Homecoming took on special meaning as alumni, faculty, donors, and scholarship students returned to campus to honor the best and brightest from the College of Education at the Star Awards.  The Star Awards took place on November 5th at the Hilton University of Houston and hosted over 150 guests. 

“The scholarship is not only an important financial support for an international student, but also an acceptance of what I have done, said Jing Li, Ph.D. in Curriculum & Instruction. “It’s great encouragement for me to rethink what I could do as an educational researcher in the future.”  The event provided an opportunity for donors, alumni, and faculty to engage with scholarship students, learn their stories, and celebrate the impact the College has on our communities. 

Dean Robert McPherson recognized and thanked the endowed donors who provided the fifty-two student scholarships for College of Education students.  He also provided an update on the College.  Below is the video update and student highlights:

Outstanding Alumni Awards were presented to Dr. Mario Garner, and Dr. P. Tim Martindell who have made significant contributions in their respective fields. Ms. Jamiesha Brown received the Rising Star Award. 

Dr. Garner is Senior Vice President and CEO of Memorial Hermann Pearland Hospital and holds an adjunct assistant professorship appointment at Tulane University. He has been recognized as the Nation’s Young Healthcare Executive of the Year, awarded by the American College of Healthcare Executives.

Dr. Martindell recently retired as coordinator of secondary English language arts in the Fort Bend Independent School District and has come full cycle in his career and reentered the middle school classroom as a fifth grade English Language Arts (ELA) teacher at the Village School.   

Ms. Brown is a PhD student in Health Education at Texas A&M University, College Station, TX and Managing Chief Equipping Officer (CEO) of Total Temple Transformation (T3) Health & Wellness Programming at Windsor Village United Methodist Church in Houston, TX.

The Dean's Friend of Education Award was presented to the Greater Houston Partnership for their efforts to bring community- minded business leaders together around early childhood education.

The College of Education Alumni Association recognized the 2015 Alumni Association Faculty Service Award winner, Dr. Laveria Hutchison. Dr. Hutchison serves as Associate Professor in the Department of Curriculum & Instruction.  She is the past chair of the Department of Curriculum & Instruction.