UI College of Education Dean Dale Gentry Honored in Coeur d’Alene May 13
Thursday, May 9 2002
May 9, 2002^MOSCOW – Dale Gentry, who steps down as the University of Idaho education dean of 17 years -- the longest serving dean currently at UI -- will be honored at a pre-commencement reception at the Coeur d’Alene Inn, 4-5:30 p.m., Monday, May 13.^The event will feature a video, “The Gentry Years: 1985 to 2002,” documenting some of the college’s impact on education in Idaho. Other similar public receptions for Gentry are planned for May 30, 4-5:30 p.m. at Moscow's University Inn; and June 20, 4:30-6 p.m. at the Boise Doubletree Riverside, which dovetails with the Idaho Association of School Administrators meeting. The receptions are free and open to the public.^“Dale Gentry is one of the most respected educators in Idaho,” said Marilyn Howard, Idaho Superintendent of Public Instruction, at a recent educators' gathering. UI President Bob Hoover also added that in addition to shepherding the college through many changes, Gentry has been part of “virtually every study and reform in Idaho education in the past 17 years.”^The Gentry era included development of distance and high-tech learning, expansion of UI's teacher training and academic preparation in Boise, Coeur d'Alene, Twin Falls and Idaho Falls, and progressive programs statewide to prepare school administrators and professional development for educators. The curriculum and teaching reform movements were constants on the front burners, to meet new sociological demands. He led a peripatetic career statewide to address these issues.^“When Dale began as dean, the UI Coeur d’Alene center had 533 students and taught 3,000 credit hours,” said Jack Dawson, UI Coeur d’Alene Center dean. “Today we serve 2,600 students with about 8,000 credit hours of educational delivery.'^UI's Coeur d'Alene campus is poised to expand as the Harbor Center and nearby UI Research Park bring new resources for higher education to Coeur d’Alene -- "appropriate for the fastest-growing and second-largest county in Idaho," said Dawson.^In Gentry's early years, technology mainly “meant a telephone,” added Dawson. Gentry recalls also that “distance learning meant professors got in their cars after teaching all day in Moscow and drove 80 miles to Coeur d’Alene for evening classes.”^Today classes are taught via video conferencing, so the teacher and students in Moscow can interact with classrooms in Coeur d’Alene or Boise. “Ours is one of the most technologically advanced colleges of education,” said Jerry Tuchscherer, associate education dean.^ "Less than a decade ago, the college had a computer lab with a dozen stations and about 10 percent of the faculty had computers. Now, we have more than 300 computers, seven smart classrooms and video conferencing capabilities,” said John Davis, technology specialist. “Every faculty member has desktop computers; our technology center has digital cameras, editing equipment and all kinds of software." Davis appreciates how far ahead UI's education technology is when he visits other big-name institutions.^The Gentry Years video also documents the changing role of a dean. “We used to focus mostly on internal matters such as curriculum, faculty development, and on-campus issues,” said former education dean Thomas O. Bell. “Now deans must worry about fund raising,” outreach strategies and national dialogs about K-12 issues.^Roger Reynoldson, faculty emeritus at the UI Boise Center said many of Idaho’s principals and superintendents today “from Burley to Moscow were trained in UI educational leadership graduate programs, many of them thanks to Dale Gentry.”^Gentry and his wife Pat, long-time special education teacher in Moscow schools, have both resigned their positions to consider their next career steps. “Our main concern, always,” says Gentry, “is helping bring about the best possible education for children. That desire has always governed our life, and it always will.” ^^Media Contacts: Dale Gentry, dean, College of Education, (208) 885-6773, dgentry@uidaho.edu; Jack Dawson, dean, UI Coeur d’Alene Center, (208) 667-2588, jdawson@uidaho.edu; Mary Ann Reese, UI College of Education media relations, (208) 885-2841, mreese@uidaho.edu (Photo may be downloaded at www.its.uidaho.edu/today/photo_list.asp)^**The media is welcome to the Dean Gentry reception, as well as graduation ceremonies May 13 at 7:30 at Schuler Auditorium in Boswell Hall on the North Idaho College campus -- after which UI President Hoover will host a Commencement reception. ^^-30-^(mar) 5/9/02 -EDU^
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The University of Idaho helps students to succeed and become leaders. Its land-grant mission furthers innovative scholarly and creative research to grow Idaho's economy and serve a statewide community. From its main campus in Moscow, Idaho, to 70 research and academic locations statewide, U-Idaho emphasizes real-world application as part of its student experience. U-Idaho combines the strength of a large university with the intimacy of small learning communities. It is home to the Vandals. For information, visit www.uidaho.edu.