UAF ACADEMIC DEVELOPMENT
PLAN
(download
plan in .pdf format)
As the only arctic university in the United States,
the University of Alaska Fairbanks takes seriously its responsibility
as a world leader in teaching, research and public service,
with a particular focus on issues relating to the Circumpolar
North.
Technology and innovation are essential elements
in our quest to solve problems that are unique to the North
and yet have global implications. The Academic Development Plan
serves as a guide for us as we prepare future scientists, policy
makers and leaders for a globalized society. Elements of this
plan were developed at an academic retreat in December 2000,
and included UAF deans and directors, along with the Presidents
of the Faculty Senate and Staff Council.
The plan is dynamic in nature. In May 2003, a
second academic retreat was held to evaluate and refine the
plan. This updated version of the UAF Academic Development Plan
reflects input from retreat participants and serves as a road
map to guide and shape future decision-making for UAF, as well
as at the school, college, center, institute, and individual
unit levels.
UAF's planning is driven by two documents. The
mission statement provides the context for UAF programs and
activities:
University
of Alaska Fairbanks Mission
The University of Alaska Fairbanks, as the nation's
northernmost Land, Sea, and Space Grant university and
international research center, advances and disseminates
knowledge through creative teaching, research, and public
service with an emphasis on Alaska, the North and their
diverse peoples. |
The strategic plan, UAF 2005, highlights our
six institutional goals:
| UAF 2005 |
| * |
Be a world leader in arctic
research and related graduate education |
* |
Provide high quality undergraduate education
for traditional and non-traditional students |
* |
Form active collaborations with communities,
organizations, businesses and government to meet identified
state, national, and global needs |
* |
Be an educational center for Alaska
Natives |
* |
Be a model that demonstrates how gender,
racial, and cultural diversity strengthen a university
and society |
* |
Be an academic gateway to the North Pacific and the Circumpolar
North |
While these documents give significant and meaningful direction
to UAF's programs and also outline academic areas of particular
importance to the institution, they provide relatively little
guidance for the allocation of scarce resources among high priority
programs. Yet, in the short term, these allocation decisions
are the ones on which faculty, staff and administrators most
often focus their attention.The elements of the plan that follow
are intended to provide useful guidance for these decisions.
Identifying three "programs of distinction"
and seven "areas of emphasis" does not imply that
they are UAF's "best" or "most important"
programs; instead it identifies them as areas where judicious
enhancements in the near future are judged to have the best
potential for moving UAF toward the goals in UAF 2005. UAF decision-makers
recognize that we have many programmatic strengths and will
continue to look for opportunities to enhance a broad spectrum
of programs. However, the following areas that seem particularly
ripe for immediate, significant development in that they build
upon existing strengths, have immediate opportunities for development
and address critical needs, particularly within the university
and the state, have been identified.
Academic Priorities and
Characteristics
UAF seeks to include certain "threads"
in as many of its programs as possible. We seek to be known
first and foremost as a university that focuses on students
(certificate to Ph.D.) and their connections to UAF's research
and outreach programs. We will encourage interdisciplinary approaches
to programs, problems and instruction. We anticipate that our
efforts will result in meaningful contributions to healthy Alaskan
and circumpolar societies and environments. Finally, we will conduct our work in a way that both recognizes
and participates in the globalization of society.
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PROGRAMS
OF DISTINCTION
UAF has many strong programs that have earned
excellent reputations. However, we now aspire to create a number
of programs that are widely acknowledged as among the best in
the world. Based upon assessment of the strengths of existing
programs and the immediate opportunities for developing or solidifying
a position of distinction, the following programs have been
identified as the first three candidates for developing into
"programs of distinction."
| Alaska Native
Peoples: |
| |
Program development and coordination along
with increased student involvement are among the most critical
needs for gaining this type of distinction for our programs
dealing with Alaska Native peoples. By building upon recent
program and infrastructure improvements, UAF can create
a set of programs dealing with Alaska Native issues that
would make us a model for an institutional approach to issues
related to indigenous peoples. |
| Arctic Climate: |
| |
Unprecedented interest in arctic climate change provides
UAF with an unparalleled opportunity to become a major focal
point for the study of this phenomenon. The most critical
need is to enlarge the cadre of UAF faculty and graduate
students involved in arctic climate research. |
| Fisheries and
Fishery Oceanography: |
| |
The four endowed chairs whose endowments will mature over
the next decade or so and the construction of a new arctic
research vessel provide UAF with the opportunity to occupy
a pre-eminent role in this area. Space, both in Juneau and
Fairbanks, is the most critical need.
