MEMORANDUM
TO: The Edward Waters College Community
FROM: Donna H. Oliver, Ph.D.
Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs
SUBJECT: Recasting the Academic Program
DATE: October 29, 2019
This past year has been a year of effectively and efficiently transitioning the College in making forward progress towards achieving its pinnacle as an institution of Emerging Eminence. In one year, we have begun moving the College in a direction that promises change and transformation that will position it for future longevity and sustainability. One part of accomplishing this transformation was the very difficult challenge of reimagining, recasting and reinvigorating the College’s academic curriculum and degree program offerings. As such, the decision was carefully made by the Board of Trustees to phase out, over time, three academic programs: Elementary Education, Mathematics, and Music. Phasing out does not mean the immediate closure of the programs. Phasing out means that the programs will close based upon the timeframes outlined below.
Mathematics and Music will be phased out over a five-year timeframe. These two programs will remain intact for the next five years, through May 2024. This will provide every student enrolled in these two academic programs more than enough time to complete a four-year degree.
Elementary Education will be phased out over the next fifteen months, August 2019 – December 2020.
• Juniors and Seniors will have Spring 2020; Summer I, Summer II, and Summer III 2020; and Fall 2020, inclusive of Fall 2019 to complete their education courses. The College will offer all necessary education courses to enable junior and senior students to complete their education degree course requirements within the above noted semesters.
• Freshmen and Sophomores who remain at Edward Waters College and desire to become a teacher will need to: (1) change their major to one of our continuing majors, (2) graduate, and (3) enter the elementary, middle or secondary school classroom by following one of the State of Florida’s Certificate Pathways & Routes to teach (see additional information below).
State of Florida’s Certificate Pathways & Routes to Teach:
It is important to note that ALL students, regardless of major who have earned a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution, such as EWC, may enter the teaching profession by applying for a Florida Temporary Certificate in the specific subject(s) for which they hold a bachelor’s degree.
The Florida Department of Education (FLDOE) lists several pathways to a Temporary Certificate. Information regarding the pathways to a Temporary Certificate can be found at the following link on the FLDOE website: http://www.fldoe.org/teaching/certification/pathways-routes/index.stml. For those students interested in exploring this option, the College stands ready to assist in navigating the State of Florida’s Certificate Pathways & Routes.
No student is required to transfer from EWC at this time. Individual degree completion plans will be worked out for each student during their one-on-one meetings with their department chair/advisor to ensure that the best degree completion plan is made for them. Students should schedule their one-on-one meeting with their department chair as soon as possible. Contact information for the chairs is listed below.
Mathematics Majors meet with Dr. Prabir Mandal, Hatcher-Stewart – Room 113, prabir.mandal0807@ewc.edu, 904-470-8091
Music Majors meet with Dr. Thomas Root, Adams-Jenkins Community Sports and Music Complex 2nd floor – Room 113, timothy.root@ewc.edu, 904-470-8267
Elementary Education Majors meet with Dr. Kimberly Davis, Tookes – Room 113, k.davis@ewc.edu,
904-470-8180 or Dr. Stephanie Campbell, Lee-Cousins 3rd floor – Room 303, s.campbell@ewc.edu,
904-470-8114
Moving forward, our comprehensive recasting of the College’s academic curriculum equally includes plans to add new academic degree programs in the coming years. In particular, in May 2019 the EWC Board of Trustees authorized the College to begin preparations towards seeking the addition of new degree programs in Forensic Science, Computer and Information Science, and Social Work. More immediately, the College has begun efforts and is working diligently to finalize plans that would potentially allow EWC to offer a dual degree program leading to the bachelor’s degree in Nursing.
As such, the reimagining of the College’s degree programs and curriculum is an important step towards enhancing the overall competitiveness of our academic profile. We look forward to continuing our focus upon achieving high student success outcomes while simultaneously positioning the College for future growth and long-term sustainability.
Click Here to Download: Memo to EWC Community Re – Program Phase Out
Asa Philip Randolph was a groundbreaking leader, organizer, and social activist who championed equitable labor rights for African American communities, becoming one of the most impactful civil rights and social justice leaders of the 20th century. His activism spanned 60 years, and included the organization of the largest labor union for Black workers in the United States and the coordination of two Marches on Washington (1941 and 1963).
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