Mike Geddes (PhD ’04, Curriculum & Instruction) is the Director of Instructional Technology for Citrus County Schools. Under his leadership, the district was recently recognized by the U.S. Department of Education for innovative and effective technology use.
Full article: Florida County Uses Technology to Engage Students and Innovate in the Classroom.
On Saturday, the College of Education hosted an EduGator Homecoming Tailgate for alumni, faculty, and friends at the Norman Hall Plaza. Attendees were able to meet Dean Glenn Good and reconnect with fellow alumni before heading to the Florida vs. Missouri Homecoming game. This year we had BBQ from 4 Rivers and games for our guests.
Click here to see pictures from the event.
This year’s EduGator Homecoming Tailgate was a success!
Go Gators!
Lyle McKinney, a 2010 UF doctoral graduate in higher education administration, was recently awarded the University of Houston’s 2014 Teaching Excellence Award.
McKinney is an assistant professor of higher education and faculty-in-residence at UH.
This award isn’t McKinney’s first recognition as a top teacher. In 2013, he received the UH College of Education Research Excellence Award and also was one of four assistant professors across the state of Texas to serve as a Faculty Fellow of the Greater Texas Foundation.
He said his goal is to help shape public policies and institutional practices that raise the chances of success for community college students. He said he benefitted from UF COE’s national reputation as one of the best at preparing highly effective community college educators.
“UF gave me this great opportunity as a student to immerse myself in meaningful research,” he said. “It built a confidence that kind of snowballed.”
As a member of the Houston Gator Club, McKinney still feels closely linked to the Gator Nation. He said he gains a deeper appreciation for the knowledge and motivation his alma mater provided as the years go by.
“I want to take the knowledge I’ve gathered from UF and use it to improve the lives of others,” he said.
UF higher education administration alumna Monique Perry was recently appointed dean of enrollment services at York Technical College. York Tech is a two-year community and technical college outside of the Charlotte, North Carolina area.
As dean, she oversees student recruitment and admissions, academic records, the college-wide call center, and financial aid.
She earned her Ed.D. in higher education administration with a concentration in community college leadership from UF in 2013.
“The depth of knowledge, exposure and the support of the UF network I developed there helped make me competitive for my current position,” Perry said. “Our program focused on developing us as a total package.”
Perry’s research interests include the impacts of the multi-generational workforce on higher education and its ability to attract and retain future leaders, especially millennials. Her dissertation at UF included research on millennial faculty workplace preferences and their impact on job satisfaction.
“My legacy is to not only help develop people in higher education, but also make sure that I contribute to programs, initiatives and guidelines that help make students successful,” she said
Jayne Ellspermann (MED ’84, Education Leadership) became the principal of West Port High School soon after it opened in 2003. Ellspermann’s dedication to the students of West Port has resulted in higher FCAT scores and many seniors earning Associate’s degrees from Central Florida before graduation. The National Association of Secondary School Principals has named Jayne Ellspermann the 2015 National Principal of the Year.
Jayne Ellspermann earned her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Georgia in 1977. In 1984, she earned her Master’s degree in Education Leadership from the University of Florida. For the full Ocala Star Banner article, click here. Alumni Accolades article here.
photo credit: Alan Youngblood/Star-Banner
Stephen Masyada (MEd ’02, Social Studies Ed & PhD ’13, Curriculum & Instruction) became the Director of the Florida Joint Center for Citizenship in August 2014. The Florida Joint Center for Citizenship is a combined effort of the Lou Frey Institute of Politics and Government and the Bob Graham Center for Public Service. His primary focus is on professional development relating to civics education in Florida. Dr. Masyada previously worked for the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction as a Social Studies Education consultant.
Dr. Stephen Masyada is currently the President Elect of the Council of State Social Studies Specialists. He earned a BA in History in 2000, a MEd in Social Studies Education in 2002, and a PhD in Curriculum & Instruction in 2013 from the University of Florida. While pursuing his PhD, Masyada taught Social Studies in Levy County. He is also a former teacher of the year at Williston High School, 2003-2004.
