The Velma and Harry Cotterill Memorial Scholarship provides funds in support of student teaching internships. This year’s recipients are Sarah Emma Rose Stiennon and Bridgette Louwers.

Three Kalamazoo Public School graduates at Western Michigan University have started a campus group trying to increase the number of minority teachers. Future Teachers of Color (FTC) was founded by three students in Western's College of Education: Sarah Giramia, Hailey Timmerman and William Wright. It provides support and resources to minority students pursuing careers in teaching.

Western Michigan University was awarded a $12.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education in 2017. The award was set to fund the High-Impact Leadership for School Renewal Project, which helped reshape the library at Lawrence Elementary School.

Despite a national trend toward declining enrollment in teacher preparation programs, Western Michigan University’s enrollment is up this year by about 9% in these majors, or 70 more future teachers that have chosen WMU to prepare them to enter the workforce over the last year. The largest increases are seen in early childhood education, special education, and physical and health education teacher preparation majors.

A team of educators from Schoolcraft Community schools completed a 15-mile “Walk to Western” in August to raise scholarship funds for the class of 2020. The walk began at Schoolcraft Community High School, passed through Kalamazoo Valley Community College and concluded at Western Michigan University’s Sangren Hall, the home of the College of Education and Human Development.

Homecoming is a special time of year for the entire WMU community. This year, College of Education and Human Development student Thomas Delves and alumna Allison Frontczak (B.S.’13, Recreation) helped create that magical feeling of reunion through their work with WMU Athletics.