Clockwise from front row, left: Presidents McGrath, Keller, Hasselmo, Bruininks, Yudof, and Kaler.
This spring six of the University’s former presidents met on campus for a conversation about higher education and the future of Minnesota. President Kaler welcomed his five predecessors—C. Peter Magrath (1974–84), Kenneth Keller (1985–88), Nils Hasselmo (1988–97), Mark Yudof (1997–2002), and former CEHD dean Bob Bruininks (2002–11)—who met with students, lunched with faculty leaders, and addressed an enthusiastic crowd at Northrop Auditorium, moderated by the Star Tribune’s Lori Sturdevant. This is the first time in its 164-year history that the University has had six living presidents. The event was co-sponsored by the Office of the President and CEHD.
PsTL’s Jennifer Franko in white, along with 2015 PsTL MA Graduates, l to r, Saida Hassan, Wuyi Zhang, Shane Lueck, Amy Barton and Timothy Warren
Honoring a career devoted to improving the student experience. Congratulations to Jennifer Franko, executive assistant in the Department of Postsecondary Teaching and Learning, for receiving the prestigious 2015 President’s Award for Outstanding Service. Franko’s commitment to the University of Minnesota began as a part-time student assistant in General College and spans three decades of highly acclaimed and valuable contributions to faculty, advisors, programs, departments and most of all, students. “I’m honored to receive this award as an affirmation of thirty years of work. I also think it recognizes the importance of students because throughout my career I’ve been very student centered and evidence based,” says Franko.
In a letter of support for Franko’s nomination, Jeanne Higbee, professor emeritus and former PsTL director of graduate studies, and Bob Poch, senior fellow and PsTL director of graduate studies, provide evidence of her devotion to serving students.
Jennifer regularly meets with graduate students to listen to and solve the broad number of challenges that they encounter while pursuing their degrees. We have seen her tenaciously seek solutions to student financial barriers, physical access to classes, visa issues for international students, and complications due to institutional policy ambiguities during the transitions in graduate education. She has literally made the difference in students persisting in our graduate programs and attaining their degrees.
Franko acknowledges the influence of former supervisors, Terrence Collins and Daniel Detzner, in helping develop her student centered approach early in her career, but Franko’s drive to improve the student experience is also borne from her personal journey from a dairy farm in a small community to big city life at the University of Minnesota. “I came from a town of 187 people and walked into a psychology class with 800 people. I had never seen 800 people in one place before. In the big lectures it was hard to feel like I belonged and I wanted to leave,” Franko remembers.
Originally intending to teach grade school after college, Franko’s student worker position exposed her to the University’s administrative machine and provided her with a role well suited to her passion for problem solving and innate organizational skills. “I saw how classes were scheduled. I saw the other side, and I started realizing there were ways that could be better.” Even early in her career, Franko’s exceptional aptitude for enrollment management and course scheduling skillfully addressed the needs of multiple stakeholders including faculty, program administrators and students. In a letter of support, professor Cathy Wambach writes, “In the late 1980s the idea that student retention was everyone’s business started to gain traction in higher education. One key to improving student persistence is the class schedule. Jennifer was one of the GC staff members most responsible for making a student centered class schedule a reality.”
As scheduling technology changed, Franko expanded her capabilities to incorporate new tools and learn new software programs. But her true mastery of this vital academic function derives from a powerful alignment with her hard-wired competencies and inquisitive mind. Franko identifies the drivers of her well-regarded abilities. “It’s my data head and my love of putting puzzles together. When I first started, I was thinking broadly: We have faculty members, the University’s clout and we have students, the University’s commodity. So how do we keep both happy and able to do the things they do in the most effective and efficient way?” Franko explains, “I would take all these pieces of paper from every single faculty member home and put them on my dining room table until I had them put together in a way that would allow students to take multiple classes while meeting the faculty members’ needs.”
Franko’s analytic nature and attention to detail have proven extremely valuable in providing decision-support for policy and programmatic changes. In their nomination letter, professor and chair of PsTL Amy Lee, director of CEHD’s first year experience Kris Cory and Ellen Sunshine from CEHD student services define Franko’s impact:
Jennifer’s participation in institutional research also grew out of her commitment to student success. In the late 1990s, (our college) developed an institutional research model where a faculty member, graduate students and Jennifer were responsible for this function. From 2003 to 2007, this team conducted 18 institutional research projects investigating factors related to students’ success. Her most important contribution was as lead author of a multi-method study of our GC Commanding English Program. Through surveys, standardized testing, interviews with students and staff, and transcript analysis she supported an informed reconsideration of a long-standing program.
