 |
|
GET READY FOR HOMECOMING!
|
|
|
As you know, Ron Marx stepped down as dean after 14 successful years and returned to the faculty in Educational Psychology. I am serving as dean of the college this year while we search for a permanent replacement. I am honored, and a bit intimidated, to follow in his footsteps. We have amazing faculty, staff, and students, and I am looking forward to working with them in this new role.
I began my career at the UA as an assistant professor in the college 17 years ago after many years as an elementary and middle school teacher, outdoor school and summer camp director, and wilderness trip leader and business owner. I teach undergraduate and graduate classes in environmental learning and science education and conduct research around the world, focused on children's understandings, values, attitudes, and actions related to the environment and how those develop through education. I have been the department head of Teaching, Learning & Sociocultural Studies for the last 10 years.
I'll keep this short as there has been a lot going on in the college this fall, but I do want to take the time to thank everyone for the warm welcome I've received.
Now, believe it or not, Homecoming 2017 is right around the corner (October 26-29). The college has several fun activities planned for you, as does the university.
Kickoff against the Washington State Cougars is 6:30 p.m., and the College of Education alumni tent opens at 2:30 p.m. Read more in the message below from David Overstreet, our Alumni Council president. We can't wait to see you!
Also, our annual
Imagine and
Imagine Research magazine, which goes to about 42,000!, just hit the stands. Read it online
here.
Now to the news:
|
MEXICAN AMERICAN STUDIES BAN:
UNCONSTITUTIONAL
When a U.S. District Court struck down Arizona's ban on Mexican American studies on August 22, Judge A. Wallace Tashima said the state law was motivated by anti-Mexican American attitudes and "a desire to advance a political agenda by capitalizing on race-based fears."
Educational Policy Studies & Practice
Associate Professor Nolan Cabrera, whose research and expert testimony helped win the case, said August 22 was "a great day for advocates of educational equity everywhere. We've long been arguing that the ban was state-sponsored racism and this ruling affirmed that stance."
The news spread like wildfire. Here is just a sampling of the coverage.
Before the ruling
During the ruling
After the ruling
New Arizona Teachers Academy
|
|
|
Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey (left), UA student Charisse White, and UA President Robert C. Robbins were on hand for the formal announcement of the Arizona Teachers Academy.
(Photo courtesy of Arizona Board of Regents)
|
Arizona's educator salaries rank near the bottom nationwide. A new initiative was launched this month to bring more qualified K-12 teachers into Arizona's classrooms by providing teachers with a tuition scholarship. Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey announced the Arizona Teachers Academy, which is offered at each of Arizona's public universities. Students in the program who teach in Arizona will have their tuition waived through a year-for-year tuition scholarship.
The college provides
two paths
through the academy.
Message from Alumni Council
It's time for HOMECOMING!
Hello, Fellow Wildcats!
It's time for Homecoming 2017! I hope you will join us for our
Third Annual Wine Harvest Reception celebrating our Tucson born and bred
Alumnus of the Year Richard Carranza '91, superintendent of the Houston Independent School District. And don't miss our tailgating tent located in College Village on the Mall.
All the up-to-date Homecoming 2017 details are
here.
We continue to support the college with office hours for our future alumni providing conversation, support, and snacks. We also are planning alumni outreach events in the spring. Stay tuned for more information!
Consider getting involved with the Alumni Council! No matter where you live, you can participate through the magic of technology. Please email me,
David Overstreet, or
Victoria Klocko to make arrangements to join our monthly meetings.
Bear Down, and see you at Homecoming 2017!
David Overstreet '80 '86
Alumni Council President
520-621-1375
|
How do you bring a field like astronomy to someone who can't see? The National Science Foundation awarded more than $1 million to Disability & Psychoeducational Studies Associate Professor Sunggye Hong and College of Science Associate Professor of Practice Stephen Kortenkamp, who are designing accessible educational tools and launching a Mars-related project to encourage students with visual impairments to pursue careers in STEM.
David Yetman at the Cooper Center's Fiesta
|
|
|
UA student Laurel Dieckhaus (left) and College of Education graduate Maya Bakerman (now a research assistant at the Planetary Science Institute) check out the telescope for safely viewing the sun.
|
Earlier this month, more than 200 people swarmed the college's Cooper Center for Environmental Learning in the Tucson Mountains to learn about desert foods and see
Sonoran Desert naturalist David Yetman, host of the long-running public television show, The Desert Speaks. Yetman, considered the voice of the Sonoran Desert, gave a compelling natural history of our signature species, the saguaro cactus, and stressed the importance of conservation since our desert environment is extremely susceptible to the effects of climate change.
|
|
|
Yetman spoke about our signature saguaros.
|
People also learned about our native foods: how to harvest and prepare them, and their importance to native cultures of the Sonoran Desert. The Cooper Center is a collaboration with Tucson Unified School District.
Learn more about the Cooper Center.
Roast and Toast for Patty Anders!
No doubt you've heard of retirement parties, but have you ever heard of a retirement conference? Well, you have now. In honor of the upcoming retirement of
Reading Hall of Famer and Distinguished Professor Patty Anders, we have a new conference lined up:
Adolescent, Family, and Community Literacy will look at the possibilities for working with adolescents, families, and communities. The conference -- for teachers, community workers, and researchers -- will be held at the college on Friday, March 9, from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
The evening before the conference, join us for the
Patty Anders Roast and Toast at the Arizona Inn, from 5 to 10 p.m. Plan to bring a story, anecdote, memory, or joke to share.
Check for details
on this page, which will be updated regularly as we get closer to the conference.
For more information, please contact
Kelly Allen
.
