Q&A with Katy Heyning

November 21, 2014

As dean of the College of Education and Professional Studies at UW-Whitewater, Katy Heyning leads one of the largest teacher education programs in Wisconsin. She's been at the helm since 2009, steering the college to be an innovative, nurturing, technologically savvy and globally connected place of learning.

Frequently, she represents UW-Whitewater at state and national meetings. Heyning also serves as president of the Teacher Education Council of State Colleges and Universities, which advocates for more than 600 programs — accounting for more than half of all future teachers in the United States.

This spring, Heyning will receive the Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award from UW-Madison's School of Education, where she earned her Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction.

The award — the school's highest honor — recognizes a career of extraordinary accomplishment. We caught up with Heyning to talk about her career and what's going on in the college she leads today.

Congratulations on your award!

Thanks. It came out of the blue, but I'm honored to receive it. Because of proximity, I've maintained close ties to friends and colleagues in Madison. Many of them helped me get where I am today.

You started out as a fifth grade teacher. What was that like?

I worked at an elementary school in a north suburb of Chicago. The students were very bright. I had a lot of autonomy to work with them in creative ways. To see those ‘a-ha' moments, and to watch them grow socially, was very rewarding. I often say they started school that year as children, and left as pre-teens.

What made you want to pursue a career in higher education?

People around me were tremendously supportive and encouraged me to get my master's degree, and eventually my Ph.D. As an elementary school teacher, I taught about 25 students in a class. As a university faculty member, I realized I could teach 25 students who would go on to teach 25 students. So, from that perspective, the impact I could have was exponentially higher.

What's the most fun part of being a dean?

I work with an incredible cast of characters — we have so many bright people. I'm in awe of the collective knowledge — not just in the college, but the entire campus. My colleagues challenge me and keep me on my toes.

What are some of the greatest challenges facing young teachers today and what is the college doing to prepare them for these challenges?

Today's teachers need to be cognizant of every child's needs and background — whether it's academic, socio-economic or cultural. It's not about teaching a group, you are teaching individuals. We emphasize that a great deal in our curriculum. You also have to love thinking about teaching. For example, if you want to be a creative writing teacher, you can't just love creative writing. You have to love teaching creative writing.

Also, the college is working to prepare our student teachers to take the edTPA, a national assessment students will need to pass in order to be licensed. It will be required of all student teachers in Wisconsin by 2016.

One of your initiatives — the Future Teacher Program — boasts a more-than-90-percent retention rate. It sounds like a resounding success.

I'm really proud of it. We established the program to help minority and first-generation students overcome hurdles preventing them from becoming teachers in science, technology, engineering and math. We saw too many students declaring "education" as their major, and then changing it to something else. They were intimidated by tests, felt unwelcome and had a self-defeating attitude. The Future Teacher Program brought intensive advising, addressed cross-cultural communication and created a sense of community — all of which have had a tremendous impact.

What would surprise people about the college today?

We have so many projects happening in school districts right now. That was one of my major goals when I became dean — to see increased collaboration between the college and the community. Our students and faculty members are heavily involved in classrooms across Wisconsin — teaching, observing and sharing best practices — in grades from pre-kindergarten through high school.

An exciting initiative we're working on is called Whitewater Reads. It is a literacy campaign that involves the university, school district, businesses and the community. Our goal is to have every third-grader reading at third-grade levels or above. Study after study has shown that literacy at that age is critical for that student to have an increased chance of academic success down the road. Our college is determined to play a role in making that happen.