College welcomes first Berrell Professor

Tamara Jetton committed to importance of literacy
After an extensive search, the College of Education and Human Services has named Tamara Jetton the first Marie Berrell Endowed Professor in Developmental Literacy.

Jetton is committed to the importance of literacy. The former public school teacher has dedicated her professional career to the goal of helping teachers improve the reading strategies of their students who are struggling with the complexity of reading to learn.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for me,” Jetton said. “I am very passionate about working with teacher education students to prepare them for the important role they will have in teaching children to read.”

Endowed professorship responsibilities
As the Berrell professor, Jetton will teach undergraduate and graduate literacy courses in teacher education and will be responsible for conducting research, advising students, and collaborating with P-12 schools.

Jetton also will be actively involved in community outreach through the department’s Reading Clinic. The clinic, which is available every summer, has assisted children from around the greater Mount Pleasant area for more than 40 years. The college plans to expand the clinic to a year-round outreach program when space becomes available in the new Education building.

“Reading ability provides a strong key to successful lifelong learning,” said Karen Adams, dean of the College of Education and Human Services. “At CMU, we take very seriously the preparation of our own students as prospective teachers of reading, which is emphasized by this endowed professorship. We are thrilled to have Dr. Jetton here at CMU and further strengthening our partnerships with K-12 schools.”

Jetton received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Bradley University and a Ph.D. from Texas A&M.

The story of Marie Berrell
The Marie Berrell Endowed Professor in Developmental Literacy is funded through the generous estate gift of Marie Berrell, ’22. Berrell’s sister had encouraged her to further her education and pursue her lifelong dream of becoming a teacher. Berrell attended Central Michigan Normal School (now CMU), where she found support from a kind and caring faculty.

Many years later, Berrell decided to establish an endowed professorship to honor the university professors who had such a profound influence on her life. In setting up the endowment, Berrell wrote, “It is my sincere hope this endowment will allow the university to attract well- qualified faculty members with outstanding reputations. I want students in the future to receive the same excellent instruction I received.”

Tamara Jetton, the first Marie Berrell Endowed Professor in Developmental Literacy, teaches her students how to conduct reading assessments.