The Reich College of Education is guided by a framework of committees, boards, and policies that support effective decision-making, accountability, and the success of our students, faculty, and programs. Explore our governance structure, roles, and procedures.

College Policies and Procedures

Updated 8/9/2024

University Policies and Procedures

Governance Boards

Updated 9/1/2025

Committees

Administrative Council

Purpose: The Administrative Council formulates, reviews, and recommends procedures and policies related to the administration of the RCOE. The Administrative Council is also responsible for the vetting and recommendation of all RCOE curriculum proposals and proposals that impact RCOE programs.

Responsibilities: Members have the responsibility to develop, review and vet policies, procedures and curriculum proposals that impact the RCOE Community.  Its members are charged to communicate with their respective Department and Unit faculty and staff information about policies, procedures and curriculum proposals discussed, reviewed and recommended by the Council. The Council meets twice a month or more often as determined by the Dean.

Membership: Members serve by virtue of their position which include the following:

  • Dean (chair)
  • Associate/Assistant Deans
  • Department Chairs
  • Doctoral Program Director

Current Members:

Awards Committee

Current Members: 

  • Rebekah Saylors, Chair and Communications Director
  • Jenny McCourry, Non-Tenure Track Representative
  • Michelle Hoag, Staff Representative
  • Robin Groce, Department of Child Development, Literacy Education, and Special Education
  • Angie Harris, Department of Child Development, Literacy Education, and Special Education
  • Pam Shue, Department of Child Development, Literacy Education, and Special Education
  • Candice Peters, Department of Counseling, Family Therapy, and Higher Education
  • Jill Van Horne, Department of Counseling, Family Therapy, and Higher Education
  • Laurie Ramirez, Department of Learning, Teaching, and Curriculum
  • Cacey Wells, Department of Learning, Teaching, and Curriculum
  • Alecia Jackson, Department of Leadership and Educational Studies
  • Frannie Varker, Department of Leadership and Educational Studies
  • Nakesha Dawson, Department of Media, Career Studies, and Leadership Development
  • Ronda Eldreth, Department of Media, Career Studies, and Leadership Development
  • Krista Wojdak, Department of Media, Career Studies, and Leadership Development
Communications Committee and Events Sub-committee

Communications Committee

Justification: A group is needed to facilitate and support internal and external communications for the RCOE.

Responsibilities: The RCOE Communications Committee will: 

  1. Solicit committee membership as needed.
  2. Encourage and facilitate the sharing of news, stories, events and accolades.
  3. Write drafts of departmental news and events releases, especially those related to strategic plan initiatives.
  4. Update RCOE calendar with departmental events.
  5. Coordinate internal communications via elevator posters and bulletin board flyers, SCALA digital screens, email (Google Groups), AppSync (students) and more.
  6. Coordinate external communications via social media, iModules (alumni), print publications, banners, swag and more.
  7. Share communications best practices including information dissemination from UComm, Webmaster’s Office and more at departmental/program meetings.
  8. Facilitate yearly or as needed web page audits and updates, including top-tier program pages.
  9. Coordinate, review and audit print publications.
  10. Coordinate updates to office/building signage as needed.
  11. Assist with college event coordination (see Events Sub-committee).
  12. This body will meet monthly.

Reporting: This body reports through the Communications Liaison to the Dean of the Reich College of Education and makes recommendations as needed.

Composition (appointed positions): Communications Liaison, Scholarship Coordinator, Teacher Education Recruiter, a minimum of 1 representative from each department (web page administrator(s) preferred), a minimum of 1 representative from the Office of the Dean, a minimum of 1 representative from the James Center for Student Success and Advising, 1 representative from Digital Learning Resources, 1 representative from the Doctoral Program in Educational Leadership, 1 representative from the Mathematics and Science Education Center, 1 representative from the Office of Field Experiences, 1 representative from Scholars with Diverse Abilities Program, 1 representative from the Public School Partnership and others who are interested in attending.

Current Members:

  • Rebekah Saylors, Chair, Director of Communications
  • Sonia Dardon, Lab Schools and Partnerships and Engagement
  • Vacant, Director of Digital Teaching and Learning
  • Daniel Byrd, Executive Director of Teacher Education
  • Michael Odom, Executive Director of Development
  • Sarah Macaluso, Alliance on Research for Regional Colleges (Post-Grant Awards)
  • Donna Starks, James Center for Student Success and Advising
  • Ana Creighton, James Center for Student Success and Advising
  • Chrystal Dean, Mathematics and Science Education Center
  • Leah Greer, Mathematics and Science Education Center
  • Susan Hedges, Scholars with Diverse Abilities
  • Leigh Anna Marbert, Scholarship Coordinator/Recruitment and Retention
  • Melissa Mott, LSA Project Manager
  • Micah Riggins, Office of the Dean
  • Emma Hatfield-Sidden, Office of Field Experiences
  • Elizabeth Hayes, Doctoral Program
  • Danielle Hahn, Department of Learning, Teaching, and Curriculum
  • Rebecca Krokoski, Department of Media, Career Studies, and Leadership Development
  • Alexis Manus, Department of Counseling, Family Therapy, and Higher Education
  • Lori Dean, Department of Leadership & Educational Studies
  • Claudia Palta, Department of Child Development, Literacy, and Special Education

