During the upcoming academic year, we plan to continue improving and refining our processes associated with pre-service teacher preparation.  It is no secret that teacher effectiveness is a critical factor in student success (Peterson-DeLuca, 2016; Stronge, 2007).  A variety of elements are important to consider when preparing students to enter this important field.  In a climate of decreasing enrollment, our department recognizes the importance of increasing the visibility of our programs through various activities, including building relationships with our local area partners.  Once students have made the choice to begin their career paths at SUNY Orange, providing extensive academic and social supports is essential.  High-quality, meaningful assessment is a key component of building and maintaining an effective educational experience for all students.  To that end, the department will continue to refine and carry out authentic assessment activities, both at the course and program level.  At SUNY Orange, we are fortunate to have an on-campus lab school.  This facility serves as a key component of the teacher preparation process, by allowing education students to gain the early clinical experiences that are so critical to effective teacher preparation.  As a department, we plan to continue refining our collaboration opportunities with the Lab School, for the betterment of our students’ educational experiences.  Overall, we believe that maintaining a focus on increasing the visibility of our programs, as well as retaining the students we have enrolled via supportive and high quality educational experiences will help to enhance our department’s role at the college and in the community at large.