Show Summary:
Shelbie Witte has been named the new Dean of the College of Education & Human Development at the University of North Dakota, bringing her expertise from Oklahoma State University to enhance the College's mission and impact starting July 1. Dr. Jack Russell Weinstein talks about "The Daily Show" and about the influence of satire in politics. In , a fascinating look into the differing flight mechanisms of bats and birds on "Bird Note," and an insightful segment by Harvest Public Media on the increasing dominance of women in veterinary medicine, highlighting the ongoing gender disparities in rural animal practices.
Summary of interview with Dr. Witte:
The interview with Dr. Shelbie Witte, the newly named Dean of the College of Education and Human Development at the University of North Dakota, covered her enthusiasm for joining the university, her perspectives on challenges such as teacher retention and diversity in education, and her strategies for integrating technology and AI in teaching. Dr. Witte also discussed the importance of legislative engagement in education, her commitment to improving teacher pay, and her hopes for her legacy at the university to include a stronger, more appreciated teacher core.
Transcript of interview with Dr. Witte:
Main Street
Shelbie Witte has been named the Dean of the College of Education and Human Development at the University of North Dakota. Dr. Witte is now my guest. Welcome to Main Street.
Dr. Shelbie Witte
Thank you so much for having me today.
Main Street
Why do you want to come to North Dakota?
Dr. Shelbie Witte
Well, why wouldn't I want to come to North Dakota? I hear you're having an amazing, amazing winter, but I look forward to experiencing all the things in North Dakota, from your beautiful summers to your challenging but eventful winters and being a part of the University of North Dakota and the community there. More than that, I'm looking forward to being a part of the College of Education and Human Development and playing a part in the great work that's already happening there and attempting to solve some of the world's problems, and those start right there in the backyard of the university.
Main Street
And there are a lot of problems and challenges I think that we're going to get into, but how did you hear about the job? What interested you about it?
Dr. Shelbie Witte
Well, several folks had reached out to me about some leadership positions across the country, but what spoke to me directly about the UND opportunity were the similarities to Oklahoma State University, the similarities both in size of city, size of the institution, the makeup of the college and the great programs that make up the college itself were very similar to my own experiences. And then when I read the job description and the leadership profile, I could see myself being a great partner for the folks there. I was encouraged to apply and so glad that I did.
Main Street
As you look at that job profile, what comes in your mind as a couple of challenges that are going to be on your plate?
Dr. Shelbie Witte
I think the challenge for any new leader is getting a sense of the institution as it currently stands. So I look forward to getting to know folks and getting to know programs and getting to know the partners and the community and the wider North Dakota communities across the state and how the university can continue to be a leader, have a sort of reciprocity or an opportunity to work collaboratively with clinics and schools and community centers and all the ways that the work that happens in our college happens in the communities there in North Dakota.
Main Street
Are you bringing your hockey skates with you?
Dr. Shelbie Witte
I've heard a lot about hockey. We used to have a minor league team here in Oklahoma called the Blazers when I was growing up. So I'm not a stranger to hockey, but it will be quite a change from a Big 12 football and wrestling powerhouse to a hockey powerhouse.
We're sports fans, so I look forward to learning so much more about hockey.
Main Street
I'm sure, Dr. Witte, you have analyzed North Dakota's problems with training and retaining teachers. Bottom line, there's a teacher shortage. What can you do about that?
Dr. Shelbie Witte
I think that's a multifaceted answer. I think there are many things we can do and should be doing across the country that starts in North Dakota. For me, thinking about the teacher shortage, not only do we need to do more to make the career of teaching one that folks want to commit to and be retained in.
Main Street
Let me stop you right there real quickly. What does that mean?
Dr. Shelbie Witte
Yeah. So I think step one is making sure teachers not only are prepared, comprehensively prepared to take on the challenges of teaching, but they have the support in those critical year one to year five, where they learn very quickly what they know and what they don't know and what can't be taught in a comprehensive program and has to be learned there with boots on the ground in a classroom. So the types of professional development support that we can offer, the types of instructional coaching that we can do from a university standpoint.
There are many different programs across the country that have had success in supporting and mentorship in those critical early years for the early career teacher. I think that makes all the difference, a teacher being able to put down roots and stay in a school district that they've chosen to work with from the very beginning.
