FROM THE DEAN »
Welcome to Next, where we shine
the spotlight on mentorship
Now in my sixth year serving as dean, it is my privilege to present this issue of Next, the UK College
of Education magazine. After listening to our students, alumni, and community members as they
described the College’s remarkable impact on their lives and across the Commonwealth and beyond,
it became clear that a common thread connected these stories – mentorship.
Our students dream big! They are our constant inspiration. As we mentor our students and learn
together we all gain much. Collectively, as a college we get better, more insightful, and become better
partners with greater impact. We learn how to cultivate and sustain deeper, more authentic learning
under conditions of complex and rapid change. This mentoring interaction, often occurring outside
of the classroom or courses, helps to create a strong, on-going support system that lifts our collective
educational dreams and visions to new heights. We believe that building strong foundations is at the
heart of mentoring and our work as a college.
According to Henry David Thoreau, “If you have built castles in the
air, your work need not be lost; this is where they should be. Now put
the foundations under them…”
Our faculty, staff, alumni and partners provide the foundations for
our students’ dreams, ideals, and visions to come alive and remain
strong well beyond their time with us. In this issue you will hear
from students and alumni about how important these foundations
have been, and how they as graduates are now mentors and making a
positive difference in the lives of others and their communities.
We believe that
building strong
foundations is
at the heart of
mentoring and our
work as a college.
Three years ago, the College of Education developed an innovative peer mentorship program to
help ensure our students develop mentoring skills early with the goal of helping all students remain
on track for graduation and career progression. The program pairs beginning students with peer
mentors (juniors and seniors) along with faculty, staff and graduate students in the college. Together,
they develop strong relationships leading to an open and caring culture of inclusion. Peer and faculty
mentors help develop and mobilize our students’ intrinsic commitment or sense of purpose to “makea-difference.”
As you read their stories, I encourage you to consider the ways your own story has been shaped
by mentors in the College of Education. We would love to hear about who has impacted you on
Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/UKCollegeOfEd, such as the post about mentoring pinned to
the top of our page. You also may email us at [email protected].
Finally, if you have been mentored by an educator, I encourage you to nominate that person for the
College of Education’s annual Teachers Who Made a Difference program. During its 16-year-history,
over 2,400 teachers from Kentucky and around the globe have been nominated for this honor. To
learn more, go to https://2b.education.uky.edu/resources/alumni-resources/teachers-who-made-adifference/.
With warm regards,
Mary John O’Hair
Dean of the UK College of Education
UK COLLEGE OF EDUCATION | 3