Gerald Fry, professor in the Department of Organizational Leadership, Policy, and Development, will receive an honorary doctor of philosophy of education for locality development from Rajabhat Rajanagarindra University in Thailand.
Rajabhat Rajanagarindra University is home to a relatively new institute for quality teacher development where Professor Fry is a formal adviser and has done training over the past four years. He starts his sixth decade of work on Thailand, dating back to his Peace Corps teaching back in late 1960s.
Three of his former Thai students are now university presidents and two others are editors of Thailand’s leading English and Thai language newspapers.
Distinguished alumni honored
The College of Education and Human Development recognized 37 alumni who are pioneers of excellence in education, business, social services, public policy, academia, and more on Nov. 18, 2010. The recipients, 32 of whom were able to attend the event at McNamara Alumni Center, span a diverse range of academic disciplines and career paths: business and civic leaders, counselors and social workers, educators and activists, entrepreneurs, and dedicated volunteers.
See a complete list of honorees at the college alumni website.
Zuiker elected to AFCPE Board of Directors
Virginia Zuiker, associate professor and director of graduate studies in Family Social Science, was elected to the Board of Directors for the Association for Financial Counseling, Planning, and Education (AFCPE). She begins her three year term in January of 2011.
Zuiker was also awarded the Scholarship Award by the Minnesota Association of Extension Educators (MAEE) fo her co-authorship of “Financial Literacy of College Students: Understanding Student Interests in Technology.”
U.S. News names marriage and family therapy one of ’50 best career moves’
With more than 1.8 million people receiving treatment from marriage and family therapists, the field was picked by U.S. News and World Report as one of the 50 best career moves in 2011, and one with high promise for growth in the next decade.
The review cites an increasing acceptance of the field, which encourages people in need to seek out counseling, as a main indicator for growth. Employment in the field is expected to rise 14 percent from 2008 to 2018, according to the Labor Department.
For more information, see U.S. News’ report here.
HRD undergraduate receives UROP grant and SEED award
Congratulations to Bai Vue, undergraduate HRD major in the Department of Organizational Leadership, Policy, and Development (OLPD), who received a grant for Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) and the Scholarly Excellence in Equity and Diversity (SEED) Award!
The goal of UROP is to help students become involved in research and creative activity to stimulate thinking, broaden perspectives, expand intellectual and social networking, strengthen connections to the University of Minnesota community, and strengthen connections to research and creative communities nationally and throughout the world. Bai will be working with Lou Quast, OLPD associate chair, on behavioral patterns of managerial career derailment through the multi-rater feedback developmental instrument.
The undergraduate SEED Award program honors outstanding diverse undergraduate students who demonstrate impressive achievement and leadership in the area(s) of a) academic performance and/or b) community outreach/activism. In addition, SEED Award recipients will demonstrate a deep understanding of and commitment to issues of equity, diversity, and social justice through their academic work and/or service to the community. Six to ten undergraduate SEED Awards, ranging from $1,000 to $,3000, are awarded each year.
Kinesiology’s LaVoi and Kane publish chapter
Two Kinesiology professors, Mary Jo Kane, professor and director of the Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport, and Nicole LaVoi, Tucker Center associate director and lecturer in the School of Kinesiology, have published a chapter, “Sociological Aspects of Sport,” in “Contemporary Sport Management” (4th ed; Pederson, P. M., Parks, J. B., Quarterman, J., & Thibault, L., Eds) 2011 Human Kinetics: Champaign IL.
Nicole LaVoi interviewed on Zirin’s ‘Edge of Sports’ radio show
Nicole LaVoi, Tucker Center associate director and lecturer in the School of Kinesiology, was interviewed on sports columnist Dave Zirin’s “Edge of Sports” radio show on December 17. LaVoi talked to Zirin about the newly launched espnW. Listen to her interview at http://www.edgeofsports.com/audio/media/12-17-10_segment2.mp3
Social work Ph.D. graduate named distinguished teaching professor
Marilyn Armour, who received her Ph.D. at the University of Minnesota School of Social Work in 2000, has been named to the Academy of Distinguished Teachers at the University of Texas at Austin. Armour is an associate professor in that university’s School of Social Work. New members of the prestigious academy are chosen each year through a rigorous evaluation process. As a member, Armour will receive a permanent salary increase and be designated as a distinguished teaching professor.
Dr. Diane Treat-Jacobson receives Best PAD Research Award in Vascular Medicine
Dr. Diane Treat-Jacobson, School of Nursing, who has been working on various research projects with Dr. Arthur Leon in the School of Kinesiology and his former Ph.D. student, Dr. Ulf Bronas, also of the School of Nursing, was presented with a prestigious award at the 2010 Vascular Disease Foundation Annual Meeting last fall. Dr. Treat-Jacobson was awarded the Best PAD Research Award in Vascular Medicine for work in the creation of new clinical research relevant to the understanding and treatment of PAD (peripheral artery disease) published in 2009. The research article, “Efficacy of arm-ergometry versus treadmill exercise training to improve walking distance in patients with claudication” was published with Dr. Leon and Dr. Bronas.
