It’s less than a day’s journey between Sacramento and San Marcos, Calif., but for Kathy Norman, it’s a more than 400-mile link between the past and present.
Norman, who could not be reached for comment, is the new associate dean of Sacramento State’s College of Education. She starts her new position this month after spending 13 years of her teaching career at CSU San Marcos, where her primary focus was science education.
Before accepting the position at Sac State, Norman was a professor and program coordinator of the Integrated Teacher Credential Program at San Marcos.
Pia Wong, former associate dean of the College of Education at Sac State, said Norman is qualified to handle the occasionally demanding aspects of the job. Wong returned to her previous position as a professor in the bilingual and multicultural education department last fall.
“Dr. Norman has had excellent experience to prepare her for this position,” Wong said. “I am sure she will be charmed by our college’s community and that will help her when the times get too difficult.”
Wong said the most difficult aspect of the position she had held for two years was “prioritizing several projects, all with tight deadlines, insufficient information and political crossfire.”
During her time at San Marcos, Norman collected a number of awards.
In 1999, she was named as the Outstanding University Science Educator in San Diego County. Last year, she received the Harry E. Brakebill Distinguished Professor Award, San Marcos’ highest honor.
“Dr. Norman’s student-centered teaching, thoughtful research and leadership through service embody the values of the Harry E. Brakebill Distinguished Professor Award,” according to the statement about the award.
Norman’s colleagues refer to her as “the heart of the science faculty,” according to an e-mail from Karen Haynes, president of San Marcos.
It’s a sentiment Mark Baldwin, dean of the College of Education at San Marcos, agrees with.
“She’s one of the nicest people I’ve had the opportunity to work with here,” Baldwin said. “She’s very passionate about her work and public education in general. I’m very excited that she has taken the position up there in Sacramento.”
Baldwin admitted having “mixed emotions” about Norman’s decision to transfer to Sac State.
"I was a little bit distraught about losing one of my faculty leaders,” he said with a laugh. “She’s a wonderful colleague.”
Norman has founded and chaired several regional and national education-related programs throughout her career.
In 2006, Norman was elected president of the International Association for Science Teacher Education. She also helped develop a master’s program of education in science at San Marcos.
Over the past few years, Norman has expanded her focus from science education to the integration of technology in the classroom. Part of that focus involved research on comparing in-class education and online teaching.
Wong said she is optimistic that the job she left behind is in good hands.
“With faculty work, you focus on ideas and people – the students – and their development,” Wong said. “The administrative work is a bit more focused on mandates, budgets and deadlines.”
Both positions, she said, require an organized, focused and hardworking person.
“I think the best advice would be for her to resist the pressure to dive into the work and hectic place and take the time to get to know the different faculty and staff in the college,” Wong said.
With Norman set to join the ranks of Sac State’s faculty, she left an impression at San Marcos that Haynes and her colleagues can’t deny.
“A great university begins with great faculty, with professors who are dedicated to scholarly excellence and devoted to the success of their students,” Haynes said. “Dr. Norman is a shining example of that.”
Kalie Barnes-Young can be reached at kbarnesyoung@statehornet.com.
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