As the new Dean of SEHS, I am very proud to work side by side with such talented and student-focused staff and faculty as we continually improve the curriculum, student services, and the culture that makes up who we are as an academic unit.  Having achieved national accreditation in all academic programs, including Education, Social Work, and the Early Childhood Development Center, we are now poised to grow the school in very intentional and responsible ways that will positively impact our current students, future students, international students, and P-12 students in the communities we serve.  To that end, our new all-online minor in Substance Abuse Treatment was launched this summer and student demand for that program is far more robust than we anticipated. This minor already is drawing students from majors in the health care, social work, and education fields; we hope to partner with other departments in all academic units during the 2014-2015 academic year to make this valuable course of study available to all UM-Flint students.  We have also begun a new minor in Early Childhood Studies, a program which partners us with Mott Community College to help students make a smooth transition from the Mott program to the UM-Flint program. Plans also are in the works for a major in Early Childhood Studies.  Our Early Childhood Development Center plays a key role in this and other programs within and beyond SEHS. We have worked with the ECDC Director and Staff to make the Center a lab school for our undergraduate and graduate students, as well as for faculty and student research.  Finally, we have launched a major initiative to improve the recruitment, persistence, and graduation rates of our students through our new Center for Educator Preparation. The Center is designed to work with students from the time they enroll for classes at UM-Flint until they are placed into career positions after graduation.  SEHS is poised to become a regional leader in social work and educator preparation, and I am very excited to work with our faculty, staff, and students to make sure we reach that goal.