Graceland School of Education Named in Honor of Former President Edmund J. Gleazer Jr.

President Sellars said he could not be more pleased that Dr. Gleazer's name has been joined with our School of Education. "The name Edmund J. Gleazer is synonymous with the American experience in its pursuit of higher education," Sellars said. "We are deeply honored that Ed has aligned his name with the pursuit of teacher education at Graceland." That pursuit dates back to 1896 when what was called the "normal course" was offered, the year after Graceland College was founded. In 1903 it became the "normal department," later known as the education department. It was in 1960 that an elementary education major was introduced at GU.  

Edmund Gleazer, a 1936 Graceland graduate, became the university's youngest president and served from 1946-57, but it was in 1957 that Ed (as he likes to be called) found his true calling. He became Executive Director of the American Association of Junior Colleges and during the next 25 years he shepherded the phenomenal growth of community-based education in the United States.

Charlene (Allen) Gleazer, a 1938 Graceland graduate, accompanied her husband to Graceland for Commencement weekend. They stayed at the home of former Graceland presidents Bill and Barbara Higdon. Malcolm Ritchie and his wife Roberta Ann (Gossadge) Ritchie, old friends of the Gleazers, were on hand for the weekend and they also stayed with the Higdons. Malcolm is a 1947 GU graduate and Roberta Ann is a 1946 graduate. Malcolm received an honorary doctorate at the Commencement Convocation.

One of the great innovators of the 20^th Century, Ed Gleazer and the AAJCC (the word community was added later) touched the lives of tens of millions of students who would otherwise not have been able to attend college. Ed's vision of the intrinsic value of every human life fueled his desire to make the pursuit of higher education available to all who sought it. More than 500 new community colleges opened across the country under his guidance. In 2008 nearly 11 million Americans were enrolled in 1,200 community colleges.

Ed's mantra is "Peace through life-long learning." Driven by this principle, he began a second career, with his wife Charlene, when he retired from the AAJCC at age 65. They have traveled the world from Baghdad to Bangkok, from Moscow to Zimbabwe, advocating for community-based education - education tailored to a community's specific needs. That might be literature or literacy, advanced Chemistry or the basics of health and sanitation. Now in his early nineties, Ed is still one of higher education's greatest champions. He has been a prolific writer on the subject and many of his articles and papers are available to read online at the University of Texas at Austin's Community College Leadership Program (CCLP) staff development Web site - http://www.nisod.org/Gleazer/index.html. Ed donated his extensive personal library to the CCLP, where he continues to serve as an adjunct professor.

In other School of Education news, Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of Faculty Steve Anders has announced the appointment of Nancy Halferty to the post of Dean of the Gleazer School of Education. Halferty has served as Interim Dean during the search to replace former Dean Bill Armstrong. Halferty joined GU in 1997 and has served as an Assistant Professor and as Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs. She has taught a wide variety of courses here during the last decade.

Nancy said of the school’s naming, "I am certain that we will make Dr. Gleazer as proud of the School of Education as we are of bearing his name." And about becoming the school’s new Dean, Nancy added, "I am very excited about the appointment and I welcome the opportunity to extend and support the important work already being done by the School of Education."

Undergraduate Teacher Education programs are taught at GU using progressive methods and a student-centered philosophy. Graceland's Master of Education in Collaborative Learning and Teaching has garnered national praise for its unique design in which graduate students create their own learning experiences based on the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards propositions. Our online Master of Education was recently honored with the prestigious USDLA Award for Best Practices in Distance Learning Programming.

Graceland University was established in 1895 as a non-sectarian liberal arts institution by the Community of Christ, headquartered in Independence, MO. It offers more than 50 academic programs to students from more than 40 states and 35 nations. For more information about Graceland University, call 866-GRACELAND or visit www.graceland.edu.