Events Sub-Committee

Justification: A group (sub-committee of the Communications Committee) is needed to provide guidance to persons scheduling events in the RCOE and to facilitate and support major college events. These include:

  • College Meetings (6)
  • Commencement Receptions (2) and hooding ceremonies
  • Homecoming events
  • Scholarship luncheon (1)
  • Mountaineer Readers tailgate (1)
  • Open House (2)
  • Freshman Preview Day (1)
  • Rhododendron (1)
  • Teacher Ed Orientation (6)
  • Others as needed

Responsibilities: The RCOE Events Sub-committee will: 

  1. Solicit committee membership as needed.
  2. Create policies and procedures for events in the RCOE, including:
  3. Room reservations - how to reserve space and/or suggested spaces;
  4. Set-up and break-down requirements - furniture moving/removal and/or clean-up;
  5. Food and beverage;
  6. How to schedule: housekeeping, catering, parking and more;
  7. AV needs;
  8. Event promotion.
  9. Provide guidance for internal and external reservations.
  10. Assist with all aspects of major college event coordination.
  11. This body will meet monthly or as needed.

Reporting: This body reports through the Communications Committee to the Dean of the Reich College of Education and makes recommendations as needed.

Current Members:

  • Vacant, Chair, Office of the Dean
  • Rebekah Saylors, Co-chair, Director of Communications
  • Micah Turner, Office of the Dean
  • Vacant, Director of Digital Teaching and Learning
  • Andrea Elavor (invited), Events Office liaison
  • Michael Odom, Executive Director of Development
  • Donna Starks, James Center for Student Success and Advising
  • Leigh Anna Marbert, Scholarship Coordinator/Recruitment and Retention
  • Lindsay Cotten, Teacher Education Recruiter (Admissions)
  • Elizabeth Hayes, Doctoral Program
  • Betsy Rosenbalm, Public School Partnership
Doctoral Consultative Counsel

Current Members: 

  • Vachel Miller, Chair and Director of the Doctoral Program in Educational Leadership
  • Herb Brown, Department of Media, Career Studies, and Leadership Development
  • Star Brown, Department of Leadership and Educational Studies
  • Brandy Bryson, Department of Leadership and Educational Studies
  • Beth Campbell, Department of Learning, Teaching, and Curriculum
  • Beth Frye, Department of Child Development, Literacy, and Special Education
  • Joy Howard, Department Leadership and Educational Studies
  • Alecia Jackson, Department of Leadership and Educational Studies
  • Jason LaFrance, Department of Media, Career Studies, and Leadership Development
  • Amy Milsom, Department of Counseling, Family Therapy, and Higher Education
  • Kindel Turner Nash, Department of Child Development, Literacy, and Special Education
  • Patrick O'Shea, Department of Media, Career Studies, and Leadership Development
  • Chris Osmond, Department of Leadership and Educational Studies
  • Chauntee Thrill, Department of Counseling, Family Therapy, and Higher Education
Leadership Team

Purpose: The Leadership Team provides a forum for regular communication among all units serving the College that administratively report to the Dean of the College and/or to an Associate Dean.

Responsibilities: Members have the responsibility to communicate with their respective Units all information shared and discussed at the scheduled meetings. This Team shall meet one time each semester (October and April) at the second meeting of the regularly scheduled Administrative Council Meeting. Additional meetings may be scheduled as needed.

Membership:

  1. Administrative Council Members
  2. Directors/Head of Units reporting to either the Dean or an Associate Dean. Members serve by virtue of their position which include the following:
    1. Assessment/Accreditation
    2. Budget/Business
    3. Clinical Education
    4. Communications/Marketing
    5. Development
    6. Digital Teaching/Learning
    7. Early Field/International Student Teaching
    8. James Center
    9. Mathematics and Science Education Center
    10. National Center for Developmental Education
    11. Public School Partnership

Current Members:

Professional Education Council

Function: The Professional Education Council (PEC) provides a forum for regular and systematic communication among faculty, students, P-12 partners, and administrative representatives of all teacher education and other school professional education programs (educational leadership, school counseling) in the University. This helps maximize our collective understanding of issues related to professional education and effectiveness in preparing education professionals. The Council has as one of its main functions the role of reviewing, analyzing and evaluating professional education curricula and recommending policies and procedures for strengthening the professional education program.  This body also provides oversight for the University-wide mission to prepare excellent education professionals, including matters related to major program initiatives, assessment tasks and duties, and accreditation responsibilities. All recommendations are made to the Dean of the Reich College of Education. Ex officio non-voting members may be designated by the Dean of the Reich College of Education.

Responsibilities: Members have the responsibility to communicate with their Department Chairs and colleague faculty members information about teacher and other professional education standards, curricular changes, policies and practices to advise the Dean of the Reich College of Education on issues and policies concerning professional education programs; to engage in the process of continuous improvement by reviewing goals, processes, and data related to candidate and unit assessment systems; and to review and make recommendations on education curricula across all programs preparing education professionals.

Committee Documents:

For more information, please contact Kathy Rathbone at rathboneke@appstate.edu.