Dean’s Welcome

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Dear Horned Frog Students, Faculty, Staff, Alumni and Community Members,

Welcome Home!

As I begin my second year as Dean of Education here at TCU, I’d like to welcome everyone back to campus; we’ve missed you! During the start of the year, there’s been a lot of discussion about when we’ll get “back to normal.” As the COVID count continues to rise in Texas and across the nation, it’s becoming clearer to me that we may not know the answer to that question anytime soon. However, I am working diligently with my fellow deans and the Office of the Provost to organize an academic year focused on the well-being and health of all of us, academic excellence in the classroom and with our scholarship and creative activities, and the ability to pivot and adapt to the ever-changing situation.

What I do know, and what I have observed, is that faculty, staff and our student body have returned to campus more compassionate, more sensitive, and more willing to take the time to check-in with each other. I am so proud of what we have accomplished together during this unprecedented time in our country’s history. We have all faced unbelievable personal and professional demands, but in the midst of these challenges, it has brought out the best in everyone.

During this unprecedented time, we’ve also been able to strengthen our ongoing partnerships and have created new ones. With Fort Worth Independent School District (FWISD), and with the support of an anonymous gift, we will be opening the TCU College of Education Counseling Clinic in the Carter-Riverside Neighborhood of Fort Worth. This is yet another example of the value that the College of Education is bringing to our community partners. The Center for Public Education and Community Engagement (CPECE), with its new name, is “open for business.” CPECE is engaged with program evaluation and already starting to collaborate with partners on meaningful research.  These groups include: The Rainwater Charitable Foundation, The Morris Foundation, and Dallas Truth, Racial Healing, & Transformation.  More projects are in the works and early indications are that CPECE can fill a need in the Fort Worth community. 

The College of Education will also be launching Maestro, a new initiative to increase the number of highly qualified Latinx male teachers in K–12 classrooms by supporting the efforts of young Latinx men to earn their bachelor’s degree and their teaching credentials. Maestro will recruit, prepare, place, and support Latinx men as they endeavor to earn their degrees and their teaching credentials. As a result of Maestro, a growing number of Latinx men will enroll in and, with their teaching credentials in hand, graduate from TCU and the COE. This will mark an increase in the number of Latinx men entering the teaching ranks, resulting in more Latino male teachers serving as role models for the youth whom they teach and guide.

I will make every effort to respond to students, faculty, staff and community members questions and concerns. I’m thankful for the suggestions, questions and concerns I’ve already received. We’re in this together. I wish you a safe and wonderful academic year.

Frank Hernandez
Dean