COE Newsletter - April 9

College of Education Newsletter

We are proud to celebrate Marcus Robinson, COE Student Ambassador and Dean’s Office Student Assistant, who was recognized with two prestigious honors at this year’s Sammy’s Award Ceremony. Marcus received the Excellence in Service Award for the College of Education, recognizing his outstanding commitment, leadership, and service to COE, as well as the Creager Memorial Award, presented to a male senior who exemplifies exceptional academic achievement and leadership. Selected by the Dean and faculty, these honors reflect Marcus’s dedication to service, strong academic performance, and meaningful contributions to the SHSU community. Congratulations, Marcus, on this well-deserved recognition!

In partnership with COBA, COHS, COM and COSET, we invite you to participate in this year's March of Dimes: March for Babies. The money raised by this event goes toward efforts to improve maternal and infant health.

This year's march will be held May 9, 2026 at Town Green Park (2099 Lake Robbins Dr, The Woodlands, TX 77380).

Click the button below to register for this year's event!

We are excited to welcome prospective future Bearkats to the SHSU College of Education Preview Day on April 10. During this special event, students and their families will have the opportunity to explore our academic programs, discover the many resources available to support their success, and connect with our dedicated faculty and staff. We look forward to showcasing the vibrant community, hands‑on experiences, and transformative opportunities that make the College of Education a place where future educators thrive.

The First-Generation Center provides resources, programs, and support to promote student success at Sam Houston State University and beyond. One of our signature initiatives is the Trailblazer Mentoring Program, which matches first-generation students with faculty and staff mentors across campus to help them navigate the university experience, build confidence, and strengthen their sense of belonging.

We are currently recruiting mentors for the 2026–2027 academic year and would love to share more information about how to get involved. If you know faculty or staff members who may be interested in serving as a mentor, please feel free to share this opportunity with them. Interested individuals may reach out to me directly or complete the mentor application available on our website below.

The program prioritizes matching students with mentors based on major or career interests, while also considering shared hobbies to encourage strong connections. Students are required to submit a Blackboard documentation form verifying at least two meetings per semester and must actively engage in program modules and center-hosted events. Mentoring is required during the student’s first year, with continued participation encouraged thereafter by mutual agreement. Mentors may serve one to three mentees each semester.

The H.E.A.R.T.S. Veterans Museum is looking for volunteers to help with their Veterans Breakfast that is held on the first Saturday of every month. If you are interested in volunteering, please email or call the contacts on the flyer above.

Have questions about travel? Need assistance with marketing or communications? Looking for support with recruiting or booking a space?

Don’t forget about our COE Operations Loop!
This link will now have a permanent spot in our weekly newsletter for quick access to submit any operations request you may have.

Thank you for your feedback regarding the Newsletter Submission button in previous issues of the COE Newsletter. We apologize for any inconvenience caused by the button not functioning properly. The issue has now been resolved.

Please note: the Newsletter Submission button is designed to open an Outlook email window so you can submit your content directly to coe_comm@shsu.edu.

We’re excited to introduce the new COE Highlights Submission Form, designed to help us showcase the incredible accomplishments and impact of our COE community.

Highlights may include student, faculty, staff, department, or alumni achievements such as awards, recognitions, research breakthroughs, community service, or notable projects. Submitted highlights may be featured across COE platforms, including our website, social media, newsletters, and more.

Simply share the details you have, and our communication team will follow up if additional information is needed.

Questions? Contact the COE Communications Office at coe_comm@shsu.edu or 936.294.1101.

To help streamline communication and improve efficiency within the COE Operations Team, we are introducing a new Mass Email Request Form.

This form allows us to collect all the details needed to send mass emails through Emma in one place, helping ensure accuracy while keeping everyone’s inboxes neat and manageable.

We encourage you to take a moment to review the form and become familiar with it. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at coe_comm@shsu.edu.

The Student Engagement and Belonging Committee invites you to their upcoming Boardgame Belonging Bonanza! All COE faculty, staff and students are invited to enjoy snacks, boardgames, and karaoke in TEC 279 on April 14 from 12 - 2 PM. We hope to see you there!

April 30 is the COE Anthology due date to enter Findings/Target Status, Results/Criterion Status, Actions, and Plans for Continuous Improvement elements for COE academic programs (degrees, certificates, certifications, standalone minors) and non-academic support units (departments, centers).

The members of the Office of Assessment and Accountability are here to support you as you prepare to submit to Anthology. Please email coeassessment@shsu.edu for Anthology-related data needs.

You are invited to COE Anthology office hours every Monday through April 20 from 1:00-2:00 p.m. via Zoom. Passcode is 582238.

"Teaching is the greatest act of optimism."

- Colleen Wilcox

This week we are resharing ideas for how to embed the CREI into your courses. So far, we've primarily been embedded within research and dissertation courses. If any of the ideas below are of interest, in the near future please reach out to the Director of the CREI (Maribeth Jorgensen - mxj040@shsu.edu) to schedule a time to discuss ways to embed services within your course as the CREI will reach capacity fairly quickly.

Ideas for embedding the CREI into your course:

Include us as a resource for students to use. This could involve including the CREI website link, SharePoint link, and socials on your syllabus and Blackboard shell.

Website: https://www.shsu.edu/academics/colleges/education/centers/center-for-research-excellence-and-innovation/

SharePoint Page: Center for Research Excellence and Innovation

Instragram Page: nhttps://www.instagram.com/shsu_centerforresearch?igsh=bzRrOGVsNTJ4ZTc=

LinkedIn Page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/shsu-coe-research-center/

Have a member of the CREI team present about our services, or provide a recording for you to share with students at the start of your course to give more details about the CREI.

Include an assignment for students to attend a CREI workshop over the summer. We are still developing our schedule, but we will very likely host two workshops and topics will be announced by the end of spring semester. You could also assign students to watch one of the recorded workshops on our SharePoint page.

Schedule a day for our team to attend your class and provide group/individual consultation. We have been embedded several times this way and usually are available for 1-2 hours during a class time, once a semester. We will quickly reach capacity for this particular option, so please reach out soon if this might be of interest.

We hope this is helpful and, if you think of other ways you might want to embed our services, please reach out and brainstorm with us.

Have a great week!

The CREI Team

Brittany Smith's Dissertation Proposal Defense, EXPLORING THE INFLUENCES ON FIRST-SEMESTER SUCCESS FOR HISPANIC STUDENTS IN COMMUNITY COLLEGE: A QUALITATIVE STUDY, has been scheduled for April 30, 2026, at 10:00 AM, via Zoom:

Clay West's Dissertation Proposal Defense, THE IMPACT OF SPIRITUAL PRACTICE ON STUDENT OUTCOMES: STUDENT PERSPECTIVES ON SPIRITUALITY AND INSTITUTIONAL SUPPORT has been scheduled for May 4, 2026, at 10:00 AM, via Zoom: