SHU Education Division Passes Important Test

Program Receives 7-Year Accreditation from CAEP

By Doug Goodnough—Special to the Daily Telegram

Siena Heights University’s Education program recently passed a very important test when it received full seven-year accreditation from the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation.

The Education program has been at the institution since its founding more than 100 years ago. However, the program must undergo a “continuous improvement cycle,” according to SHU Division of Education Chair and Associate Professor of Education Carrie Mitchell.

“We were thrilled with the outcome,” she said of the CAEP accreditation. “It is an honor to receive this status and meet such high level of standards. This was truly a team effort. The amount of work each Education faculty member and our part-time administrative assistant must do is on top of everything else we do. Accreditation creates a tremendous workload for all of us.”

In fact, the CAEP accreditation process consists of a series of reports, a self-study and a site visit from CAEP representatives.

Centennial Year Cut Short

Adrian Campus Students Adjust to Remote Learning Environment

By Doug Goodnough

It was supposed to be the last week of in-person classes at Siena Heights University’s Adrian campus before final exams signaled the end of the winter semester and academic year.

However, the coronavirus pandemic has ushered in a new reality. When campus was closed March 24 due to state and national social distancing guidelines, learning continued in a remote environment. Siena Heights has adapted – with help from its nationally ranked online program – to accommodate Adrian campus students, faculty and staff who had a steep learning curve to catch up to their online faculty and student counterparts.

And with many traditional end-of-the-year events like honors convocation, the week-long Halo Fest student festival, awards ceremonies and even commencement exercises canceled, postponed or moved online, it has left a void for some students.

From the Editor:

Siena Heights Will Be Ready and Waiting for You

Well, that didn’t turn out the way I thought it would.

That probably was the collective feeling of us all entering the year 2020. As the chair of the Centennial Committee, I was looking forward to the end of Siena Heights University’s 100^th anniversary year with a slew of events and activities, culminating with Commencement Weekend.

Instead, you all know what happened. A worldwide pandemic shut down almost everything in its path, including the best laid plans at Siena Heights.

In fact, since the Adrian campus closed in mid-March, I have only been on campus twice since late July. For the past few months, my new office has been the patio room of my home. My new office mate is my cat, and thankfully, he sleeps on the job most of the time.

During the early stages of my mandated stay-at-home work order, a phrase came to mind that our president, Sister Peg, has said many, many times over the years: Siena Heights is more than just bricks and mortar; it’s about the people.