• From the Director’s Desk
  
• MISTER News
  
• Meet the MISTERs
• Building Pipelines
• Fall 2017 MISTER Undergraduate Application
• 2016-2017 MISTER Advisory Board
  
• Vision Statement
• Contact Us

As our Call Me MISTER cohort continues to grow and evolve, we want to document our collective journey to change the face of education through the MISTER lifestyle. Thus, this newsletter is a way for us to give updates on the progress and highlights of our program. Given that GC’s Call Me MISTER program is unique to the state of Georgia, our mission to “plant seeds of dignity and respect in children" to produce "crops of unprecedented success” continues to remain central to the future of education in our state. Fall 2016 has thus far been quite eventful for Call Me MISTER as our program continues to evolve and grow! As you peruse this letter, I hope you gain more insight into our mission and most importantly, become more inspired to make a positive influence upon the next generation as well.

Sincerely,

C. Emmanuel Little

Director of Call Me MISTER & Minority Retention

• Official Induction Ceremony: We hosted our first-ever induction ceremony in September, where we inducted new members and re-dedicated returning MISTERs to their mission. Thank you to the College of Education, Office of the President, and all others who supported this annual event!
  
• Betty & Davis Fitzgerald Foundation grant funding: We are extremely excited about being recipients of a $75,000 grant from the Betty & Davis Fitzgerald Foundation this year! These funds will support MISTERs through scholarships and resources for programmatic activities such as the Rising MISTER Academy.
  
• MISTERs On The Move: MISTERs assisted with Fallfest recruitment activities in October, speaking with potential students about Call Me MISTER and their experience thus far within the College of Education. MISTER Homer Jones & MISTER Jerome Brown assisted with the student panel, while MISTER Sylvester Clark & MISTER Brian Johnson assisted with the Bobcat Marketplace to share information with high school students and their families. MISTERs also participated in the GC Middle Grades Summit, where MISTER Jerome Brown and MISTER Homer Jones served as co-presenters on Nov. 11, 2016.
  
• New MISTERs: We would like to welcome William Cooper to our growing cohort of MISTERs for Spring 2017! William is a transfer student from Georgia Military College and interested in pursuing Middle Grades Education.

Rising MISTER Academy (current 9th -11th grade students)

Every summer, we host our annual Rising MISTER Academy in an effort to build a larger pipeline for MISTERs in the state of Georgia. Last summer’s academy hosted 25 high school students from Baldwin, Johnson, Twiggs, and Wilkinson Counties. We have already begun recruitment throughout the state of Georgia for the 2017 Academy, which has been upgraded to a week-long overnight experience on June 4th – 10th 2017! The Rising MISTER Academy is free and the application is now open to any current 9th – 11th graders who are interested. To apply, please click this application link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc6rwl2ikuDpjBNWcz9e33YckSEWEnUp7IRsjcvfXcLxrwKIQ/viewform (link also embedded below). In addition to the application, interested students must send the following materials to the attention of Mr. Emmanuel Little at the address provided:

• Most Recent Transcript (rising juniors and seniors must have a 2.5 cumulative GPA or higher; 3.0 preferred)
  
• Counselor or Teacher Letter of Recommendation
  
• Your 500-word response to the following short essay questions either at the end of the form or sent with other materials: Why do you want to be a teacher? How do you plan to make a positive impact through education?
  

All MISTERs must major in either Early Childhood Education, Middle Grades Education, or Special Education and apply separately for admission to Georgia College. All applicants are strongly encouraged to submit the following materials for Call Me MISTER by the priority deadline of Feb. 1, 2017:

• Call Me MISTER application : https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfRENM1YygvnbcBxwcvr0D-q20XFQI_7SLK6B9kgxtBy3WRAw/viewform (link also embedded below)
  
• 500-word essay answering the following questions: 1) Why do you want to teach and how will you be a benefit to the profession? 2) How will you be an asset to our program? 3) How do you envision yourself, and how will you make a difference in the lives of others as an educator? 4) What do you foresee as the biggest challenge for you as a (future) teacher and how will you embrace these challenges?
• Two letters of recommendation from an educator, counselor, community leader or principal that express the student’s motivation for entering the teaching profession and ability to make an a positive impact through education
  

• Resume including extracurricular activities and accomplishments

Following the submission of the items above, an interview will be scheduled with prospective program participants to ascertain their potential for teaching and their motivations for participation in the program, as well as to provide an opportunity for clarification of any information submitted through the application process.

Our Call Me MISTER program would like to thank the continual collaboration and advisement of its advisory board, composed of individuals from our campus and educational community who are all committed to helping our MISTERs achieve their goals. These members assist Call Me MISTER with strategic planning and mentorship of MISTERs throughout the year. Members of the advisory board are listed below:

· Dr. Nicole Declouette, Assistant Professor of Special Education & Educational Leadership

· Dr. Funke Fontenot, Interim Provost & Vice President for Academic Affairs, Albany State University

· Javier Francisco, Associate Director of Enrollment Management

· Antonio Ingram, Principal, Midway Elementary School

· Dr. David McIntyre, Associate Professor of Accounting

· Dr. Rebecca McMullen, Dean of the College of Education, Fort Valley State University

· George Moss, GC alumnus, retired educator and MISTER sponsor

· Dexter Ricks, Teacher/Instructor, Baldwin High School

· Dr. Runee Sallad, Principal/Director, Georgia College Early College

· Dr. Ashley Taylor, Assistant Professor of Psychology

· Shaun Wells, Principal, Eagle Ridge Elementary School

· Dr. Veronica Womack, Chief Diversity Officer and Director of Institutional Equity & Diversity

I am a dedicated Servant Leader who is perpetuating a sorely needed concept - Servant-Leaders as role models in elementary schools. I am devoted to planting seeds of dignity and respect in children and inspiring them to cultivate those seeds producing a crop of unprecedented success. I will teach reading, writing and arithmetic and progress to self-esteem, imagination and determination. Because of my immeasurable promise, not only have I earned your respect, I demand it! A title is only important if ones' character and integrity dictate its use. When you address me, please verbalize my destiny... please do not call me by my first name... call me in reference to my great vision... call me MISTER!

Teamwork makes the Dream work!