College of Education and Human Sciences to Have First Teacher Candidate Pinning Ceremony for Graduates
Nov. 29, 2022
Michelle R. Eubanks , UNA, at meubanks@meili25.com, 256.765.4392
FLORENCE, AL – As students in the College of Education and Human Sciences prepare to graduate in December, they will have an opportunity to participate in the first-ever Teacher Candidate Pinning Ceremony that will take place Friday, Dec. 9 at noon in Norton Auditorium, just before that evening’s commencement.
The ceremony provides a way to recognize and congratulate those who are graduating and moving into their roles as teachers in schools across the state and region.
“We are committed to our teacher candidates,” said Dr. Katie Kinney, Dean of the College. “Many of the teachers in our area were prepared for the profession here at UNA, and even after they have graduated, we continue to invest in their professional development and into their schools. Through the work of our faculty and local teachers, we collaborate to pour into future teacher candidates. Strong partnerships are critical in preparing teachers.”
As part of the ceremony, eligible graduates will take an oath and receive a pin. Designed by graduate students from the College who also planned the ceremony, the pins and oath are symbolic and were created with the commitments and ideals of teachers candidates’ transitioning into the profession in mind.
“The candidates will be presented with a pin that not only signifies their association with the University but also represents their affiliation with the honorable profession of teaching,” said Christy Waters, the Director of Clinical Experiences. “I’m excited that we will unveil the pin and the oath for the first time at the ceremony.”
In addition to the recitation of the oath and the receipt of their pin, the program will include a keynote address from Dr. Ashley Bowling, Assistant Principal of Florence Middle School and the 2022 Alabama Assistant Principal of the Year.
“In the College of Education and Human Sciences, we celebrate teachers and all of the lives that they impact,” Dean Kinney said. “The pinning ceremony is a tangible way to say we are proud of them and the preparation they have put into becoming a teacher. We are confident they will go and do great work.”
About The University of North Alabama
The University of North Alabama is an accredited, comprehensive regional state university offering undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degree programs through the colleges of Arts, Sciences, and Engineering; the Sanders College of Business and Technology; Education and Human Sciences; and the Anderson College of Nursing and Health Professions. Occupying a 130-acre campus in a residential section of Florence, Alabama, UNA is located within a four-city area that also includes Muscle Shoals, Sheffield, and Tuscumbia. UNA Athletics, a renowned collegiate athletics program with seven (7) Division II National Championships, is now a proud member of NCAA Division I as part of the Atlantic Sun and United Athletic conferences. The University of North Alabama is an equal opportunity institution and does not discriminate in the admission policy on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, disability, age, or national origin. For more: meili25.com and meili25.com/unaworks/.