coE-News: September 15, 2006 VOL. 2 ISSUE 1
VOL. 2 ISSUE 1
SEPT. 15, 2006
You’re reading coE-News, an electronic newsletter produced monthly during the academic year by the College of Education News & Publications Office to keep faculty and staff up-to-date on college news and activities. Click here to download a PDF version of this edition. You will need a PDF reader to view this document.
GOT NEWS? We want to hear it. Submit individual or unit news and calendar events of collegewide interest to news@coe.ufl.edu for publication consideration. All submissions must be in writing or via e-mail and must include contact information for follow-up questions.
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IN THIS ISSUE:
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DEAN’S MESSAGE
The winds of change
Dean Catherine Emihovich welcomes you back to campus – and explains why this year may be one of the most exciting in the college’s history. (more)
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TOP STORIES
Centennial conference to take on “Achievement Gap”
Former New York Times education columnist Richard Rothstein and renowned researchers from Harvard, Boston College and the University of Southern California will join school superintendents from across Florida to discuss ways to close the academic gap between the “haves” and “have nots” in COE’s centennial conference, to be held Nov. 2-4 in St. Petersburg.
Titled “Closing the Achievement Gap Through Partnerships,” the conference will take on a topic that many people find uncomfortable: the social and economic inequities – inside and outside the classroom – that give children from affluent families a leg up on their less-privileged counterparts. Early registration for the conference ends Sept. 30. (more)
Howard Hughes grant to bolster science education
Bolstered by a grant from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI), the College of Education will team with nearly 50 UF academic departments in 10 colleges in an ambitious effort to close the critical gap in science education, starting with UF’s own student body. The Science for Life initiative – a $4 million project funded by HHMI, UF and other sources – was created to foster science education and recruit future scientists from among students in middle schools, high schools and colleges. (more)
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NEWS AND NOTICES
Professor, grad students help New Orleans residents get back to school
As the nation prepared to mark the first anniversary of one of the worst natural disasters in its history, a professor and several students from COE’s Department of Counselor Education were on the ground in New Orleans, helping locals with their first school year after Hurricane Katrina. (more)
ProTeach students work in South Africa
For many college students, summer is a time to eat mom’s cooking, catch up with old friends and work a paying job. For a dozen students in COE’s ProTeach program, the summer of 2006 was all about rolling up your sleeves and working to make the world a better place. ProTeach students traveled to some of the poorest areas of South Africa to teach elementary-age children and perform much-needed school maintenance. (more)
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RESEARCH/GRANTS
A sampling of new faculty research and grant activities:
Leadership gap looms for community colleges as baby boomers retire
Community colleges could face a critical leadership gap as administrators born during the early baby boom era retire over the next five years, according to research by
Professor Dale Campbell, director of the COE’s community college leadership consortium. (more)
Students with mental retardation make gains in the general classroom
A recent COE study found that the nation as a whole made significant strides toward including students with mental retardation in the general classroom during the 1990s. However, the study’s authors say, progress seems to have stalled in this decade, and students with MR are still confronted by a patchwork of varying state laws. (more)
COE study finds different learning styles in U.S., China
American students tend to be more imaginative and less organized than their counterparts in the People’s Republic of China, a study by COE Professor Thomas Oakland suggests. Oakland and colleague Li Lu of Shanxi Medical University surveyed students in both countries to find out more about their preferred learning styles, and found that the two cultures influence students in a variety of ways. (more)
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FACULTY/STAFF HONORS/APPOINTMENTS
UF taps education professor for brain trust
Linda Behar-Horenstein, a professor of educational administration and policy at UF’s College of Education, has been appointed to the university’s Academy of Distinguished Teaching Scholars –– a brain trust of educators dedicated to improving teaching at UF. (more)
College honors new and recently promoted faculty
COE welcomed its new faculty and honored recently-promoted faculty members at its fall faculty reception Sept. 14. If you missed the reception, take a look here to see who is wearing new rank, or take this shortcut for an introduction to our new faculty.
COE welcomes new associate director of development
UF alumna Laforis Knowles is the newest addition to COE’s development staff. As associate director of development, Knowles will help raise funds from local and regional donors to the college, with a focus on increasing the number of student scholarships. Knowles is in a newly created position and will work with the college’s new development director, for which a search is underway.