Beth Lewis quoted in Star Tribune article on Zumba
Beth Lewis, assistant professor in the School of Kinesiology, was interviewed for a recent Minneapolis Star Tribune article on the popular aerobic dance workout Zumba. “For someone who’s physically fit, probably going for a run is going to provide a better workout, but for people who work out rarely, this is a fabulous gateway exercise because it encourages all kinds of people to just start moving their bodies to music,” Lewis said. Read the complete article here.
Seashore discusses new research on the influence of principals
Karen Seashore, Regents Professor in the Department of Organizational Leadership, Policy, and Development, was interviewed about her current research on school leadership in the article “In Schools, Change Starts at the Top” published in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
“Principals have a very strong effect on student learning,” says Seashore, “but it’s primarily indirect and it’s primarily because of the way their behaviors encourage teachers to work together on improving their professional practice.”
Learning Dreams launches new Web site
Learning Dreams, a unique program that supports a culture of learning in homes and communities, has just launched a new Web site. Learning Dreams is based on the research that learning is fundamentally anchored in the home and community (not school), and that parents must be involved in their own learning (not simply supporting their children). Through creative, community-based support for learning, families who are motivated by their own dreams create the energy that propels them successfully into the world of learning. The new site features a blog, written by Learning Dreams Director Dr. Jerry Stein and staff, that focuses on the practices, ideas, and foundations of the emerging field of community learning. The site also includes details about the Learning Dreams program, a community learning directory for people to find local educational resources, and videos highlighting participants and partners in the program. Learning Dreams is housed in the School of Social Work in CEHD.
Rutzen Named to National Board of The Arc of the United States
Kurt Rutzen of the Research and Training Center on Community Living at the Institute on Community Integration has been named one of the new national board members of The Arc of the United States.
American Evaluation Assoc. selects Nord for commemorative issue
Derek Nord, Research Associate at the Institute on Community Integration, was one of 10 young evaluators selected from 150 submissions to contribute to the 25th anniversary edition of the American Evaluation Association‘s (AEA) New Directions for Evaluation commemorative issue. Nord’s submission will address the challenging future of, and strategies for, evaluating online training and education programs.
Augustine Joins “Prevention Researcher” Advisory Board
Kay Augustine, a Project Coordinator at the Institute on Community Integration, has been selected to serve on the advisory board for Prevention Researcher, a multidisciplinary journal focusing on successful adolescent development, at-risk youth successful adolescent development, and at-risk youth.
Jeanne Higbee presents on instructional design
Jeanne Higbee, professor in the Department of Postsecondary Teaching and Learning, presented a workshop on “Promoting Inclusion and Retention through Integrated Multicultural Instructional Design (PIRIMID)” at the annual conference of the College Reading and Learning Association (CRLA) in Salt Lake City in November. On December 10 Higbee was also interviewed by Nancy Shapiro of the Maryland Legislative Task Force on Universal Design for Learning. The task force was appointed by the governor and is making recommendations for teacher preparation related to Universal Design.
CEHD freshmen showcase First Year Inquiry capstone projects
CEHD first-year students gathered in the Great Hall of Coffman Union Dec. 15 to showcase PsTL 1525: First Year Inquiry, Multidisciplinary Ways of Knowing Capstone Projects. The FYI course is a writing intensive, team-taught course that addresses the common question: How can one person make a difference? All 450 CEHD freshmen take PsTL 1525 and participate in the showcase event presenting a wide range of projects including digital stories, performances, posters, videos, and dance.
Vavrus presents paper at Copenhagen University’s Center for Health & Society
Frances Vavrus, associate professor in the Department of Organizational Leadership, Policy, and Development (OLPD), recently spent several days in Denmark presenting a paper at Copenhagen University’s Center for Health and Society and serving as an external examiner at Roskilde University’s Graduate School of Lifelong Learning. The paper, entitled Partnership, poverty, and power: What can critical discourse analysis teach us about health and development in Tanzania?, is based on research she has been conducting on global poverty reduction strategies and their impact on Tanzania’s education and health policies. As external examiner, Vavrus provided critical commentary on a dissertation examining the gendered dimensions of micro-credit programs in urban Tanzania.
Kinesiology’s LaVoi interviewed on Zirin’s “Edge of Sports” radio show
Nicole LaVoi, Tucker Center associate director and lecturer in the School of Kinesiology, will be on sports columnist Dave Zirin’s Edge of Sports radio show Thursday, December 16, at around 10:30 a.m. Dr. LaVoi will be talking to Zirin about the newly launched espnW.
Furco presents at National Public Engagement Conference in London
Andrew Furco, Ed.D., associate professor in the Department of Organizational Leadership, Policy, and Development and associate vice president for public engagement in the Office for Public Engagement, gave a presentation at the United Kingdom’s National Public Engagement Conference in London (Dec. 7-8, 2010). Engage 2010 is the NCCPE’s first national conference focusing on the broad theme of why and how universities should engage with the public. The title of Furco’s presentation was Community Engaged Learning: Institutional Development from a UK and USA Perspective, which he gave with Professor John Annette, pro vice master at the University of London.