Highlighting CEHD Majors: Business

I'm back to tell you about more of the majors in our college...and today, I'll be sharing information about our business-related majors (all of which have a strong focus on education and people).

The College of Education and Human Development's business majors offer the flexibility to tailor the curriculum to your needs. Whether you want to double major, minor, or have a specific interest in the field, you can work closely with your academic adviser to fulfill your personal educational requirements.

The College of Education and Human Development offers three excellent business options. Check out these web links for further details about the programs, career options, curriculum, and much more:

• Business and Marketing Education
• Sport Management
• Human Resource Development

It would be great to hear from you if you would like more information on any of CEHD's business majors. I am just a quick phone call or email away! Call me at 612-624-8765 or email me at lear0030@umn.edu.

Highlighting CEHD Majors: Education

What can you study in the College of Education and Human Development? CEHD offers nine different majors that are separated into four categories: education, business, recreation/fitness, and social sciences/human services.

Today, I will be highlighting our education majors to give you a little bit more background on what your future can hold in CEHD if you would like to become a teacher. (Stay tuned for posts with details about majors in other areas!)

The University of Minnesota has a unique teaching program and several different tracks. Students interested in teaching young or elementary students can major in early childhood education foundations or the elementary education foundations. For those who would like to teach physical education, kinesiology or pre-physical education would be a great fit.

Students interested in teaching higher middle school or high school will major in the subject matter the student wishes to teach (ie. English, math, biology, etc.) and then, in most cases, complete a 15-month intensive teaching program. (Get the details here.) Secondary education students can participate in the DirecTrack to Teaching program to explore the teaching profession as an undergraduate student and get a jumpstart on their teacher education.

Please feel free to contact me directly for further questions about our education tracks at 612-624-8765 or lear0030@umn.edu. I would love to hear from you and tell you more about which path would be most appropriate for you!

Minnesota: Leader in Education

The University of Minnesota already has an innovative approach for preparing our future educators with the College of Education and Human Development's unique, highly regarded teaching programs.

Therefore, the recent announcement of the $40 million Bush Foundation grant highlights just how dedicated Minnesota is to training our future educators. The grant money will go towards restructuring teacher preparation programs. The curriculum changes will be a combined effort of Minnesota K-12 schools and the University aiming to improve students' academic test performance and high school graduation rates.

"When the history of our college is written, this will be considered a historic moment," said Jean Quam, dean of the University of Minnesota College of Education and Human Development. "To be able to rewrite curriculum, and be givien funds to do it, is remarkable."

Read the full article about the $40 million grant at UMNews.

CEHD news blog

Do you ever wonder what professors do outside of the classroom? College of Education and Human Development professors are dedicated to becoming masters of their discipline. Whether it is education, fitness, or human services; these professors are busy traveling across the country for conferences with current students, writing novels, textbooks, and publishing articles...just to name a few. Keep up with the latest CEHD news by visiting CEHD inside/out.

Application Tracker

Don't forget! If you're a senior and you have applied (or you want to apply) to the U of M, we cannot review your application until we've received all of the required items. Wondering if we have received all of your application materials or if your complete application is currently under review? We have a great online tool you can use to track your application's progress called Application Tracker. Please feel free to contact me at lear0030@umn.edu if you have any questions regarding the status of your application or how to use the Application Tracker tool!

p.s. Don't forget to submit your complete application by the December 15 priority deadline!

Over the Thanksgiving holiday...

Don't forget to apply to the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities! Our December 15, 2009, priority application deadline is quickly approaching. Completing the application for admission is the first step in becoming a Golden Gopher. When you submit a complete application, you will be reviewed for admission, scholarships, and the University Honors Program. No additional essays or applications are required.

Have a fantastic holiday weekend!

