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Ferguson Fellows Program Names Recipients

By July 2, 2013General

 

Caption: Harris (L) and Craddock (R) receive Ferguson Fellows Program award for 2013-2014.

The College of Education and Human Sciences is pleased to announce Steven Craddock, principal of Cleveland High School, and Jason Harris, principal of Tupelo High School, as the recipients of the Ferguson Fellows Program for the 2013-2014 academic year. This annual award is made available through the Tri State Educational Foundation.

As recipients of these fellowships, each will participate in a series of educational experiences that are designed to enhance their skills as school leaders. Among those experiences will be attendance at national leadership conferences, appropriate class coursework, and seminars designed around the needs of each individual. The mentors for the two school administrators will be faculty members from the Division of Teacher Education, Leadership, and Research at Delta State University as well as Dr. Bob Ferguson, a well-known Mississippi educator, who was instrumental in the establishment of the fellowship program and for whom the fellowships are named.

Dr. Ferguson’s vision for the program stems from his experiences as a Ford Foundation Fellow early in his career. According to Ferguson, the opportunities to travel and study best practices in education made a lasting impact on his leadership capacity. Ferguson also stressed that his wife, Sylvia, was instrumental in helping him to maximize this opportunity. It is their desire to see other young educational leaders have similar opportunities. They realize strong leadership for our schools greatly enhances the educational outcomes for students and capacity for the future health of our state’s schools in general.

In recognizing the potential of this Fellowship, Delta State President William N. LaForge said, “The Ferguson Fellows Program is the perfect example of private support, from loyal alumni and friends that underpins some of our key needs in ensuring that K-12 school leaders have the training, experience, and leadership to influence positive changes in our school systems and to ensure a higher quality of education throughout the state.”

Dean of the College of Education and Human Sciences Dr. Leslie Griffin said, “The Fergusons have established a legacy for impacting P-16 education across the state. This Fellowship enhances the potential for this legacy to impact education in our state for decades to come.”

For more information regarding the Fellowship, individuals may contact Dr. Joe Garrison Chair of the Division of Teacher Education, Leadership and Research, at 662.846.4400 or via email to jgarrisn@deltastate.edu.