History of the College of Education

The College of Education and Human Services traces its roots back to the 1920’s when six courses were offered by the Department of Education in the College of Arts and Sciences at Seton Hall College.
 
In 1924 Seton Hall obtained State approval for a secondary level teacher preparation program, and, by 1937, the fledgling education department offered an additional preparation program in physical education.  During and immediately following World War II, the department offered elementary as well as secondary and physical education programs, and awarded graduate level degrees along with the baccalaureate.  The influx of veterans at this time provided new opportunities for the Department of Education to develop its curriculum and expand its influence in the area of teacher preparation within the State of New Jersey.
 
By 1950, Seton Hall organized into a university consisting of the College of Arts and Sciences and the Schools of Business, Nursing and Education.  Although the School existed as a distinct academic unit on campus, it never lost contact with its liberal arts roots and maintained collegial and curricular relationships with the College of Arts and Sciences.
 
During the 1950’s and 1960’s, the School of Education continued to experience growth in its enrollments and expansion of its curriculum.  These decades saw the School become the largest academic unit on the South Orange campus.  Faculty and administrative offices which at that time were housed in Bayley Hall, were moved to McQuaid Hall in order to provide more space and better working conditions.
 
At this time, the School expanded its role in a number of ways.  It instituted the Educational Services Center which provided services to surrounding communities in the areas of reading, writing, mathematics, study skills and counseling.  At its height, the Center serviced several hundred clients each year, reached out to both urban and suburban communities and provided low cost or no cost instruction to many students.  Other initiatives were taken.  The School operated a Veteran’s Administration counseling program which provided various services to veterans, and the School received a major grant to train rehabilitation counselors for positions in government and private institutions.
 
From the mid-70’s to the mid-80’s the School of Education, along with other teacher training institutions throughout the country, experienced a drop in enrollments as prospective teachers turned to other careers because of lack of job opportunities and less than desirable salaries.  Rather than viewing this period as a time for retrenchment and retreat, the School saw this as an opportunity to restructure itself in ways that would enhance its mission to prepare educators and other human services personnel.
 
The departments of Elementary Education, Secondary Education, Health and Physical Education, General Professional Education, and Counseling and Special Services were reorganized into the departments of Educational Studies and Counseling Psychology.  The Department of Administration and Supervision retained its original structure.  This placed all of the teacher preparation programs in one department, Educational Studies, where each maintained its distinction as a program while being able to work more closely in regard to common concerns, issues, needs, problems, resources, standards and curriculum development.
 
The School of Education changed its name to the College of Education and Human Services (CEHS).  This signaled a number of important developments.  First, there now existed a formal commitment to the education of both school and non-school personnel.  Second, the College believed that professionals in both school and non-school careers could benefit from being in close proximity during their educational experiences.  Third, the College recognized that the development of an effective teacher required a broad-based, liberal arts education.  Fourth, there was a commitment to providing services for the University and for surrounding communities.
 
During the early 1980’s, the College of Education and Human Services inaugurated doctoral level programs.  Ph.D.’s were available in the areas of Counseling Psychology, Child/Clinical Psychology and Marriage and Family Counseling.  The Ed.D. was available in Administration and Supervision.  The College hoped to offer other advanced degrees sometime before the turn of the century.
 
As the 1990’s approached, the College experienced an increase in enrollment, both at the undergraduate and graduate levels.  Additional faculty and staff were hired to accommodate the increase, and plans existed to acquire additional personnel as needed.
 
The beginning of the 1990’s also saw the College fielding nationally recognized grant programs in the areas of Bilingual/Bicultural Education and Law Related Education.  By 1990, the College had extended its outreach programs in order to provide in-service training for many teachers throughout the State of New Jersey.  This enabled the College to establish more effective liaisons with schools and to develop a mutually beneficial relationship in the sharing of knowledge and experience.
 
