William and Mary is aggressively pursuing a four-prong strategy to secure adequate funding for the future: (1) the College continues to advocate forcefully to the Governor, General Assembly, and voters making the case for additional investments in higher education for the Commonwealth; (2) the Board of Visitors is forced to increase tuition to approximate the actual cost of a William and Mary education for in-state as well as out-of-state students; (3) faculty must rely more on grants and contracts to support research and outreach activities; and (4) the College has launched a Campaign for William and Mary to raise $500 million in private funds by 2007. The College has reached the $400 million level as of the close of last year. The School of Education's Campaign goal was $20 million, and we have achieved that goal with the in-kind donation of the Sentara Hospital site (See Development documents in the Evidence Room). The Development Office has been aggressive in increasing the amount of funds that are received annually. Figure 6.2 shows the total cash, Fund for Excellence, and donors for the last two years. Total cash represents the amount of restricted and unrestricted funds received in the year. The Fund for Excellence represents the major source of unrestricted funds. This source can be used by the Dean to address the areas of greatest need. Over the past two years total cash has increased by 16 percent, the Fund for Excellence by 42 percent, and the number of donors by 39 percent.

Figure 6.2 Development Totals FY 2004 and FY 2005

Personnel

The School of Education has sufficient personnel and deploys them appropriately to ensure preparation of candidates to meet professional, state, and institutional standards.

Faculty
Workload policies and practices enable faculty to be engaged in a wide variety of professional activities, including teaching, scholarship, assessment, advisement, collaborative work in K-12 schools, and service. The School of Education's “Guidelines for Teaching Load Equity ” clarify considerations in the assignment of courses, clinical supervision, and dissertation advising. The expected teaching load for continuing instructional faculty is 15 credit hours per academic year (a 3-2 course load). Faculty who serve as Area Coordinators or direct major research/service projects are relieved of one teaching assignment. In recent years, approximately 13 faculty have taught fewer than five courses per year because of such alternate assignments. In 2003, the Faculty Executive Committee affirmed prevailing practice that no faculty member should take more than two course releases in an academic year (i.e., faculty teach at least a 2-1 course load).

Supervision of clinical practice is conducted in accord with relevant professional standards. Recent enrollment data available in the Evidence Room confirm these practices (See Course Summary Report in evidence room or on the web). Table 6.1 shows the average class size for internship and student teaching sections by Area for the past three years. In C&I programs, university supervisors work with 3-5 student teachers. Supervision of 6 -7 student teachers is considered equivalent to an FTE assignment. In SPACE, supervisors typically have 6-8 candidates in practicum and 6-8 in internships except in Community Counseling where supervision is done with the assistance of doctoral level students. In Community Counseling, two doctoral supervisors would be working with a faculty member to supervise students. EPPL internship courses are organized differently than C&I and SPACE internships/practica. In EPPL, each section of internship has a faculty instructor of record, but students primarily work with an approved supervisor at the actual internship site.

Table 6.1 Class Size Statistics for Internship and Student Teaching Sections

for the Last Three Years

Type	Area	Average Class Size	Minimum Class Size	Maximum Class Size
Internship	EPPL	5.4	1	12
Internship	SPACE	6.7	1	17
Student Teaching	C&I	2.9	1	8

Part-time Faculty
To supplement the teaching and clinical supervision provided by full-time faculty, the School of Education employs part-time (adjunct) faculty with advanced degrees and experience appropriate to their assignments. As practicing professionals, they contribute unique expertise to preparation programs. Careful selection and preparation of part-time faculty ensures program integrity and coherence. Documentation in the Evidence Room shows that the School of Education has cultivated a talented and committed part-time faculty who have been teaching regularly in degree programs. Part-time faculty are included in the Area discussions and decision making concerning the curriculum and assessments depending on the policies of the Area and the level of involvement of the part-time faculty member.

Support Personnel
The School of Education has support personnel as identified in the organizational chart (available in the Evidence Room and on the web). Below is a description of each of the support positions that are represented on the organizational chart. Positions that have been newly created since the Spring 2004 NCATE visit are denoted with an asterisk. Since the original visit we have restructured two positions, added two positions, and have received permission to fill a third new positions this year .

* Dean's Secretary
The Dean's Secretary is a new position that was created in the summer of 2005. The position provides direct secretarial support to the Dean. The Dean's Secretary is also responsible for the planning and coordination of special events of the School.

Assistant to the Dean
The Assistant to the Dean independently manages the business operations of the School of Education and provides executive level support to the Dean. This is a full-time, 12 month, professional faculty position reporting directly to the Dean. Major Areas of responsibility include budget, personnel, grants/contracts, data reports, and facilities. Budget duties include independent preparation and management of budgets, oversight and approval of expenditures, training staff with fiscal duties, advising the Dean on budget matters and planning, preparing budget reports, and generally serving as the School of Education resource on budget and fiscal policies and procedures.

Personnel duties include independent initiation, coordination, and/or oversight of documentation and procedures related to faculty and staff personnel actions (searches, hires, evaluation, promotion and tenure, retention, retirement, etc.); training staff with personnel duties; advising the Dean on personnel matters and planning; preparing reports on salary and personnel data; and generally serving as the School of Ed ucation resource on personnel policies and procedures. The Assistant to the Dean also directly supervises three classified staff members.

Grants and contracts duties include a wide range of budget/fiscal duties (preparing budgets, authorizing departmental commits, documenting cost-shares, requesting recoveries, etc.), ensuring departmental compliance with W&M policies related to faculty time on grants and external paid employment, and generally serving as School of Education resource on policies and procedures related to grant administration. The Assistant to the Dean also provides other pre- and post-award support to faculty and the Dean as needed.

Data reporting duties include generation and presentation of data to support the School of Education's emphasis on accountability and need for evidence-based accreditation and program review.

Facilities duties include short- and long-term facility planning, serving as Facility Coordinator for Jones Hall, and serving as contact person for Facilities Management on maintenance and renovation projects.

*Fiscal Specialist
The Fiscal Specialist reports to the Assistant to the Dean and provides support in the main areas of procurement and accounts payable. The Fiscal Specialist is responsible for processing the fiscal transactions of the School in the Banner and Eva systems. The Fiscal Specialist is responsible for providing support to faculty on travel regulations and reimbursements. The Fiscal Specialist provides procurement and accounts payable to small grants.

Faculty Secretary
The Faculty Secretary provides a broad range of clerical support duties. Specifically the Faculty Secretary is supports the faculty in these areas:

Typing, editing, and otherwise preparing for faculty documents such as course material (syllabi, exams, overheads, handouts, etc), manuscripts, faculty vitae, presentations, and letters.

Making copies, sending faxes, and providing basic maintenance (add paper, change toner, clear paper jams, etc.) of these and other office machines. Train others in use of all functions of copier and fax machine. Coordinate requests for service and supplies.

Sorting outgoing US and campus mail. Delivering incoming US and campus mail. Assigning and labeling faculty mailboxes.

Serving as liaison to students. Receive/distribute student assignments as requested. Assist in orienting/training students, especially graduate assistants, on general School of Education policies and procedures.

Assisting faculty with ordering textbooks, as requested.

Director of the Learning Resource Center (LRC)
The LRC Director reports to the Dean of the School of Education and is directly responsible for the administration of the LRC. The Director has a part-time, 9 month, professional faculty position. The LRC Director is responsible for the operation of the LRC and the on-going maintenance of the LRC collection. The LRC Director serves as the staff liaison to the University Library system.

Director of Development
The Director of Development is a senior development officer and a member of the campaign staff who reports jointly to the Vice President for University Development and the Dean of the School of Education. The Director is responsible for planning, organizing, and directing a comprehensive development program for the School of Education. The Director of Development has responsibilities for directing and supporting the School of Education Development Board and for raising annual gifts, corporate and foundation gifts, planned gifts, and major and leadership gifts for the School of Education. The Director also manages, cultivates, solicits, and finalizes major gifts. The Director of Development of supports the efforts of faculty to secure funding from corporations and foundations.

Development Associate
The Development Associate reports to the Director of Development. This position Coordinates all direct mail and phone appeals for the School. The position also support the Development Board in its activities. The Development Associate works with the Director in writing and editing all acknowledgments. Finalizes and mails all acknowledgments and maintains records. Responsible for maintaining inventory of all materials necessary for the acknowledgment process. Organizes, oversees and recruits for the School's “Thank-a-thon.” Works with Director, Dean and University Development's Donor Stewardship office. Includes assisting in monitoring the birthday and anniversary card program, holiday gift program, presidential acknowledgment process, and other donor stewardship programs and events as necessary. The Development Associate provides support to the Development Director by assisting in writing, editing and finalizing all correspondence and proposals; coordinating donor visits and travel arrangements; tracking all Development expenses and monitoring Development budget; and preparing all invoices and expense reimbursements.