Main Street
Is it the college's responsibility, Dr. Witte, to reach out to even local school boards and try to bridge those communication areas that some local school boards are different than others?
Dr. Shelbie Witte
I think it's everybody's responsibility. The University of North Dakota has and will continue to take the lead in trying to address the teacher shortage. And that begins with having conversations about what particular school districts need and how we can be a better, stronger partner for the challenges that they each face.
But I do think there are some commonalities across all districts, no matter how differently they're designed. Lots of research will show that the teaching environment, as well as that professional development I was talking about, and then I think the elephant in the room, teacher pay, can go a long way to stopping the bleed out that's happening in the teaching profession. And then on the other side of that challenge are the preparation of teachers and ways that we can recruit more college students to want to be teachers, the way we can encourage high school students who have an interest in teaching to think early on about teaching as a career, and then finding those that maybe have partially completed a college degree to encourage them to come back and finish strong in a teacher education program to be ready for the classroom. I think there's many different approaches we could take together.
Main Street
What is your analysis, Dr. Woody, of teacher pay and how it fits in North Dakota relative to the rest of the country?
Dr. Shelbie Witte
Being a teacher myself, I know and have seen year after year after year the challenges of folks that are teachers just trying to make ends meet. From Florida to Georgia to Oklahoma to Kansas and all the states where I've been involved in teacher education, there's one thing that continues to emerge over and over again is that teacher pay is significantly lower in those states compared to other states. And while the cost of living may be less in some of the states that I've been in, the investment in education continues to decline over time from legislative funding to the amounts of funding from the federal government for education programs.
And so if we want to think about education more broadly, we can't stop short of thinking about investing in education as an investment in kids, an investment in our future. And so I hope to encourage and continue to make a case for North Dakotans to think about investing in education as an investment in their future.
Main Street
Is it any different, Dr. Woody, training a teacher to teach in the public sector versus a teacher preparing herself or himself to teach in the private sector?
Dr. Shelbie Witte
Not in my experience. I think there are opportunities and challenges both in private institutions and public institutions, public schools. But the truth of the matter, our kids are kids.
Learning is learning. Curriculum, while they may differ in some private schools compared to public schools, ultimately the learning theory is the same. The approaches to teaching and engaging learners in learning is the same.
The assessments are, can and should be the same. So I don't see a difference in the preparation. I have found over and over again, when our graduates choose one avenue or the other, both are thoroughly prepared to tackle any challenges that may come from either one of those environments.
Main Street
Is it your perspective that market fragmentation occurs because of this public school, private school competition, if you will? And are there concerns that you have about how that's managed, if not here in the state of North Dakota, but maybe more globally, more nationally?
Dr. Shelbie Witte
Well, there certainly are arguments for the use, arguments for and against the use of public funding for privatization of education. And I look forward to learning more about what North Dakota has done in those arenas. I choose to look at it not as a private versus public, but what is it that we can do together?
Because ultimately what we want for every child in the state and every child in this country is to have the very best teacher possible leading that classroom and leading their learning through each grade level that they go through. And so to me, it's not a matter of private versus public, but how can we get the best teachers in those classrooms, no matter what.
Main Street
We're enjoying our conversation with Dr. Shelbie Witte. She's been named the Dean of the College of Education and Human Development at the University of North Dakota. When's your first day on the job?
Dr. Shelbie Witte
July 1st, although I have already been corresponding with partners and faculty and hearing from folks in the community. So we could already say that we started the day that I accepted the position and I'm just thrilled to, I'm thrilled that folks are excited I'm coming and I'm excited to get there.
Main Street
What is your teaching background?
Dr. Shelbie Witte
Well, I started as a middle school language arts teacher in a small town in Oklahoma on Highway 81, which happens to run directly through Grand Forks, North Dakota. I've taught middle school, high school and taught all grade levels through university as well. Did my studies at Kansas State University, my graduate degrees there.
And first teaching position at the university was at Florida State University in Tallahassee. So I've had lots of experience at all grade levels. Literacy is my area of expertise and I'm a techie at heart as well and love to think of the intersections of literacy and technology as we think about the future training of our teachers and classrooms.
Main Street
The age of students I've enjoyed teaching the most has been...