|
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AREAS
OF EMPHASIS
ARTS,
HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES
EMPHASIS:
The arts, humanities and social sciences provide bases
of critical knowledge for Alaska's future. Education in these
subjects fosters social responsibility, individual well being
and the development of qualities that go beyond technical training.
An educated citizenry is one that approaches life's challenges
with insight, creativity and originality. These are the strengths
of this emphasis area. In addition to offering courses that
fulfill core requirements for all students, UAF offers more
specialized opportunities. We are the artistic center for the
Interior's writers, visual artists, musicians and actors. We
also excel in our contributions to the understanding and development
of Alaska's particular social and cultural traditions, in all
of their creative diversity.
OPPORTUNITIES:
"Alaska Native Peoples" has been identified
as one of three Programs of Distinction that will move UAF towards
these goals, as specified in our Strategic Plan 2005. Existing
programs and strengths in Alaska Native Studies, the Alaska Native Language
Center, anthropology, northern studies, the expanding UA Museum
and the Rasmuson Library form the groundwork for
development in this area. A President's Professor in Alaska
Native studies enhances this opportunity. UAF is poised to build
faculty expertise, especially teaching and research capability,
through development of an infrastructure that promotes interdisciplinary
exchange in the arts, humanities and social science, with particular
attention to Alaska's Native peoples.
In addition, the selection of UAF as the location
of the secretariat of the International Arctic Social Sciences
Association (IASSA) has presented a unique opportunity to build
this capacity on a circumpolar level. In combination with our
student exchange programs, the presence of Northern Momentum
Teacher/Scholars, the Interdisciplinary Graduate Education and
Research Training (IGERT) program and our long-standing record
of northern research, IASSA provides an opportunity to enhance
UAF's international prominence in arctic studies.
Writers and creative artists at UAF represent
Alaska to the world. Students are drawn to Alaska because of
its natural features and vibrant society, and our programs offer
them the opportunity to translate that attraction into artistic
expressions. Our renowned musicians, painters, actors and writers
commonly choose Alaskan themes, presenting opportunities for
public exhibition and performance, as well as student development.
NEEDS:
-
There is a need to support the core curriculum
in the arts, humanities and social sciences. The core is,
by definition, basic to the general education of UAF students.
Specific core requirements include courses that give students
the intellectual tools to understand and appreciate tradition,
diversity, cultural expression and social change.
-
There is a need to create and develop an infrastructure
to coordinate programs and research efforts centering on northern
indigenous peoples and languages. A coordinating structure
would respond to emerging statewide public and university
priorities by focusing resources and attention on this area
and increasing awareness and education in relation to contemporary
and historic Alaska Native peoples.
-
Preservation, documentation and revitalization
of Alaska's Native languages remain critical needs in this
area of emphasis. Languages are central to the identity of
Alaska's Native peoples and the expression of many traditions.
-
UAF needs to recruit and retain Alaskan students.
The enhancement of broad, quality programs in the arts, humanities
and social sciences will allow us to compete more effectively
with liberal arts educational institutions elsewhere.
-
Alaska needs trained social service providers.
Enhancement of UAF's programs in psychology, social work and
justice will ensure that this need is met.
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ECONOMIC
AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT
EMPHASIS:
In partnership with the private sector and public agencies,
UAF will enhance academic programs that assist Alaska's businesses
and address continuing and emerging workforce needs, with special attention on e-commerce, high-technology industries
appropriate for Alaska and workforce shortages identified by
the Alaska Department of Labor.
OPPORTUNITIES:
Intense public and private sector attention is being directed
toward Alaska's financial future, diversification of the state's
economy and development of healthy Alaskan communities. Alaska's
unique geographic position and associated location economics
combine to create a set of attractive opportunities that could
expand Alaska's economy on several fronts. The current development
of a large international transportation and communications infrastructure
in Alaska provides the foundation for a new expansion of the
state's economy that is independent of traditional natural resource
extraction.