Nanjing Xiaozhuang and Nantong Universities Visit the College
College of Education alumnus
Anning Ding '04 brought 13 undergraduate students from Nantong University and Nanjing Xiaozhuang Universities to the college to learn about our teacher-preparation programs. The group attended presentations by our faculty and visited local elementary schools. The students from China, who are in teacher-preparation programs at their own universities, stayed with host families and took cultural tours.
Teachers in Industry at Tucson Medical Center
Sheila Marquez, an anatomy teacher at Tucson High Magnet School, finished her third summer working at Tucson Medical Center as part of the college's business-education partnership known as Teachers in Industry. Read the
story.
Free Screening of Dream Big
We are one of the sponsors of the provocative education film,
Dream Big, which shows
Tuesday, October 24, at 7 p.m. at the Loft Cinema, 3233 E. Speedway.
This heartfelt film of human ingenuity will be followed with a panel and audience discussion. Panelists include high school and college students, as well as professionals from the fields of design and engineering.
The film is free, but you need to make reservations
here.
Hello, Dear Enemy!
Children are confronted in many ways with war, hostility, and exclusion, but a new exhibit in the College of Education addresses these fears and threats in positive ways.
The college's World of Words is the first stop in the United States for the powerful exhibit consisting of 65 picturebooks and 42 posters from the International Youth Library in Munich. The exhibit,
Hello, Dear Enemy!, explores life in war zones, oppression, threats, and persecution, but -- thankfully -- with an open door to a better future.
Hello, Dear Enemy! is on display in Worlds of Words through December. The collection is free to visit and open to the public 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Mondays-Fridays and 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. Saturdays. For more information or to schedule a guided tour, contact
[email protected].
Remembering Coach Vern Friedli
Alumnus Vern Friedli '61 '64, the Tucson Amphitheater football coach who held the state all-time wins record until it was broken last season, passed away during the summer. He was 80. Friedli always came to the aid of his players, whether it was making sure they had food or keeping gang members away from them. In 1992, he wore a bulletproof vest during a game after receiving death threats for coming to the aid of one of his players who was being harassed by gang members.
Friedli coached until 2012, before poor health caused him to retire. He won 331 games, 288 of those in 36 years at Amphitheater. The family asks that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the scholarship in his name at the College of Education, the
Vernon F. Friedli Scholarship Endowment.
|
PEOPLE
Disability & Psychoeducational Studies
Professor of Practice Penny Rosenblum attended the National Federation of the Blind Tactile Art and Tactile Graphics Symposium,
Putting More STEAM in STEM. If you'd like to see photos from the symposium and read a reflection piece she wrote about the experience, please email her at
[email protected].
|
|
|
Julie Deden and Dan Burke from the Colorado Center for the Blind showed Rosenblum some of the intricacies of a sculpture showing three rabbits in motion.
|
Rosenblum also was interviewed about math education among visually impaired students for this article in
Science Magazine
online.
Associate Professor Michael Sulkowski published an article about unauthorized immigrant students in the United States and the role of public education. Read the article
here.
Educational Policy Studies & Practice
Assistant Professor of Practice Mary Irwin, the director of Project SOAR -- a mentoring program that builds relationships between middle school and college students -- was interviewed for this story on the importance of mentoring.
Chief business officers increasingly agree that higher education is in the midst of a financial crisis, according to the
2017 Inside Higher Ed Survey of College and University Business Officers.
Professor and Department Head Gary Rhoades was quoted in
this article about the subject.
Educational Psychology
Alumna Amanda Bozack '03 '08 is an associate professor in the School of Teacher Education and Leadership at Radford University. She and four colleagues were awarded a three-year, $13.8 million grant by the U.S. Department of Education, the largest grant in the university's history, to increase the number of highly effective educators in K-12 high-need schools in rural Appalachia. Read the full story
here.
Teaching, Learning & Sociocultural Studies
Professor and Associate Dean Renee Clift was quoted in this story about a new law to fill classroom teaching positions by hiring people without any formal teacher training.
Alumna Erin MacKinney '10 '14, an assistant professor at Roosevelt University, helped to land a $2.4 million grant for dual language in Illinois. Educational Psychology
alumna Alyson Lavigne '07 '10, formerly at Roosevelt and now an assistant professor at Utah State University, also was instrumental in landing the grant. Read the details
here.
Associate Professor Sara Tolbert
gave a series of talks in Chile about science education.
Five literacy, learning, and leadership undergraduates -- plus five students from other colleges working with our faculty -- participated in a paid undergraduate research program this summer at the UA. Their projects ranged from teacher-belief systems to exploring the effects of discrimination on Tohono O'odham students. Upon graduation, most of these students plan to go straight into a graduate program. Well done, students!
Until next time,
Bruce Johnson
|
From Our Development Office
Will-Planning for Women, A Three-Part Series: Part 1
Why a Gift in Your Will Is an Ideal Way to Support the College
Life expectancies dictate that women are more likely than men to decide the eventual distribution of family wealth. For women, gifts conveyed by a will have become an integral part of their estate planning. With a bequest in your will, you can create a legacy to honor a loved one that will forever support our students, faculty, and programs.
With a will, you can:
- Give back to a charitable organization important to you.
- Keep control of your assets until after your death.
- Give with ease - adding a provision in your will is simple to do.
- Change your mind if necessary as bequests are revocable.
- Maintain flexibility because you can designate a specific dollar amount or a percentage of your estate.
- Reduce taxes since gifts to the college generate income-tax and estate-tax deductions resulting in estate-tax savings.
For more information or to make a gift to the college, please follow
this link
.
|
|
|
|
1430 E. Second Street, Tucson, Arizona 520.621.1462
|
|
|
|
|
|