Dr. Shelbie Witte
Middle school. Why? Gosh, well, of course I love university work, don't get me wrong, but there's just something special about a middle level student, middle school student.
There's a sense of innocence that hasn't been lost yet with middle schoolers, but also a sense of humor, a sense of satire, a sense of hope for the world and a little bit of civil disobedience, which is fun to watch as well.
Main Street
You classify that as a good thing.
Dr. Shelbie Witte
Oh, sure. I think it's fun to watch students learn and grow and stretch and think about how they fit into the world and think about how they might impact the world as they get older and how they can as middle schoolers too, because that's their world too.
Main Street
Is diversity an issue that's on your plate being a dean now of a major university's education program in recruiting diverse folks to become teachers?
Dr. Shelbie Witte
Oh, of course. I think it behooves us as an institution to think very strategically about ways to recruit minoritized voices and folks that might not typically choose teaching because they felt like they didn't have a place within it. And that goes from both racial diversity, religious diversity, gender diversity, and helping folks see that there's a place and space for them at the University of North Dakota to fulfill their dreams of being a teacher.
And part of that is going out into communities that are normally underserved by the institution and recruiting folks, either young people or even adults to consider second careers to be teachers. We have to make a very strategic effort to help our young people be able to see teachers that look like them, that think like them, to give them opportunities to see both mirrors of recognition of themselves, but also windows to understanding people from places they may have never been or even thought about traveling to and understanding cultures different than their own.
Main Street
All right. You told me you're a techie. So now I want some straight talk, Dr. Witte. How concerned are you with AI in education, either from a student's perspective or a teacher's perspective?
Dr. Shelbie Witte
Oh, goodness. I'm not sure concern is the right word. One of my favorite philosophers is Ted Lasso, if you've never seen Ted Lasso.
Yes. And one of his quotes in one of the shows is be curious, not judgmental. I think the approach to AI that I'm taking now and many of my colleagues take is curiosity, not judgment.
And there are many opportunities for AI to serve us well as a tool. And I think that's the important word there, tool. How can we use the tool to be of help and benefit to us in education, both at the university level and then preparing our future counselors, our future mental health professionals, our future instructional designers to use artificial intelligence for good and for the purpose of efficiency, for the purpose of establishing some baseline information.
But there's no duplicating humanity, in my opinion. There's no duplicating the care and thought and concern that each of those professionals bring to a situation, a case or a classroom that AI could replace.
Main Street
I've watched over the years and in my professional background have observed this great technology being brought to classrooms, Dr. Woody. And the teacher looks at it and says, I don't know. I don't understand how to apply that to what it is I'm supposed to do.
I have no idea. And so the technology was great, but it's set there. How do you plan to help with that bridge of technology and a teacher group, if you will, that has been used to doing certain things, certain ways for a very long time?
Dr. Shelbie Witte
Sure. Well, I think this has been a question that has existed for the past 7,500 years, right? What will we ever do with having a computer in a classroom?
The same questions were asked when personal computers were, when PCs broke onto the market in a more broad marketplace. I think if we can think of technology, like I said, as a tool, some days you need a pencil. Some days you need markers.
Some days you need a ruler. Some days you need the PC or the laptop or the Chromebook. Some days you may use the tool of artificial intelligence.
You're right. There are times where so many tools are thrown at teachers with the expectation of using the tool just for the sake of using the tool. And what I hope we would continue to do in our work is to help a teacher discern when is the right tool for the right time and to help students themselves discern what is the best tool to use to solve these problems or to further this discussion.
Do I need a pencil today, or do I need an AI intervention today, or do I need my Chromebook today? And I think sometimes folks overthink the technology in thinking that the technology drives the instruction when it should be just the other way around.
Main Street
I'm very curious about policy engagement, and I'd love to hear your thoughts on the role of the university or the role of educators in shaping those policies, maybe at the legislative level, where pressures may be making teaching even more difficult.
Dr. Shelbie Witte
Well, I think it's important to help professionals in the field tell their stories. And I think one role that the university plays is helping bridge that gap between what policymakers are hearing and from whom they're hearing those stories to hearing from the professionals that are in clinics, in classrooms, in community centers doing the real work and helping them understand how the policies and legislation that they're considering can impact those that are doing the hard work. I think there's many examples across the country of policies and legislation that are passed without the due diligence being done to see what the impact can be and what that looks like.