Data collection and analysis is an energizing endeavor for Franko, realizing the work either supports the thesis or research question, or negates it. She also knows the effort is a powerful way to dispel misperceptions, recounting with satisfaction an example: “I had a program director come to me and say, ‘We don’t want our students taking (a certain) class because they fail and have to go take another class somewhere else. ‘So I gathered the data of his students who had taken the class since its existence and realized it had happened to one student over a four-year period. So it was an anecdote, a myth. When I showed him the data, he said, ‘We want to put all of our students in that class because they do really well in it,'” Franko recalls with a chuckle.
Throughout documentation in support of her nomination, faculty, staff and students praise Franko’s exemplary work, her dedicated service to students and her tireless work ethic. She is grateful to receive the award, but graciously shares the honor with her colleagues. “I feel really privileged to work with the people I’ve worked with. Those are the people who made the award happen,” says Franko.
When asked what advice she would give the farm girl she once was from today’s vantage point, Franko advises, “Raise your hand and ask that question. Never fear doing that. And, most importantly never lose where you came from and who you are.”
Throughout her career, Franko has created environments that invite questions and support student individuality and success. Her outstanding service to the University of Minnesota has provided tens of thousands of University of Minnesota students the kind of positive and inclusive experience Franko believed was possible from the start.
Franko was recognized by President Kaler and the Board of Regents at a Board meeting held Friday, May 8, and will be honored along with fellow recipients during a reception at Eastcliff in early June.
Congratulations to Dr. Julie Brown, Assistant Professor of Science Education-C&I and STEM Education Center colleague for receiving the 2015 Rising Star Faculty Award from the CEHD Women’s Philanthropic Leadership Circle. Dr. Brown will receive the award at the Circle’s annual recognition ceremony on Tuesday, June 16th at the Town and Country Club in St. Paul.
The Rising Star Award recognizes a pre-tenure female faculty member in the College of Education and Human Development who has demonstrated leadership and creativity in an academic area as show by research, teaching, and service. This award requires a nomination process with a detailed letter describing the nominee’s qualifications as well as a letter from the nominee describing their teacher philosophy and research interests. The recipient will receive a $1,000 award for professional development.
Read more about this award and the CEHD Women’s Philanthropic Leadership Circle here.
The STEM Education Center is proud to have Dr. Julie Brown as a member of our team. Congratulations!
Developed for current and future faculty, student affairs staff, and administrators from diverse disciplinary, institutional, and geographic contexts, this edited volume invites readers to investigate, better understand, and inform intercultural pedagogy that supports the development of mindful global citizenship. The book features reflective practitioners exploring the dynamic and evolving nature of intercultural learning as well as the tensions and complexities. Contributors include institutional researchers, directors and key implementers of EU/Bologna process in Poland (one of the newest members and one that is facing unprecedented change in the diversity of its students), international partners in learning abroad programs, and scholars and instructors across a range of humanities, STEM, and social sciences.
Lee and Williams also co-authored the chapter, “Designing Intercultural Interactions: Students’ Reflections on a Personal Narrative Assignment” in the edited volume titled: Education and Creativity (2014). The volume was edited by a Polish colleague, Elzbieta Osewska, and published by Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University in Warsaw, Poland.
The Office of Public Engagement hosted an awards luncheon on Friday, April 3rd at the McNamara Alumni Center. Among the other finalists, Dr. Lesa Clarkson was recognized as for her accomplishments as a nominee for the 2015 President’s Community-Engaged Scholar Award. OPD Provost, Karen Hanson, hosted the luncheon and announced the winner, Kathleen Call-School of Public Health, at the end of the event.
Watch Dr. Clarkson’s finalist video as well as videos of the other nominees here.
A special ceremony to dedicate Robert H. Bruininks Hall will take place at 3 p.m. Friday, May 1. The building is named for Bruininks, who has given more than 45 years of service to the University of Minnesota, including nine as president (2002-11), seven as dean of the College of Education and Human Development (1991-97), and seven as founder and director of the Institute on Community Integration (1985-91).
The University has a long and proud tradition of honoring past presidents by naming a building after them. The U’s Board of Regents approved the renaming of the Science Teaching Student Services (STSS) building at its Dec. 12 meeting. The STSS building was completed in August 2010, during Bruininks’s presidency.
