UF Homecoming week is always filled with fun activities and plenty of opportunities to show gator spirit.  This year the COE celebrated Homecoming with a variety of festive events and activities.

We kicked off the fun with the Dean Welcoming Reception Friday evening in the Norman Hall courtyard.  Alumni, faculty, and friends were invited to the event for a chance to meet the new dean, Dr. Glenn Good, and catch up before heading to Gator Growl that evening.  The event went very well, thanks to some great food and several outdoor heaters that kept our guests warm enough to enjoy the great evening atmosphere.

Saturday morning meant BBQ at the O’Connell center.  For several years, the College has hosted tables at the annual UF Homecoming BBQ.  Each year the event gets bigger and this year’s gathering included a game of corn hole, a raffle for a free engraved brick, and plenty of give-aways.  Our guests were able to enjoy lunch while catching up with friends and participating in activities hosted by the College before walking over to the stadium for the big game against the Vanderbilt Commodores.

To view photos from the events, please check out our Flickr page.

Dean Good (center) with Tony Domenech (left) and Lee Pinkoson

COE alumni & supporters and Alachua County school board members & leaders had the opportunity to meet the new College of Education dean, Dr. Glenn Good,  during a reception hosted at John and Pat Carlson’s home (BAE ’73) and co-hosted by Tony (MED ’79) and Lynn (Med ’78) Domenech on Wed, Oct 26, 2011.

Photos can be found on this Flickr set.

Courtney Howard (PHD ’03, Curriculum Instruction) was recently hired as director for the Center for Partnerships to Improve Education at the College of Charleston in South Carolina. Prior to this position, Howard spent seven years in the School of Education at Claflin University (Orangeburg, SC) as teacher education faculty member (2004-2011), Director of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment (2008-2010), and Interim Dean (2010-2011)

The EduGator Nation spreads far and wide, even Ankara, Turkey.

Our latest international update comes from Cagdas Kockan (MED ’01, Math. Ed.) who currently works as a civil engineer at the Disaster and Emergency Management Office of Ankara, Turkey. He previously worked as a research assistant at the Gazi University Kirsehir Education Faculty between 2002-2007 and held a position at the Directorate of Public Works and Settlement Office of Kırsehir, Turkey.

Michelle (Thompson) Donice (Higher Ed Admin ‘05), a 2005 Ph.D. graduate in higher education administration and a former Holmes Partnership Scholar, published her debut novel, The Other Side of Through, in June. The author explores one woman’s painful search for self against the backdrop of her crumbling marriage and a steamy affair that makes her want to leave it all behind. Available now at Amazon and Barnes & Noble (http://www.plenarypublishing.com/).

Donice in 2005 was one of three UF recipients of the prestigious Holmes Scholarship, which recognizes advanced-degree students of color for their character, academic standing and career goals in education. She previously graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor’s in communications from Bethune-Cookman College in Daytona Beach. She lives in Ormond Beach with her husband and children and teaches English and creative writing.

She says she wrote The Other Side of Through after hearing so many women talk about marital issues.