-Kristy

University Honors Program

Today I'd like to tell you about a fantastic program that helps give you access to amazing academic, personal, and professional development opportunities: The University Honors Program. Our Honors program is designed to provide challenging and thrilling experiences to students. Features include:

• Close interaction with top faculty
• Honors-level seminars and courses
• Hands-on experiences
• One-on-one academic and scholarship advising
• Graduation with Latin honors
• Social and cultural activities
• Honors housing

Interested in being considered for the Honors program? We automatically review students for the Honors program when they submit an application for freshman admission. There is no additional essay or application required! Check out the University Honors Program Web site for more details.

What can I do with a CEHD major?

You may know that you can become a teacher with a degree in elementary education or that a major in kinesiology is helpful for physical therapy school. But did you know that College of Education and Human Development majors are fantastic preparation for a wide spectrum of careers? CEHD graduates have successful careers in business, education, recreation, fitness, human services, and many other areas.

Visit our career services Web page to learn about careers in your intended area of study and for helpful tips on career exploration and preparation!

Living on Campus

As a University of Minnesota student, you can choose to live in a campus residence hall or apartment. By living on campus, you will find academic and social support to help you be successful (plus, it is a lot of fun and a great way to meet new friends!). Currently, over 80 percent of new freshmen live in University housing.

Learn more about each of our residence halls and apply online at http://www.housing.umn.edu/

Student ambassador profile: Emily Smith

Study abroad, conduct research, complete internships, and succeed in classes? You name it, they've done it! Our CEHD student ambassadors are busy making the most of their opportunities here at the University of Minnesota. Get to know our ambassadors...and discover what life is like for CEHD students. The first ambassador to be featured in this series is Emily Smith.

Hello everyone! My name is Emily Smith and I am currently a junior at the University of Minnesota- Twin Cities, in the College of Education and Human Development. I am from Ladysmith, Wisconsin--somewhere you've probably never heard of or seen on a map!

Why did I choose the U of M? There are so many things that are wonderful about my campus, however when it comes down to it, I chose to come study at this fabulous place because of all of the opportunities and resources. Some of my favorite opportunities through the University (and Twin Cities) include our awesome study abroad office, volunteer resources, as well as all of the great features of the big city (from Twins games to great restaurants)!

My majors include Business & Marketing Education and Human Resource Development, and I have minors in Human Resources & Industrial Relations, as well as a minor in Leadership!

Some of the highlights in my engagement here at the U of M include: Attending a conference on leadership at Disney World in Florida, volunteering through Big Brothers Big Sisters, and being a teaching assistant in the communications department and leadership minor office. My favorite experiences here all lie within the leadership minor (which is an AWESOME program). Through this minor, I took a service-learning class where I volunteered at a high school in St. Paul and also studied abroad in South Africa!

I cannot tell students enough about the importance of having a study abroad experience. In my opinion, it has been the best thing I have been a part of here at the University and many students also reflect in the same manner. During the summer of 2009, I studied abroad through the leadership minor in Capetown, South Africa. In spring 2010, I will be spending a semester in the Virgin Islands through a national exchange program!

CEHD Welcomes Dean Jean Quam

The College of Education and Human Development is excited to announce that Professor Jean Quam has been appointed dean of the college! After serving as interim dean for close to a year, Dean Jean Quam will help lead the college into the coming year.

"I'm honored to serve the University of Minnesota and to lead the College of Education and Human Development forward into the future. As dean, I am eager to continue our work on creating an 'engaged college' internally and externally by further diversifying the college and our disciplines, being innovative in all that we do, and last but not least, in deepening our excellence in research," Quam said.

Want to know more about our new dean? Visit http://www.cehd.umn.edu/Dean/.

CEHD Great! [Life after College]

The College of Education and Human Development has graduated many top athletes who have continued successful careers not only into professional sports but also education, business, social sciences, and human services. Each individual college and athletic experience has continued to have a significant impact on these alums' lives.

Linda Wells, (M.A., '82), gopher women's basketball, volleyball, and softball coach, is one of our featured alumni.

In the article, Linda said "They developed you to be a professional. I'm certainly proud to be a graduate of the College of Education [and Human Development], and I want to stress I couldn't have done it without the great graduate education and professional development I got from the college."

To learn more about the fascinating lives of a few of our CEHD graduates, check out this article from Connect, the College of Education and Human Development's magazine.

