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.