Axe ’Em, Jacks!
Preparing tomorrow's educational leaders
Our students help future generations succeed in their education. Education is our passion, and as a student in the James I. Perkins College of Education, you'll experience this unparalleled commitment to excellence in teaching, scholarship and service. You'll join caring and enthusiastic professionals from diverse backgrounds dedicated to responsible service, leadership, social justice and continued professional and intellectual development.
The ongoing exchange of ideas is vital in our interconnected global society, and students in the Perkins College of Education have access to so many amazing opportunities to collaborate. From the classroom to clinical settings, you'll gain the pedagogical skills to provide meaningful education that addresses a range of diverse student interests, backgrounds and aspirations. Our curriculum combines a variety of teaching venues with the latest technologies to provide you with the tools and skills you need to not only complete your degree but also be a first-choice candidate for your dream career.
Our programs help students obtain the real-world knowledge they need to be successful professionals. We offer nearly 30 undergraduate and graduate degree programs and 50 educator certification preparation programs. Many of these are available online to better meet the needs of today's students, who often are working adults with families or don't live close enough to SFA to attend traditional classes. This format helps our students both on and off campus grow into effective teachers, principals, superintendents and athletic directors while remaining fully employed.
A message from the dean, Dr. Judy A. Abbott
The Perkins College of Education is a reflection of the successes and achievements of its students, faculty, administration and staff. The college is a vibrant and inclusive learning community that embodies access, equity, diversity, cultural relevance, and collaboration in teaching, research, service and community engagement.
Contact us or visit the college to explore how we can help you achieve academic excellence through critical and creative thinking, openness to new ideas and culturally diverse people, and service that enriches the community.
Judy A. Abbott, PhD
Dean, James I. Perkins College of Education
936.468.1410
abbottj@sfasu.edu
About James I. Perkins
James I. Perkins is a banker, attorney, civic leader and fourth-generation East Texan. Members of the James Perkins family have been Texas residents for nearly 200 years. He served as a member of the SFA Board of Regents for 12 years and is a former board chairman. He also served as a board chairman and originator of the SFASU Foundation.
Perkins received his Bachelor of Business Administration and his Juris Doctor from the University of Texas – Austin and is a Navy veteran. He is a former city attorney and county attorney.
Perkins is the president and chairman of the board of Citizens 1st Bank, Tyler, and has served in this position since 1971. Citizens 1st Bank is a $760 million bank, and it has been named both the most profitable and the safest bank in Texas.
Citizens 1st Bank has been rated A+ by Weiss Ratings - the nation’s leading independent provider of bank ratings; the Texas Bankers Association awarded the bank the Cornerstone Award in 2017, and the East Texas Council of Governments awarded the bank Regional Corporate Citizen of the Year.
Perkins has been appointed by three governors to serve on state boards and has served as advisor to the Texas State Comptroller and the State Banking Commissioner. He is a former member of the State Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation Board.
Perkins and his wife, Margaret Hoover Perkins, have two children, James I. Perkins Jr. and Laura Perkins, who are both attorneys and bank directors. Margaret, a former teacher and school board member, also has a distinguished record of public service and has served as a bank director for more than 25 years. The Perkins are recipients of numerous awards including the Tyler Chamber of Commerce’s Outstanding Citizens of Tyler - T.B. Butler Award and the Association of Fundraising Professional’s Outstanding East Texas Philanthropists award.
More than 100 scholarships and faculty awards are awarded annually by the Perkins Family Foundation and Citizens 1st Bank to students and faculty throughout Texas.