Graham, Rubinstein Honored as Friends of CERRA

By Mychal Frost
Public Information Coordinator, CERRA
803-323-4032
frostm@cerra.org

ROCK HILL, S.C. - Dr. Patricia Graham and Dr. Joseph Rubinstein were recently honored as Friends of CERRA for their more than 40 years of combined service to the Center for Educator Recruitment, Retention, and Advancement.

CERRA recognizes outstanding members of the education community who have contributed time, energy, and guidance to the organization. The 2008 recipients of the Friends of CERRA award reflect those very ideals in everyday of their work.

“The Friends of CERRA award is reserved for individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the education profession through their relationship with and work through CERRA,” says Dr. Gayle Sawyer, CERRA executive director. “They in one way or another have been invaluable to the Center through their expertise and support.”

Graham, the former dean of Winthrop University’s Richard W. Riley College of Education, has been an instrumental and forward-thinking member of the organization since day one and served as Winthrop’s liaison to the Board of Directors for 22 years. The dedication exhibited by Graham through the years has been pivotal to the organization’s growth and has helped cement CERRA as the nation’s oldest and most established teacher recruitment organization.

Rubinstein, a professor of education at Coker College in Hartsville, is a charter member of the CERRA Board of Directors, serving in that capacity from 1986 to 2008. His commitment and dedication to the organization can be seen through his guidance and direction provided throughout the past two decades.

Sawyer added that both Dr. Graham and “Dr. Joe,” as the staff affectionately calls Dr. Rubinstein, served on the original recruitment task force in 1984 that envisioned a teacher recruitment initiative as a proactive response to a dwindling teacher pool in South Carolina. “Their expertise and dedication to providing high quality teachers for the students of South Carolina helped to design and sustain the Center as a national model for recruitment and retention initiatives,” she said.

In 1985, a group of educators, including Graham and current state superintendent Dr. Jim Rex, joined forces to devise a plan to solve the teacher shortage in South Carolina. Now, in its 23rd year, CERRA continues to work to fulfill its mission to ensure every classroom across the state is led by a caring, competent, and qualified teacher.

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CERRA, an independent state agency located on the campus of Winthrop University, is the oldest and most established teacher recruitment program in the country. The purpose of CERRA is to provide leadership in identifying, attracting, placing and retaining well-qualified individuals for the teaching profession in South Carolina. CERRA’s programs have been adopted at school, district and state levels in more than 30 states in the United States.