Arriving at the U of M in 1968 as an assistant professor in educational psychology, Bruininks began a rare path to leadership within one institution. He later became professor, department head, dean, and executive vice president and provost. In 2002, Bruininks was appointed as the 15th president, serving until 2011. Returning to the faculty thereafter, Bruininks continued work at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs and the College of Education and Human Development before retiring in September 2013.
Bruininks’s administration emphasized the U’s public mission and unique role as Minnesota’s only comprehensive research, land-grant university. Despite two deep state budget cuts, Bruininks advanced a transformative strategic plan that raised the institution’s academic profile, its service to students and the community and its stewardship of resources. Key initiatives such as expanded undergraduate research, travel-abroad opportunities and a campus-wide Honors Program for the Twin Cities campus helped fuel high student satisfaction rates, increased applications and enrollment, significantly improved graduation rates and growth in external research and private support.
In addition to STSS, Bruininks led the way for the construction of TCF Bank Stadium, research facilities in the Biomedical Discovery District and plans to reinvigorate and renovate the historic Northrop.
Bruininks’s academic career centered on child and adolescent development and policy research, and strategic improvement in the fields of pre-kindergarten to grade 12 and higher education.
About Robert H. Bruininks Hall
With expansive views of the Mississippi River, Robert H. Bruininks Hall forms a gateway to the East Bank campus at a landmark site. It is home to extensive technology-rich classrooms that serve about 20,000 students annually through hands-on and highly interactive learning environments, and through important student development programs, including the Center for Academic Planning and Exploration, Career Services Center, Office for Student Engagement, One Stop Student Services and University Veterans Services.
Bob Poch, senior fellow and director of graduate studies in the Department of Postsecondary Teaching and Learning, presented a paper at the annual meeting of the Organization of American Historians in St. Louis, Missouri. Poch’s paper, “Strangers in the Land — Again: The Historical Connection of Interposition and Race before and during Arizona’s Immigration Battle,” argued that Arizona’s contemporary immigration strategy has strong historical connectivity with U.S. Civil War era tensions between state and federal authority and also nativist movements of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
In addition, Poch’s article, “Howard University Students and Civil Rights Activism, 1934-1944,” has been accepted for publication in the American Educational History Journal. The article will appear in Summer 2015.
Gary Peter, senior teaching specialist in the Department of Postsecondary Teaching & Learning, has been invited to be a visiting artist at the American Academy in Rome (AAR) for a three-week residency this summer. The AAR provides opportunities for artists and scholars from around the world to work on creative and academic projects, engage with other artists and scholars, and participate in the vibrant cultural life of Rome.
The STEM Education Center would like to congratulate Dr. Tom Post for the wonderful recognition he received yesterday for his many years of service in CEHD. The College of Education and Human Development hosted its Spring Assembly & Recognition Ceremony on Tuesday, April 21st at the DQ lounge of the TCF Bank Stadium. Along with Dr. Post, fifteen other retirees were recognized and awards were given for various accomplishments by CEHD faculty, staff, and students. The STEM Education Center is proud to have such an accomplished colleague and will be sad to see him leave in the coming months.
Jeanne Higbee, second from right standing, poses with former students and advisees at her retirement celebration.
After more than forty years in higher education, Jeanne Higbee, Ph.D., retired from teaching in the Department of Postsecondary Teaching and Learning at the University of Minnesota, College of Education and Human Development. In tribute to her service, PsTL asked Higbee to share career moments in this Q&A, and invited thoughts and recollections from those who know her as a colleague, mentor and partner.
As you reflect on your career. What surprised you most about the journey and what did you find most rewarding?
JH: If I look over my entire career, what surprised me most is that I entered this career planning to be an administrator, and the higher I moved up in administration the less I wanted to do that because it meant I wasn’t with students anymore. I would see an occasional student at committee meetings or in some other formal settings, but I didn’t have that regular contact with students and that’s why I moved to a faculty position. For me, definitely the most rewarding piece of this has always been the direct work students, whether it’s been in the classroom, as a counselor and advisor working closely with students in those kinds of settings or co-presenting with graduate students and mentoring them. By far, the most fulfilling aspect of my career is the direct contact with students.
If I think about other things, what’s been surprising is that many faculty, especially at research universities, would not put teaching first-year students high on their priority list. For most of my career, once I moved into the faculty ranks, I was teaching almost exclusively first-year students with an occasional grad class here and there or an occasional other course that might involve students across the undergraduate years.
