10. Empowering Youth-Driven Sustainability Action

The Center for Sustainable Futures continued to drive thoughtful research and action through their program Youth at the Center, which uses advocacy curriculum to help amplify the voices of 20 New York City middle school students in the global effort to address the outcomes of climate change.

“Massive interdisciplinary problems need interdisciplinary solutions. Our students already know this,” explained Christina Torres, one of the TC students leading these efforts to help youth implement climate activism in their own schools and communities.

9. Strengthening a Key Pipeline for NYC Teachers

Teachers College’s landmark Jaffe Peace Corps Fellows Program received a new gift of $1.7 million from TC Trustee Emeritus Elliot S. Jaffe and his wife Roslyn, and the Jaffe Family Foundation, to support student scholarships for this groundbreaking program that prepares returning Peace Corps volunteers for careers as teachers in New York City public schools following graduation.

With this new gift, the Jaffes have contributed nearly $6.5 million since 1990 to support returning Peace Corps volunteers who pursue master’s degrees in teacher education at Teachers College.

8. Promoting Culturally-Sustaining Pedagogy

In efforts to help support and challenge educators amidst the start of the academic year, Teachers College asked faculty members to share recommendations on some of their most valued race and inclusion works. Their vibrant suggestions included many actionable, informative reads that can most definitely be added to your reading list or shared in your classroom.

7. Expanding Dance Education

In efforts to further strengthen and expand TC’s Dance Education program and the Arnhold Institute for Dance Education Research, Jody (M.A., ‘73) and John Arnhold, and the Arnhold Foundation, donated $5 million to build the Arnhold Dance Education Research Studios. The 5,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art facility will reclaim the ground floor of Horace Mann Hall with flexible dance studios. The new space will both advance research and teaching around dance education and also foster collaborative projects with community groups and cultural partners.

6. Celebrating the First In-Person Orientation in Three Years

It was a semester filled with excitement this fall, as students from around the globe came together to embark on their in-person journeys at TC for the very first time since the pandemic. Hosted by the Office of Graduate Life and Student Development, the New Student Orientation celebration included faculty panels, game-show inspired trivia quizzes, mixers, and more.

In his joyful message to incoming students, Interim Provost William J. Baldwin added, “You’ll soon discover what makes TC special, but here are a few things to get you started…I urge you to jump in to all that TC has to offer with both feet.” Additional notable TC community members shared messages of encouragement and enthusiasm to empower students on their new academic journeys.

5. Leading New Progress in Gun Violence Research

At the helm of the new Research Society for the Prevention of Firearm-Related Harms, TC’s Sonali Rajan will lead efforts to support rigorous research and evaluation of evidence-based practices related to gun violence. In addition to cultivating more intersectional research, the society is committed to increasing opportunities and support for researchers, a strategy necessary to build the future of the field.

4. Curbing Hate and Extremism Through Research

To help foster a more peaceful, inclusive world, TC formally launched the International Lab for Research and Leadership in Interfaith Collaboration and Coexistence this fall.

Established and supported by a grant from the Muslim World League, the Interfaith Lab will equip educators and educational staff with the best practices and evidence-based training programs to identify and stop the process of radicalization. The Lab, under the leadership of Amra Sabic-El-Rayess, will also design educational experiences to foster a culture of resilience against hate and violence.

3. Expanding Our Impact

On the first TC Impact Day last spring, Teachers College celebrated the everyday results of our collective work, and asked members of our community to join us in furthering our continued pursuit of bold, evidence-based solutions to the world’s greatest challenges. In honor of Impact Day, more than 300 alumni volunteered, more than a hundred jobs were posted to TC NEXT, 1.8k books were donated to our partner schools, and the College raised funds to support various causes at TC.

2. Reimagining Possibilities with TC’s Digital Futures Institute

The Digital Futures Institute (DFI) entered its third year on campus with a robust, new window of technological possibilities. Using an innovative approach to exploring the intersection of technology and education, experts at DFI made it a priority in 2022 to shape the future of teaching and learning with technology. This forward-thinking ethos inspired many of DFI’s college-wide ventures in 2022 including dynamic research projects and even a new podcast series titled, “How’s School?”

1. Looking Ahead to 2023

At the recent State of the College, President Thomas Bailey reported the College reaching new heights, including advancements in research, diversity and student pathways at TC. “As always, I am awed by the power of this extraordinary community to join forces and make a difference in the world,” President Bailey said. “We face a crisis in the teaching profession, structural racism and discrimination in our education and health systems, disparities in mental and physical wellness, an urgent need to address sustainability, and so much more. These are big challenges that our skills and expertise prepare us to help solve.”