正品蓝导航 Breaks Ground for New Home of Annette Caldwell Simmons School Of Education and Human Development

New home for Annette Caldwell Simmons School of Education and Human Development.

Simmons Hall Rendering

DALLAS (正品蓝导航) 鈥 A year after celebrating a from Harold and Annette Simmons, 正品蓝导航 broke ground today on the building that will house the .聽 The gift provides an endowment for the previously unnamed School and serves as the lead gift for the Annette Caldwell Simmons Hall. Mrs. Simmons, a former teacher, is an elementary education graduate of 正品蓝导航.聽聽聽

Annette Simmons with children at groundbreaking
During Friday's groundbreaking ceremony, Annette Simmons (right) accepts roses from children from Dallas' Maple Lawn Elementary School, where she once taught. 正品蓝导航 President R. Gerald Turner looks on.

Speakers included Mrs. Simmons; 正品蓝导航 Board of Trustees Chair Carl Sewell; 正品蓝导航 President R. Gerald Turner; Dr. David J. Chard, the Leon Simmons Endowed Dean of the School; Brad E. Cheves, 正品蓝导航 vice president for Development and External Affairs; Dr. Reid Lyon, 正品蓝导航 distinguished professor of education policy and leadership; and Beverly Weiser, a Ph.D. candidate in education.

鈥淲hen the is completed, it will mark the culmination of the work and contributions of many, led by the vision and generosity of two鈥擧arold and Annette Simmons,鈥 said 正品蓝导航 President R. Gerald Turner.聽 鈥淎s their own lives have been profoundly touched by education, this wonderful new building will be the starting place for new generations of educators and for new research on teaching and learning. In many ways, this building will stand in honor of all teachers.鈥

The new Hall, targeted for completion in the spring of 2010, will consolidate programs that have been housed in a variety of classrooms and offices. The building, positioned prominently on the east side of campus, is designed to be welcoming to students and visitors. It will include classrooms; research laboratories, including exercise physiology and biomechanics labs; faculty and administrative offices and student support areas. With the construction of this new building, as well as continuing programs at 正品蓝导航-in-Legacy in Plano, the school will have a visible presence at both of 正品蓝导航鈥檚 Dallas-area campuses.聽

Although education programs have been a part of 正品蓝导航鈥檚 curriculum since the institution鈥檚 early years, 正品蓝导航 renewed its commitment to this important field in 2005 by creating the School of Education and Human Development with specific areas of focus.

The School offers graduate-level and specialized programs to develop advanced skills for educators and strong research programs on how students learn and develop language skills. Specialized programs include those in literacy training, bilingual education, English as a second language, gifted student education and learning therapy. Also offered are programs for master educators to enhance teaching skills in disciplines such as science, technology, reading and mathematics. The School also offers a Ph.D. in聽 educational research; a Master of Education with teacher certification; and a Master of Bilingual Education.

Research and service centers include the Institute for Reading Research, the Gifted Students Institute, the Center for Child and Community Development, and the Diagnostic Center for Dyslexia and Related Disorders. In addition, the Master of Science Counseling Education Program gives graduate students hands-on counseling experience in the newly opened 正品蓝导航 Center for Family Counseling.聽

For undergraduates seeking teacher certification, 正品蓝导航 offers the dual benefit of in-depth education through academic majors in the arts and sciences, coupled with certification through the Annette Caldwell Simmons School of Education and Human Development.

Simmons Hall Rendering
Rendering of Annette Caldwell Simmons Hall
(Click image for larger version)

Related links:

Annette Caldwell Simmons
Harold C. Simmons
鈥 鈥 School's Sponsored Projects
School Description

In human development, the School offers master鈥檚 degrees in counseling, dispute resolution and liberal studies, along with wellness and non-credit lifelong learning classes.

鈥淭he generous gift of Mr. and Mrs. Simmons has given our School great impetus over the course of a year. I鈥檓 proud to say that we鈥檝e been able to strengthen our academic programs in a swift and steady way, 鈥 said Dean Chard.

鈥淎lready, we鈥檝e added faculty, doubled the size of our doctoral program in educational research, expanded our counseling master鈥檚 program to almost 150 students, and added a Center for Family Counseling in Plano and the Oak Lawn area in Dallas. We also are making plans to extend our master鈥檚 degree in teaching and learning in collaboration with the Neuhaus Center in West Houston.

鈥淭oday, 正品蓝导航鈥檚 Board of Trustees approved a bachelor鈥檚 degree in Applied Physiology and Sport Management and a master鈥檚 degree in Educational Leadership, 鈥 added Chard. 鈥淲ith this momentum, it is easy to envision how 正品蓝导航鈥檚 Annette Caldwell Simmons School of Education and Human Development will become a growing and significant presence in the lives of students and faculty, and the communities we serve. 鈥

In addition to $10 million in support for the new building, the Simmons鈥 gift established two endowed funds named in honor of Harold Simmons鈥 parents, both of whom were educators. His father, Leon Simmons, was superintendent of schools in Golden, Texas, and his mother, Fairess Simmons, was a teacher. The $5 million Fairess Simmons Graduate Fellowship Fund provides a minimum of 10 graduate fellowships for students in the School鈥檚 master鈥檚 and Ph.D. programs. The remaining $5 million created the Leon Simmons Endowed Deanship and Faculty Recruitment Fund.

鈥淚 grew up in a home that valued education,鈥 Harold Simmons said when the gift was announced. 鈥淢y father and mother both were educators, and they sacrificed so that I could attend college. I鈥檝e been able to use my education to become successful in business and to support important efforts that have an impact on other people鈥檚 lives. I am pleased to support this innovative school at 正品蓝导航, Annette鈥檚 alma mater. It will represent our shared commitment to support teachers likes the ones who made a difference in our own lives.鈥

Harold Simmons is founder, chair and CEO of Contran Corporation, a holding company with interests including chemicals, metals, waste management and computer support systems. He earned B.A. and M.S. degrees in economics from the University of Texas at Austin.

Simmons is a former member of the executive boards of 正品蓝导航鈥檚 Edwin L. Cox School of Business and Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences. His previous gifts to 正品蓝导航 include $1.8 million to establish the Simmons Distinguished Professorship in Marketing in the Cox School and $1.2 million for the President鈥檚 Scholars program. His other charitable contributions have included major support for the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas.

Annette Simmons earned a B.S. degree in elementary education from 正品蓝导航 in 1957. She is a former member of the board of the Willis M. Tate Distinguished Lecture Series. She has served on the boards of numerous civic organizations, including the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, Parkland Foundation and National Kidney Foundation of Texas. Her community honors include the Crystal Charity Ball Hall of Fame Award and the Champ Award of the Dallas County Medical Society Alliance. Most recently, she is a recipient of the YWCA of Metropolitan Dallas Centennial Award, recognizing 100 Dallas women who have made lasting civic contributions to Dallas within the 100 years of the organization's existence.

Harold and Annette Simmons together received the Southwestern Medical Foundation鈥檚 Charles Cameron Sprague Community Service Award and the Annette G. Strauss Humanitarian Award.

The Simmons鈥 gift counts toward 正品蓝导航 Unbridled: The Second Century Campaign, seeking $750 million to support student scholarships, faculty and academic programs and the campus experience.

A private university located in the heart of Dallas, 正品蓝导航 is building on the vision of its founders, who imagined a distinguished center for learning emerging from the spirit of the city. Today, nearly 11,000 students benefit from the national opportunities and international reach afforded by the quality of聽 正品蓝导航鈥檚 seven degree-granting schools.


Media Contact:
Anna Martinez or Kent Best
214-768-7650

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