I loved teaching first-year students. I wish more faculty would open themselves up to the joy of the kinds of developing minds you encounter when teaching first-year students.
Tell me about the light bulb moment with students: When all the sudden someone’s life changes because of his or her educational experience.
JH: There have been so many I’ve witnessed because I’ve worked in programs that serve students from historically underserved populations and students who might not have anticipated years before that they would even attend college. One of my favorite kinds of light bulb moments is when a student will realize just how smart he or she really is. When all of a sudden a student realizes, “I can do this. I am very capable. I understand this. Now I look at myself in a different light and I think differently about my career goals.” That’s one of the things that always excited me. That moment when students become invested in learning; highly motivated. Sometimes a student won’t necessarily enter the institution that way. Sometimes they know they want to go to college, but they aren’t sure what they want to do, or they start college with a major that, in essence, somebody else selected for them. But, when they find that one thing they love and want to delve into it, all of a sudden they are inspired to do so much more. When it is no longer about a career where I can make money or a career my parents would approve of, and all of sudden it is: “This is what I’m interested in. This is what I want to learn more about and want to spend my life doing.” That to me is really the most powerful experience that I can have as a faculty member. Having the joy of seeing a student reach that point.
How can other educators make this same sort of difference to awaken students?
JH: It all comes from within a student. A lot of it is really taking the time to get to know students as individuals. I’ve been fortunate because I’ve taught courses that enable me to do that. I’ve taught courses that had enrollment limits of 20 students, like freshman seminars. I encourage any faculty member at the University of Minnesota to take advantage of teaching a freshman seminar where they can delve into a topic of deep interest and have the opportunity to share that interest with students and get to know the students well. Another part of it is that I’ve taught a lot of writing intensive classes and that deepens my relationship with the student because they’re sharing so much with me, not just in the classroom, but, through their writing. I think that’s a big part of it. I just finished reviewing the final galleys of a book chapter and it reminded me about what I had written in that chapter, it’s not just about the small classes where you can do that. You can have a large lecture hall with a hundred students and you can still make the effort to get to know those students as individuals. Because if you don’t, you’re never going to see those moments.
Many colleagues and students credit you with making them better writers. What’s your secret and why the green pen?
JH: (Laughs) You heard about the green ink. I sometimes use purple. Growing up when teachers still graded everything with red pencil, before anything was electronic, you just learned that the red pencil meant that something was wrong: That you were then wrong. So I have never used red for presenting any kind of feedback.
I’m continuing to edit an international open access journal while I’m retired, and at the same time while I was reviewing the galleys of my own work yesterday, I was also going through an article that was submitted by someone from another country. Trying to give reasons for all the feedback. Trying to point journal authors or students to the resources they need to build upon those skills. To always make the process of reading someone’s writing a mentoring process, rather than a grading process. That’s always been important to me.
Your publications are extensive. Which one(s) are you most proud of and why?
JH: That’s hard to answer. The work I’ve done has kept building on previous work. I have to point to my whole body of work where my closest co-author and co-editor was always Emily Goff. But there were a number of people, another former graduate student, Jennifer Schultz, Irene Duranczyk, and others who also shared in this work quite a bit. Definitely my work related to Universal Design is an area in which I know, I’m not saying I made a difference, but I know that work makes a difference and that the impact of the work is broader than what was initially assumed about UD. We now know Universal Instructional Design can improve learning for all students, not just a specific target audience of students with disabilities. In fact, one of my most recent publications was a conference proceedings paper I presented in January, co-authored by Emily Goff, about our work on integrated multicultural instructional design (IMID). We intentionally presented at an international conference and published it in an international open access conference proceedings, so anybody anywhere in the world could get their hands on it at no cost. That publication has only been on the web for maybe two months now so it’s not had time to have an impact, and other things that we’ve written related to integrated multicultural instructional design build on our work with Universal Instructional Design, but the new paper takes IMID many steps farther in terms of considering the multiple facets of students’ individual social identities.
Your colleagues describe your character as a blend of highly intellectual and scholarly passion combined with human compassion and kindness. Where did your empathy come from?
