Epilogue

The Unit's aim is to create outstanding educators who are scholars, who possess the attitudes and dispositions that reflect an appreciation of others, who have the personal and professional integrity to value themselves and others, who have the leadership capacity to affect change in students, and who have a sense of commitment and responsibility to the communities they serve.

The Unit's aim to equip its candidates with a high level of scholarship is founded on the belief, first, that a sound theoretical knowledge base is essential for effective practice, and second, that candidates possessing high levels of scholarship are better equipped to develop those same levels in the students they serve. Scholarship also includes the ability to utilize a repertoire of strategies to promote student learning.

The Unit’s aim to cultivate attitudes and dispositions that will lead to lifelong learning is driven by the belief, first, that continuous learning is essential to function effectively in a rapidly changing world, and, second, the belief that teaching for understanding requires ongoing engagement with evolving knowledge. This will provide an ethical framework within which candidates are able to critically reflect on, test out, and clarify their own sense of values, and principles that will guide their professional practice.

In the area of leadership, the Unit is committed to the belief that leadership includes mastery of self as well as the courage to lead others to work toward change in the improvement of the environment in which they work.

Finally, through its program design, the Unit's aim is to give candidates the opportunity to better understand the problems and opportunities in the educational communities in which they work. This means cultivating the desire to serve others through involvement in field experiences, internships, mentoring programs, and community service.

In conclusion, the overarching vision of the Unit at Southern Connecticut State University is to prepare preeminent initial and advanced professionals who are committed to both lifelong teaching and learning and to the continuous improvement of the educational systems in which they work.