Director of Admissions
The Director of Admissions is under the Associate Dean for Academic Programs. The position provides support to the recruiting and admissions functions of the school. The Director of Admissions is responsible for the conduct of recruiting activities in cooperation with the Areas. The Director of Admissions is the admissions officer for the school at the graduate and undergraduate levels and supports applicants and faculty through the admission process. The Director of Admissions staffs the Admissions and Financial Aid Committee.

Director of Records and Matriculation
The Director of Records and Matriculation is under the Associate Dean for Academic Programs. The Director of Records and Matriculation is responsible for the maintenance of all academic records of the school. The Director of Records functions as a registrar for the school. As such, the Director of Records and Matriculation is responsible for monitoring the academic regulations of the School. The Director of Records and Matriculation staffs the Curriculum Committee and maintains the records related to degree requirements. The Director of Records and Matriculation is responsible for the production of reports related to enrollments and graduation.

Director of Professional Services
The Director of Professional Services is under the Associate Dean for Professional Services and Director of Teacher Education. The Director of Professional Services is responsible for providing direct support to the Associate Dean in the areas of placement and licensure. The Director of Professional Services provides direct support to students and faculty in the area of license requirements in Virginia and other states. The Director of Professional Services maintains information concerning exam results and license applications.

Graduate Assistants
The School of Education employs approximately 100 graduate assistants each semester. Graduate assistants work in all of the administrative offices of the School providing support as needed. Each faculty member in the School is assigned a half-time graduate assistant to provide ten hours of personal support each week. Faculty graduate assistants can be assigned by the faculty member to provide support in any area of their work.

Unit Facilities

The School of Education has adequate campus and school facilities to support candidates in meeting standards. Jones Hall, which currently houses the School of Education, provides office space for all instructional faculty, as well as administrative and support staff. Approximately half of the School's centers and projects are also headquartered in Jones Hall; the others occupy converted houses on the edge of campus. Each semester, about half of Education courses are taught in Jones Hall (excluding field-based courses). Most of the other on-campus courses are located next door in Morton Hall, while six to eight courses are generally offered off-campus at William and Mary's Peninsula Center in Newport News or in local public schools.

The School of Education continues to face space limitations in Jones Hall. One of our highest priorities for the past decade has been to secure a better facility for the School of Education to support our mission and ambitions for excellence. Following the report of the UAB citing the current Jones Hall facility as a serious concern, the College has aggressively pursued solutions for the School of Ed ucation. President Sullivan and Provost Feiss of the College met with Dean McLaughlin and Associate Dean for Academic Programs Ward in May of 2004 to discuss plans for assisting the School of Education with its space needs.

A Comprehensive Space Program Analysis

As a result of that planning meeting, the President commissioned a Space Program Analysis for the School of Education. The Space Program Analysis was the first of a two-part planning process designed to determine the approximate need for space if the School's operations were consolidated into one facility. Clark Nexsen Architecture and Engineering headquartered in Norfolk, Virginia, was hired to complete the Space Program Analysis for the College.

Four principals from Clark Nexsen, including Vice-President Ray Pentecost, spent three complete days in July with College administrators, faculty, and staff collecting information for the Space Program Analysis. The Clark Nexsen team spent a fourth day with School of Education administrators reviewing and refining the data. The results of the Space Program Analysis indicated that the School of Education would require at a minimum approximately 40,600 net assignable square feet or 61,500 gross building square feet simply to meet current needs. Major goals defined for a new School of Education facility included: enabling and inspiring the work of students, faculty, and staff; integrating teaching, research, and service activities; consolidating all programs, Centers, and projects under one roof; ensuring sustainable designs to accommodate current and projected needs; including state-of-the-art technology throughout; providing enhanced space for professional development programs; and securing safe, convenient access and parking. A copy of the Clark Nexsen report is located in the evidence room.