JH: That’s very kind. When I was at the University of Georgia, I was respected by faculty outside my department but not necessarily by faculty within. My work related to multiculturalism, some of my work with disabilities, was not valued there, but it has always been my focus because of how my mother raised me. I started doing this work before the term social justice was used to describe the work. It’s always been important to me because of the values my Mom instilled in me at a period of time when having those values was not popular. Having these values from an early age forward and knowing that I then had to have the courage to walk the talk, and not just be an empty shell, this had a long-term impact on my wanting to be inclusive of everyone.
How do you believe empathy impacts students?
JH: Some graduate students come into our program very confident, but for some, they’re not just the first in their family to do graduate work, they are the first to attend college, graduate from college and it’s still important that they come to that realization of just how smart and capable they are and that more doors will continue to open to them. I love the fact that half of the students who enter our MA program have every intention of pursuing their doctorate. At the same time, I understand the students who don’t say that when they enter because certainly when I entered my Masters program I never would have dreamed that I would pursue a doctorate at some point. I was somebody who, as a masters-level graduate student, was literally told by my advisor that I was not doctoral material. I’d love to hold my publication work against his.
Retired, but not slowing down, correct?
JH: One of the things I was looking for in retirement was no deadlines; being able to do things according to my own timeframe, at my own pace, on my own schedule. I can’t do that with The Journal of College Teaching and Learning that I edit for The Clute Institute because they are very respectful of authors. They ask that the turnaround from point of submission to initial point of decision is eight weeks. That’s a challenge if I’m traveling or if I have other commitments or something else sparks my interest and I want to follow that flow. I have to interrupt it and get back to the journal work. Balancing that is the opportunity to work with authors from all over the world and the US. I’ve worked with teams of authors from Tuskegee and really enjoy having the opportunity to read work that isn’t related to any academic discipline. One of the papers I learned the most from was a paper related to teaching astronomy and some work that’s been done internationally to make astronomy and the study of the stars more accessible to students who aren’t at institutions with big budgets and fancy telescopes. Another piece I recently edited on college students’ involvement in aquatic sports tourism in Taiwan used the same theoretical framework about intended behaviors that the University of Georgia’s Karen Kalivoda, now the Director of the Disability Resource Center, introduced me to when she was a graduate student. I was on her doctoral committee as the outside member, but was the one who worked with her most closely on her dissertation. Her dissertation from the early 90s used the same theoretical framework I was reading yesterday only applied to a completely different area of expertise.
I’m drawn into reading and editing these pieces from all around the world that have nothing to do with my academic disciplinary areas of expertise, but at the same time are just truly interesting to me. I can tell you in depth about many of the articles I’ve edited. And, because The Clute Institute has numerous conferences in different parts of the world, including the US, I get to go to conferences and meet some of these authors and that’s a truly wonderful experience. I really enjoy doing it.
One last question: Have the late night student phone calls ended?
JH: (Laughs) Of course the phone calls have ended, but the emails still tend to roll in. My husband will be long asleep and I’ll do a quick check of the umn.edu account at about 2 a.m. before I go to sleep. It’s fun to see the messages that came in during the wee hours.
Thank you to Jeanne Higbee for her far-reaching impact and tireless dedication to inclusive, education development through teaching, writing, editing and mentorship. In celebration, we toast you with the following words of praise and gratitude.
“Jeanne’s energy and connections put the University into the forefront of Education Development.” — Cathy Wambach, PsTL colleague
“No one else at the University has shown me as much compassion, kindness and generosity. She brings the idea of making a difference into reality. I can only aspire to make that kind of impact.” — Jill Trites, PsTL colleague
“She lets you see the real person. She is compassionate, willing to be vulnerable and expresses genuine concern for others and that is very rare. She helped make the department a place of stability.” — Bob Poch, PsTL colleague
“Best instructor I’ve had in my entire life. You never feel like you’re taking up her time. She’s a fierce advocate for students who is always willing to mentor and help provide direction.” — Amber Eule-Nashoba, former student
“She was my advisor. I learned so much from her, more than in some of my classes. She’s a natural teacher. She pushed me to get stuff finished and think in different way. I’m excited she’s retiring so she’ll have more time to work with me. I don’t just like her; I love her.” — Anise McDowell, former advisee
“She is a life-effusing force who knows when to hire others. With her green ink pen, Jeanne made me a much better and more confident writer.” — David Arendale, PsTL colleague
“I owe every professional thing I’ve accomplished to Jeanne. I’ve been supported by everything I’ve learned from her personally and professionally. She’s also fearless about publication.” — Emily Goff, co-author and former student
“In 2008, she helped me navigate the path to becoming a faculty member. She was my main advisor at the time, and served in a number of edits that influenced my work and made me a better writer.” — Mike Stebleton, PsTL colleague
“I admire her commitment and passion and fearlessness. She taught me to see the best in students, what they’re strengths and abilities are; to understand who they are, what they have to offer and how we can impact them.” — Gary Peter, PsTL colleague
“Jeanne introduced me to Universal Instructional Design and from that point on all the courses, papers and workshops unfolded. She made a big difference in precisely how I’ve designed courses and provided materials.” — Jay Hatch, PsTL colleague
“She’s the most brilliant person I’ve ever met. We’ve been married 35 years and that is the thing that continues to attract me to her. She’s always been passionate about teaching and was always student-oriented. She would take calls from students day or night.” — Tom Couillard, husband
The University of Minnesota is establishing the region’s first dedicated research hub and portal for information about achievement gaps, President Eric Kaler announced April 2 in his State of the University address.
