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Interim director plans to bolster, grow Clarion’s School of Education

July 14, 2015
Alan Arroyo Ph.D.Clarion University has hired Alan Arroyo, Ph.D., to lead its School of Education on an interim basis. He comes to Clarion after a 29-year career with Regent University, Virginia Beach, where he began as an assistant professor of education and retired June 30 as dean and professor in the School of Education. He began work July 6 at Clarion.

Arroyo’s primary goals are to increase education enrollment, help create new programs and provide general support to faculty and students. Additionally, he'll take a look at Clarion's accreditation and lead a study of national accreditation to ascertain if the additional accreditation would be beneficial to the School of Education.

"We are pleased that Dr. Arroyo can join us at a critical juncture in the School of Education," said Todd Pfannestiel, Ph.D., dean of the College of Arts, Education and Sciences, which houses the School of Education. "Working closely with our faculty, Dr. Arroyo will provide strong support to improve the quality programs we have already established, as well as help to create new ones that will recruit students to the university and produce excellent professional educators for the commonwealth."

"I want to take the great foundation Clarion has and create innovative programs that meet the needs at the state level, regional level and, perhaps, even national level," Arroyo said. "I intend to meet with area superintendents and principals to learn what their needs are, to meet their professional development needs and to make Clarion the school of choice."

Programming development will include certifications, which enable the education majors to respond to the increasingly diverse student population in schools. He believes Clarion is on the right track in encouraging education majors to pursue dual certification.

"Right now there are so many different needs and diverse populations that teachers have to serve. We have courses in (English as a Second Language) and possibly could expand that into a certification program. There are students for whom English is their second language, and they're populating the classrooms all over the country." Arroyo said.
Autism is another certification area in which Arroyo sees potential growth.

"Teachers want to know how to serve their students. They're in it because something in them that says, 'I want to connect with students,'" Arroyo said. "There's an institutional will to really do some different things here."

One of the key components of Clarion's foundation is the mindset of education faculty and students: Teaching isn't just a task; it's a personal relationship with the student.

"There's ample evidence to show that when you have the proper professional relationship, it benefits the student," he said. "I've taught in juvenile correction facilities, and I've taught gifted kids. Across that spectrum, they respond to caring, competent teachers, and I see that's what is being turned out here."

Arroyo earned Bachelor of Science in Education and Doctor of Education at Northern Illinois University, and his Master of Education degree is from the National College of Education. He established Regent University's distance learning program, grew the school from fewer than 200 students to approximately 1,000 students, and grew annual revenues from $1 million to approximately $10 million. Regent's School of Education became nationally accredited and nationally ranked during his leadership.

Before coming to Regent, Arroyo served for 14 years as a special education teacher and administrator in Illinois public schools.

Arroyo and his wife, Susan, have relocated to Clarion. Outside of work, they stay busy with their four adult children – Andrew, David, Joseph and Elisabeth – and 10 grandchildren. Arroyo also enjoys reading, walking and hiking.

 

Last Updated 1/11/21