Recent technological developments provide Alaskan entrepreneurs
with the means to access state, national and global markets
in a manner that was unimaginable a decade ago. E-commerce and
the rapidly expanding internet economy provide Alaskans with
the tools to overcome problems associated with a limited local
market and geographic isolation. The basic character of both
retail and business-to-business economic activity will dramatically
change in the coming decade. In order to take advantage of these
opportunities the university must expand and develop its expertise
related to the new economy.
Basic and applied research in the areas of science
and engineering also present important opportunities for UAF
to contribute to the economic development of Alaska. From cold
weather engineering applications to developments in satellite
data acquisition and manipulation, UAF faculty will be an important
part of the process of technology transfer that will provide
the foundation for new high technology industries in Alaska.
UAF's professional and workforce development programs
have a long history of providing expertise and support to a
wide range of economic development projects. Whether in new,
emerging portions of the economy or in traditional areas, UAF
will continue to provide ideas and employees for Alaska's economy.
NEEDS:
The fundamental need to diversify Alaska's economy provides
the primary motivation for work in this area. Although Alaska's
oil and gas industry is healthy and presents continuing opportunities,
the state must encourage the development of a wide range of
diverse industries to complement, and in the long-term replace,
oil and gas as the main economic engine of the state. Although
no areas of economic activity ought to be ignored, particular
attention must be given to those existing and potential areas
of the economy that present opportunities for high labor efficiency
coupled with a small environmental footprint.
The need to fill existing jobs with Alaskans provides
a second motivation for renewed UAF efforts in economic development.
Many important, well-paying jobs presently are filled by "immigrants"
because qualified Alaskans are not available. The resulting
employee turnover is costly and a transient population does
not foster healthy community development. Attention to workforce
development in some key professions (e.g., nursing, allied health,
process technology, social work) will pay big dividends in the
form of a competent, resident workforce that will provide the
basis for healthy communities throughout the state.
UAF will play an important role in this effort
by providing environments in which faculty and private sector
entrepreneurs can work together with state and federal agencies
in creative ways to develop and apply expertise and intellectual
property to the task of encouraging the formation and development
of numerous industries and professions. While the state needs
research on the impact of e-commerce on Alaska's economy and
well-reasoned policies on economic development, undoubtedly
its greatest need is for new members of the Alaska workforce
with backgrounds in e-commerce, high-technology industry and
selected professions where the labor force has historically
been characterized by high turnover.
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ENGINEERING
EMPHASIS:
UAF will begin a systematic expansion program of engineering
teaching and research that will selectively move our engineering
programs to a position of comparable national strength with
UAF's many fine science programs. UAF's engineering departments
offer special opportunities to enhance Alaska's economic development,
provide a valuable technical education for its students and
provide for a strong increase in research.
UAF's engineering programs will continue to be
favorably situated to focus on student involvement in research
programs and industry collaborations through internships and
cooperative programs while addressing a strong state and national
demand for engineering graduates.
Engineering programs will continue their strong
interdisciplinary focus with especially strong ties to the other
UAF Areas of Emphasis including Natural Resources, Environment
and Human Health, Global Science and Economic and Workforce
Development. Engineering will be a key contributor to healthy
Alaskan and northern societies through design, construction
and operation of a safe and efficient infrastructure.
OPPORTUNITIES:
Alaska is critically dependent on a modern and efficient public
and private infrastructure to serve local, state and private
economic development. Alaska's remote northern location presents
challenges and opportunities that can be addressed with high
quality engineering graduates, appropriate research and professional
development offerings.
It is clear that millions of dollars likely will
be spent in Alaska in coming years in the capital design, construction
and operation industry throughout the private, state and federal
sectors. Key projects currently underway, or those with a high
potential for future development, include multi-modal transportation
systems for rural and urban areas, development and transportation
of petroleum resources, mining resource development, rural sanitation
and energy systems, development of wireless communication, fisheries
industry support and design and construction of a national missile
defense system.
