FSU College of Education wins international community engagement award
Photo courtesy FSU College of Education
Special to the Outlook
Florida State University College of Education took home top honors at the Accreditation Council for Entrepreneurial and Engaged Universities Triple E Awards.
Project ElevatED, a College of Education program that supports the educator pipeline in Florida, earned first place in the Community Engagement Initiative of the Year category. Damon Andrew, dean of the College of Education, accepted the award during a ceremony that was held recently in Barcelona, Spain. The event featured higher education institutions from around the world.
“We are honored to receive this recognition from the ACEEU,” Andrew said. “I truly believe that the work of Project ElevatED is making a difference in the field of education, both within Florida and beyond. I am most grateful for the tremendous support that FSU Presidents McCullough and Thrasher and FSU Provosts Clark and McRorie have provided to establish and expand Project ElevatED over time. With this award, I hope that we can continue to expand the initiative’s reach and support our hard-working educators even more.”
This is the second time within the span of a year that Project ElevatED has received recognition for its innovative approach to raising the profile of careers in education. The initiative also won the John L. Blackburn Award for Academic Innovation in 2022 from the American Association of University Administrators.
Project ElevatED began in 2019 in an effort to recruit, train and retain education professionals in Florida. Since its launch, the College of Education has awarded more than $2.61 million in scholarships to students, welcomed 3,605 teachers at FSU-led professional development programs, graduated 1,635 students who began careers in K-12 education and delivered nearly 3,000 care packages to FSU alumni working at schools across Florida.
With the success of the initiative, seven other universities have joined as affiliates of Project ElevatED. These universities use the template created by Project ElevatED in their own efforts to support teachers and prepare the next generation of education professionals.
As part of Project ElevatED and to increase the visibility of educators’ impact, the College of Education and Florida State University invite the Florida Teacher of the Year, Principal of the Year, Assistant Principal of the Year, Superintendent of the Year and School-Related Employee of the Year to be recognized at an FSU Football game every year. This year, the on-field recognition event will take place during FSU’s home game against Syracuse on Oct. 14.
