Lander College of Education Honored by Local School District

Lander University’s College of Education is a leader in training teachers for the workforce in South Carolina, and that commitment was on full display Monday, March 16, as Greenwood County School District 50 honored the college as members of “The Greenwood 50.”

According to school district officials, the recognition celebrates partnering organizations for embodying excellence, service and commitment that help make a difference in the lives of local students, faculty and staff, and the surrounding community.

The college was officially named to “The Greenwood 50” during the district’s regularly scheduled meeting of the Board of Trustees, where trustees and administrators praised Lander’s College of Education for their contributions to making the district, and Greenwood, a better place.

Dr. Stephen Bismarck, dean of the College of Education at Lander, noted the importance of the continued partnership between Lander and all its local school districts, many of which serve on the college’s Teacher Preparation Community Advisory Committee and help provide teacher candidates with field experiences. Often Lander teacher candidates go on to work directly in these districts after graduation.

“Solid partnerships with school districts are critical to the success of teacher candidates,” said Bismarck. “We truly listen to district and teacher needs and integrate that information into our curriculum on a regular basis. By providing our teacher candidates with early and often field experiences in local classrooms, we create a seamless bridge between theory and practice. For many, we also create a bridge between college and career. Greenwood District 50 remains an employer of choice for many of our graduates, and we are proud to help in providing our local community with a quality P-12 education.”