Civilian projects that will dominate Alaska's
engineering employment in the same time period include increased
federal funds for highway and airport infrastructure, the planned
natural expansion within the petroleum industry, including gas-to-liquids
activity, and increased development of Alaska's rural and urban
infrastructure.
NEEDS:
Expanded engineering instruction, research and outreach will
be focused on meeting the demands for engineering graduates
within the sate, providing information and expertise necessary
for the improvement of infrastructure, and conducting research
that takes advantage of Alaska's remote northern location. While
these efforts will be focused on local problems, the graduates
from instructional programs and the results from research will
undoubtedly also address national and international needs.
Development of instructional and research programs
in engineering will require additional instrumentation, support
services and space. Expanded enrollments in undergraduate, masters'
and doctoral programs are key for continued growth and development.
Instructional improvement efforts will include coordinated recruiting
for all undergraduate engineering programs and an aggressive
effort to acquire and maintain instructional equipment.
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ENVIRONMENTAL
AND HUMAN HEALTH
EMPHASIS:
A very broad but important area for Alaska and therefore, UAF,
is a focus on Environmental Health and Human Health. UAF should
continue its efforts to develop core faculty around themes including
extreme environment, adaptation and global transport of contaminants.
A focus on arctic animal models and comparative biochemistry
and physiology at UAF has created a history
and foundation to support future growth.
The maintenance and expansion of programs in basic
science and engineering will give a proper foundation to students
interested in this Area of Emphasis. In the area of human health,
a stronger undergraduate neuroscience/human environmental physiology
is needed. Toxicology and environmental chemistry courses should
be offered more frequently. In addition to building appropriate
expertise in science and engineering, programs in teacher preparation
and community outreach should have enhanced components related
to this Area of Emphasis.
Central to human health in Alaska are behavioral
sciences. Courses and programs, including those at the graduate
level, should be offered in an accessible manner to graduate
students statewide. Workforce staffing is an important component
of human health and delivery of social work, rural development,
emergency medical technicians, nursing and public safety programs
should be part of UAF's foundation.
OPPORTUNITIES:
UAF can become a leader in interdisciplinary integration of
programs dealing with environmental and human health. We have
the opportunity to fully integrate instructional and research
programs in clinical psychology, neuroscience, bioinformatics,
genetic components of disease, ecotoxicology and addiction.
Graduate education should be emphasized as should relationships
with basic science and engineering programs.
NEEDS:
UAF needs to build upon its established strengths in the basic
sciences and engineering, the foundation in environmental and
human health provided by the NIH and NSF infrastructure grants
(SNRP1, COBRE2,
INBRE3, EPSCoR4)
and instructional programs in allied health fields. In order
to do so, the institution will need a few additional faculty
hires, maturation of the research and graduate programs started
under the NIH and NSF grants, and expanded facilities for animal
care, research and instruction. While additional faculty, grant-supported
research and space represent important needs, there is also
a critical need to integrate a number of programs that have
begun as separate entities.
1 Special
Neuroscience Research Program
2 Center of Biomedical Research Excellence
3 Institutional Development Award Network for Biomedical Research
Excellence
4 Experimental Programs to Stimulate Competitive Research
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GLOBAL
SCIENCE
EMPHASIS:
Global science at UAF is relatively well developed. Aligned
with the Land, Sea and Space Grant status of the campus, research
programs spanning the cryosphere, the earth's crust, oceans
and atmosphere, global change and space sciences are in place.
The challenge for the future lies in interdisciplinary developments
through which the most important new scientific progress will
be made. Special attention should be placed on aspects of these
studies that relate specifically to our northern location.
Cryospheric studies focus on glaciers, snow, ice,
soils, permafrost and environmental chemistry in an interdisciplinary
approach to the cold environment at high latitudes. They also
address the special conditions for pollutants at high latitude.
The unique temperature,moisture and light conditions change
the deposition rates and half-lives of anthropogenic compounds
entering the Arctic.
Seismic signals provide data for reports and warnings,
which are used to mitigate the dangers of earthquakes, tsunamis
and volcanoes. Existing facilities, established to serve primarily
emergency needs, should also be playing a supporting role in
UAF's teaching and research activities.
