Letter from Dean McCormick

As we prepare education professionals for the 21st Century, we recognize that we have an ambitious task ahead of us: to integrate educational theory, research policy, and practice. With your help, we can provide the resources that meet the demands of such an important mission.

In whatever sphere they distinguish themselves, our alumni are widely acclaimed scholars, professional leaders, and dynamic agents for change.

Never before has your help been able to make such a difference in the School of Education. With an influx of new and highly qualified faculty and a growing student population, a renewed sense of growth and energy is transforming the School.

The return on your investment will be a new generation of scholars fired with a passion to bring their knowledge to succeeding generations of students for years to come.

I invite you to join me as we advance a bold and innovative vision for the years ahead. With your support, we will continue to be a dynamic force in the field of education, preparing tomorrow's leaders, creating unprecedented opportunities, and initiating change in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, throughout the United States, and in other parts of the world.

Christine B. McCormick
Dean

Launching The Nieto/Rudman Endowed Scholarship Initiative

An opportunity to acknowledge two iconic SOE faculty

Help us launch an initiative to recognize two of our most respected faculty through a gift to the Nieto/ Rudman Scholarship Fund.

School of Education Professors Emerita Sonia Nieto (Ed.D. 1979) and Masha K. Rudman (Ed.D. 1970) have honored UMass Amherst and the School of Education with a combined 70 years of dedicated and exemplary leadership as they blazed paths to national prominence in their respective fields of multicultural education and children’s literature.

Building on funds already donated to the School at the time of their retirements, we are initiating an effort to create an endowed scholarship that will jointly acknowledge the achievements of Drs. Rudman and Nieto. Once established, the Nieto/Rudman Scholarship will be awarded annually to a School of Education student in the Department of Teacher Education and Curriculum Studies, with special consideration to students in the Language, Literacy, and Culture concentration.

Join us as contributors to this endowment fund by making a donation now. If you have already sent a gift in acknowledgement of Dr. Rudman or Dr. Nieto, we thank you and hope that you will continue to support this lasting tribute to two of the schools most beloved scholars, mentors and friends.

To make a contribution online, please click here. Then, click on the link that reads "University's secure donation page." Be sure to select the Nieto/Rudman Scholarship Fund as your allocation. Or send your check to: UMass Amherst School of Education, Nieto/Rudman Scholarship Fund, 813 N. Pleasant Street, Amherst MA 01003. To find out more about this effort, please contact us at 413-545-2705. Thank you very much.

Announcing The Richard J. Clark Memorial Scholarship for Teacher Education

Emeritus Professor Richard “Dick” James Clark, Jr., died at home in Amherst, Mass., on August 10, 2009.

From 1968 until he left to accept a position as the Dean of the College of Education at UMass Boston in 1997, Dr. Clark dedicated his professional life to the UMass Amherst School of Education. For 30 years he served in a variety of positions, including Director of Teacher Education, Associate Dean for Program Development, chair of the Department of Teacher Education and Curriculum Studies, founding Chair of the Department of Teacher Education and School Improvement, special assistant to the Provost, and professor.

Dick retired from the University in 2000 but continued as an enthusiastic UMass volunteer. He had been a member of the School of Education’s Dean’s Leadership Council since its inception in 2007. Dick leaves his wife, Casey, his children, Theodore, Karen and Steve, and their families, and five grandchildren.

In August, Dr. Clark's family requested that contributions in Dick's memory be made to the School of Education. The resulting response from caring and generous alumni, colleagues and friends moved us to consider creating a memorial that would honor Dr. Clark in a lasting and meaningful way.

We are pleased to announce that the School of Education has initiated an effort to raise funds to create the Richard J. Clark Memorial Scholarship for Teacher Education. Once established, this endowed scholarship will be awarded annually to graduate students in the Teacher Education and Curriculum Studies Department.

We hope you will join us in remembering a beloved professor, education leader and friend who had a profound impact on our lives by making a gift to this endowed scholarship fund in his memory.

To support this effort, please click here. For more information, contact (413) 545-2705. Thank you.