Dr. Morgan Phillips (EDS ’00 & EDD ’02, Higher Ed. Admin) is the new president of Pima Community College’s Desert Vista Campus in Tucson, AZ.
Dr. Phillips has served as the Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs at Southeastern Community College in Whiteville, N.C., since 2012. He is responsible for all the college’s academic programs and student development functions, as well as its technology operations and accreditation efforts.
Dr. Phillips served as Southeastern’s Vice President of Curriculum Instruction for six years before assuming his current position. His two decades’ experience in higher education includes serving as a faculty member, department chair, and academic dean at Valencia Community College in Orlando, FL.
Morgan holds a Doctor of Education degree in Higher Education Administration from the University of Florida. In 2007, Morgan Phillips was the UF Institute of Higher Education Outstanding Graduate.
Ian Neuhard (Ed.D. ’13) will be the new president of the Florida State College at Jacksonville’s Kent campus beginning July 14.
Neuhard, who has served as dean of baccalaureate programs for the past seven years at Indian River State College in Fort Pierce, Fla., said his experience at UF provided the impetus for landing his new position.
“Earning my doctorate last year was a key aspect of my successful candidacy,” he said. “I have the faculty at the College of Education to thank for all the hard work, advice and assistance they provided as I worked to complete the program and achieve this next important step in my career.”
Neuhard majored in higher education administration at UF. He received his master of professional studies degree in community services administration from Alfred University in New York in 1997.
He earned his bachelor’s degree in English language arts education at the University of Central Florida in Orlando after receiving an associate in arts degree from Valencia Community College, also in Orlando.
Caitlin McLemore (BAE ’09 & MEd ’10, Elementary Ed) was part of a team that won the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) SIGLIB (library special interest group) Technology Innovation Award for 2014. According to the ISTE website, ”ISTE presents this award to one team consisting of a school librarian and collaborating teacher, from one primary school (K-5) or its equivalent, each year. We’re looking for teams that have planned a collaborative project involving technology, received support from administration, and successfully executed the project with supportive data and evidence for others to replicate the project.” Caitlin and her colleague, Melissa Powers, submitted lesson plans and artifacts from a lesson they implemented with 4th grade teachers about civil rights utilizing resources including VoiceThread and Google Apps. Caitlin and Melissa were awarded several prizes including cash to purchase technology resources for the school and a free trip to the ISTE conference in Atlanta in July.
Caitlin McLemore was the Media Technology Integrationist at Currey Ingram Academy, a K-12 independent school in Brentwood, TN for students with learning differences, from 2012-2014. She will be starting a new position as Technology Integration Specialist at Harpeth Hall, an all-girls independent school for grades 5-12 in Nashville, TN in August. In 2009, Caitlin graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from the University of Florida. The following year, she graduated with her Master’s degree in Elementary Education, with a specialization in Education Technology.
ISTE Official Press Release: http://goo.gl/wY4xBi
Tennessean Article: http://goo.gl/53IuxM
A few years ago Kerri Saulnier (MEd ’97, Special Education), a teacher at The Schenck School in Atlanta, GA saw a need and filled it. In 2009, Saulnier founded the pro bono tutoring program, Schenck Helping Individuals in Need Excel (SHINE), for students with reading difficulties. SHINE’s one-on-one tutoring is provided at no charge to children ages 5 to 15 with documented reading difficulties and demonstrated financial need. All SHINE tutors are volunteers. “Any teacher will tell you that it’s thrilling to teach a child to read,” says Saulnier, SHINE director. “Effective reading intervention and remediation can be very expensive and hard to find. Through this community outreach, SHINE tutors are dedicated to lighting the candle of reading against the darkness that illiteracy will mean over a child’s lifetime.”
Saulnier was also the winner of the 2010 Service Award from The Georgia Branch of the International Dyslexia Association for her tutoring program. The award is “in appreciation and recognition of dynamic and creative leadership in education and outstanding efforts to promote and encourage literacy, reading, and student achievement.” Kerri Saulnier earned her Bachelor’s degree in 1996 and her Master’s Degree in 1997 from the University of Florida, with a concentration in Special Education.
