CSUN Program Gets Nod

The Carnegie Corp. of New York has asked Cal State Northridge and three other universities to take part in a landmark initiative to create model teaching programs across the country.

CSUN, the largest producer of teachers in the state, is expected to qualify for a $5-million teaching grant in the next few months, university officials said. The chancellor’s office of the 23-school California State University system will match the grant over the next five years.

“If we are looking for models, [CSUN] could be a good model for other state institutions,” said Susan King, a spokeswoman for the Carnegie Corp., the New York-based philanthropic and educational organization founded by steel tycoon Andrew Carnegie.

The Bank Street College of Education in New York City, Michigan State University and the University of Virginia will also participate in the “Teachers for a New Era” initiative.

CSUN was tapped, said university President Jolene Koester, because of its nationwide reputation for educating quality teachers. With 1,600 budding educators graduating a year, the school represents the single biggest source of new teacher talent in California.

“The university has a long commitment to teacher preparation,” Koester said. “We have entered in many partnerships with the local school districts. We have been involved in many innovative programs. And we have an all-university commitment. I think that’s what Carnegie saw in Cal State Northridge.”

Carnegie Corp. officials said they sought education programs that could show collaboration with other disciplines and had strong support from administrations.

Philip Rusche, dean of CSUN’s College of Education, said the school epitomizes the kind of teamwork that Carnegie looked for.

“We certainly view teacher education as a university-wide enterprise,” Rusche said.