by Trevor York
President Beck Taylor announced that interim Dean of Education Barbara Sanders is named the permanent dean of the department on Feb. 12 . The decision was the result of a nationwide search that was conducted by the provost and various other members of the department of education, according to Sanders.
Sanders, no stranger to the Whitworth community, spent 17 years as a faculty member and completed her M.I.T (Masters in Teaching) at Whitworthl. Since joining the faculty, she has taught a variety of courses ranging from graduate level education courses to Core 150.
“I bring a lot of administrative experience, especially Whitworth-specific administrative experience,” Sanders said.
Sanders’ administrative experience includes her time as interim Dean of Education and temporary Provost as well.
“We wanted someone who was an experienced classroom teacher — meaning K-12, someone who was experienced in higher education, and finally, we wanted someone who was an experienced administrator,” said Betty Williams, search committee member and chair of undergraduate teacher education.
Sanders said that she truly has a passion for what she does and cares for the education department. With this motivation she plans on making some changes to the department while still maintaining crucial programs.
“First off, we have a really strong school of education with a lot of amazing programs, including graduate programs, and my goal moving forward is to continue that trajectory,” Sanders said. “We have some exciting changes in our undergraduate education such as adding a program that will prepare our advanced placement teachers and we are also expanding our special ed programs to include B.C.B.A., a behavioral analyst certification.”
For non-education majors, she expects to push forward with plans that could affect the Whitworth community as a whole.
“I’m really excited about the marriage and family clinic we have and I’m looking forward to recruiting clients for that clinic and getting some students in that program,” Sanders said.
Sanders plans on expanding on this clinic, using it as a place where students can gain firsthand knowledge while still giving back to the community.