The 21st century began with several changes in the College of Education with respect to Vocational/Career and Technical Education. Two new faculty members were hired in the School of Physical Activity and Educational Services to address program delivery needs. Dr. Josh Hawley came to OSU in Autumn Quarter 2000 from Florida State University after working as a reseacher on school-to-work and workforce development with Jobs for the Future in Boston. Dr. Chris Zirkle joined the faculty in Winter Quarter 2001 from Indiana State University, although he spent many years prior as a career and technical teacher and administrator in Ohio schools.
Dr. Zirkle assumed responsibility for the “Route B” Career and Technical Teacher Licensure program, as well as the Career-Based Intervention (formerly Occupational Work Experience/Occupational Work Adjustment) endorsement program. Dr. Jim Pinchak was hired in 2002 as the clinical teacher educator for the program, joining Susan Nell, who had been serving as clinical teacher educator for the correction teachers since 1991.
In 2003, a revised program for the licensure area of Integrated Business Education was approved and students began to enroll in the program. Around this time, many of the courses associated with all the programs in the College were revised to remove the term “vocational” from the title and descriptions and replaced with “career-technical” to better reflect the state of the profession.
In the College of Food, Agriculture and Environmental Science (FAES), Dr. Jim Connors joined the faculty in October of 2000, joining Dr. Larry Miller, Dr. Joe Gliem, Dr. Susie Whittington, Dr. Jamie Cano, Dr. Mac McCaslin and Dr. Wes Budke. Dr. McCaslin retired in June 2001 as department chair and Dr. Bob Birkenholz was hired as the new department chair in January 2002. Dr. Wes Budke retired in June of 2004. Throughout these changes, the department continued to offer one of the premiere programs in the world that prepares individuals for educational career opportunities in Agriculture and Extension education by offering a baccalaureate degree for initial teacher licensure in agricultural education, as well as a master’s degree option for licensure.
In the College of Human Ecology, the teacher licensure program in Family and Consumer Sciences Education began to offer a licensure program in 2002 after a long hiatus. Under the guidance of Dr. Ruth Dohner, the program began accepting students in 2003 and has both a baccalaureate degree and post- baccalaureate degree option for teacher licensure.
In July 2006, the Colleges of Education and Human Ecology faculty and staff of both programs overwhelmingly approved a proposal to join together as the College of Education and Human Ecology. With the merger, the teacher licensure programs in Route B Career and Technical Education, Integrated Business Education, Family and Consumer Sciences Education and the Career-Based Intervention endorsement were all brought together within the School of Physical Activity and Education Services, which also opened a new building in the spring of 2007.
The OSU community and the Career and Technical Education profession lost a leader in February of 2008, when Dr. N.L. (Mac) McCaslin passed away. He had been associated with OSU since 1968, first with the national Center for Research on Vocational Education, then as a faculty member and department chair in agricultural education. Upon his retirement from OSU in June 2001, he returned to work at the National Dissemination Center for Career and Technical Education, a position he held until his death.