Knowles returns to UF after four years at the March of Dimes, where she directed in-school fundraising for an 11-county area and helped organize WalkAmerica, the fundraiser that draws thousands to Gainesville each year. Knowles is a graduate of UF’s College of Journalism and Communications and lives in Anthony.
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STUDENT HONORS
Three UF students awarded KDP scholarships
Every year, students from more than 560 college chapters of Kappa Delta Pi, International Honor Society in Education, compete for the organization’s 50 coveted scholarships. This summer, three of those scholarships were awarded to UF students. ProTeach student Sarah Elizabeth Huggins was the recipient of the $500 President’s Scholarship; Diana Elysee, also a ProTeach student, was awarded the $750 Harold D. Drummond Scholarship; and doctoral student Jennifer Graff was awarded the $1,500 C. Glenn Hass Scholarship for her research on gender and literacy. KDP officials say it is unusual to have three scholarship recipients from a single university in the same year.
Dissertation wins national award
Wesley Wilson-Strauss, a recent doctoral graduate in Education Administration and Policy, has won high honors for his dissertation. Earlier this year, Wilson-Strauss defended “Graduate Preparation of Community College Student Affairs Officers,” which was named 2006 Dissertation of the Year by the National Council on Student Development.
“With an increasingly diverse student population, student affairs officers at community colleges are questioning what their proper role should be – and this dissertation squarely addresses the topics of who we are and what we do,” said NCSD Director Debra Bragg, a professor of education at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
Student’s scholarship is “iron-clad”
Jacqueline Lopez, a senior in ProTeach Elementary Education, will soon be developing lesson plans on one of America’s most famous shipwrecks – one of her duties as a recipient of a coveted National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration/Ernest F. Hollings Scholarship. Lopez will help write a teacher’s resource guide on the USS Monitor, the nation’s first iron-clad warship, as part of a 10-week internship at NOAA. The internship is one facet of the $8,000-per-year scholarship, awarded each year to a few dozen students nationwide who show promise as future leaders in increasing public awareness of oceanic and atmospheric sciences.
School Psychology student awarded Hyman Scholarship
Krista Schwenk, a doctoral student in School Psychology, has been awarded the 2006 Irwin Hyman Memorial Scholarship from the American Academy of School Psychology. Doctoral candidates in school psychology from around the country compete for the scholarship, which includes a $1,000 stipend. Schwenk is a member of the student editorial board for School Psychology Quarterly and has been involved in a number of research projects, including ongoing NIH-funded studies on Prader-Willi Syndrome and obesity.
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IN MEMORIAM
The EduGator family suffered several notable losses in recent months, from promising young students and recent graduates to beloved professors and some of the most influential faculty members of the mid-1900s. They are all greatly missed…
Mike Solich, who was due to graduate in August, drowned in the Estero River on Florida’s Gulf Coast during an Independence Day weekend boating and swimming outing. Students at P.K. Yonge, where Solich interned in an 8th-grade history class, recall how he asked them to write their own constitution, and explained the winter at Valley Forge to students who have never seen snow. (more)
The college suffered a double tragedy in early August, when Brian and David Marshall – brothers who were both students in the Counselor Education department – were killed in an automobile crash on I-95 in Virginia. The two were on their way home from their mother’s home in Gloucester, Mass. (more)
James Wattenbarger, the former COE professor known as the “father of Florida’s community college system,” died Aug. 14 at the age of 84. While still a doctoral student at UF, Wattenbarger wrote a dissertation that would become the framework for the state’s 28-school network of two-year colleges. He went on to become leader of that system and a nationally-recognized expert on community colleges. (more)
Robert Primack, who taught in the Social Foundations of Education program for 30 years, died Aug. 12. In the classroom and in local politics, Primack was known for a barbed wit that could sting, but would always instruct or inform. (more)
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P.K. YONGE NEWS
PKY = “A” x 5
Now there’s an equation that would make any teacher happy. For the fifth year in a row, P.K. Yonge Developmental Research School has achieved an “A” rating on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test. Those familiar with the test know that a school can continue to receive an “A” rating only if scores show improvement each year.
Blue Wave named state’s best Class 2A sports program
PKY also was honored this year with the Dodge Sunshine Cup/ FHSAA Floyd Lay All Sports Award. The award is given every year by the Florida High School Athletic Association to the school with the best overall sports program in the state. FHSAA determines the winner by awarding points to each school for championships and runner-up finishes in state, regional and district competitions. This is the third year PKY has beaten all other 2A schools in Florida to win the award.
