P.O. Box 310 . 7384 John LeBlanc Blvd . Sorrento, LA 70778 . www.rpcc.edu

MEDIA CENTER

News Release

For Immediate Release

For more information, contact:
STEVEN W. JOHNSTON
(225) 288-7883

DONNA H. SEALE
(225) 675-0207

FAX: (225) 675-6394

July 25, 2006

SORRENTO - Officials at River Parishes Community College are making plans to offer an additional degree soon. A proposal for an Associate of Science in Teacher Education is being prepared by the school, and will be submitted to the Louisiana Community and Technical College System (LCTCS) early in the upcoming fall semester. Before the college can offer the degree to students, the proposal must be reviewed and approved by the system’s Board of Supervisors. Then state Board of Regents must give the plan its stamp of approval before the degree program becomes official.

Dr. Joe Ben Welch, Chancellor of River Parishes Community College, said, “We are excited about the possibilities that would come with the approval of an additional degree program. We have been growing steadily since we opened our doors, and we are always exploring new opportunities and new ways to enhance the higher education offerings in the river region.”

The two-year degree program has been developed over the past three years by community college teacher education leaders and elementary education representatives from the state’s universities. The teacher education degree program will prepare students who intend to teach elementary school – first through fifth grades – for admission to the state universities.

Degree completion will require students to meet program prerequisites, complete 60 semester credit hours, maintain an electronic portfolio of professional experiences and pass PRAXIS I and II. Graduates will then be able to transfer into one of Louisiana’s public or private universities, where a bachelor’s degree in elementary education can be completed.

Dr. Cynthia Vavasseur, a May 2006 graduate of LSU’s doctoral program in Educational Leadership and Research, will be the lead faculty member. Vavasseur, a Prairieville resident who formerly taught at Dutchtown Middle and Duplessis Elementary schools, will begin to work at River Parishes Community College in August, pending approval by the LCTCS Board of Supervisors.

River Parishes Community College is a two-year learning institution, fully-accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award Associate Degrees. The school is located at 7384 John LeBlanc Blvd. in Sorrento. For more information about River Parishes Community College, or to enroll in classes, call 225-675-8270 or log on to www.rpcc.edu.

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