CEHD student research

Did you know that research doesn’t always require goggles and a test tube? The University of Minnesota is one of the top public research universities in the world. Whether you are interested in education or recreation and fitness, you can be a part of the cutting-edge research that your professors (and your fellow students) are conducting every day on campus.

Kelli Blankenship, a current CEHD kinesiology student and forward on the Gopher women's hockey team, combined her interest in hockey and research. She was part of a research team that included her mentor, Nicole LaVoi, a research associate in kinesiology and the associate director of the University's Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport. Kelli had a chance to take a look at another side of sports parents in her recent research project, "Not All Sports Parents are 'Out of Control': The Happy Side of Youth Sports."

Upon completion of her project, she had the opportunity to highlight her work at the Student Scholar and Public Engagement Showcase in the TCF Bank Stadium as part of the University's “Ultimate Homecoming” celebration in October.

Click here to learn more about Kelli’s research.

CEHD Reads: Interactive classroom

The College of Education and Human Development focuses on an engaging and hands-on learning atmosphere. During the First-Year Experience, students will be reading and discussing "A Lesson Before Dying" by Ernest Gaines. The book shows that one person can make a strong impact, even in the face of demoralizing circumstances.

The professors and students discuss the book's theme, symbolism, background and much more throughout the semester. At the completion of the book, the students get the chance to meet the author and ask him the questions formulated during the course. On October 7th, 2009, our students took advantage of this opportunity to get questions answered and help formulate ideas and topics for their capstone project at the end of the semester.

Watch the video of the student's interactive experience with the author Ernest Gaines by visiting http://www.cehd.umn.edu/reads/Events/. You can start the video at minute 57 to see the questions our students ask the author.

First-Year Experience

College is an exciting new step in life! You are meeting new people, taking challenging courses, and making self discoveries. It is exciting, uncharted territory--but the adventure can be overwhelming as well. That is why the College of Education and Human Development created a program for freshman students called the First-Year Experience. It is designed to help students make a smooth transition from high school to college.

College is very different from high school. However, we want to give you the tools and resources to be successful at the University. Therefore, every first-year CEHD student will take one multidisciplinary course each semester that is team-taught by professors and with only CEHD students. This way, you will be able to make a close connection with your professors and classmates right away. It is a great way to make instant friends and study groups. Look at our CEHD website to see a video of our First-Year Experience

Welcome Week

University of Minnesota freshmen get a sneak preview of campus life before anyone else arrives by joining us during freshman Welcome Week. During Welcome Week, students move into residence halls, learn their way around campus, and meet new roommates!

This year, CEHD held a block party on College Day during Welcome Week. New students celebrated with live music, grilled food, giveaway prizes, fellow classmates, and casually dressed professors. Check out these pictures from the CEHD Block Party!

Students at Welcome Week also participate in New Student Convocation--the official event welcoming new students to their freshman year. This year's speakers including University President Robert Bruininks, Physics of Super Heroes professor James Kakalios, and a roaring performance by the University’s marching band!

Later in the week, students filled TCF Bank Stadium for a Pride and Spirit event. Check out this awesome video taken of the entire Class of 2013 creating a giant "M" on the field of TCF Bank Stadium:

Hello future freshmen!

My name is Kristy Lear and I am an admissions counselor here at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. Thank you so much for visiting my College of Education and Human Development blog. That sure is a mouthful of a college name, so we can just call it CEHD for short. CEHD, one of seven colleges at the University of Minnesota, is my college of expertise and I want to use this blog to tell you all the exciting things happening in the college. Here you'll find news about campus events, important University deadlines, details about our majors, and many other thrilling topics!

Oh, and here's a little about myself: I am a recent graduate of the University of Minnesota as a Kinesiology major. (Kinesiology is the study of body movement and is one of the nine majors housed in the College of Education and Human Development.)

In the meantime, check out the Admissions Web site and CEHD Web site for more information. Got a question? Leave me a comment or send me an email at lear0030@umn.edu. I love hearing from students!