FAYETTE, Iowa (February 17, 2011) — Upper Iowa University has been awarded a seven-year re-accreditation for its teacher education program by the Iowa State Board of Education.
“We are extremely pleased to receive a full re-accreditation from the State Board,” said UIU President Alan G. Walker. “Earning a full seven years of re-accreditation is a testament to the excellence of the UIU Teacher Education Program, its academic rigor, and the high quality of the teachers who earn their degrees at UIU.”
The re-accreditation was the result of an extensive institutional review by the Iowa Department of Education and site visits last year at the UIU Fayette campus and the UIU education centers in Waterloo and Des Moines, the three UIU locations at which students can pursue teacher education degrees.
Dr. Gail Moorman Behrens, director of teacher education, assistant professor, and chair of the division, noted that the UIU program earned high marks from the State Board, which commented in its report: “The unit [the UIU Teacher Education Program] is commended for its program innovations.”
“At UIU, our focus goes beyond the students who study here and extends to the students our graduates will teach,” Moorman Behrens said. “Our ultimate focus is on the students in the local schools. Our goal is to prepare well the teachers who will be with them.”
Teacher preparation has been part of the UIU curriculum since it was founded in 1857. On average, about 97 students each year complete a degree in teaching at UIU. The University will be up for re-accreditation in 2016-17.