MISSION OF THE COLLEGE OF EDUCATION AND HEALTH PROFESSIONS

Mission Statement

The mission of the College of Education and Health Professions is to enhance the quality of life of the citizens of Arkansas, the nation, and the world through the development of scholar-practitioners in education, health, and human services.

Goals

The goals of the College of Education and Health Professions are to:

* Attract and maintain a culturally diverse faculty of high quality and provide a supportive work climate that is conducive to professional growth and development.

* Attract and retain a culturally diverse student population of high quality and prepare students to assume roles as scholars-practitioners.

* Assist in the building and maintenance of library holdings and other information resources supporting academic programs, research, and service.

* Model, promote, and support excellence in teaching.

* Ensure levels of support, staffing, and enrollments appropriate to college, departments, and program missions, priorities, and functions.

* Produce and disseminate high-quality research, scholarly works, and creative products that contribute to the knowledge base and best practices in all fields.

* Offer nationally accredited and recognized undergraduate and graduate programs.

* Provide high-quality service across the state through educational, professional, and technological programs.

ORGANIZATION, FACILITIES AND SERVICES

For administrative purposes the programs of the College are organized under six academic units:
(Academic Unit and Degree Programs)

1. Curriculum and Instruction
Elementary Education
Middle Level Education
Secondary Education
Special Education

2. Educational Leadership, Counseling, & Foundations
Counselor Education
Educational Foundations
Educational Administration
Educational Technology
Higher Education

3. Health Science, Kinesiology, Recreation, & Dance
Health Science
Kinesiology
Recreation

4. Nursing
Bachelor of Science in Nursing

5.Rehabilitation Education and Rehabilitation
Rehabilitation Counseling
Communication Disorders

6. Vocational and Adult Education
Adult Education
Business Education
Vocational Education
Family and Consumer Sciences
Industrial &Technical Education

The Graduate Education Building and Peabody Hall serve as the nucleus of the College of Education and Health Profession's activities. An auditorium, several conference and seminar rooms, classrooms, and offices for individual professors, along with several special administrative and service units such as dean, associate dean, Educational Media Center, Educational Research Laboratory, and Arkansas Workforce Education Curriculum Center are housed in the Graduate Education Building.

Peabody Hall houses several classrooms, the Sylvia Hack Boyer Center for Student Services, associate dean's office, the Learning Resources Center, which simulates a school library/media center, and the Reading Center.

Additional classroom and office facilities used by the College of Education and Health Professions are located in Ozark Hall, West End Annex, Speech and Hearing Clinic, and the Deaf Education Center in Little Rock.

The HPER Building houses the majority of faculty offices and classrooms for the health sciences, kinesiology, and recreation. Specialized indoor space for instruction and recreation includes two dance studios, a fitness-weight training center, a jogging track, and a combative room. The building also features a Human Performance Laboratory for instruction and research. The Department of Health Science, Kinesiology, Recreation, and Dance utilizes the HPER Building Natatorium, Fulbright Tennis Courts, and Barnhill Arena for instructional purposes. Intramural/Recreational Sports offices are located on the second level of the HPER Building. The Intramural/Recreational Sports Program is a university-wide service program housed in the College of Education and Health Professions. Administered through the Department of Health, Kinesiology, Recreation and Dance, the program provides recreational activities to the entire university community. The program is organized into five program areas: intramural sports, general recreation, sport clubs, disabled student intramurals, and the Outdoor Recreation Center.

The Communication Disorders Program is housed in the Speech and Hearing Clinic. The clinic contains faculty offices, a classroom, a graduate seminar room, teaching and research laboratory, and space and facilities for the provision of services to the speech, language, and hearing impaired. University services are provided through the clinic free of charge to university students and their families.

The Eleanor Mann School of Nursing is housed in Ozark Hall. The nursing program facilities include an administrative office suite, faculty offices, two classrooms, three laboratories, a conference room, and a reading room. The School has affiliation agreements for clinical practicums with area health care agencies.

