Salem State Names McKeown School of Education Upon $10 Million Gift

SALEM, MA — Salem State University University formally celebrated a historic $10 million gift from the Cummings Foundation in naming the McKeown School of Education and launching the Center for Educational Leadership on Wednesday.

The McKeown School of Education was named after James L. McKeown, a 1977 SSU alumnus who was also a former Cummings Properties president and dedicated leader, who died unexpectedly at 41 years old.

"We are honored to remember our alumnus Jamie McKeown, and the school that now bears his name will achieve far more for the region's educational ecosystem than would have been possible without the generosity of Bill and Joyce Cummings," Salem State University President John Keenan said. "The McKeown School's name represents great promise for its lasting impact."

The gift will help the School of Education collaborate with school districts to strengthen and diversify the educator workforce.

"This investment in Salem State University is especially meaningful for us," Cummings Foundation co-founder Joyce Cummings said. "Jamie was well known for his passion for education and commitment to creating opportunities for young people.

"I can think of no better way to memorialize such a wonderful person than by supporting the advancement of so many worthy ideals at his alma mater."

The Center for Educational Leadership at Salem State will help schools support and retain principals and other leaders while helping districts address their unique leadership professional learning needs.

"Salem State enjoys strong partnerships with school districts throughout the region and Commonwealth, and (the Center) will transform the way we serve them," Cambone said.

Megin Charner-Laird, professor of childhood education and care, and Jacy Ippolito, professor of secondary and higher education, will lead the new Center. The pair also serves as co-directors for the Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study in Educational Leadership.

"From trauma-informed leadership practices to supporting anti-racist work in schools and weaving in social-emotional learning, today's school leaders need support and learning opportunities to meet the rapidly shifting educational landscape," Charner-Laird said. "Currently, few principals have a mentor, coach or support system, and this can lead to turnover that is costly for schools and ultimately affects student learning."

The McKeown School of Education will also pursue diversifying the educator pipeline for all teacher license areas, including growing the cohort-based Educator-Scholars of Color initiative, preparing educators to meet student needs beyond PreK-12 education, such as early childhood literacy through the Jumpstart initiative, and supporting pathways to licensure for hundreds of emergency-licensed teachers in the region.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)