Welcome to the 2022 Edition of Professional Reflections, the official magazine of the College of Education and Human Development (CEHD) at Western Michigan University (WMU). 

Our students continue to exemplify the best of what WMU has to offer. From the Merchandising Opportunities and Design Association (MODA) fashion show, to the representation of WMU at New York Fashion Week, our students show time and time again a relentless commitment to going above and beyond and pursuing their dreams. Students like Hailey Timmerman, of our Future Educators Program, epitomize the values of CEHD and our commitment to our communities: supporting our students to become educators and role models to future generations. Congratulations to these upstanding scholars! 

This was also an incredible year for our faculty and staff. Drs. Patricia Reeves and Jianping Shen’s $29.5M grant through the U.S. Department of Education’s Promise Neighborhoods Program was an unprecedented one for WMU, and the largest one in the institution’s history. Their grant underscores the importance of CEHD partnerships –  with community centers, other colleges and universities, and public school systems – to provide the very best equitable educational solutions to our communities. We couldn’t be more excited to see what’s in store for this historic initiative.

From Dale M. Brown’s 2022 K. Patricia Cross Future Leaders Award for his Prison Education Outreach program work, to Dr. Eric Archer’s Fulbright U.S. Scholar Award to Albania, and Dr. Regena Nelson’s research on curriculum evaluations at NYU, our students and faculty continue to pursue a diversity of challenging subjects, a testament to the academic rigor of CEHD.

Finally, I want to congratulate our faculty, staff, students and alumni on their notable awards of excellence this year. We are so proud and lucky to have your efforts contribute to CEHD’s legacy.

A note of thanks: this summer, I will step down as dean of the College of Education and Human Development. Serving this college for the past 9 years has been the highlight of my career. Seeing the achievements of our faculty, staff and alumni as they pursue their passions has been the most rewarding aspect of my service. Reading the stories in this magazine offers just a glimpse into the remarkable legacy of this college and the exciting potential of our students to change lives and communities. I am proud to have been your dean and am thrilled to see what this college can continue to achieve. 

Best Wishes,

Ming Li, Ed.D.
Dean