coE-News: March 17, 2008, VOL 3 ISSUE 6
VOL. 3, ISSUE 6
Mar. 17, 2008
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.
* * * * * * * * * *
IN THIS ISSUE:
* * * * * * * * * *
DEAN’S MESSAGE
Working together as champions for early learning readiness
Beneath the headlines about war and the economy, there are troubling trends emerging that could affect the next generation of preK-12 students. Child poverty is on the rise. The infant mortality rate—a primary indicator of the wealth and living conditions of a population—is climbing again after decades of decline. In her Dean’s Message for March, Dean Catherine Emihovich explains what the College of Education is doing to meet the problem head-on. (more)
* * * * * * * * * *
TOP STORIES
COE joins $5.9 million effort to bolster math and science education
UF is teaming up with two other top Florida universities to launch Florida PROMiSE, a multi-million-dollar effort to prepare teachers to meet the state’s tough new standards in science and mathematics. The move comes as the COE begins a renaissance in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) education. (more)
Bondy named new director of School of Teaching and Learning
Professor Elizabeth “Buffy” Bondy, known around the state for her work to turn around the fortunes of high-poverty schools, will be the next director of COE’s School of Teaching and Learning, Dean Catherine Emihovich announced last week. (more)
COE scholars in force at AERA conference
For years, the annual meeting of the American Education Research Association has been a hotbed of new, exciting, research-based ideas about teaching. At this year’s conference, to be held in New York City March 24-28, UF faculty and students will once again be a major presence, participating in 66 presentations or panel discussions on a wide range of topics including: teaching in diverse settings, the effects of “ubiquitous computing” in the classroom, response-to-intervention approaches to special education and more. For a complete list of UF presenters, click here, select “search the preliminary program” and enter “University of Florida” into the search field.
* * * * * * * * *
NEWS AND NOTICES
Death education lecture series resumes April 17
Death is a subject people often don’t like to talk about, much less study— but our aversion to discussing the topic can lead to profound suffering for those who have lost a loved one. On April 17, the College of Education will host a day-long lecture event with Froma Walsh, the Mose and Sylvia Firestone Professor Emerita at the University Chicago and creator of the “Family Resilience Framework,” a research-based system for helping families cope with end-of-life dilemmas and bereavement challenges. The event is the latest installment in COE’s groundbreaking Peterson Death Education Series, one of the few lecture series dedicated to end-of-life issues. The event will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the UF Hilton Conference Center. For more information, click here to read news release about the workshop, or send questions Ana Puig in the College of Education at anapuig@coe.ufl.edu or 392-2315, ext. 235. To RSVP for the event, contact Rosie Warner at rwarner@coe.ufl.edu.
Win $500 in “What’s Good in Education” writing contest
Everything you read, see and hear about education lately tends to focus on doom and gloom. Perhaps it’s time to remind ourselves—and others—that there’s still a lot that is good in education. To bring out a little of that good, the College of Education is hosting the “What’s Good in Education” writing contest. COE faculty, staff and students are invited to submit entries of no more than 450 words celebrating the things our school system does right. The best entry will receive a $500 stipend (funded by charitable contributions) for use toward books, tuition, travel or other school-related expenses. The winning essay will be published as a “guest column” in the upcoming issue of Education Times, the COE alumni magazine, and posted (along with other entries) on the COE Web site. Submit entries by noon, March 20, to news@coe.ufl.edu. Click here for more information.
Successful COE food drive continues into summer
Before the winter holidays, the COE Staff Council asked the college for help in collecting food for needy families in North Central Florida. You responded, and the Staff Council delivered hundreds of pounds of food just in time for the holidays. In 2008, the need is still there—and the Staff Council is continuing its food drive into the summer months. Please bring your donations of canned and non-perishable food to Elaine Green in the E
ducational Psychology office 1403 Norman Hall at any time between now and June 30.
Celebrate the 1950s at Staff Appreciation Luncheon March 20
What do Sandra Dee, James Dean, Norman Bates, the Mouseketeers, Joseph McCarthy and Ed Wood have in common? They’re all pop culture icons from the 1950s—and they’re all people you can be at this year’s Staff Appreciation Luncheon, to be held 11:30 a.m. March 20 in the Norman Courtyard. Come dressed as your favorite character from the age of beatniks, bobby socks and the Bomb — and enjoy free burgers, fries and hot dogs. See who gets this year’s Staff Member of the Year Awards. No need to RSVP, just be there”¦ or be square.
Russian teachers say “privyet” (hi) to COE
The College of Education welcomed a delegation of Russian teachers in a wide variety of disciplines—from mathematics to world artistic culture—who visited the College of Education in February as part of an eight-day tour of Alachua County. The tour was sponsored by the Library of Congress Open World program. In addition to their stop at Norman, the group visited local K-12 schools. To find out what they thought of American curriculum, check out The Gainesville Sun‘s coverage of the visit here.