Film identifies PKY as “model” of inclusion
PKY is the school featured in “Seven Effective Strategies for Secondary Inclusion,” a recently released instructional video offering teachers tips on how to include students with disabilities in the general classroom. The video, produced by National Professional Resources Inc., uses PKY as a model for successful inclusion. You can find a brief description of the video here.
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IN THE NEWS
A recent sampling of “media hits” from the College of Education, many of them resulting from press releases or media requests:
Orlando Sentinel – Sherry McIlwain (5/20/06)
The Sentinel covered COE’s presentation of UF’s statewide Distinguished Educator Award to McIlwain, principal at Seminole Springs Elementary School.
Lakeland Ledger – Maria Coady, STL (5/28/06)
Coady commented on a proposed law that would make English the official language of the United States.
Sarasota Herald-Tribune – Tom Dana, STL (6/19/06)
Dana was quoted in a story about how the No Child Left Behind Act affects the way colleges of education prepare future teachers.
Gainesville Sun – Catherine Emihovich, Dean (6/2/06)
A story on UF’s $1.5 million grant from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute mentioned the role Dean Emihovich will play as mentor to postdoctoral fellows in the new Science for Life program. Click here to view the article online.
Kansas City Star – Lawrence Tyree, EAP (6/13/06)
The Star covered the appointment of former COE professor Larry Tyree as the new interim president of Johnson County Community College in Kansas.
Gainesville Sun – Dale Campbell, EAP (6/23/06)
Campbell was featured in a story on his recent report called “The New Leadership Gap,” which warns of a coming shortage of community college administrators as the baby boom generation retires. Click here to view the article online.
WRUF/AM850 – Kara Dawson, STL (7/20/06)
Dawson was quoted in a story on a new State of Florida website that gives parents tips on how to protect their children from criminals on the Internet.
Lakeland Ledger – Dorene Ross, STL (7/29/06)
Ross was quoted in a story on teachers who hold second jobs during the summer to make ends meet. Ross said most students pursue a career in education knowing that they will give up a large paycheck in exchange for the sense of doing something important.
Gainesville Sun – Cirecie West-Olatunji, CE (8/10/06)
West-Olatunji recently led a group of graduate counselor education students to New Orleans, where they helped local residents adjust to their first regular school year after Hurricane Katrina. Click here to read the story online.
New York Times, James Wattenbarger (8/17/06)
The Times carried an obituary for former UF professor James Wattenbarger. The Gainesville Sun also carried a feature-length obituary of Wattenbarger (8/16/06). The article can be found here.
Gainesville Sun, James Wattenbarger, Robert Primack (8/18/06)
UF political science professor Richard Scher remembered Wattenbarger, Primack and former UF history professor Kermit Hall in an opinion piece titled, “The Passing of Three Giants.”
Boston Globe – Brian and David Marshall (8/15/06)
The Globe covered the death of brothers Brian and David Marshall, both graduate students in Counselor Education. Similar stories appeared in The Gainesville Sun (8/14/06) and The Independent Florida Alligator. The memorial service for the Marshall brothers in the Norman Hall courtyard was also covered by The Sun (9/05/06) and The Alligator (9/05/06).
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coE-CALENDAR
SEPT 16
Baby Gator’s Fabulous Family Yard Sale
8 a.m. to 1 p.m., Baby Gator Child Development and Research Center
Bldg. 293, Village Drive
Donations can be made through close-of-business Sept. 15 at the Baby Gator office.
For more information, call 352-392-2330
SEPT 18
Brown Bag: “Public Scholarship”, featuring Dean Catherine Emihovich
Noon -1 p.m. Norman Terrace Room
Contact: Ana Puig, 352-392-2315, ext. 235 or anapuig@coe.ufl.edu
SEPT 18
Fall Faculty Meeting
2 p.m., Norman Terrace Room
Contact: Buffy Bondy, bondy@coe.ufl.edu
SEPT 20
Faculty Training: Grants.gov Submissions, featuring Carole Oglesby of Research and Graduate Programs
Noon-1 p.m., Norman Terrace Room
Contact: Ana Puig, 392-2315, ext. 235 or anapuig@coe.ufl.edu
(All COE Faculty welcome; RSVP to Ana by Friday, Sept. 8)
SEPT 26
Student Welcome Ice Cream Social (Meet Your Deans)
3 -5 p.m., Norman Lawn
Contact: Jodi Mount at jmount@coe.ufl.edu
OCT. 6
Fall Career Night (open to all students).
