Among the framed awards, photos and College of Education and Health Professions mementos that personalize Dean Kate Mamiseishvili’s office, there’s a striking brass and wood telescope on the left corner of her desk.

The “spyglass” was a gift from mentor Gary Stark, and it often serves as a meaningful conversation starter for those who visit. Along with the telescope, Stark gave Mamiseishvili the children’s picture book that inspired it: The Spyglass by Richard Paul Evans. The book tells the story of a monarch who is encouraged to look through the lens of an enchanted spyglass, ultimately igniting hope and change across his land.

Mamiseishvili referenced the spyglass when she shared with Stark that she was bestowing him with the 2025 College of Education and Health Professions Dean’s Circle of Care Award.

“Your support has allowed me to envision the future of our college through a new lens, and I cannot imagine being in the role of dean without your invaluable kindness, counsel and care,” she said.

The Dean’s Circle of Care Award is special to Mamiseishvili. She created it last year to recognize friends and supporters who exemplify extraordinary care for the college and display abundant generosity with their time, guidance and support.

In a letter to Stark about the award, she wrote, “I sought to honor someone who embodies the culture of caring at its deepest level. Your unwavering presence as a wise sounding board, encourager, advisor and friend makes you the ideal recipient of this award.”

Stark, who earned a doctorate in educational administration from the college, is a member of the Dean’s Executive Advisory Board. Throughout his 30-year career in education, he worked in schools, universities, government, and public and private philanthropy. He currently serves as senior advisor for K-12 education at Walton Personal Philanthropy Group, where he supports education investments in the tri-state areas of Arkansas, Missouri and Oklahoma.

A military veteran, Stark began his education career as a classroom teacher in Tennessee and a principal in Arkansas. He received the national Milken Educator Award as a principal. His experiences in the classroom and school buildings sparked a desire to improve education on a national scale. He later became the vice president of the Milken Family Foundation, where he focused on recognizing and supporting educators in society. In 2010, he became president and CEO of the National Institute for Excellence in Teaching, a national nonprofit that oversees one of the nation’s largest multi-year, multi-state efforts to improve educator effectiveness. He also served at the U.S. Department of Education and worked as a special advisor to the U.S. assistant secretary of education.

Stark has met with thousands of teachers, principals and school administrators and has provided expert testimony before school boards, legislative committees and members of Congress.

He currently serves as chairman of the National Institute for Excellence in Teaching board and is on the Goodwill Industries of Arkansas board, as well as several advisory boards. He and his wife, Lisa, have two daughters.

The college will host a banquet on March 7 to honor Stark and other alumni award recipients. The event will celebrate their commitment and care for the college and its faculty, students and staff.

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