Remote sensing facilities at UAF gather and process
data from passing satellites to produce mapped geophysical data.
Examples include the Alaska SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar) Facility,
the AVHRR (Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer) and the
MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer). The scientific
applications of the data derived from these instruments/facilities
provide excellent opportunities for research and should be found
in many different aspects of teaching in a variety of disciplines.
Arctic science, comprising atmospheric and oceanic
science, is fundamental to the understanding of global climate
change. This interdisciplinary endeavor also employs expertise
in fluid dynamics, physical chemistry and radiation physics.
Space weather, which applies the knowledge and
techniques of space science to the forecasting of activity in
the solar-terrestrial system, combines the study of the upper
atmosphere with the plasma physics of the solar wind.
OPPORTUNITIES:
Prime opportunities for UAF in these areas exist in the development
of new programs and expertise in climate research and in the
acquisition of a new arctic research vessel. It is important
to realize that, given the interdisciplinary approach and cross-unit
participation in the International Arctic Research Center's
research program, cultivating the strength of this unit will
benefit the whole enterprise of global science within UAF. In
the same manner, when a new arctic research vessel becomes available,
it will provide an ocean platform for atmospheric and space
observations as well as its major role in ocean studies.
NEEDS:
Short-term needs will be served by a combination of our existing
global science programs within the areas of special opportunity:
-
Arctic states need a circumpolar climate
assessment in order to plan effective use and preservation
of their land in upcoming years. This requires the expertise
of faculty skilled in geophysical, ecological, oceanic and
atmospheric studies of the Arctic. The assessments will be
used by engineers, legislators and the business community
as the basis for decision and action.
-
A localized example of this type of assessment
is the identification of environmental aspects of gas pipeline
construction and maintenance. Seismic, hydrological and geotechnical
studies of any proposed pipeline corridor as well as general
considerations of civil engineering in an arctic environment
are necessary elements of any viable gas line proposal.
-
Assessments of arctic pollution issues represent
a more global need. For example, assessments of pollution
transport impacts by a broad range of scientists are needed
to inform the development of international treaties and agreements.
-
A wide variety of mapped information is required
by state and federal agencies in Alaska. Development of research
and teaching programs in remote sensing techniques is required
to support these efforts.
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NATURAL
RESOURCES
EMPHASIS:
The area of natural resources has long been a focal point of UAF.
This area of traditional strength includes instruction, research
and outreach in agriculture, fisheries, forestry, wildlife and
minerals. Enhancements will emphasize sustainable, responsible
development that enhances quality of life and economic opportunities
for people and communities.
OPPORTUNITIES:
Agriculture: The return of the U.S. Department
of Agriculture research service provides enhanced opportunities
for expansion in the fields of entomology and weed science to
serve not only the agricultural community but also all managers
of public lands. Alaska's horticulture/landscape industry is rapidly
increasing and new programs in horticulture and arboretum management
will service this important new industry. Expanded soil science
and water quality programs provide opportunities for statewide
linkages in both arenas.
Fisheries: A recent endowment has established
the Rasmuson Fisheries Research Center to support 10 graduate
students per year. Research funding (Pollock Conservation Research
Center) and four endowed chairs have been provided by Alaska's
fishing industry. These developments and the prospect of a new
state-of-the-art research vessel puts UAF in an excellent position
to address critical fishery and oceanographic issues through research
and education.
Forestry: The growing national
interest in sustainability is raising new questions about the
use and management of forest resources.
Wildlife: In addition to continued
interest in management of Alaska's wildlife, there are exciting
new possibilities for connecting traditional wildlife research
and instruction to efforts in
environmental and human health through studies of ecotoxicology
and subsistence foods.
Minerals: The decline of petroleum
production at Prudhoe Bay, projections of future demand for natural
gas and newly discovered deposits of precious metals are changing
the nature of the
Alaska minerals industry.
NEEDS:
Agriculture: Solutions are needed to address weed and
insect problems that have long plagued Alaska's agricultural industry
and parks, where invasive plant species are rapidly making new
inroads. Although the horticulture/landscape industry is the most
rapidly growing segment of the agricultural industry in Alaska,
needs extend far beyond traditional agriculture to roadside maintenance,
arboretum management and even urban parks.
