West Virginia Wesleyan College’s teacher education program was one of nine teacher-education programs to receive full approval from the West Virginia State Department of Education.  The department recently notified each of the nineteen colleges and universities that offer teacher-education programs of their status.

“We are extremely pleased to receive full state department approval,” says President Pamela Balch.  “Wesleyan has a rich tradition of providing a high quality education department and we are so proud of our graduates who serve in a variety of teaching and administrative roles in West Virginia and throughout the United States.”

Wesleyan’s program, which offers a number of certification opportunities from kindergarten through adult, is also fully accredited by the National Council for Teacher Education.  Additionally, the College participates in the Interstate Certification Project, where a number of states certify teachers graduating from Wesleyan’s Department of Education.

“The full approval from the West Virginia Department of Education is the result of the hard work and professionalism of our faculty,” adds Dr. Lynn Rupp, associate professor of education and chair of the department.  “We are also greatly appreciative of the work all college faculty and staff have done to help us to continue to rank among the best teacher education programs in our region.”

The state approval is just one of a number of recent awards that the department has received.  Last semester, the Wesleyan Student Education Association was recognized as the “Outstanding Chapter for the State of West Virginia.”  In addition, the group was also recognized for having the Largest WVSEA Local Chapter.  Wesleyan’s education program is the second largest academic program at the College.