NORTHERN TODAY 4 WINTER 2024 News | NORTHERN STATE UNIVERSITY In October, Schwan was named Dean of the Millicent Atkins School of Education. She had been serving as the interim dean since fall 2022. Dr. Anna Schwan named dean HEN Northern State University opened in 1901 as a teacher education college, it was known as Northern Normal and Industrial School. The only admission requirements were a desire to teach and applicants had to be at least 14 years old. Northern has changed a lot over 120+ years and there are more changes on the horizon, including a new business building and nursing program. What hasn’t changed is its dedication to creating the educators of the university's future. An updated scholarship and building remodel will help the Millicent Atkins School of Education continue to distinguish itself as a leader in teacher education, said Anna Schwan, dean of the school of education. The updated 1901 scholarship intentionally reflects Northern’s inception date, in name and amount awarded, as a way to instill a deeper connection with Northern’s history. The scholarship will honor Northern’s teacher school roots, as well as alumna Millicent Atkins passion for teacher education by offering qualifying students $1901 a year, for up to four years. Atkins had an appreciation for Northern and the university’s roots as a teacher’s college. When she died, Atkins donated approximately $15 million to Northern’s school of education. It was the largest donation in Northern’s history. In response, Northern renamed the school of education and erected a statue of Atkins. Her donation will fund the 1901 Scholarship. “Millicent’s gift is special, and her legacy will impact generations of future teachers,” said Schwan. The new scholarship is applicable for a wider range of students than the previous design of the Atkins scholarship model, which was tiered. Starting fall 2024, all future educators, including current, new and transfer students, pursuing a bachelor's degree in elementary education or an associate degree in early childhood education with a high school GPA of 3.5 or above are eligible for the 1901 Scholarship. Those who do not meet the GPA requirements can still receive $1,000 from the scholarship. The donation reaffirms that Northern is the best teacher education program in the state and region, Schwan said. “Education is the most empowering force in the world, and to believe in education is to believe in the future. Millicent was clearly a planner and she believed in education and in Northern,” Schwan said. “We are proud that teaching is the profession for which all other professions depend. Without teachers we would not have a future.” Remodel Gerber Hall is one of the oldest buildings on campus. It’s where Northern began, as a teacher education college. The building has been slated for a $5 million update, starting in spring 2024, with the hopes to be finished by December 2024. Presently, the building contains classrooms that were designed W Future teachers to benefit from redesigned 1901 Scholarship and Gerber Hall remodel “For me, education is not only what I do, but also who I am,” said Dr. Anna Schwan. “Continuing to serve as dean of the Millicent Atkins School of Education allows me the opportunity to empower the faculty and staff to make the changes that they truly want to see…the intentional changes that they believe will impact our students’ lives.” Even before her appointment as dean, Schwan had been making monumental changes that benefit future teachers. In the last year, Schwan launched a 2-year degree in early childhood education to help meet the demand for qualified childcare providers in South Dakota and brought the Teacher Apprenticeship Pathway program to Northern as a flexible, low-cost option for educational assistants to earn their bachelor's degree in secondary education. In addition, she revamped a previous scholarship into the 1901 Scholarship. “What we have in the Millicent Atkins School of Education is special, and every day when I shut the lights off and walk out of our building, I know that the work that we are doing is important,” said Schwan. “I know that everyone in this building has chosen this career path out of passion and heart, and we genuinely love to teach and serve students. That’s what special, that’s what will inspire true change, and that is why I know this is where I want to be…where I’m meant to be.” for a traditional teacher-centered environment. The renovations will reconfigure much of the existing space to provide environments conducive to preparing 21st century leaders in education, said Schwan. “We want Gerber to be alive. We want it to be the place where students, faculty, and staff learn, collaborate, research, study, or even just be. I want our building to match the vibrancy of the teaching and learning happening within its walls,” said Schwan. Gerber Hall currently houses teacher education, sports sciences, psychology, and counselor education. Each department is focused on student-centric instruction that incorporates authentic, innovative strategies for training students to excel in the field of education.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NzkyNTY=