The Educational Equity Resource Center will serve as a bridge between University researchers and resources and the educators who work with Minnesota’s children and youth every day.
“We must be engaged community members in this work to close educational disparities,” said Kaler. “It’s at the core of our land-grant mission and at the heart and soul of our strategic plan.”
Addressing the achievement gap has been a centerpiece of Kaler’s personal engagement with business, community and education leaders. The University has identified about 140 faculty and researchers across the institution working on closing the achievement and opportunity gaps in Minnesota.
“More and more schools and districts are coming to us to learn what we know, and we want to build on that to be an even stronger partner in closing the achievement gap,” said Kaler, co-chair of Generation Next, a broad partnership of organizations and leaders from across the Twin Cities working to close the achievement gap.
Michael Rodriguez
The leader of the U’s coordinated educational equity effort is educational psychology professor and Campbell Leadership Chair Michael Rodriguez in the College of Education and Human Development. Rodriguez is meeting with hundreds of school leaders around the Twin Cities, and across the state, to talk about scaling up promising practices and supporting local efforts to analyze progress. Rodriguez will co-direct the new center along with Julie Sweitzer, director of the U’s College Readiness Consortium. An advisory group of preK and K-12 educators will be formed.
“We are beginning to move beyond ‘What works?’ to ‘What works for whom, and under what conditions and in what contexts?’” said Rodriguez. “We are more successfully translating research to practice by tailoring our work to meet the needs and preferences of changing communities.”
A new website will provide easy access to a growing body of research, professional development opportunities, curriculum and classroom resources, especially those focused on improving equity in educational outcomes. The site, which continues to add information, is: www.gap.umn.edu.
Title: “Uncivil Rites: Palestine, Indigenous Peoples, and Academic Freedom”
Abstract: Salaita will examine how academic freedom is restricted around issues of decolonization and assess how critique of American and Israeli colonization might be productively undertaken.
Date: Monday, April 20, 2015
Time: 3:30–5pm
Location: 1210 Heller Hall
Bio: Steven Salaita is the author of the following books (among other publications): Anti-Arab Racism in the USA: Where it Comes From and What it Means for Politics (2006) – Winner of 2007 Gustavus Myers Center for the Study of Bigotry and Human Rights’ “Outstanding Book” Award; The Holy Land in Transit: Colonialism and the Quest for Canaan (2006); Modern Arab American Fiction: A Reader’s Guide(2011); and Israel’s Dead Soul (2011). In October 2013, The University of Illinois offered a professorial position to Salaita. Illinois withdrew its offer in 2014 after high level administrators reviewed tweets of his that they viewed as “uncivil” (Salaita’s tweets critiqued genocide and settler colonialism in Palestine.) On August 1, 2014, University of Illinois Vice President for Academic Affairs Christophe Pierre and University of Illinois Chancellor Phyllis M. Wise cancelled the Illinois job offer at a point after Salaita had resigned his position at Virginia Tech. Salaita argues this was an infringement on his academic freedom. He continues to advocate for academic freedom, Indigenous Rights, social justice, and decolonization in Palestine and the US.
Official Sponsors: Department of American Indian Studies (UMN-TC)
Department of American Studies (UMN-TC)
Culture and Teaching Program in Department of Curriculum and Instruction (UMN-TC)
School of Social Work, Youth Studies Program and Social Justice Program (UMN-TC)
Department of Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies (UMN-TC)
Office for Equity and Diversity (UMN-TC)
Macalester College
Students for Justice in Palestine
Macalester Students United for Palestinian Equal Right
The American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) is awarding Karl Smith, professor emeritus and co-director of the STEM Education Center, with the 2015 Lifetime Achievement Award. Smith will be presented with the award during the 2015 ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition on June 15 in Seattle, Washington.
