Context for Teacher Education at EMU

Background/Accreditation

Eastern Mennonite University, founded in 1917 in Harrisonburg, Virginia, has grown from a small academy to a four-year, fully-accredited, liberal arts university of more than 1,500 students. EMU has been preparing teachers since 1948, when the four-year program began. Today about 10% of all EMU undergraduates are enrolled in a program leading to licensure.

Eastern Mennonite University is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award associate, baccalaureate and master’s degrees. For information regarding accreditation status, contact the Commission at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, GA 30033; telephone 404-679-4500. The university is certified to operate by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia.

The teacher education program at Eastern Mennonite University is NCATE accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP), http://caepnet.org. This accreditation covers initial teacher preparation programs and advanced educator preparation programs. CAEP is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation to accredit programs for the preparation of teachers. However, the accreditation does not include individual education courses that the institution offers to P-12 educators for professional development, re-licensure, or other purposes. All licensure programs are approved by the Virginia Department of Education. The English as a Second Language and Reading Specialist programs at EMU Lancaster are approved by the Pennsylvania Department of Education.

The Core Curriculum

Teacher education at EMU within the context of liberal arts calls for an education centered on the arts, sciences, and cross cultural studies. As an integral part of the Core Curriculum, you will benefit significantly through cross cultural studies. The Core framework detailed in the EMU academic catalog shows the complementary interaction of liberal arts, specialty studies, and the professional sequence. Central to the professional studies core are field experiences and reflective teaching practice.

Core Curriculum is the title of EMU's integrated general education curriculum, the central focus of which is to interpret life and the cultural heritage of humankind from the stance of Christian faith. The 38-41 semester hour (SH) curriculum includes 8 SH of Christian Faith courses, 6-7 SH of Communication courses including competency in mathematics, 9 SH of Cross-cultural Learning courses, and 12-14 SH of Critical Thinking. The curriculum also includes 2 writing intensive and 1 community-learning course.

Learning and caring are viewed as interactive processes shaped by commitment to Christian Liberal Arts ideals. Preparation for working with diverse populations in an ever-changing cultural and global context requires teachers who are knowledgeable, value human relationships, and are sensitive to cultural and gender differences.

The preparation of a competent beginning teacher requires university-wide participation and responsibility. All programs offering endorsements share in the determination of policies and programs through the Committee on Teacher Education (COTE). The Teacher Education Program Director provides administrative leadership for the program.