Application Process

CRITERIA FOR JOINING HECSE

To be eligible for HECSE membership, colleges or universities must…

  • Operate special education personnel preparation programs that have been approved by state and regional or national accrediting agencies;
  • Offer graduate-level special education teacher preparation programs;
  • Prepare special education leadership personnel at the doctoral level; and
  • Have active full-time doctoral tenured or tenure-track faculty member(s) with experience in special education or related services, and/or faculty member(s) who have been awarded a leadership grant from the Office of Special Education Programs, and/or leadership personnel serving in continuing contract positions.

The application for HECSE membership also must be accompanied by a letter of endorsement from an appropriate administrative official (e.g., Dean, Provost, President) of the college or university.

FEES

Annual dues for HECSE membership are $1,400.00. The membership year begins on July 1.

Dues support operational costs of the HECSE organization, such as duplication and postage for mailings to member institutions, costs associated with the two annual meetings, activities of officers, and operation of the website. They also support the cost of an Advocacy Consultant who works with Congressional and Federal staff and provides monthly updates from Washington, D.C. that are relevant to HECSE’s mission.

APPLICATION PROCEDURES

A request for membership should be made in writing to the HECSE Membership Chair, whose address appears in the following section. The application packet must include the following:

  • Description of the accreditation status of the applicant institution;
  • A brief summary of the graduate-level special education personnel preparation program(s) of the applicant;
  • Verification that the applicant institution applying for Full membership offers a program that prepares special education leadership personnel at the doctoral level (including programs that prepare leadership personnel in education-related fields with a specialization or focus in special education, e.g., doctoral preparation programs in general education leadership with a special education strand or focus area) OR
  • Verification that the applicant institution applying for Associate membership offers a program that prepares special education leadership personnel at the master’s or specialist level and is being sponsored by a Full member institution.
  • Description of active full-time doctoral tenured or tenure-track faculty member(s) with experience in special education or related services, and/or faculty member(s) who have been awarded a leadership grant from the Office of Special Education Programs, and/or leadership personnel serving in continuing contract positions;
  • Name, title, address, phone number, FAX, and E-mail of the person who will be the primary HECSE contact for the institution;
  • Web addresses (URLs) for the college or university Web site AND the special education academic programs (if available); and
  • A letter endorsing the application from an appropriate administrator of the applicant institution.
  • Upon approval of the membership application, the HECSE Treasurer will issue an invoice for the first year’s dues to the applicant institution.

Please complete the form below to begin the application process.

Membership Contact Person

 For additional information, please contact of the co-Chairs of HECSE’s Membership Committee:

ERINN WHITESIDE

Email: erinnwhiteside@tamu.edu

OR

ASHLEY WHITE

Email: alwhite6@wisc.edu