The ASEE Awards Policy Committee identifies the recipient of this award through a thorough nomination process complete with references and a final selection.
The 2015 ASEE Lifetime Achievement Award consists of a $2,000 honorarium and up to $1,000 in travel reimbursement to accept the award, as well as a plaque and a framed certificate.
The STEM Education Center would like to congratulate Professor Smith with this outstanding achievement!
Students, faculty, and staff presented more than 60 posters at CEHD Research Day.
More than 300 people had the opportunity to see more than 60 presentations at CEHD’s Research Day March 24 in the McNamara Alumni Center. This year’s Research Day was the first to feature a collection of research projects led by students.
Quintin Hunt, a Ph.D. student in couple and family therapy, was one of them. He presented findings on suicide bereavement practices, the topic of his dissertation. Through interviews with survivors of suicide loss, Hunt identified seven different themes of suicide bereavement and classified them as helpful, hurtful, or neutral. It was his first time leading a research project.
“It’s a lot of work,” said Hunt. “Honestly, it really motivated me to get a Ph.D and to become a professor.” Research Day gave him a chance to see what his future might hold.
Nicolaas VanMeerten, Ph.D. candidate in educational psychology, saw Research Day as an opportunity to share the work he has been doing with the Minnesota Historical Society. VanMeerten and two other researchers collected behavioral data from elementary-aged students participating in Play the Past, a historical society field-trip experience that aims to further engage young students in museum exhibits through interactive mobile technology.
“I’ve had a lot of fun with it,” he said, “so I’m happy to tell people about it.”
VanMeerten, no stranger to leading research, spent five years as a research associate with the Veterans Health Administration before becoming involved with the Minnesota Historical Society. This research is in the early stages of what he hopes will become a longer partnership, VanMeerten said, and he is looking forward to the next steps of his project.
People’s Choice awards
Attendees explored posters detailing faculty and student research and were able to cast their votes for the best presentation in three categories: excellence in research, diversity and globalization, and technology and innovation. Winning teams receive $250 for professional development. The following posters were selected as best in their category by popular vote:
Excellence in Research: Jehanne Beaton, Su Jung Kim, Miranda Schornack, and Jessica Tobin for “A Dialogic Framework for the Formative Assessment of Teacher Candidate Dispositions”
Technology and Innovation: Mi Hwa Lee, Sohye Lee, Soo Kyoung Lee, and Hee Yun Lee for “A Culturally Tailored Text Message-Based Intervention Development to Promote Cervical Cancer Screening in an Underserved Population”
Diversity and Globalization: Jenifer K. McGuire, Jennifer L. Doty, Jory M. Catalpa, and Cindy Ola for “Gender, Body Size, and Body Image: A Qualitative Analysis of Transgender Youth”
Poster abstracts and PDFs of many posters are available on the Research Day page.
Regarding the proposed legislation to eliminate remedial courses, Arendale conveyed skepticism and advised caution based on his research.
“If they’re talking about the students at the top … I would agree…they’ll just be fine.” But he adds, “I’ve not seen research that says you can go to the middle and the bottom [tiers] and those students will do fine…Why don’t we do a small pilot at a couple of colleges before we propose doing this statewide?”
Next Topic: Teaching Scholarship/Disciplinary Thinking in Introductory Courses: Minding the Gap
Please join us:
Thursday, April 9, 2015, 3:30 – 5:00 p.m., 227 Burton Hall
Facilitated by: Teaching specialist Jason Stahl and associate professor Tabitha Grier-Reed. Topic overview: There is often a disconnect in how we as scholars are taught to think about our discipline and how we are taught to teach introductory level college students about our disciplines. This colloquium focuses on pedagogy that bridges that gap and engages introductory level students as scholars at some of the highest levels of learning to use the tools of “the discipline”. Participants will be encouraged to think about the gap and pedagogical strategies that address it in their own introductory classrooms.
About the Inclusive Pedagogies Colloquia:
Designed to support diversity, equity, and excellence in postsecondary contexts, each event follows an interactive, discussion-oriented format where participation is highly valued. The series features diverse disciplines, holistic approaches to student development and education, and graduate and undergraduate contexts, with the purpose of:
Stimulating critical reflection on our teaching;
Sharing teaching expertise and innovations;
Building community among scholar-practitioners from different disciplines and programs.
