The College of Education recently named Chris Burkett as the director of the Office of Clinical Experiences, overseeing the placement of all teacher candidates in their practicum and internship experiences. Burkett comes to the University of South Carolina from Columbia College where he was the Associate Provost of Academic Affairs and before that, head of the Division of Education. He is also a former professor of education at Newberry College.

He started his career more than 20 years ago as a social studies teacher and athletic coach at Dutch Fork High School in Lexington School District Five. He has served in various roles at the South Carolina Department of Education including chair of the Professional Review Committee (PRC) and a NCATE/CAEP state program reviewer.

Burkett will now lead the clinical experiences team which places teacher candidates in practicum and internship experiences in 33 districts across South Carolina, coordinates training of educators who will mentor the Carolina students during their practicum work, and serves as a liaison between public schools and the university during this process.

“The time spent in the K-12 classroom, learning from veteran teachers and working with young students, is vital to the success of our education majors. I look forward to working with our public school partners to ensure our students are gaining the skills they need to be excellent professionals after graduation,” says Burkett.

Burkett earned his bachelor’s degree from Newberry College, his master’s degree in education from Columbia College and his doctorate of education in higher education administration from Nova Southeastern University.