NCE is designated as the unit responsible for all teacher preparation, professional development, and other school certification and licensure programs at NLU. NCE has operated as the unit responsible for preparing educators since its founding in 1886. All initial and advanced programs for educators offered at NLU are administratively housed in NCE. Today, guided by a Conceptual Framework that embodies NCE’s progressive traditions and a strategic planning process that seeks to extend and realize those traditions, NCE continues to prepare candidates who are advocates for all learners. The ability of NCE to fulfill its mission is dependent upon its capacity to prepare candidates to meet professional, state, and institutional standards. NCE’s capacity is expressed through its:

• People and the way they are organized to create an effectively functioning professional learning community advocating for all learners
• Budget and the way sufficient and adequate funds are secured and allocated to support the work that is essential for the preparation and professional development of educators
• Facilities, resources, and technology and how they are used and managed to support exemplary programs

As a result of the college’s commitment to reflection and continuous improvement, NCE’s capacity in each of these areas has been strengthened over the past five years. This increased capacity has enabled NCE to achieve a high level of excellence in teaching, scholarship, service, and professional development, ensuring that candidates meet a comprehensive range of standards.

STD. 6. ELEM. 1.: UNIT LEADERSHIP AND AUTHORITY
The unit provides the leadership for effectively coordinating all programs at the University designed to prepare education professionals to work in P-12 schools.

The authority for the preparation of teachers and other professional educators is vested in the college by the President and by a distinctive Board of Trustees that is highly committed to the mission of NCE. As indicated in the University Administrative Organizational Chart (Appendix A), the Dean of the College is the chief academic and fiscal officer responsible for the academic, fiscal, and administrative health of the unit. She reports directly to the Provost and is responsible for ensuring that all preparation programs for candidates in P-12 schools meet appropriate standards. The Dean’s authority is outlined in the position description in the Exhibit Room.

Nine departments make up NCE. Each department is led by a department chair who is responsible for budgeting, planning, and coordinating departmental efforts, including faculty performance reviews. Department chairs meet regularly with the Dean and Associate Dean (ER: minutes from Department Chair meetings and Dean’s Team meetings). Academic programs are housed within departments and managed by program coordinators. Program teams meet to conduct academic work associated with curriculum development, monitoring Conceptual Frameworks, operational problem solving, and assessment (ER: minutes from department and program team meetings). The primary responsibility for ensuring that candidates meet state, SPA, and institutional standards rests with the departments and programs. Further, curriculum review and assessment council processes ensure that curricula address these outcomes and that assessment processes are appropriate and fair (ER: Committee and Council charges).

The governance bodies of the College are presented in the NCE Councils and Committees Chart (Appendix B). Curriculum decisions originate from the faculty as the authority prescribed in the College Constitution. The process for developing new programs is a faculty-driven one outlined in the Academic Planning Handbook. Decisions about existing programs, courses, and curricular policies are accomplished within the Unit through the NCE Undergraduate and Graduate Councils. Systematic and comprehensive reviews of new and ongoing programs are conducted every five years at the college level by the NCE Curriculum Council and at the University level through the Senate Academic Planning Committee (ER: Academic Planning Handbook).

Recruiting and admissions practices are described clearly and consistently in publications and catalogs.
Recruiting and admission practices are clearly described in a variety of publications and catalogs. In addition, the college makes every effort to ensure that catalogs, calendars, publications, and policies are accurate and current (ER: catalogs, calendars, publications, policies). Catalogs are updated every two years. All information is available to current and prospective students online and in print. NLU’s Enrollment Management Office recently upgraded its online response system for inquiries from prospective students and added the capacity for online application (ER: NLU announcement).

Candidates have access to student services such as counseling and advising.
Every student admitted to the college is assigned an academic advisor from his or her program who helps develop and monitor the student’s study plan. Additional services are accessible to candidates at every College location. The Center for Academic Development (CAD) , which is administratively housed in CAS, helps candidates achieve their highest academic potential through learning assistance (e.g., study sessions for the Illinois Test of Basic Skills and Praxis I in Wisconsin), skills assessments, tutoring, developmental courses, advising, and workshops (ER: CAD materials). Counselors in the Office of Student Affairs are available to provide short-term, non-therapeutic counseling for academic, personal, and career concerns (ER: OAS materials). This office provides workshops and support groups each designed to enhance skills, awareness, and perspectives. Counselors are available to assist students in resolving difficulties or roadblocks which hinder progress toward academic success. The Center for Career Development offers many career-related services, including career exploration and counseling, job search skills, self-assessment tools, career and job fairs, and weekly bulletins of job postings (ER: CCD materials). Students can schedule appointments for specific student services and/or advising by email or phone. These services are available to all candidates regardless of location.

The unit and other faculty collaborate with P-12 practitioners in program design, delivery, and evaluation of the unit and its programs.
Collaboration with P-12 practitioners in program development and implementation is routine within NCE (ER: Program Advisory Boards, Baker faculty on NCE Councils and Committees, NLU Adjunct Council roster). These collaborations ensure that program decisions are informed by diverse perspectives. Formal partnerships, special projects, and initiatives with schools and other organizations offer faculty additional access to the wisdom of professional practice in P-12 settings (ER: documentation on Academy for School Leaders, KIPP, New Leaders, New Schools). Building comprehensive, mutually beneficial relationships with schools is an important strategic theme within the college (ER: NCE Strategic Plan, 2003-04). Recognition of the magnitude of these relationships within the College has led to the development of a full-time position dedicated to coordinating school-college relations and candidate field placement (ER: Director of School-College Relations position description).

Colleagues in other units of the institution, school personnel, and other organizations recognize the unit as a leader.
As the oldest and largest of NLU’s colleges, NCE’s leadership in the preparation of professional educators and school personnel has long been recognized throughout the University, our service area, the state, and the nation. Our strong record of collaboration and partnership with P-12 schools and other organizations has ensured that NCE is recognized as a leader in preparation and support of P-12 teachers and other school personnel (Exhibit Room: leadership documents).

Collaboration with faculty from other NLU colleges involved in the preparation of professional educators.
There is regular collaboration with CAS faculty with regard to the general education and discipline-based preparation of baccalaureate-level candidates in the Elementary and Early Childhood Education programs (ER: General Education Committee minutes, General Education Report to the North Central Association, community college articulation agreements). The University Undergraduate Committee is chaired by an NCE faculty member, Dr. Pennie Olson (ER: Undergraduate Committee minutes). As a further example of on-going collaboration, the new school counselor program has recently been designed by and will be implemented through a collaboration among CAS and NCE faculty (ER: documentation on development of school counselor program).

The unit provides professional development for other faculty.
NCE faculty shares its expertise in teaching and learning across the University. For example, NCE hosted a University-wide workshop on electronic portfolios in spring, 2003, with Dr. Helen Barrett, an internationally recognized authority on e-portfolios, as guest speaker (ER: materials from workshop). NCE faculty regularly share their expertise during the University’s Fall Connection. This fall, among other offerings, was a presentation on teaching individuals with special needs (ER: Fall Connection materials).