* * * * * * * * *
FACULTY/STAFF HONORS/APPOINTMENTS
Brownell honored as top reviewer by AERA
Professor Mary Brownell has been named one of the “top 10 reviewers” by the American Educational Research Journal/Social and Institutional Analysis, the American Educational Research Association’s journal for scholarship on political, cultural, social and economic issues in education. AERJ editors cited Brownell not only for her willingness to take on reviewing projects with a short deadline, but also for reviews that displayed “deep understanding of the field of research and a compassionate voice.” Even the authors Brownell rejected, AERJ editors say, often wrote back to express their appreciation for her constructive criticism. Brownell will be honored for her achievement at the AERA annual meeting in New York City on March 24.
Ohana award goes to West-Olatunji in Counselor Education
Assistant Professor Cirecie West-Olatunji in Counselor Education will receive the Ohana Award from Counselors for Social Justice at the annual meeting of the American Counseling Association March 26-30 in Honolulu, Hawaii. In addition to her counseling work in southern Africa and post-Katrina New Orleans, West-Olatunji was chosen for the honor because of her scholarly reputation and her long history of speaking out on social justice issues in counselor education.
* * * * * * * * *
STUDENT AWARDS AND HONORS
Doctoral student gets Golden Apple
Nicole Bien, a Gulfview Middle School special education teacher and COE doctoral student, is one of this year’s recipients of the Collier County Education Foundation’s Golden Apple Award. Given annually to only six of the 3,000 teachers in Collier District Schools, the Golden Apple is highly respected among Collier County educators and parents. Bien will officially accept the award in a televised ceremony to be held in May. Bien is a student in Project EXCEL, a new COE degree program created to prepare a new generation of leaders in special education administration.
* * * * * * * * *
PUBLICATIONS/PRESENTATIONS
Hagedorn, higher education doctoral students will guest-edit major publications
Professor Linda Serra Hagedorn, chair of the Department of Educational Administration and Policy, will work closely with two of her higher education Ph.D. candidates as they join her in guest co-editing two major publications on community colleges. Christopher Coogan will join Hagedorn as a guest-editor for an issue of The Journal of College Student Retention. This special edition will focus on retention in community colleges. Doctoral student David Horton will join Hagedorn as co-editor of an issue of New Directions in Community Colleges with a focus on community college athletics.
Ponjuan to present at ASHE workshop
Educational Administration and Policy Assistant Professor Luis Ponjuan has been invited to present his research on faculty retention at the Association for the Study of Higher Education’s Equity Publications Workshop in Santa Fe, N.M., in June. Funded by the Ford Foundation, the workshop is one of the activities of the Institute on Equity Research Methods and Critical Policy Analysis, which was founded to develop a core group of scholars with the skills to study racial and ethnic equity in higher education. Ponjuan also co-presented a commissioned paper for the American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education in Miami. The paper titled “The Vanishing Latino Male in Higher education” was presented to higher education leaders interested in reversing the declining rates of Latinos participating in higher education.
Presentations and Workshops
Garrett, M. T., & Torres Rivera, E. (2008, February). Opening session: Bringing the natural elements of relation to life in group work: A Native American Perspective. Presentation at the annual conference of the Association for Specialists in Group Work, St. Pete Beach, Florida.
Hagedorn, L.S. (2008, March) Latino Student Access and Success: The Community College View. American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education (AAHHE) Latino/a Student Success Institute. Miami.
Hagedorn, L.S. (2008, March) Evidence of Change in Danville Virginia: Evidence from the Achieving the Dream: Community Colleges Count Initiative. New York City.
Hagedorn, L.S. (2008, February) Student Success: Can we Decipher the Formula? Presentation to the administration and faculty of the Antelope Valley Community College. Lancaster, CA.
Hagedorn, L.S. (2008, February) Using Transcript Data to Answer Policy Questions. Presentation to the Community College Transfer Initiative and the National Association of System Heads. The Education Trust, Washington, DC.
Puig, A., Lenes, E., & Garrett, M. T. (2008, February). Experiential Integration of Creativity into Counseling and Supervision. Presentation at the annual conference of the Association for Specialists in Group Work, St. Pete Beach, Florida.
Tate, K., Brubaker, M., & Torres Rivera, E. (2008. February). Group Therapy for Homeless Clients: A Humanistic, Resource-Focused Approach. Presentation at the annual conference of the Association for Specialists in Group Work, St. Pete Beach, Florida.
Torres-Rivera, E., & Garrett, M. T. (2008. February). U-no-le-hi: Joining the Four Winds Together through Effective Group Work. Presentation at the annual conference of the Association for Specialists in Group Work, St. Pete Beach, Florida.
Torres-Rivera, E., Parham, T., D’Andrea, M., West-Olatunji, C., & Daniels, J. A
. (2008, February). Initiating the NIMC’s Project: Continuing the National Discussion of Race, Justice, and Peace: The Role and Function of Counselors, Psychologists and Other Mental Health Professionals. Town Hall conducted at the Annual Winter Roundtable on Cultural Psychology and Education, New York City.
