The Thomas R. Rosebrough Center for Educational Practice is located at Union University's School of Education. The Center aims to promote the work and interests of the School of Education, its faculty, staff, students, and alumni across Union's three campuses located in Jackson, Germantown, and Hendersonville, Tennessee.
Union has established academic centers to promote the ideals of different academic departments to deal Christianly with issues. The Rosebrough Center for Educational Practice is one of several Centers established by Union University, and is focused on promoting educational excellence within the context of Union University's School of Education.
The Union Difference
The Thomas R. Rosebrough Center for Educational Practice aims to promote and recognize excellence in education from preschool through higher education. The manner in which the Center for Educational Practice defines its work can be found within the context and mission of Union University and the School of Education.
Union University has identified four core values to provide a vision for the work of its faculty, staff and students. These core values indicate that educators should aim to be Excellence-Driven, Christ-Centered, People-Focused, and Future Directed. Likewise, the guiding, conceptual framework for Union's School of Education is: A Teacher-Student Dynamic of Sensitivity, Reflection and Faith. Furthermore, Union's School of Education, under the leadership of Executive Dean Rosebrough, has identified the importance of educators to be effective scholars, practitioners, and relaters, as they become transformational in their work. It is within these contexts that the Rosebrough Center for Educational Practice aims to enact its mission.
Mission
The mission of the Thomas R. Rosebrough Center for Educational Practice is to promote excellence in education in ways that reflect:
- Union University's four core values (i.e., Excellence-Driven, Christ-Centered, People-Focused, and Future Directed),
- The conceptual framework of Union's School of Education (i.e., A Teacher-Student Dynamic of Sensitivity, Reflection and Faith), and
- Transformational Teaching (e.g., Educators need to be effective scholars, practitioners, and relaters.).
Purpose
The Thomas R. Rosebrough Center for Educational Practice promotes and recognizes excellence in education by:
- Publishing news articles about the work of faculty, students and alumni at Union University's School of Education.
- Publishing white papers, book reviews, and practical academic thought pieces on educational topics.
- Distributing Focus on Education, a podcast that brings attention to quality in education.
- Communicating and hosting educational events.
- Awarding quality education at the preschool through higher education levels.
Honorary Namesake
In December 2012, the Board of Trustees at Union University unanimously approved a name change for the Center for Educational Practice at Union University in order to honor the faithful and long-term service of Dr. Thomas R. Rosebrough, Executive Dean and University Professor of Education in the College of Education and Human Studies at Union University. Dr. Rosebrough has served as Dean of the College since 1996, and has numerous years of undergraduate and graduate teaching experience, including as a professor of educational foundations, learning theory, and instructional design. Likewise, Dr. Rosebrough has demonstrated scholarly excellence, as shown in numerous presentations and publications as well as in a recent book for which he was the lead author. The text, Transformational Teaching in the Information Age: Making Why and How We Teach Relevant to Students, is published by ASCD (2011), and has been widely recognized for its theoretical and practical perspectives. Namely, Transformational Teaching recognizes the philosophical importance of helping teachers identify their roles as scholars, practitioners, and relaters, and the practical significance of teaching for transformative depth and meaning in this contemporary realm of schooling.
Director: Eric Marvin, 615-447-2514, emarvin@uu.edu