[nfbwatlk] FW: [tovi] Your Support is urgently needed - Portland State University program is suspended.

Tue Apr 7 22:13:25 UTC 2009

Do you have further details?  

Paul Van Dyck

Sounds of Awareness Radio

www.soundsofawareness.org

----- Original Message -----

From: Doug Trimble 

To: NFB of Washington Talk Mailing List 

Sent: Tue, 7 Apr 2009 15:23:08 +0000 (UTC)

Subject: [nfbwatlk] FW: [tovi] Your Support is urgently needed - Portland State University program is suspended.

FYI, PSU  shutting down Teacher of the Blind program.

Doug Trimble

Orientation & Mobility Instructor

Off Campus Work Advisor

Washington State School for the Blind

2214 E. 13th Street Vancouver,  WA  98661

office ph. 360-696-6321 #118

cell:360-909-0833 

________________________________

From: Jim Bickford [mailto:bickford at pdx.edu] 

Sent: Monday, April 06, 2009 3:39 PM

To: TOVI: Administrative Question

Subject: [tovi] Your Support is urgently needed - Portland State

University program is suspended.

Importance: High

Friends, Colleagues, Students, Parents, and all Stakeholders:

On March 30, 2009 the provost at Portland State University made a

decision to suspend operations of the program to prepare teachers of

students who are blind or visually impaired due to the current economic

and budgetary shortfalls.  Many of you are aware that Portland State is

the only teacher preparation program in the Pacific Northwest and just

completed its 45th year preparing teachers for blind children. This

decision came as quite a shock to all of us.  The provost has proposed

reviewing the program in the next 6-9 months before making a final

determination about continuance.  However, for the 2009-2010 school year

we will admit no new students.

I would like to encourage each one of you to make your concerns known to

the provost and our dean and explain the need for our program to

continue.  If you have had specific personal relationships with our

program, please do be personal - but the emphasis must be on the needs

of the students who will now go unserved.  Also, if you have any

specific suggestions for collaborative partnerships, we would love to

hear them.

I would also encourage you to share this e-mail with anyone that you

feel may be affected by our potential permanent closure.

Please address your concerns to:

Dr. Roy Koch, Provost                     kochr at pdx.edu 

Portland State University

PO Box 751

Portland, Oregon  97207

and 

Dr. Randy Hitz, Dean                      hitz at pdx.edu 

Graduate School of Education

Portland State University

PO Box 751

Portland, Oregon   97207

With copies to our department chair

Dr. Leslie Munson              munsonl at pdx.edu 

Thank you for your concern.

James O. "Blue" Bickford, Ed.D.

Director:  Project BRAILLE 

Associate Professor

Program for Visually Impaired Learners

Telephone:  503-725-5495

FAX:           503-725-5599

Visit our distance learning information center at:

http://www.pdx.edu/sped/vil.html 

Portland State University

Department of Special Education

PO Box 751

Portland, Oregon  97207

--- 

You are currently subscribed to tovi as: unknown lmsubst tag argument:

'' 

To unsubscribe send a blank email to leave-133310-15826S at wsdsonline.org 

_______________________________________________

nfbwatlk mailing list

nfbwatlk at nfbnet.org

http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfbwatlk_nfbnet.org

To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for nfbwatlk:

http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfbwatlk_nfbnet.org/paulvandyck%40comcast.net