 |
|
| “Current teachers need to be
afforded opportunities to keep
up to date in their profession,
and students studying to
enter the teaching profession
need to have a university
curriculum that prepares
them for the challenges of
today’s classrooms.”
- Dorothy Roberts |
CEO and owner of Ballard & Tighe, an educational publishing company, Dorothy Roberts has been part of the Cal Poly Pomona family since the early 1960s. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business administration in 1968 and returned to complete a master’s degree in the same subject in 1978. Roberts applied her education to the business world before returning to the university as an employee, eventually becoming executive director of business operations. Later she realized education had so enhanced her own life that she wished to help others further their own educational experiences in positive ways.
“Education is extremely important to this country in order for it to stay competitive in the global economy,” says Roberts. “We need to work hard to be certain that all students coming out of our K-12 school system are encouraged and prepared to enter universities. These students are the future of our state and country.”
Recently, Ballard & Tighe joined forces with Cal Poly Pomona’s College
of Education & Integrative Studies and the College of the Extended
University to create the Online English Language Development Institute,
offering a professional development certificate program to teachers. In the
privacy of their own homes, teachers around the country receive quality
instruction in certificated courses such as the fundamentals of teaching English language development. This flexible and accessible program will
benefit countless teachers and students throughout the United States.
“Teacher training and preparation are extremely important,” says Roberts.“ Current teachers need to be afforded opportunities to keep up to date in their profession, and students studying to enter the teaching profession need to have a university curriculum that prepares them for the challenges of today’s classrooms.”
As the guiding force behind Ballard & Tighe, Roberts sets an example for other publishing companies to follow. She not only fosters firm connections between educators and students but also provides a link between educators and higher education. Roberts has served Cal Poly Pomona as a volunteer for 31 years, serving on the Alumni Association board and as the vice president for the Cal Poly Pomona University Educational Trust. She and her husband, Kent, have funded the Roberts Family President’s Council Scholarship, a prestigious merit-based scholarship that makes a difference in the lives of future teachers, such as Amy Soumakian.
“I would like to tell scholarship donors that their generosity really does help students accomplish educational goals that many times translate into life goals,” says recent Roberts Family President’s Council Scholar Amy Soumakian. “The Roberts’ scholarship will help me achieve my lifelong goal of studying abroad, which will help me grow as a person, a teacher and a citizen of this country. I cannot thank them enough.”
 |
|
| Amy Soumakian , who received the Roberts Family President’s Council Scholarship, is studying to become a teacher. | |
Roberts is also actively helping high school students demystify the often complex process of applying to colleges. In her community of La Habra, she works with a non-profit organization, Advance!, that advises local students, many of them Latino, on how to achieve a college education.
“We help students as well as their parents and have been successful these past four years in getting many Latino students into major universities,” says Roberts.
In her spare time, Roberts chairs an organization, affiliated with the college and comprised of business and education leaders, which hopes to recognize innovative partnerships between schools, businesses and communities. This year, Partners in Education provided grants to the Boys and Girls Club of Pomona and honored several leaders who are role models in education and the community. Pretty impressive for someone who is herself a role model in the business, educational and philanthropic arenas.
For more information about the
College of Education & Integrative Studies
Pamela Allen
Director of Development
(909) 869-3452
pamelaallen@csupomona.edu
©
2005 California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
3801 W. Temple Ave. Pomona, CA 91768