Sessions are facilitated by teams of faculty and graduate students from PsTL’s First Year Experience program and M.A. in Multicultural College Teaching and Learning.
Amelia Franck Meyer (M.S.W. ’01), CEO of Anu Family Services, was named one of twenty-three 2015 Bush Fellows by the Bush Foundation. Bush Fellowships are a recognition of extraordinary achievement and a bet on extraordinary potential. Franck Meyer was chosen based on her groundbreaking work on healing grief, loss, and trauma for youth, and her transformational vision for large scale systemic change within the child welfare system.
“Amelia’s proven leadership combined with her contagious spirit and commitment to improving the child welfare system inspired the selection committee. We are excited to have her as a 2015 Bush Fellow and look forward to seeing her impact in the community grow in years to come,” said Stephanie Andrews, Bush Foundation Leadership Development Director.
Franck Meyer has been CEO of Anu Family Services since 2001 and has built an award winning organization that is achieving nationally leading outcomes in finding permanence for children in out-of-home care. She intends to use the Bush Fellowship award to further her leadership training and build on her success in creating full system wellbeing within the child welfare system across the country. Franck Meyer has been asked to share her message and expertise, providing training and consultation to system leaders, legislators, front line staff, educators, and students across Minnesota and Wisconsin and in over 30% of the states across the country last year. The Bush Fellowship will provide an opportunity to build on this growing momentum and desire for much needed systems change.
About Anu Family Services: Anu Family Services is a national leader in child permanence and placement stability for children in the child welfare system. Based in Hudson, Wisconsin and funded in part by the United Way St. Croix Valley, Anu has been serving children and families in the St. Croix Valley since 1992. Learn more about Anu.
About Bush Foundation: The Bush Foundation invests in great ideas and the people who power them and encourages people and communities to think bigger and think differently about what is possible across Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, and the 23 Native nations. Learn more about the foundation.
Frank Symons, educational psychology professor and associate dean for research and policy in the college, has been awarded the Distinguished McKnight University Professorship, which honors the University’s highest-achieving mid-career faculty. His research on the severe behavior problems of children and adults with special needs, especially those with developmental disabilities and emotional or behavioral disorders, is ground-breaking.
As a Distinguished McKnight University Professor, he will receive a $100,000 grant for research and scholarly activities, and carry the title throughout his University career. Symons is one of five University professors receiving the award in 2015. CEHD’s Megan Gunnar and Ann Masten, both in the Institute of Child Development, earned the award previously.
Through this award, Symons is being recognized not only for his individual research but also for his leadership in interdisciplinary efforts. His work connects across many disciplines, including geriatrics, degenerative diseases, pain neuroscience, and the study of infants.
“Frank Symons is the quintessential faculty member,” said CEHD dean Jean Quam, “an outstanding researcher who is passionate about the value of his work, a talented teacher, an engaged mentor to his students, and a strategic and creative thinker. And he is an enormous asset to have in the Dean’s Office.”
Symons was recently named fellow of the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities for his contributions to the field of intellectual disability. He also received the 2012 Council of Graduate Students Outstanding Faculty Award.
Symons, along with other winners of this year’s Distinguished McKnight University Professorships, will be recognized at the May Board of Regents meeting and will be honored at a celebratory dinner.
Jay Hatch, associate professor in the Department of Postsecondary Teaching and Learning, received a Special Recognition Award from the State Chapter of the American Fisheries Society. During the 48th Annual Meeting on March 3, 2015, Hatch was honored for his 10 years of service on the Scholarship Committee of State AFS .
On March 17, Rashné Jehangir, associate professor in the Department of Postsecondary Teaching and Learning, gave a keynote address at Hamline University titled: “First Generation, Next Generation: Understanding the Complexity of the First Generation College Student Experience.” This is the first in a series of three staff and faculty development workshops that Jehangir will lead at Hamline University this year.
Amelia Franck Meyer (M.S.W. ’01), CEO of Anu Family Services, was named one of twenty-three 2015 Bush Fellows by the Bush Foundation. Bush Fellowships are a recognition of extraordinary achievement and a bet on extraordinary potential. Franck Meyer was chosen based on her groundbreaking work on healing grief, loss, and trauma for youth, and her transformational vision for large scale systemic change within the child welfare system.
