E.L.I.T.E. Leadership Academy Focuses on Safety

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LOCUST GROVE — Mercer University’s Tift College of Education is sponsoring an in-depth education program entitled “Safe and Orderly Schools” on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2005, at Luella Middle School in Locust Grove. The event is part of the Mercer’s E.L.I.T.E. Leadership Academy for its Master’s of Educational Leadership candidates.

“School order and safety is a critical issue in education, and this program will highlight the latest developments on the topic and what school leaders can do to maintain order and safety on their campuses,” said Dr. Penny Elkins, assistant dean for New Program Development and chair of Tift’s Educational Leadership program. “Our educational leadership program is designed to make sure that candidates are prepared to lead schools, and knowing how to run a safe and orderly school will be a key component of our candidates’ success.”

The program will include speeches and in-depth discussions about how school leaders can work to foster safe and orderly schools. The speakers will include, Garry McGiboney, deputy superintendent of DeKalb County Public Schools; Sam King, superintendent of Rockdale County Public Schools; and State Rep. Brooks Coleman Jr., R-Duluth.

The Equipping Leaders to Impact and Transform Education (E.L.I.T.E.) Leadership Academy is part of the curriculum for candidates in Mercer’s new Master of Education in Educational Leadership program. The students, who are all certified working teachers, are working toward a degree that will provide them with the background and the initial certification to be school principals. The E.L.I.T.E. Academy requirement is meant to expose the candidates to issues that will affect them as school leaders. It also gives the students, who are grouped in cohorts at the Henry Center and Mercer’s Macon and Atlanta campuses, a chance to network with their classmates and education practitioners.

About Mercer University: Founded in 1833, Mercer University has campuses in Eastman and Atlanta as well as regional academic centers in Henry County, Douglas County and the city of Eastman. With 10 schools and colleges, the University offers programs in liberal arts, business, engineering, education, medicine, nursing, pharmacy, law and theology. For 16 consecutive years, U.S. News & World Report has named Mercer University as one of the leading universities in the South. The Princeton Review has ranked it among the top 10 percent of colleges in the nation. 

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