February 13, 2017
To Whom It May Concern,
Department of
Counseling,
Educational Psychology,
and Special Education
Richard S Prawat
Chairperson
Michigan State University
447 Erickson Hall
East Lansing, Michigan
48824-1034
517/353-6417
FAX: 517/353-6393
MSU is an affirmative-action,
equal opportunity institution.
It is a pleasure to write this letter of recommendation for Claire McHugh who is applying to the
Special Education MA program at Michigan State University. I have had the opportunity to
work with Claire in several capacities, including as an instructor in our consultation and
collaboration class taken during the Internship year and as the MA Program Coordinator for
the Special Education Program at Michigan State University. In this letter, I would like to
provide you with a glimpse of the professional knowledge, skills, and dispositions our students
will bring to graduate study, while also speaking directly about this applicant.
First, I would like to alert the Admission Committee to several aspects of Claires academic
performance and professional experience. Currently, Claire is in her special education
placement, a 6th-8th grade resource room at East Middle School in Farmington. Last semester,
Claire was in a second grade general education classroom at Beechview Elementary School.
Through her experiences as a special education intern, she has developed lessons, lead and
participated in IEP meetings, and administered assessments for students in various grade
levels. This propensity to work with individuals with special needs makes Claire fairly unique
in my experience.
In Fall 2016, Claire was a student in my CEP 801a Consultation and Collaboration course. It
was evident to me that Claire was hardworking, well prepared, and passionate about the
education of individuals with disabilities. During class discussions I could regularly count on
Claire to contribute meaningful & thoughtful commentary. Academically, Claire has excelled,
achieving a 4.0 in my Consultation and Collaboration course and an overall GPA of 3.89 as an
undergraduate student. With her academic and scholarly talents, I think the Special Education
MA program at Michigan State University would be an outstanding fit for Claire McHugh.
To conclude, I believe Claire would be exactly the type of student we are seeking in our
Special Education MA program. There is no doubt in my mind that Claire will be an
outstanding student and will excel in our graduate program. Of course, if you have any
questions, please do not hesitate to write (erinhami@msu.edu) or call (517) 432-0418.
Sincerely,
Erin M Hamilton
MA Program Coordinator
Special Education Program
Michigan State University