Ylvisaker Cuts Loose MAT Program

"I don't want to be a Moses, but I don't want the school to keep on drifting," said Paul N. Ylvisaker, dean of the Graduate School of Education, Wednesday as he announced a proposal to cut loose the expensive weight of the Master of Arts in Teaching Program.

In announcing the suspension for one year of admissions to the MAT program, Ylvisaker stressed the effect of a drop in outside funding, which forced the administration to consider decreasing Ed School enrollment. The "moratorium" on admissions would cut enrollment by 90 from its present 800 level.

The proposal, sheathed in a statement recommending broad revisions of curriculum, will face a vote from the Ed School faculty in mid-March.

Ylvisaker recommended that the school's programs be reorganized into two areas: in-service teacher training and educational research.

Glenda J. Wilson, associate dean for administration at the Ed School, said yesterday that dropping the MAT program foreshadows an emphasis on in-service teacher training over student training as teachers.

"There have been previous discussions of the efficacy of the MAT program. The dean has said that our capacity to train teachers has eroded," Wilson said.