Fisheries: Alaska's fisheries are
in crises, and we need information on many issues related to changes
in the biological productivity of Alaska's marine systems in response
to environmental change and to human influence. It is critical
to conduct research to understand the basic structure and function
of these systems and to train scientists needed for research and
management of these resources.
Forestry: Long-term ecological
research and education as well as expansion in the fields of recreation
and commercial forest product applications are examples of efforts
needed to properly understand Alaska's forests and to utilize
them in a sustainable fashion.
Wildlife: Increasing concerns about
subsistence foods and diets, including potential contamination
in wild animals, call for research that addresses the path of
contamination through the wildlife and plants that make up the
subsistence diet. Toxicology can provide the link between the
animal/plant and human response to diet and foods that represent
a way of life in subsistence communities.
Minerals: New approaches to fossil
fuel production (e.g., coal-bed methane, gas hydrates, gas-to-liquid
technology), transportation (e.g., gas pipeline) and conservation
(e.g.,cold weather housing) are needed as are cost-effective,
environmentally sound techniques for developing mines in remote
areas.
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TEACHER
PREPARATION
EMPHASIS:
In partnership with school districts and other education constituents
across Alaska, UAF's School of Education is enhancing its capacity
to: (A) prepare a much larger number of high quality
beginning teachers; (B) support and mentor beginning teachers
through their initial years of teaching; and (C) provide effective
professional development opportunities for Alaska's current
classroom teachers.
OPPORTUNITIES:
Alaska is in the midst of a comprehensive educational improvement
effort, known as the Alaska Quality Schools Initiative (AQSI),
as well as efforts to comply with the federal "No Child Left
Behind" legislation. Through the standards on which the AQSI
is based, Alaska education from preschool through advanced teacher
training is being reconceptualized to improve the performance
of Alaska's students, teachers and schools. As part of this coordinated
effort, programs within the School of Education have evolved to
capitalize on the opportunities presented by the AQSI. Our emphasis
on rigorous standards-based preparation, professional accountability
and culturally responsive teaching aligns precisely with the emphasis
of the AQSI and is consistent with the philosophy behind the federal
regulations. This program emphasis, along with rapid developments
in distance education infrastructure, technology and pedagogy,
provides unique opportunities for UAF to prepare and support a
new generation of teachers for Alaska's schools.
Alaska's educational needs focus on three closely related problems;
the highest teacher turnover and attrition rate in the nation,
the highest percentage of teachers prepared outside the state
and a severe teacher shortage, primarily in rural areas. Expanding
our capacity to prepare more beginning teachers and to provide
all teachers with ongoing professional development and support
directly addresses all three of these problems.
NEEDS:
- Our state institutions of higher learning are currently able
to meet only a small percentage of Alaska's annual need for
new teachers. In 2000, UA programs prepared approximately 100
new teachers, while school districts had more than 1,100 vacancies
to fill. Clearly, increasing our capacity to prepare significantly
larger numbers of high quality beginning teachers must be a
high priority.
- Teacher Induction: Along with the preparation
of high quality beginning teachers is the need to support these
teachers throughout their initial years of teaching. Research
conducted by our faculty has already demonstrated the effectiveness
of a formal mentored induction process in helping new teachers
make the transition into this challenging profession. Effective
induction programs will reduce the current unacceptable turnover
and attrition rate for teachers (15 percent for teachers trained
in Alaska; 35 percent for Alaska's teachers trained in other
states). In addition, a mentored induction process - developed
and implemented in partnership with local school districts -
promises to reduce the time necessary for a beginning teacher
to become an effective professional.
- Master Teacher Development: The third area
of Alaska's needs being addressed by the School of Education
is the development of a program to increase capabilities, effectiveness
and professional recognition of Alaska's best experienced teachers.
To do this, we are capitalizing on a model, which emerges from
a partnership between the National Board for Professional Teaching
Standards (NB- PTS) and the National Council for Accreditation
of Teacher Education (NCATE). In our iteration of this model,
teachers can complete a Master of Education degree that is aligned
with NCATE standards, with a specific focus on the development
of the knowledge and skills emphasized in the NBPTS certification
process.
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