Boilermaker Educator Fall 2023: A magazine from the Purdue College of Education
Phil VanFossen

Message from the Interim Dean

Greetings! This is the third edition of our e-magazine Boilermaker Educator. As with previous editions, this one is packed with stories about what makes our College great—what makes us ‘quinoa’ and not wheat! During my Interim Dean tenure, my first priority has always been to be the College’s biggest cheerleader—to tell our success stories far and wide. As you can see from the contents, this has been both pleasurable and easy—we have amazing faculty, staff, and students!

Here are just a few highlights:

  • Amanda Case’s NSF grant to study after-school STEM learning at the Downtown Boxing Gym in Detroit. This story has gotten traction in media outlets across the U.S.
  • Hua-Hua Chang was selected as a panelist at the University of Notre Dame’s “Trustworthy AI Lab for Education Summit”. Professor Chang is an award-winning and internationally recognized expert in Computer Adaptive Testing and other forms of AI.
  • Anatoli Rapoport again hosted the Benjamin Franklin Transatlantic Fellowship with funding from the U.S. Department of State. Fifty-five students from 11 European nations and the U.S. examined the legacy of American democracy and discussed contemporary problems by exploring intercultural communication, freedom of expression, and media consumption and production.
  • Wanju Huang is co-PI on a three-year grant (with the Purdue University School of Nursing) that seeks to integrate education about substance use disorders into Purdue’s graduate nursing curriculum to make education related to substance use more widely available. The funding will be used to update a current MOOC (Massively Open Online Course) and create a new MOOC designed to provide advanced practice nurses the knowledge to accurately assess and provide Opiod Use Disorder medication to individuals.

Finally, we received some very good news recently. The Times Higher Education World University Rankings listed Purdue University’s subject area of Education as #51 in the world for 2024 – a jump of 27 spots from the 2023 ranking (#78)! Purdue’s Education subject area ranked 21st among U.S. institutions, 14th among public universities with Colleges of Education, and was the highest-ranked Education subject area in Indiana. The College of Education is the primary college at Purdue University providing instruction in the Education subject area.

To find out even more about the wonderful things going on in the College, please follow us on social media (links at bottom)!

Boiler Up!

Phillip VanFossen, Interim Dean, College of Education

COLLEGE EXPERTS MAKING NEWS

Jennifer Smith, Bill Watson, & Chrystal Johnson

Watch these short videos of our faculty experts weighing in on hot topics in education!


2023 Best Books for Kids — College of Education Gift-Giving Guide

Check out these “best books for kids” recommendations from Purdue University educators!

Combination graphic of "Zero Zebras", "Key Player" and "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" books

Indiana Education Insight subscription

The Purdue University College of Education is partnering with Indiana Education Insight.
You may request a free subscription to this biweekly publication if you are:

• A teacher: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/su/0KzeUKU
• A full-time College of Education faculty or staff member: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/sl/IGzFwVZ

College of Ed alumni: Expand your network & participate in mentoring!

Connect with current students, alumni, faculty, and friends of Purdue’s College of Education through the official College of Education community on Purdue Ties, the premier networking and mentoring platform of Purdue University. Users can post updates, share resources, request professional development help, connect with a fellow Boilermaker for mentoring, browse job postings, and hear about the latest College of Education alumni events.

This platform is available for alumni, students, faculty, staff, business partners, friends, and fans of the University. Basically, it’s for anyone who wants to support the College of Education at Purdue!

Joining Purdue Ties is easy—just follow these small steps:

  • Create your account at purdueties.com.
  • Get approval from the site administrator (this will take approximately 24–48 hours).
  • Finish setting up your profile.

You’re in! What’s next?

  • Join the official College of Education community for exciting updates.
  • Begin networking with other Purdue students and alumni.
  • Find the perfect match for mentorship.
  • Explore top job openings and internships.
  • Search for connections by location or interest group.

Tammy Maynard

Message from Office of Development

“You have made the choice to help make student aspirations and faculty ambitions a reality,” says Tammy Maynard, the College’s senior director of development.

“Please consider giving to support our students, faculty, programs, and engagement – or give an unrestricted gift for the dean’s initiatives. No matter the area within our college that you choose to support, your generosity will have a significant impact.”

Donate to the College of Education

Tammy J. Maynard signature

Tammy Maynard
Senior Director of Development