ECC Reaffirms Commitment to Teacher Education Program
Dr. Greg McLeod (left), president of Edgecombe Community College, and Dr. Art Rouse, interim dean of the East Carolina University College of Education, celebrate Partnership Teach after signing the agreement.
Edgecombe Community College was among the North Carolina colleges that recently celebrated the rebrand of a teacher education program that unites East Carolina University and 23 institutions of higher education.
On December 4, Partnership Teach was officially unveiled as the new name for the ECU College of Education’s online degree completion model. In the program, formerly known as Partnership East, students take courses at an NC community college and then transfer to ECU to complete a teaching degree.
“The name Partnership East reflected the original footprint which was only in eastern NC. We continue to focus our efforts in the east, but over the years, we have expanded our online opportunities to all 100 counties,” says Kathy Bradley, Partnership Teach coordinator.
“With this being the last year we receive funding from the SECU Foundation, it was a good time to embrace the name change to Partnership Teach which better reflects our mission of growing teachers through partnership.”
During the meeting, representatives from the 23 community and two-year colleges that compose Partnership Teach resigned their agreements with ECU. Public school systems that are members of the Latham Clinical Schools Network also reaffirmed their commitments.
“Since 2003, Edgecombe Community College has been fortunate to partner with East Carolina University on this important teacher education initiative,” says ECC President Dr. Greg McLeod, who attended the signing ceremony in Greenville.
“Over the years, 19 Partnership Teach graduates completed coursework at ECC before transferring to ECU. This program is a shining example of both institutions’ commitment to outreach programs that make a genuine difference in people’s lives,” he says.
“These kinds of partnerships are integral to our work that we do together to prepare educators,” says Dr. Art Rouse, interim dean of the ECU College of Education. “Our college is committed to access, and we could not be accessible to prospective educators without the community college connections and collaborations with our Partnership Teach.”
Agreements with public schools and community colleges help to fulfill ECU’s dedication to eastern North Carolina. “There’s no better strategy for the future of our region than homegrowing talent,” ECU Interim Chancellor Dr. Ron Mitchelson says. “These local pipelines result in a huge level of success for our region and our students.”
Almost 900 students have graduated from the Partnership Teach degree completion model.
“Many of our students are nontraditional and have experience as teacher assistants,” Bradley adds. “They bring a more seasoned perspective to the discussions in the online classes.”
Partnership Teach comprises Louisburg College and the following community colleges: Beaufort, Carteret, Central Carolina, Coastal Carolina, College of the Albemarle, Craven, Edgecombe, Fayetteville Technical, Halifax, James Sprunt, Johnston, Lenoir, Martin, Nash, Pamlico, Pitt, Roanoke-Chowan, Sampson, Vance-Granville, Wake Technical, Wayne, and Wilson.