Established in 1974, the Regional Continuing Education Center in Rehabilitation provides human resources development programming for personnel employed in rehabilitation programs funded by the Rehabilitation Act. These programs include the following: state vocational rehabilitation agencies, independent living centers, community rehabilitation programs, client assistant programs, and projects with industries in the states of Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas. The Center is located at the Hot Springs Rehabilitation Center, Hot Springs, Arkansas.

Established in 1981, the Research & Training Center for People who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing conducts research and training programs to enhance rehabilitation efforts on behalf of the 24 million U.S. Citizens who are deaf or hard of hearing. These programmatic efforts are directed toward enhancing the career preparation, job entry and placement, career advancement, and workplace communication accommodations consistent with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The Center is located in Little Rock and also operates two graduate training programs in deafness rehabilitation at that location.

Accreditation and Membership

The Teacher Education Program at the University is accredited by the State Board of Education. Students who complete any of the programs as outlined are eligible to receive certificates to teach at the grade level or in the fields for which they have made preparation upon application and presentation of acceptable scores on the National Teacher's Examination (PRAXIS II).

The Teacher Education Program of the College of Education and Health Professions is also accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education for the preparation of pre-kindergarten and elementary school teachers, secondary-school teachers, and school service personnel including administrators and school counselors, with approval through the doctoral degree. Because of the accreditation by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education, students who complete the curricula as outlined in this catalog are eligible to receive certificates in states that agree to certify graduates who are recommended by the College of Education and Health Professions as having fulfilled its requirements.

The University of Arkansas holds membership in and is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools. The College of Education and Health Professions is also a member of the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education and the University Council for Educational Administration. The graduate program in communication disorders is accredited by the Council on Academic Accreditation of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.

The Bachelor of Science in Nursing (B.S.N.) degree program is accredited by the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission (350 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10026, 1-800-669-9656, ext. 153) and approved by the Arkansas State Board of Nursing. The M.S. degree program in Rehabilitation Counseling is accredited by the Council on Rehabilitation Education, Inc. Graduates of the accredited program are eligible to sit for the Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC) examination.

The Bachelor of Science in Education (B.S.E.) degree program in Health Science, Kinesiology, Recreation, and Dance is accredited by the Council on Accreditation of the National Recreation and Park Association.

Certification of Teachers and Other School Personnel

The regulations governing the certification of teachers in Arkansas are issued by the State Board of Education. The degree of Master of Arts in Teaching awarded upon the completion of one of the teacher preparation curricula offered in the College of Education and Health Professions fulfills the program requirements of the State Board of Education for a certificate in the field(s) in which the candidate is preparing to teach. Arkansas law specifies that each application for a teacher's certificate or a request to add an additional certification area must be supported by the appropriate PRAXIS II score(s). A State Board of Education policy effective February 1, 1983, established minimum PRAXIS II scores as an additional condition for receiving a teacher's certificate. All applicants must also complete a Teacher Record Check. Forms on which to make application for an Arkansas Certificate may be obtained from the Associate Dean's office. The telephone number is (479) 575-4203.

Preparation programs for various teaching positions have been developed cooperatively by the colleges and the University Teacher Education Board for Initial Certification. Students who successfully complete one of the approved programs will be verified by the University Certification Officer for an appropriate teaching certificate upon request. The University-approved general studies, specialization requirements, and professional sequences for all available undergraduate programs are found in this catalog.

A newly approved Arkansas teacher licensure system will be implemented January 1, 2002. Students seeking initial teacher certification/licensure should work closely with their advisers during this period of transition in state requirements.

Education Placement Services

The University, through the College of Education and Health Professions, maintains placement services for the purpose of cooperating with school officials in filling vacancies with appropriately qualified teachers and helping prospective teachers find suitable vacancies. The University does not recommend candidates for teaching positions unless they have been in residence for at least 12 weeks.

The University provides this service to its students for a nominal registration fee. It is extended to students seeking initial placements and also to alumni who seek advancement to better positions. Such alumni should keep their placement files up to date by re-registering November 1 of each year with the Education Placement Services. Students who are planning to teach should register during the internship year. The telephone number for the Education Placement Service is (479) 575-2350.