Dr. Neva Cramer, Director of Education and Graduate Studies in Education at Schreiner University

Kerrville, TX – The Texas Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (TACTE) awarded the Joyce Hardin Service Award to Dr. Neva Cramer, Director of Education and Graduate Studies in Education at Schreiner University, during the Consortium of State Organizations of Texas Teacher Education (CSOTTE) conference on Oct 9-11, 2022. The Joyce Hardin Service award is presented annually for outstanding service to TACTE and the education profession. Hardin was the former Executive Director of TACTE. Previously, she was the dean of the college of education at Lubbock Christian University.

Cramer has served as the Vice-President and President of Education Deans of Independent Colleges and Universities of Texas (EDICUT) for the past five years and remains on the board. Cramer also served on the board of CSOTTE for five years. In addition, she is a member of TACTE, which includes deans of education across the state of Texas for both private and state universities.

“It is my intention to bring creativity, critical thinking, engaging communication, and collaboration to the classroom through a “learning through the arts “pedagogy,” said Cramer. “I am currently using my research and experience in learning through the arts to address the current need to reach today’s visual learners and culturally diverse students through creative pedagogy that utilizes the visual and communicative arts. Enhancing learning through the visual and
communicative arts has the potential for developing critical and creative thinking dispositions and makes us passionate researchers of new knowledge.”

“As professional educators, we have recently faced a new challenge,” Cramer went on to say. “My research has evolved into an arts-based trauma-informed pedagogy in hopes of training teachers how to recognize and adapt to the many students traumatized by poverty, isolation, abuse, neglect, and even a Covid induced changing society where school often offers the most opportunity for care, creativity, and what we at Schreiner University refer to as the chance for
finding meaningful work and purposeful lives in a changing global society. I am so honored to serve with a great team including Dr. Joan Bowman, Dr. Chanelle Maynard, Dr. Doug Monk, and our wonderful Certification Officer, Liliana Lovisa.”