New dean of education ready to restructure
Tate plans to incorporate research into classroom, develop community leaders

By LaNasha Houze
Staff Reporter

William F. Tate, the new William L. and Betty F. Adams chairman of education, said he plans to help restructure the School of Education into a first tier program by incorporating his research of mathematics education in school districts of the Dallas/Fort Worth area.

“I’m not coming for a job,” he said. “My whole idea is to take the School of Education to another level concerning program quality. TCU has this potential.”

Tate previously held the position of a tenured professor of mathematics in the Department of Curriculum at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. TCU administration said it believes Tate’s experience with curriculum and projects at a top education facility may help TCU’s School of Education implement new ideas.

Part of the Adams chair’s job is to assist in the continued structural formatting of the Institute of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, said Janet Kelly, director of the institute. She said the purpose of the institute is to encourage educational research for math and science, as well as to facilitate communication among joint projects.

Kelly said the school of education can learn from Tate’s strong research record in the field of education.

“He is articulate and well versed in research, and we want (the School of Education) to improve,” she said.

Henry Patterson, associate dean of the school of education, said that because of the national selection process, finding a non-TCU faculty or staff member is normal.

“We were looking for the best qualified candidates throughout the United States,” he said. “We advertise for a chair nationally, but that does not mean that qualified (faculty members) cannot apply.”

Angieline Powell-Mikle, assistant professor for math education and a member of the Adams chair selection committee, said she hoped the school would gain Tate as a faculty member during the selection process.

“His reputation precedes him (in the field of math education),” she said. “His (work) is even in my dissertation.”

Tate said his goal as chair is to continue to gain more partnerships for his research and to incorporate his research into the classroom in order to develop more educational leaders in the area. Tate said the lower population of the student body at TCU, in comparison to over 40,000 at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, will not be a hindrance.

“There is a lot to learn about how private universities operate,” Tate said. “The student enrollment is limited due to the price, but I hope to develop a nationally recognized program in education at TCU (to continue) to draw quality students (instead of focusing on the quantity of students).”

Tate’s position as Adams chair will become effective this summer.

LaNasha Houze
l.d.houze@student.tcu.edu