A School of Education Facility at the Sentara Site

While the College was investigating renovation of existing academic buildings on campus as a future facility for the School of Education, an opportunity arose to acquire Sentara Williamsburg Community Hospital, a 217,000 square foot building on 22 acres that adjoin the William and Mary campus. On February 25, 2005, the College of William and Mary agreed to purchase from Sentara Healthcare the Williamsburg Community Hospital which will become available in 2006 when the entire hospital complex moves to a new location. The Virginia General Assembly approved the purchase on February 27, provided a small down payment, and indicated its intent to fund the next two payments totaling $8.7 million when it develops its budget for the next biennium. The College plans to relocate the entire School of Ed ucation to the site to anchor a new graduate complex.

When Sentara Healthcare received permission from the State of Virginia in 2001 to construct a new hospital facility, one of the conditions of approval was finding an acceptable re-use of the hospital land. Sentara Healthcare established a Hospital Re-use Committee that included representatives from the City of Williamsburg , James City County, Colonial Williamsburg, the College of William and Mary, Eastern State Hospital, the Chamber of Commerce, and the local neighborhood to recommend to Sentara Healthcare the best re-use options. This Committee met privately throughout 2004 as it considered re-use options. When the College of William and Mary was approached by the Hospital Re-use Committee for its suggestions on possible uses of the land, the College recommended that the highest and best re-use of the hospital would be housing the School of Education.

Subsequent to the College's recommendation, Dean McLaughlin and Jim Golden, Director of Economic Development and Corporate Affairs, were invited to make a presentation to the Hospital Re-use Committee detailing the possible use of the hospital by the School of Education. The Hospital Re-use Committee held a formal public session in December 2004 and publicly announced its recommendation on January 24, 2005, that Sentara Williamsburg Community Hospital should be sold to the College of William and Mary for an expanded graduate School of Ed ucation . Acting on the recommendation of the Hospital Re-use Committee, Sentara Health System's Board of Directors endorsed the proposal during its meeting on January 24, 2005.

The William and Mary Board of Visitors was briefed on the hospital negotiations during their October and February meetings. The Board approved the plan and the use of private funds to secure the building. Senator Tommy Norment sponsored legislation for the current Virginia budget session that provides permission for the College to purchase the property for the School of Education.

Clark Nexsen began the Phase II feasibility and cost study of the hospital site in September. They will have completed the study before the end of the fall 2005 semester which will allow sufficient time to initiate budget requests to the State for the next biennial budget. It will also be the input to create the necessary architectural plans for a significant renovation and/or construction of a new graduate complex anchored by the School of Education at the site.

Summary

The College of William and Mary is committed to a new facility for the School of Education through relocation of the School to property currently being used by Sentara Healthcare. The Sentara board has endorsed the option, the College and Sentara have negotiated the purchase price, a bill has been approved by the State legislature, and the feasibility and cost study of the property has begun. The combined activity represents significant organizational, financial, and interagency support to meet the needs of the School of Education. The School of Education now has a facility that will be renovated to be state-of-the-art and renovations could begin in 2006, with a move into the new facility in 2008.

A New Home for the Center for Gifted Education

The visiting team indicated that facilities limitations were negatively impacting on the ability of School of Education Centers to participate in activities related to outreach and research. While we believe that the progress on the overall Education facility is sufficient to address the concerns of the other Centers, we recognized that the facilities concerns for the Center for Gifted Education needed to be addressed immediately.

At the time of the last team visit, the Center's staff had been spread across two small and aging buildings, Stetson House and Young House, which were several blocks apart and inadequate in size (less than about 3,000 square feet combined total), configuration, and accessibility for the Center's needs. Both buildings were sorely in need of major renovations, and Young House could not be placed on the College's phone system.

To address these concerns, we requested and were granted a multi-year lease on a new facility for the School of Education's Center for Gifted Education. The new building, referred to by its address of 427 Scotland Street, offers more than 5,530 square feet of newly renovated high-tech space, including individual offices in various sizes, conference rooms, a reception area, shared workspace for students, an elevator, and staff and visitor parking. All of the necessary infrastructure for computer and telecommunications networking were in place, with numerous jacks spread throughout all three floors of the building. As an added bonus, 427 Scotland Street is an appealing workspace--attractively designed and featuring plenty of windows, porches/decks, and a kitchen. This lease was secured for the School of Education by The College of William and Mary with funding provided through the use of indirect cost recoveries and other College funds. The funding for the lease is committed until the School of Education can consolidate all functions into a single facility as indicated above.

