Kathie Wentworth, Tri-State University Director of Academic Support Services, recently earned certification as a developmental education specialist from the Kellogg Institute for the Training and Certification of Developmental Educators. Wentworth was among 45 educators selected from across the United States to participate in the Kellogg Institute and its certification process during the 2006-2007 academic year.

The 28-year-old institute offers a month-long living/learning experience for the training and certification of educational professionals who work with academically unprepared students on college campuses. Each year, 45 individuals participate in a summer training program, followed by a semester-long practicum in which they implement new techniques on their home campuses.

For her practicum, Wentworth implemented an Academic Foundations program last fall at TSU to work with the University’s least prepared students. They met in a classroom setting three times a week to determine their strengths and weaknesses, upgrade their college reading skills, and establish good college student habits. She targeted a 55 percent success rate as measured by academic standing, and reached 57 percent.

She was awarded the certification as a result of her participation in the training program and completion of the TSU project. The certification as developmental education specialist is awarded through the institute in conjunction with Appalachian State University in Boone, N.C.