RESOLUTION TO ESTABLISH BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN SPECIAL EDUCATION WITH MULTI-CATEGORICAL TEACHER CERTIFICATION

WHEREAS, Winthrop University has long offered a degree program in Special Education that leads to certification in either Learning and Emotional Disabilities or Mental and Severe Disabilities; and

WHEREAS, the proposed new program in Special Education will combine the existing concentrations into a single concentration and provide opportunities for students to become certified in the multi-categorical disabilities; and

WHEREAS, the mission of the Bachelor of Science in Special Education degree program is to prepare highly qualified special education teachers to enter the teaching profession; and

WHEREAS, the program will prepare candidates to teach students with learning disabilities, emotional and behavior disabilities, intellectual disabilities, autism spectrum disorders, and severe disabilities in inclusive classrooms and special settings; and

WHEREAS, the proposed degree is consistent with Winthrop University's Mission Statement wherein the University seeks to provide "personalized and challenging undergraduate, graduate, and continuing professional education programs of national caliber within a context dedicated to public service to the State of South Carolina";

THEREFORE, LET IT BE RESOLVED that the Bachelor of Science in Special Education, with Multi-Categorical Certification, be established.

November 4, 2016