Toth retires, accepts Professional Standards Commission post

Toth came to Valdosta State in 1974 to work with the school's vocational teacher education program, and spent four years heading the Health and Physical Education Department before becoming dean in 1983. Under his leadership, the College of Education has grown to boast a third of VSU's total enrollment, added the university's first doctoral degree program and established numerous outreach efforts for rural teachers.

College of Education initiatives include school improvement graduate degrees for systems that want to increase student achievement and a leadership academy for public school teachers. Physical improvements have been made as well, with the recent construction of a Psychology Classroom Building and a Special Education and Communication Disorders Building, enabling the College of Education to meet the changing needs of students.

Additionally, the VSU College of Education has been recognized by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) and the PSC for its dedication to technology innovation in education.

"Dean Toth has been instrumental in developing one of the most significant colleges of education in the state, one which is acclaimed for its use of technology, for its cooperation with the public schools and for its regional impact," said Dr. Hugh C. Bailey, VSU president. "He'll be sorely missed, but we are delighted that he will have an opportunity to serve the entire state in his new position."

"I'm proud that the College of Education has been a leader in the integration of technology in teaching, as well as focusing graduate programs on school improvement," Toth said. "One of the reasons I became interested in this job with the PSC was to see if some of the successes that we've had at VSU could be duplicated on a statewide level."

Toth gives credit to the faculty and staff of VSU for the successful record. "I think we've hired some of the best professors in their areas and they've helped us accomplish the vision for the College of Education," he said.

Toth has been involved in several state and national educational groups, and serves as a member of the board of directors for Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education.

Toth, who served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1954-1957, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Eastern Kentucky University in 1961, a Master of Education degree from the University of Cincinnati in 1970 and a Ph.D. in education from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 1974.

Toth has been married to the former Liz Congleton for 40 years and has four children and three grandchildren.