Publications
Torres-Rivera, E., Phan, L. T., Garrett, M. T., Roberts-Wilbur, J., & Schwartz, E. (2007). Comparing the color of fear and evolution of a group: A pilot study. Interamerican Journal of Psychology, 41, 1-6.
* * * * * * * * *
DISSERTATION DEFENSES
Students, faculty and staff are invited to attend the following dissertation defense. Please RSVP if you plan to attend:
Assessing the Effectiveness of Supplemental Educational Services in Urban Florida School Districts
Doctoral candidate: Myrna Allen
10 a.m., March 19, 290 Norman Hall
RSVP to: David Quinn: dquinn@coe.ufl.edu
Assessing the Development of Campus Safety Policy in the Community College Following the Virginia Tech Tragedy
Doctoral candidate: Jennifer Kerkhoff
10 a.m., March 25, 290 Norman Hall
RSVP to: Dale Campbell, dfc@coe.ufl.edu
International Graduate Students: Choice of Majors and Academic Performance
Doctoral candidate: Jia Ren
2 p.m., March 20, 1331 Norman Hall
RSVP to: Linda Serra Hagedorn, Hagedorn@coe.ufl.edu
* * * * * * * * *
IN THE NEWS
A recent sampling of media hits from the College of Education:
San Francisco Examiner — “AT&T Foundation Grant” — (02/22/08) Associate Professor Rick Ferdig’s study to evaluate the effectiveness of various methods of distance education, funded by a grant from the AT&T Foundation, was mentioned in a story in the online edition of The San Francisco Examiner. The story also ran in the online edition of the The (Gulfport, Miss.) Sun-Herald.
Bradenton Herald — “Florida PROMiSE” — (03/03/2008) The new mathematics and science education initiative, done jointly by UF, the University of South Florida and Florida State University, was the subject of a story in the Herald.
* * * * * * * * * *
CALENDAR
MARCH 17
Monday Morning Coffee: It’s never too early to start your proposal, Part III, with Paul Sindelar, Ana Puig & Cyndi Garvan
Open to all COE faculty.
10 a.m., Norman Terrace Room
Contact: Rosie Warner: rwarner@coe.ufl.edu; 392-2315, ext 234
MARCH 20
COE Staff Awards Luncheon
11:30 a.m. Norman Hall Courtyard
Contact: jmount@coe.ufl.edu or (352) 392-0728, ext: 250
MARCH 24-28
American Education Research Association Conference
New York City
MARCH 27
“Workload Management Strategies for Online Educators”
12:15 p.m., Room G518
APRIL 2-5
Council for Exceptional Children Annual Convention
Boston
APRIL 5-6
Florida Fund for Minority Teachers, Inc.
12th Annual Recruitment and Retention Conference
Rosen Plaza Hotel
Orlando
APRIL 14
Monday Morning Coffee
B.O. Smith Professors’ Annual Report w/Kristen Kemple & Mary Ann Clark
Open to all COE faculty.
10 a.m., Norman Terrace Room
Contact: Rosie Warner: rwarner@coe.ufl.edu; 392-2315, ext 234
APRIL 17
Peterson Death Education Series: “Living and Loving Fully in the Face of Death and Loss: Facilitating Relational Resilience”
Froma Walsh
8:30 a.m. – 4 p.m., UF Hilton Hotel and Conference Center, Century A
RSVP to: Rosie Warner: rwarner@coe.ufl.edu; 392-2315, ext 234
APRIL 17
Scholarship of Engagement Banquet
6:30pm, UF Hilton Hotel and Conference Center, Ballroom
Contact: jmount@coe.ufl.edu or (352) 392-0728, ext: 250
APRIL 18-19
Fourth Annual Teaching, Inquiry, and Innovation Showcase
Savannah Grande (Evening of April 18th) and P.K. Yonge (Morning of April 19th)
Contact: Nancy Dana at ndana1@coe.ufl.edu or (352) 392-0728, ext. 299
MAY 3
Advanced Degree Commencement
9 a.m., Stephen C. O’Connell Center
MAY 3
Distinguished Educators Luncheon
Noon, Reitz Union, Room 283.
Contact: jmount@coe.ufl.edu or (352) 392-0728, ext: 250
MAY 3
COE Baccalaurate Commencement
6 p.m., Center for the Performing Arts
* * * * * * * * * *
QUICK LINKS
UF: www.ufl.edu
College of Education: education.ufl.edu
coE-News: Publications
Education Times magazine: Publications
* * * * * * * *
coE-News is produced by:
College of Education, University of Florida
Dean’s Office/News & Publications
Dean: Catherine Emihovich (cemihovich@coe.ufl.edu)
Director: Larry Lansford (llansford@coe.ufl.edu)
Editor: Tim Lockette (Lockette@coe.ufl.edu)
Correspondents:
Wendy Norman, Copy Editor
Marta Pollitt, P.K. Yonge (mpollitt@pky.ufl.edu)
