Thomas Gatewood honored with emeritus status
Thomas E. Gatewood of Hamilton, Va., associate professor of secondary education in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences at Virginia Tech, was conferred with the title, “associate professor emeritus” by the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors during the board’s quarterly meeting August 28.
The title of emeritus may be conferred on retired professors and associate professors, administrative officers, librarians, and exceptional staff members who have given exemplary service to the university and who are specially recommended to the board of visitors by Virginia Tech President Charles W. Steger. Nominated individuals who are approved by the board of visitors receive an emeritus certificate from the university.
A member of the Virginia Tech community since 1980, Gatewood changed the face of education for middle school children in the United States through his conceptualization of “the middle school philosophy” of teaching and learning. He served as a founding member, president, and board member of the National Middle School Association, a professional group that currently has membership of more than 30,000 educators.
He served as editor of the journal of the National Middle School Association, The Middle School Journal, and served as executive director of the Virginia Middle School Association. He served as director of education programs at Virginia Tech’s Northern Virginia Center for 1996 to 2003. There, he initiated an innovative teacher preparation program for mathematics and science teaching in the National Capital Region that has attracted many accomplished scientists and mathematicians into the teaching profession.
Gatewood received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois, a master’s degree from Southern Illinois University, and an Ed.D. from the University of Indiana.
The College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences at Virginia Tech embraces the arts, humanities, social and human sciences, and education. The college nurtures intellect and spirit, enlightens decision-making, inspires positive change, and improves the quality of life for people of all ages. It is home to the departments of apparel, housing and resource management, communication, educational leadership and policy studies, English, foreign languages and literatures, history; human development, interdisciplinary studies, music, philosophy, political science, ROTC, science and technology in society, sociology, teaching and learning, and theatre arts. Virginia Tech, the most comprehensive university in Virginia, is dedicated to quality, innovation, and results to the commonwealth, the nation, and the world.
Founded in 1872 as a land-grant college, Virginia Tech is the most comprehensive university in the Commonwealth of Virginia and is among the top research universities in the nation. Today, Virginia Tech’s eight colleges are dedicated to quality, innovation, and results through teaching, research, and outreach activities. At its 2,600-acre main campus located in Blacksburg and other campus centers in Northern Virginia, Southwest Virginia, Hampton Roads, Richmond, and Roanoke, Virginia Tech enrolls more than 28,000 undergraduate and graduate students from all 50 states and more than 100 countries in 180 academic degree programs.
