In early April the three were among 430 attendees at Teachers College’s Admitted Students Day, for those accepted to TC’s fall 2017 entering class.

The day was dedicated to helping both decided and undecided students learn as much as they could about the College and its degree programs from TC staff members, professors and current students.  

“If you come to Teachers College you will walk in the same hallways where John Dewey walked,” TC President Susan Fuhrman told the group. “Every field of education began here, whether it was urban education, special education or psychological counseling and advising. We are the best and the oldest teaching college in the nation and the only one that offers such a breadth and depth of degree programs. You’ll graduate from here with expert knowledge, and employers know the worth of a TC degree. You’ll also have lifelong support from our distinguished alumni. It’s a College with a strong sense of community, and all of you are welcome to become a part of it.”

Keynote speaker Ty McNamee, a current TC doctoral student in Higher & Postsecondary Education, talked about his time at the College as a life-changing experience.

“I have been astounded at how the identities that I held as barriers to my success in higher education have been validated, even celebrated, here at Teachers College,” McNamee said. “No longer was I a gay farm kid from the middle of Wyoming, struggling to make my way. I was someone who brought perspective into conversations on income-based inequality. I was someone who could discuss his life growing up as a gay man in a small, conservative state. I was someone who could write papers about rural-student college access in the United States and even work with a faculty member outside my department to start a student organization called the Rural Student Group here at TC. And not only was I happy to share my perspectives and identities, but my program’s faculty members truly respected my views and work, treating me like a colleague and a peer. These feelings of support, respect and validation are why I chose TC and why am so glad I did.”

At 20, Nassau is one of TC’s youngest accepted students, but she already knows enough about teaching to believe she’s made the right choice. As an education major at Hunter, Nassau, a Manhattan native, student-taught in New York City public schools. She says that those using the progressive techniques developed at TC functioned the best.

“Whenever I worked in a school whose curriculum was inspired by TC, I loved it,” says Nassau, who will earn her master’s degree in the Department of Curriculum & Teaching, possibly with an additional focus on teaching art. “It’s progressive, passionate, hands-on education, which is just the kind of teacher I hope to be.”

Howard is coming to TC after spending the past 10 years as a member of the 101st Airborne Division – half in the Army and half in the Navy. He’s served in Somalia and Iraq and now plans to live with his fiancée in Manhattan while earning a master’s degree in Social-Organizational Psychology.

Howard heard about that program from a friend who took classes at the College while earning a degree from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. TC and West Point jointly operate the Eisenhower Leaders Development Program, which helps prepare tactical officers, who help guide West Point cadets. 

“I never thought I’d get accepted at one of the world’s best schools, in the Ivy League,” Howard says. “I’ve seen change occur in the military for the better and for the worse. That’s what sparked my interest in social psychology.”

White, who spent the past year as an AmeriCorps tutor atGreat Oaks Legacy Charter School, in Newark, New Jersey, will enter TC this fall as a master’s student in Cognitive science and Education.

After he graduates he hopes to work as a teacher and psychological counselor in an urban school that serves underrepresented minority students. His biggest goal: to help students gain confidence and see themselves as future college students.

“I’m interested in learning how students learn and also in figuring out how to reach underprivileged youth to get them more motivated to learn,” he says. “I want to motivate them to go to college. I want to show them how education can change their lives and their communities.” – Robert Florida

Incoming: The fall class will be diverse, with some strong TC roots

Corey Howard is not the only veteran in the incoming TC class – he’s one of 20. Among the many other interesting facts about the new arrivals:

• The fall 2017 class was chosen from some 6,000 applicants
• International student make up about  25 percent of the fall class
• The admitted students come from 64 countries, with China, India, and South Korea topping the list
• Forty percent of admitted students identify as people of color
• The youngest admitted student is 19; the oldest, 67
• And – as always – family ties at TC run deep: More than 50 admitted students have a relative who previously attended the College.

Published Monday, Jul 3, 2017