The late 1980’s and early 1990’s was also a time when the College of Education and Human Services became more involved with technology and education.  In 1985, the College received a grant to implement a computer-assisted reading and study skills program which serviced students in Arts and Sciences, Nursing, the Educational Opportunity Program, Business and Education.  This involved the establishment of a computer laboratory in McQuaid Hall as well as individual stations at other locations around the campus. In 1999, a federally funded PT3 grant and an aggressive University computing plan enabled the College to assume a leadership role in technology. At the same time, the College successfully developed and offered two on-line programs: an M.A. in Administration and Supervision and an M.A. in Counseling.
 
In 1997, the College changed its residence from McQuaid Hall to the third and fourth floors of Kozlowski. This move provided its faculty with newer and more spacious offices as well as access to modern classrooms suitable for integrating technology with teaching. During the late 1990’s and through the turn of the century, the College developed several unique programs such as the Catholic School Leadership and EPICS programs, and the Executive Ed.D. and Executive Masters programs.  The College’s first Professional Development School relationship was initiated with the Cranford school district in 1999. By 2002, the College had achieved APA accreditation for its Counseling Psychology doctoral program, COAMFTE accreditation for its Marriage and Family Ed.S. program, and was aggressively pursuing NCATE accreditation for its school-based programs.
 
During the 2002-2003 academic year, the College submitted its conceptual framework and other preconditions, including program review documents, to NCATE and its affiliated learned societies.  Additionally, the first doctoral hooding ceremony was held in May 2003 and the Institute for Educational Leadership, Renewal and Research was developed.
 
In the academic year 2003-2004, the College received candidacy status from NCATE, submitted rejoinders to professional associations, and finalized plans for a Fall, 2004 site visit.  During the same time, the College was the first institution in the State to respond to the new State teaching licensure codes. The faculty developed an integrated elementary and special education program that was approved by the State and hailed as a model for other institutions to emulate. The College’s Institute for Education Leadership, Renewal and Research was successful in securing funding from a number of agencies. The Superintendent’s Study Council had a very successful year with a membership of over 100 superintendents who participated in the council’s slate of workshops and programs. Two new programs were launched in late Spring of 2004: the Newark “Grow Your Own” school leadership program and the graduate certification program for teachers. Additionally, the College’s first affiliations with alternate route programs were underway, marked by collaborative agreements with the Newark “Teach for America” program, the Morris-Union Jointure Commission and the Montclair alternate route program.  The Department of Professional Psychology and Family Therapy successfully launched its restructured Master’s programs, participated in the National Multicultural tour and started developing plans for a Multidisciplinary Center for Infant and Child Development.
 
The academic year 2004-2005 was notable for advances in accreditation. An initial NCATE site visit was hosted in October, and the College was granted NCATE provisional accreditation in April. The College implemented its assessment plan, and, in collaboration with IT, developed a sophisticated e-folio system for recording, organizing, summarizing and aggregating student data in reference to professional standards and the College’s conceptual framework. The College also launched a redesigned school counseling program and began working on achieving CACREP accreditation for its M.A. level counseling programs.  In 2005-2006, the College was successful in removing the provision attached to its accreditation and became fully nationally accredited by NCATE for the first time since 1995.  Additionally the College posted its highest enrollment in over 20 years with about 28,000 credit hours produced. During 2006-2007, the College once again posted a record enrollment with about 28,700 produced over the academic year. The College hosted an APA re-accreditation site visit for its Counseling Psychology Ph.D. program, and began preparing SPA reports for an impending NCATE re-accreditation site visit in 2009.
 
During 2007-2008, the College’s APA accreditation was renewed, record enrollments were again achieved for the fourth year in a row, a successful accreditation site visit was hosted for the Masters and Ed.S. Marriage and Family programs, and work continued on the College’s NCATE reaccreditation effort. Additionally, the College became active in international initiatives by establishing a Center for Global Education and by developing a partnership with the Harbin Institute of Technology, one of China’s top nine institutions of higher education. The College also became involved in helping the Newton Street School in Newark respond to the requirements of the federal No Child Left Behind legislation. Faculty continued to distinguish themselves in the areas of teaching, scholarship and service, and contributed significantly to the University’s reputation in the aforementioned areas.