University Center’s Clemson Professor to Speak at PA Education Forum

Greenville, S.C. (December 10, 2009) - Dr. Lienne F. Medford, Associate Professor of Teacher Education and Master of Arts in Teaching Coordinator for Clemson University at the University Center of Greenville, will be the featured speaker at the spring 2010 Pennsylvania Deans of Education Forum. 

She has been asked to speak on “Lessons Learned and How They May Apply in Pennsylvania in Relation to the Framework for Post-Baccalaureate Programs.”  The state of Pennsylvania is asking its fifty schools of education to reevaluate their teacher education programs and to recruit more career changers into public education.  The Clemson Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) in middle grades education has been chosen as the model for this initiative.  Dr. Medford, who designed and implemented the Clemson program seven years ago, is considered knowledgeable about both program development and recruiting career changers into education.  In the last six years, the Clemson MAT has trained over 200 middle school teachers for the state of South Carolina.  Most of these new teachers had been working in other professions before choosing education as a career option. 

The Clemson MAT has enjoyed success in a variety of ways, with award winning faculty, a major National Science Foundation Grant, and an affiliation with the nationally know Call Me MISTER program.  Graduates of the program have gone on to win Teacher of the Year honors, be Golden Apple Award winners, and receive scholarships and grants. 

Dr. Medford credits the program’s success to “wonderful students, an engaged faculty, and the supportive environment of the University Center of Greenville, which is an ideal venue for adults returning to school.”  Most of the MAT is taught through face-to-face classes in Greenville and features an extensive clinical experience in the public schools.  “Our graduates are extremely well prepared for the classroom,” Medford adds.  “I am extremely proud that the Clemson MAT has been chosen as a model for another state.  I think this shows that South Carolina is becoming a leader in teacher preparation.” For information on the MAT, contact Dr. Medford at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

University Center of Greenville
The University Center of Greenville is a consortium of higher education institutions dedicated to increasing access to educational opportunities for the citizens of the Upstate of South Carolina. UCG offers 76 undergraduate and graduate degrees through Clemson, Furman, Lander, Medical University of South Carolina, South Carolina State, University of South Carolina, and the University of South Carolina Upstate. For more information, please call 864.250.1111 or visit their website at: www.ucgreenville.org.

Contact:
Len McCall
864-250-1111

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