For immediate release, October 29, 2009

SC Superintendent Candidate Nelsen to Visit CERRA on Monday

ROCK HILL—South Carolina citizens will elect a new state superintendent of education in November 2010, and one person vying for the post wants to learn about the nation’s oldest and most established teacher recruitment center.

Brent Nelsen, a Greenville Republican, will be in Rock Hill on Monday to learn about and better understand the efforts of the Center for Educator Recruitment, Retention, and Advancement (CERRA). He hopes to partner with CERRA in the future to increase educational success in South Carolina through better teaching. For the past 20 years Nelsen has taught politics and economics of the United States and of countries around the world at Furman University.

Nelsen is a past president of the South Carolina Political Science Association and former chairman of the department of political science at Furman. As a leader in his profession, Nelsen has not only enjoyed teaching and studying politics, but has been recognized for his work. He says on his campaign Website www.brentnelsen.com that his proudest accomplishment was helping to charter and serve as president of Christians in Political Science, an organization of professional political scientists from a variety of Christian traditions.

“Poor schools are a drag on our economy. When we fail to produce 21st century workers for 21st century jobs, companies look elsewhere to build and expand. A failed education system costs us jobs and a higher standard of living. Over time we fall further behind our neighbors and run the risk of losing our competitive edge in a global market,” Nelsen said.

“Superior education opens opportunities. A well-educated workforce attracts new businesses to the state, encourages investment and raises incomes. Excellent education improves the quality of life, decreases prison populations, lifts neighborhoods, and strengthens the fabric of democracy. Quality education makes all the difference. It is time we make educating our children the state’s number one priority.”

Nelsen is running on four principles: parental choice, freedom and accountability for teachers and administrators, community involvement, and uniting legislators behind education reform.

Other candidates for state superintendent of education according to www.politics1.com are:  Frank Holleman, 55, (D-Greenville), who is an attorney and the former deputy secretary of education under then-United States Secretary of Education Dick Riley; Elizabeth Moffly, 48, (R-Awendaw), who is a businesswoman and home school teacher for her teenage children; and Kelly Payne, 39, (R-Irmo), who is a teacher at Dutch Fork High School.

CERRA is a non-partisan state-funded organization and does not endorse any specific candidate. The organization, however, is open to sharing its mission and vision with any candidate for elected office in South Carolina.

# # # 

________________________________________________________________________

About the Center for Educator Recruitment, Retention, & Advancement:
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 is a national model and its programs have been adopted at school, district and state levels in more than 30 states in the United States. More information about the Center and its programs is available at www.cerra.org.