It was a year when the College rolled out a new mission, took steps to position itself as a leading education policy center, made dramatic improvements in student life, launched or enhanced major programs to support working teachers and principals, and strengthened its outreach to New York City, the nation and the world.

January 2004

Brown v. Board of Education at 50

TC's celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Supreme Court's landmark decision to strike down school desegregation included:

A visit from Bill Cosby. TC and New York City public schools' Region 10 brought 500 ninth graders to Riverside Church in February to hear the entertainer and educator.

A major study. The first-ever look at the effects of Brown from the students' perspective was released in March by TC Professor Amy Stuart Wells and colleagues at UCLA.

A conference. TC Professor V.P. Franklin coordinated a graduate student conference that assessed the decision's long-term impact on education and society.

An appearance by Ruby Bridges. The TC Medal for Distinguished Service was presented in April to the desegregation pioneer (pictured above, left, with Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean Darlyne Bailey), who as a young girl was escorted to school by federal marshals in New Orleans.

An evaluation of No Child Left Behind. TC's Institute for Educational Leadership and Educational Policy Fellowship Program held a joint panel in April to explore whether the federal education program is in harmony with the ideals embodied in Brown. 

Teachers College on the Record. A special online issue of the TC Record in May chronicled Brown as a social movement.

February 2004

The Maxine Greene Chair

The Maxine Greene Chair for Distinguished Contributions to Education was established for outstanding educators and researchers on TC's faculty. Greene, Professor Emeritus in the Arts and Humanities Department, was the College's William F. Russell Professor in the Foundations of Education.  She is currently Philosopher in Residence at the Lincoln Center Institute for Arts in Education. Nancy Lesko, Professor of Education, is the first holder of the Maxine Greene Chair.

March 2004

A New Direction for the College

The Board of Trustees formally approved TC's new strategic plan, reflecting nearly two years of work by staff, faculty and students. The plan commits the College to a focus on educational equity-closing the gap in academic expectations, opportunities and outcomes between the nation's wealthier students and their poorer, chiefly non-white, inner-city peers.

April 2004

Associate Deans Named

Sharon Lynn Kagan, Virginia and Leonard Marx Professor of Early Childhood and Family Policy, was named Associate Dean for Policy and head of the new Office of Policy and Research. Donald Martin was named Associate Dean for Enrollment and Student Services, with responsibility for marketing, admissions, student aid, student life, registrar and career services.

May 2004

Medalists Honored at Convocation

At its ceremonies for graduating master's degree students, the College presented its Medal for Distinguished Service to:

Lee Bollinger, President of Columbia University. As President of the University of Michigan, he led a fight for affirmative action that affected higher education and American society as a whole.

Jane Goodall (right), anthropologist. Her groundbreaking studies of chimpanzees have expanded the fields of primate research and human development while raising issues of environmental and humanitarian concern. 

Vartan Gregorian, President of the Carnegie Corporation of New York. As President of Brown University, the New York Public Library and now the Carnegie Corporation, he has been a leading progressive voice in education and learning. 

Jonathan Kozol, author and activist. The National Book Award-winning author of Death at an Early Age and Savage Inequalities, he has portrayed the struggles of America's poor.

George Mitchell, chairman of the Walt Disney Company and former U.S. Senator. A recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the UNESCO Peace Price, he chaired a committee to examine the continuing crisis between Israelis and Palestinians and oversaw the relief fund for victims in the 9/11 attacks.

Claude M. Steele (above, left), the Lucie Stern Professor of Social Sciences at Stanford University. He has written widely on prejudice and stereotypes, influencing policy on both education and the workplace.

At its doctoral ceremonies, the College presented its Cleveland A. Dodge Medal-given to non-educators who have made a difference in education-to William Ruane, founder of the The Carmel Hill Fund. The fund supports research and initiatives in health, employment, housing and education that benefit children in Harlem.

June 2004

Supporting New York City's Finest

The 15-month Cahn Fellows Program for outstanding New York City principals brought new members together for its two-week Summer Leadership Institute. Funded by Charles Cahn (left) and his wife, Jane, the program is unique in supporting the growth of exemplary school leaders.

Class and Schools

TC and the Economic Policy Institute jointly published Tisch Visiting Professor Richard Rothstein's Class and Schools, a consideration of how social, economic and educational factors interact to produce the education achievement gap.

July 2004

A Gathering of the Nation's Superintendents

The 63rd annual Superintendents Work Conference, chaired by former New York State Education Commissioner Thomas Sobol (TC's Christian A. Johnson Professor of Outstanding Leadership Practice), explored the federal No Child Left Behind program's potential to promote educational equity given disparities in students' family income, health care and housing.