Unit Resources Including Technology

The School of Education allocates resources across programs to ensure that candidates are prepared to meet standards for their fields. Despite the budget crisis in the Commonwealth and severe cuts in the College budget, William and Mary has made its utmost priority the preservation of funding for academic programs, including baccalaureate and graduate programs in Education. Undoubtedly, additional resources would have expedited development and implementation of the unit's assessment system, yet the School of Education has remained on track during this NCATE transition period though the focused efforts of administrators, faculty, and staff. As positions and funding are restored, the School of Education will provide more staff support for the collection, analyses, and reporting of assessment data.

The availability of technology resources at William and Mary has improved significantly over the past five years. The College maintains a sophisticated data, voice, and video network, and, through its Information Technology (IT) unit, offers a full range of services and support. The following sections describe the services provided by IT. Since educational technology is changing dramatically and will require continued investment of both time and money in the future it is important to note that: 1) the College has a method in place for planning and managing technology investments to provide the greatest benefit from the financial and human resources available and 2) the purposes of the Office of Information Technology are carefully aligned with the College's mission and strategic plan.

The following descriptions of three categories of IT services, facilities, and resources are offered as evidence of the College's commitment to providing technology resources to the unit:

Academic Technology

Academic Technology Support
IT provides targeted support to faculty in most departments and programs, the School of Ed ucation and the School of Law through the Academic Departmental Liaison Program. The liaisons assist faculty in developing curriculum which integrates information technologies, and serve as relationship managers enhancing communications between these academic departments and Information Technology staff and services. They work closely with IT engineering and technical managers to find hardware and software products that provide an effective infrastructure to support the teaching and learning mission. Since the liaisons have graduate training or professional experience in the disciplines they support, they often work in collegial relationships with faculty on specialized class-related or research projects. The effectiveness of this support is indicated by the results of the survey conducted by the Faculty Assembly in the spring of 2004.

Technology Enhanced Classrooms
IT's Classroom Support Team has the responsibility for designing, installing and maintaining a wide range of instructional technologies in the College's seminar rooms, presentation classrooms, and multimedia auditoria. More than 50 classrooms are equipped with an LCD projector, VCR, laptop connections, an instructor podium, and a computer with the standard faculty software image, Internet connection and DVD player. Multimedia classrooms with all these features, plus additional equipment required by faculty are also available. Support for videoconferencing in the Millennium Classroom and in other locations on campus is also available.

Advanced Network Connectivity
In support of academic computational needs, the College participates in Network Virginia, the state's high-speed educational data network that currently links all colleges and universities both public and private in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The College is a full participating member of the Internet2 initiative and has direct access to the Abilene national backbone. The College is also a charter member of the Mid Atlantic Terascale Partnership, a consortium of research universities located in the region that have been instrumental in having a node on the National Lambda Rail established in Virginia. Connectivity to the national facility from the College is planned for early 2005.

Support for Research and Teaching
IT engineers assist with the design, purchase, development, configuration, installation, and maintenance of numerous software applications and operating systems in support of the research and academic community. Specifically, we support the SciClone cluster project a heterogeneous computing cluster for use in the sciences. SciClone is used by the Biology Department in the teaching of genome research and analysis for freshman students. We also provide support to the Center for Piezoelectrics by Design a research center that "conducts research into the theoretical prediction and experimental realization of new members of a unique class of materials, piezoelectrics". Additionally, Information Technology engineers support of numerous computer servers and applications for many of our academic departments, including Biology, Chemistry, Math, Physics, and Applied Science. We support applications used by the Chemistry Department for neural simulation research, 3-D modeling and analysis in the Math Department, a mobile classroom notebook lab used by Applied Science for teaching bioinformattics, 3-D modeling and mathematical analysis. Finally, IT maintains a Unix server that provides access to numerous applications (genesis, maple, matlab, sas, splus, stata), computer languages, as well as various databases used by the College community.

Public Access Labs
Information Technology provides engineering and staff expertise to develop, configure, test, deploy and maintain the operating system, installed applications and network printing for public access labs with more than 410 computers in 20 locations on campus. The software image in these labs includes multiple, complex applications running in a secure operating system environment while providing maximum reliability. In close consultation with faculty, Information Technology develops a lab software image that includes 100+ curriculum-related applications needed for each academic year. Information Technology staff also actively monitor the lab workstations and printers to ensure all systems are functioning properly.

