Three-time Michigan State University alum and current College of Education leader Curtis L. Lewis has been named a Michiganian of the Year by the Detroit News.
The award, established in 1978, honors Michigan-based leaders who dedicate themselves to improving the state in collaborative, transformative ways. Curtis Lewis was one of 11 selected for the award and is the only alum representative from Michigan State University.
He is an assistant professor in the MSU College of Education and has a number of impressive resume accolades to his name — director of the M.A. in Teaching and Curriculum program, founder and president of Boldly Moving Education Ahead (BMEA), member of Michigan’s Diversity and Equity Workforce Group, member of the Teacher Evaluation and Professional Standards Committee (Michigan Department of Education) and member and treasurer of the College of Education’s Alumni Board.
He’s made advances at MSU, including launching the Department of Teacher Education’s first classes in restorative practices and trauma-informed education, which were first offered to undergraduate and graduate-level students. He also co-built the MATC Induction Pathway alongside other TE colleagues. The pathway is offered to recent graduates from MSU’s renowned Teacher Preparation Program. With the Induction Pathway, new teachers could reduce their master’s degree by nine credits (or 30% of the overall degree) by using their MSU internship courses.
But where Lewis’ true motivations, ambitions and transformations lie is in Detroit.
An article from the Detroit News on Lewis said that he: “believes Michigan's education system can change to better serve students, but it might take thinking outside the box and a little bit of experimentation.”
This starts a feature that BMEA calls the “BMEA story, straight from the ‘doc’ himself.”
"I want to create spaces where students have a voice," Lewis said in the article. "There's innovation. ... Teachers have the authority to be creative. Leaders have the autonomy and also the courageous mindset, the courage to make the necessary shifts and think outside the box. And I also think we have to create a structure that supports all this." Learn more about Lewis and the “BMEA story” via the Detroit News.