Panelists include distinguished graduates of the UF College of Education
7 – 8p.m., Reitz Union Ballroom
Contact: Jodi Mount, 2-0728, ext. 250 or jmount@coe.ufl.edu
OCT. 9
Faculty Policy Council Meeting
2 p.m., Norman Hall, Room 158
Contact: Buffy Bondy, bondy@coe.ufl.edu
OCT. 12
Centennial Colloquium
Edward Kame’enui, IES Commissioner for Special Education and Research
Time: TBA, Terrace Room
Contact: Jodi Mount, 2-0728, ext. 250 or jmount@coe.ufl.edu
OCT. 13
Gainesville Alumni Reception
UF President’s Home
Contact: Jodi Mount at jmount@coe.ufl.edu
OCT. 29
Norman Hall Haunted House (Open to the public, adults only)
7 – 11 p.m., Norman Hall
Tickets: $3 (advance), $5 (door)
Contact: Jodi Mount, 392-0728, ext. 250 or jmount@coe.ufl.edu
NOV. 2-4
UF College of Education Centennial Conference:
“Closing the Achievement Gap Through Partnerships”
St. Petersburg, Fla.
Early Registration ends Sept. 30
To register: http://www.doce-conference.ufl.edu/gap
NOV. 2
Gator Gathering in conjunction with the Centennial Conference
7-9 p.m., St. Petersburg Hilton
R.S.V.P. to Jodi Mount, 392-0728, ext. 250 or jmount@coe.ufl.edu
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ANNOUNCEMENTS
Are your memories becoming obsolete?
Are all the home movies of your UF days on Super-8 and Beta Max? Do your non-Gator friends and family fail to share your enthusiasm for old photos of your UF days?
Don’t stash your memories away – send them to us. The College of Education is building its archive of historic campus images and facts. We want to see photos and films of your COE days, and we want to hear your stories from Norman Hall.
Send your photos, films and stories to P.O Box 117044, Gainesville, FL 32611-7044, or e-mail them to news@coe.ufl.edu if you have digital versions. Don’t worry if your home movies were recorded in an outdated medium – we’ll find a way to view them. All submissions will be handled with care and returned promptly.
Make a difference with UF Community Campaign
You went into education to make a difference in the world. UF is about to make the job a little easier, through the 2006 Community Campaign. Each year, the university raises money for 79 local charities through voluntary payroll deductions set aside by UF employees. Last year, UF faculty and staff gave more than $1 million to local agencies such as St. Francis House, Habitat for Humanity and Haven Hospice. This year the goal is to raise $1.2 million. COE raised almost $31,000 last year, and our goal this year is to increase that amount by 10 percent. But numbers aren’t really important. What’s important is that your contribution can have a real impact right here in Alachua County – and giving is simple. In the next few weeks, the Community Campaign representative for your office will be coming around with an easy-to-complete form that allows you to give as much as you want to the charity of your choice. Please open your heart and your pocketbook, and give as generously as you can.
New editor for coE-News
CoE-News begins the school year under new editorship. Joy Rodgers, former editor of the newsletter, has moved on to a new job at Tigert Hall.
Tim Lockette, the new information specialist in the News and Publications Office, is now responsible for the electronic newsletter. A former reporter for The Gainesville Sun, Tim has been working for UF since 2003, most recently as editor of the weekly newsletter of the Levin College of Law. He is also seeking a degree through the ProTeach program, with plans to become a high school English teacher.
If you have news of interest to readers of coE-News, please send it to Tim at lockette@coe.ufl.edu or 392-0726 ext. 274.
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QUICK LINKS
UF: www.ufl.edu
College of Education: education.ufl.edu
coE-News: Publications
Education Times magazine: Publications
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coE-News is produced by:
College of Education, University of Florida
Dean’s Office/News & Publications
Dean: Catherine Emihovich
Director: Larry Lansford (llansford@coe.ufl.edu)
Editor: Tim Lockette (Lockette@coe.ufl.edu)
Correspondents:
Marta Pollitt, P.K. Yonge