Or some consideration of the costs of rolling out particular movements and significant changes such as, you know, assessment changes or curricular changes. So I think the university's role, one, is being a bridge builder between the practitioners and professionals and the legislators, as well as we hope that the legislators' first phone call after calling the folks out on the field are calling the university to say what research has been done, what are the trends across the nation, what are your thoughts on particular approaches to take. And we hope that those relationships are developed over time and trust is developed over time because ultimately I think everyone, both legislators that are serving the state in those roles as well as those of us at the university and those in those various places, all want what's best for people.
And if we can come to agreements that we really have the best intentions at heart, I think we have much more in common than we don't.
Main Street
It seems to me that legislative pressures on teacher environment, that those pressures are increasing and will be increasing. Do you share that view?
Dr. Shelbie Witte
I don't know if increasing is exactly the right word. I think they continue to become more complex from the types of legislation being taught to the types of narratives that exist in the world about teaching and about schools and the false narrative that schools are failing our kids and teachers somehow are lacking in the professional preparation to do a good job. I think those are the complex challenges that are happening and those things influence the decision makers.
So, you know, circling back to telling the stories of what's really happening in classrooms, I think that's how we learn to better understand each other. It's been a long time, I'm sure, since many legislators have been in a school for an extended period of time or been in a mental health clinic or have seen the direct impacts of the types of addiction and, for example, the fentanyl epidemic that's happening in the country. So, until they get, again, their boots on the ground and see what they're really legislating, I think it's hard for them to know the decisions they're making and how they will impact people until they spend some time with the people that they're discussing in this policy.
So, I look forward to getting to know the legislators in North Dakota, spending time with them. And in the year 2024, even if we don't agree and don't see eye to eye on approaches, we should be able to do that in ways that are productive that move us forward.
Main Street
One of the things that I really watched was this concept of what was happening in my native state of Wyoming, Dr. Woody, and that concept was local control, that local decisions really need to be made by school boards. Well, what that meant was is that somebody maybe in the western side of the state was learning differently than someone on the eastern side of Wyoming. Is that a concern of yours, that the state may not be completely on the same page relative to curriculum development and other things?
Dr. Shelbie Witte
I don't think I'm concerned about that. I think there's a lot of truth to even the intricacies of how a person in the first row of a classroom learns differently than somebody on the second row of the classroom, and so on and so forth. And the people that know the most about how to differentiate the types of learning approaches that are needed for kids are the teachers, are the professionals, and are the leaders in those schools, the instructional coaches, and the team, the school team.
So, to have a one-state approach to learning that doesn't take into account all of those intricacies would be misguided and likely against what research tells us are best practices for helping learners to succeed.
Main Street
Dr. Woody, a dozen years from now, maybe 20 years from now, what do you hope your legacy will be now that you're just starting this position as the Dean of the College of Education and Human Development at the University of North Dakota?
Dr. Shelbie Witte
Oh, goodness. Well, I hope to be of use. I hope to be a leader that folks can look to for leadership and not only in teacher education, but in all the areas in the college, from counseling to kinesiology, public health, rehabilitation, all the things that we do.
I hope that the legacy that I leave behind is I hope to leave it better than I found it. And I hope that the nation in a dozen years has done something to significantly impact the ways in which educators specifically are appreciated and supported and compensated. And I hope that we can look back and over time look at the growth that we have made and really strengthening a teacher core.
We're no longer concerned about having teachers to fill positions in classrooms. I hope that we can be in a place where there is a nice, healthy balance between open positions and teachers to fill those positions. And I hope that we continue to develop a sense of pride and a sense of respect for educators and the types of professionals that come out of the College of Education and Human Development.
Because at the end of the day, it's about helping people live better lives. And if we have done that, and if that's my legacy, then I will count that as a success.
Main Street
Dr. Shelbie Witte, she's been named the Dean of the College of Education and Human Development at the University of North Dakota. Dr. Witte, welcome to North Dakota.
Dr. Shelbie Witte
Thank you.
Main Street
Thank you for joining us on Main Street. More Main Streets ahead. Stay with us.
This transcript was generated by using AI tools. The official record of this interview is the audio of the show.