August 2004

Bringing Quality Teachers to the Inner City

The Carroll and Milton Petrie Foundation and Teachers College gave $50,000 scholarships to Erin McCrossan (left) and nine other incoming TC students-the Petrie Fellows-committed to teaching in New York City for five years after graduating. Another 10 students received $10,000 scholarships in exchange for a year's commitment. 

September 2004

A New Direction for TC

In his annual State of the College address, President Arthur Levine outlined trends that are challenging the relevance of education schools and said the school must work "to keep education on the national agenda." TC's focus on educational equity-the result of a two-year strategic planning process-is its answer to that challenge. Darlyne Bailey, Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the College, described TC as a "multiversity" that must continue to focus on recruiting and maintaining a diverse population of students, faculty and staff. 

The Elaine Brantley Award

TC established the Elaine Brantley Memorial Award for Community and Civility. Brantley, a much-beloved cashier in the TC cafeteria, passed away in June 2003. Her daughter, Ebonpresented the first awards to Anthony Bonano, Director of Student Accounts, and Amy Pabarue, Telephone Operator.

A Model for Teaching Literacy in High Schools

Douglas Wood (right), former Executive Director the Tennessee State Board of Education, joined TC to head the National Academy for Excellent Teaching (NAfET). NAfET, which is developing national models for teaching literacy in high schools, is funded by Gerry Leeds (left) and his wife, Lilo. 

A New Home for Students

Jack Hyland (left) and Bill Reuckert, co-chairs of TC's Board of Trustees, cut the ribbon at a celebration of the opening of TC's new residence hall on West 121st Street.

October 2004

TC Partners with Say Yes to Education

Philanthropist George Weiss, founder of the Say Yes to Education Foundation, announced a $50 million program to provide more than 400 kindergarteners in five Harlem schools with full college scholarships, as well as ongoing support throughout their K-12 schooling. TC is a full partner, providing project space, staff and accounting services.

Toward a Multilingual World

Scholars, teachers and policy experts from 22 countries convened at TC to share research findings on multilingual schooling. Organized by TC faculty members MaríTorres-Guzm(left) and Ofelia Garcí the conference called for recognition of traditional minority and indigenous languages.

Strengthening Ties with China

President Levine, Dean Darlyne Bailey and TC Professor Xiaodong Lin traveled to Beijing to present Madame Ke-Ming Hao, one of the leading architects of China's education system, with TC's Medal for Distinguished Service.

Through Professor Lin's efforts, TC established the Asian-American Center for Creative Educational Sciences (ACCESS), dedicated to promoting cultural understanding between Asian and American educators and enhancing their professional development through technology.

Professor Mun Sang and TC's Center on Chinese Education hosted 25 presidents and vice presidents of leading Chinese universities for a month-long seminar on quality and faculty development in higher education.

The Marx Lecture

Linda Darling-Hammond, the Charles E. Ducommun Professor of Education at Stanford University, delivered TC's annual Virginia and Leonard Marx Lecture. Darling-Hammond, a former TC faculty member, decried high-stakes testing and other features of the federal No Child Left Behind education program.

November 2004

A Library for the Future

The College dedicated its Gottesman Libraries, home to the world's premiere collection of materials on the educating professions, at a ceremony attended by donors Ruth (left) and Sandy Gottesman.

December 2004

Development Continues, Post-Campaign

The College reported it had raised an additional $33 million in gifts and campaign pledges since the official close of the Capital Campaign in August 2003, consisting of $5 million in pledge payments, $6 million in faculty generated grants and $22 million in "new" money. 

The Enid W. Morse Fellowship for Teaching in the Arts was awarded to four TC students. Established by Douglas Morse, Leslie Nelson and Andrew Morse in honor of their mother, TC Trustee Enid Morse, the Fellowship assists students interested in teaching music, visual arts or dance.

Design work began to transform Horace Mann Auditorium into the Joyce Berger Cowin Center, a performance, presentation, classroom and conference space to serve TC and the surrounding community. The Center is named for TC Trustee Joyce Berger Cowin, who provided significant funding.

For the fourth consecutive year, TC received a top ranking from Charity Navigator, the nation's leading evaluator of charities, for fundraising and efficient use of the support it receives. The College spends just 10 cents to raise each dollar, compared with a national average of 20 cents.

Redesigning America's High Schools

TC hosted a symposium on "Redesigning High Schools for the 21st Century," organized jointly with the Center for American Progress (CAP) and the Institute for America's Future. Speakers included CAP President John Podesta, former Chief of Staff in the Clinton White House, and Geoffrey Canada, President of the Harlem Children's Zone Project.

A Harlem Presence for TC

TC opened new offices in the former Hotel Theresa on 125th Street in Harlem. The facility is home to the Institute for Urban and Minority Affairs and the TC Education Zone Partnership -a collaboration with the New York City Public School system that brings special focus to the achievements of elementary school students in Regions 9 and 10 in Manhattan.

Published Friday, May. 27, 2005