Blackboard IMS
The College of William & Mary was an early adopter of the Blackboard instructional management software. We originally selected Blackboard (then called CourseInfo) in 1999 because it was easy to use. Over 600 courses each semester use Blackboard to provide syllabi, assignments, reserve readings, and links to authoritative sites on the Internet. A growing number of faculty are using its interactive tools such as discussion boards, the virtual classroom, assessment management tools, and group email. At any time of the day or night, more than 800 users are logged in, with more than 2,000 simultaneous users connected during the busiest times of the semester.

Core Services Technology

Technology Support
Information Technology operates the Technology Support Center (TSC) to respond to support requests for computers, telecommunications, and cable TV. The TSC also maintains and upgrades departmental computer hardware and software so that faculty and staff have access to current technology for accomplishing their work. Annually, the TSC responds to 40,000 support requests; more than 80% of which are closed within a 24 hour period. The professional and high-quality service provided by the TSC is recognized by many through our ongoing customer surveys including this professor who wrote, “The Technology Support Center makes my job as a faculty member easier. When technical problems come up, the center always is there.”

Secure Network Services
The College provides a secure, scaleable network for faculty, staff and students. The entire campus is fully wired with BISCI certified fiber optic and copper cable plant deployed to all buildings. 100 Mbps switched Ethernet service is offered across the entire network and the residence halls are wired to a port/pillow standard. The College network is connected to two Internet service providers for fault tolerance and security measures include a firewall, intrusion detection, active intrusion prevention and traffic shaping. Complementing the wired network is an 802.11b/g wireless infrastructure that covers all academic and student services buildings.

 Ubiquitous Access to Computing Resources
Information Technology provides access to a core set of services to faculty, staff and students via an IT account that grants single sign-on access to email, instructional management software, student records, personal network storage space, a portal, and computer labs. Personal network space, for securing and sharing documents and hosting personal web pages, is easily available using a mapped drive from public access labs, offices or residence halls, and from off campus using a secure FTP connection. All academic and administrative departments also have shared server space for easy file sharing and storage. Data from the servers is backed up regularly and stored both on site for easy recovery and off site for disaster planning. A faculty member who recently benefited from IT's backup services wrote, "I somehow deleted my whole electronic portfolio. This was the website I had spent several weeks over the summer creating to be used in my promotion review this fall; and I had just that week given the web address to my School's Faculty Evaluation Committee for their consideration. I was a wreck for about 30 minutes, but that's all it took for IT to make the file reappear on the H: drive. What a relief it was to see the file again!"

 Web Development Services
IT offers web design and development services to departments and programs at the College. In addition to services for customized sites and web applications, IT develops and supports optional W&M Web Templates for departments and student organizations that have sites on the campus web server. The web templates control all of the basic design features of a site, allowing web editors to instead concentrate on producing useful and interesting content. Web template features include printer friendly version, consistent menus, calendar of events, bulletin board system, content management system, W&M search and navigation, site statistics, data collection forms, forced login, and extra and alert blocks. W&M Web Templates are used by 160+ departments and entities at the College. Personal Web Templates are also available for faculty, students, and staff who wish to create personal web pages. A professor evaluates personal web templates, "After teaching people to create web sites for a decade, I think that I have found the best instructional tools for doing so. The Personal Web Templates provide a wonderful balance among ease of use, flexibility, features, and sophisticated results that is perfect for someone who wants to concentrate more upon the content and functionality of web sites than their HTML formatting.”

Desktop Lease Program
IT manages a desktop lease program called the Equipment Service Program (ESP) which provides leased computer equipment that is institutionally-owned. The ESP provides departments with standard up-to-date hardware which can be supported at the highest level by the College, and removes obsolete computer equipment and machines which have no regular replacement cycle. The program also makes technology easier for the W&M community by providing easy ordering, stable costs, reliable equipment, and excellent service. Currently, there are 1,800 computers in the campus desktop lease program.

Technology Training
IT's Web and Learning Services Team designs and delivers a high quality curriculum for desktop and enterprise applications for faculty, staff and students in a professionally-outfitted technology training facility. Members of the W&M community use this resource both as a professional development activity and to enhance their workplace effectiveness. During 2004, 133 workshops were offered ranging from MS Office to Macromedia Dreamweaver to SCT Banner Student and Finance.

Security Awareness and Communication
IT has executed a comprehensive effort to promote safe computing among faculty, staff and students. An IT News feature has include 13 security-related news articles in the past two years, and an annual safe computing message, a student postcard campaign in summer 2004, articles in student newspapers, posters in residence halls, and presentations at student and employee orientations have been used to educate the community about information security.

Project Management Office . Information Technology established a project management office in 2001 to implement standards and provide guidance to technology staff in the planning and execution of information technology projects. Additionally, the project management office oversees the business processes for the department and adds value to the institution by exercising general business management skills in the allocation of human and capital resources. Because this office is led by a certified project manager (PMP), W&M is well-positioned to respond to oversight from Virginia Information Technologies Agency (VITA) on technology projects.

Enterprise Technology

Enterprise Resource Planning Implementation
The implementation of integrated, enterprise-wide applications has been a major focus of IT for more than three years. Through Project MAST, IT is collaborating with College departments to implement Sungard SCT Banner for student, finance and human resource systems. In addition to overall planning activities (scheduling, budgeting, contract negotiations, and Commonwealth reporting), Information Technology has provided leadership for the Project Management Team and the Data Oversight Committee. The project impacts the academic and business lives of all in the College community and interviews and surveys of affected constituencies are used to evaluate quality assurance and enhancement. Though Project MAST officially ended in September 2005, project planning for enterprise resources will of course continue. Examples of continuing enterprise resource planning efforts include implementation and Banner integration of third party products such as FAMIS (facilities management system), Admissions interfaces (Collegenet, CommonApp, EmBark, Admit-M), Workflow, Imaging, Housing Lottery, and Room Scheduling.

Database Administration and Application Security
Maintaining and supporting the integrity of the ERP database structure and the effectiveness of database administration and application security practices is the responsibility of IT's Enterprise Information Systems group. Additionally, this group manages the request process for Banner application and database security, monitors database performance, and reviews source code. In such a complex administrative systems environment where integration and integrity must be sustained, software installation and upgrades for products such as Banner, Oracle RDBMS, Blackboard, Operational Data Store, Oracle Discoverer, and other third party software is also a critical effort.

Application Programming and Functional Support
Information Technology supports legacy mainframe systems, the Sungard SCT Banner ERP, and reporting tools. While converting mainframe data to the ERP application (Banner), remaining legacy systems are supported by programmers and computer operations/production control staff. The ERP systems require both maintenance and implementation support by programmers, administrative liaisons, and content specialists. Support of these systems includes report-writing, training, documentation, Banner help desk support, application programming, and business analysis tasks.

School of Education Technology Specifics

As mentioned above, over 400 computers are available in Public Access Computing Labs (PAC labs) across campus to efficiently attend to the needs of the College's students, staff, and faculty. Jones Hall houses two PAC labs: a 20-station Windows lab in Jones 203 and a fully configured Mac lab in Jones 235. Both of these labs were upgraded in 2003.

Despite space constraints, the School of Education has access to excellent technology resources to support instruction and research. All classrooms in Jones Hall and most in Morton Hall are equipped with network access and LCD projection systems. Several rooms in Jones and Morton are equipped with additional technology.

Jones 307 is a flexible classroom environment with moveable tables and chairs. This room has 15 wireless laptops assigned to it for student use during instruction. The instructor's podium allows access to a Window's based PC, Macintosh PC, DVD player, VHS player, and document camera. The room is equipped with a projection, sound and lighting system that is controllable from the instructor's podium.

Jones 301 and 302 are tiered classrooms that are shared with the Department of Mathematics. These rooms are equipped with an instructor's podium that houses a Windows based PC, DVD player, VCR, and document camera. Each room has direct network access at the podium and the ability to connect a laptop to the system. The sound system is controlled from the podium as well.

Jones 306 is a more traditional classroom with moving desks. It has an instructor's computer station, TV, VCR, overhead projector, and a ceiling-mounted LCD projector. The computer station allows access to all network resources and serves as a DVD player.

Jones 206 is similar in set up to Jones 306. The equipment is the same as 306 with a few additional elements. Jones 206 is equipped with a Smart Board and video cameras.

Jones 201 servers as a primary room for the teaching of Mathematics and Science methods classes. This room has an instructor's station, TV, VCR, overhead projector, and a ceiling-mounted LCD proje