GSE .edu Alumni Newsletter - Spring/Summer 2010

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ALUMNI NEWSLETTER gse.buffalo.edu

SPRING/SUMMER 2010

SPECIAL ISSUE: PRACTITIONERS AS PARTNERS

Symposium Launches Alberti Center for the Prevention of Bullying Abuse A generous gift from Graduate School of Education alumna Jean Alberti (Ph.D. ’70, Educational Psychology) has established the Dr. Jean M. Alberti Center for the Prevention of Bullying Abuse and School Violence at UB. The center will be a national resource on the prevention of bullying and other antisocial behaviors among school children, and provide research and information that address these behaviors. The center’s first activity was the symposium “Prevention of Bullying Abuse and School Violence” on April 27 in Lippes Concert Hall in Slee Hall on the UB North Campus. Nearly 400 teachers, administrators, child psychologists, law enforcement officials, and other interested community members attended the daylong event. The symposium featured a keynote address by Professor Dorothy Espelage, a renowned expert on the prevention of bullying from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Alberti opened the symposium with the address “Bullying is Child Abuse by Children,” which included a discussion of her “Bullying Tree” concept. The program also included examples of successful interventions from the Cleveland Hill School District, as well as an evaluation of existing programs from James Donnelly, clinical associate professor in the Department of Counseling, School, and Educational Psychology (CSEP).

A unique feature of the symposium collaboration, as well as encouraging alliances was the integration of a working lunch. among teachers, administrators, students, Attendees were asked to discuss the intervention and parents. challenges they face professionally, “We believe that this is a the unmet prevention needs, multifaceted problem best and creative ways to address addressed through sharing bullying. The responses were our knowledge, skills, and transcribed during lunch and then resources,” said GSE Dean summarized at the conclusion of Mary Gresham. “Partnerships the symposium by CSEP associate are essential to our success.” professors Janice DeLucia-Waack Gresham emphasized that the and Timothy Janikowski. driving force behind the “We need to change the way establishment of this center people look at this problem to comes from Alberti’s passion to reflect the message that bullying address what has been an is child abuse by children,” increasing problem locally and JEAN ALBERTI said Alberti, a licensed clinical nationwide. psychologist based in Chicago and a former “I’ve been disturbed, like many people, by elementary teacher. “No one I’ve ever heard or the apparent increase in bullying in our nation’s read about talks about bullying in that language. schools,” said Alberti. “The effects of such abuse Until we change the language, we can’t change have lifelong consequences; as a result, the people’s understanding of the problem.” problem will continue to grow exponentially… Activity in the Alberti Center will address unless we curb it now.” the problems faced by victims, bullies, and bystanders. The center will also help schools Charles Anzalone, senior editor for University create a social climate that promotes tolerance Communications, was a contributing writer for of diversity and individual differences, to break this story. the cycle of negative behavior between victims and bullies. This will include sponsoring A PDF of each PowerPoint presentation and faculty research to identify best practices and the Alberti “Bullying Tree” are available at public lectures to encourage awareness and gse.buffalo.edu/alumni/edu.

GSE RANKS #1

GSE is the #1 school of education among public universities in NYS. See page 2 for more details.


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