30th Anniversary History Book

Debbie Resnick Reflections For my husband Josh and me, parents of an alumna of the college, Beacon has made a tremendous difference in our daughter’s life.

experiential, interpersonal and personalized, and the first years were “a community of learning” for everyone, including the initial 30-40 students, she said. “Because it was a small group of students, we had the opportunity to try things, to see what was working. It was a wonderful time for us to explore learning opportunities. It was intuition, based on our own experience of teaching students with challenges.” The community of learning included regular faculty-student meetings at which instructors and students could speak to their issues. In the ensuing years, Glines said, Beacon has instituted best practices, assessment tools and student objectives based on research. “We have much more information, but at the time, we brought our expertise

with literacy challenges. Beacon offered the readers to its students around 2009. The presence of academic mentors (later called learning specialists), which would become a hallmark of Beacon’s success, was limited in the beginning. Learning specialists are educators trained to help students with learning differences. They work with students, either one-on- one or in small groups, to provide learning strategies and support based on students’ individual needs. Because the staff was so small and wore so many hats — administrative as well as pedagogical — Glines and Jarvis served as the first learning specialists. As time went on, though, the role of learning specialist became formalized.

The college has shown her that anything is possible. She not only was able to dream her dreams but also live and fulfill them. Beacon is more than a college. It is a family.

Debbie Resnick The staff, teachers, administrators, and the Leesburg community have a strong commitment, passion, and dedication to helping the students succeed. Our daughter first came to Beacon College lacking confidence, independence, and success. She graduated and left with vision, purpose, and drive. Everyone here has worked tirelessly to improve Beacon’s operation and quality and we wanted to be part of that journey. We provided financial support so Beacon College could build the infrastructure so more students would have the opportunity to pursue the “life abundant.” Resnick Alpern Plung Residence Hall is named in memory of our daughter’s grandparents and in honor of her great uncle. They always told her that anything is possible and she would make a difference in the world. We see firsthand how the college teaches students how to embrace their learning difference and talk about it with others. By teaching acceptance and respect, Beacon is setting an example of how the world can be a better place for future generations.

“The Learning Specialist model we have here is enormously important because it helps guide the student forward,” said Beacon President Dr. George J. Hagerty. “They’re the student mentor, academic adviser and the individuals who help families and students start to pull away from each other because, by necessity, the parents in K-12 have had to be abiding advocates for these students.”

and applied what we knew,” Glines said. “What we didn’t know, we learned.” Most of the assistive technology that students take for granted today — text-to-speech software and devices to help with writing, math, auditory and other disabilities — wasn’t available in the late ‘80s. One exception was the Kurzweil reader for students

Original style Beacon College signage

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