2014 Envision Magazine

6 Doceõ Center

50 Nations Scholars

24 Carrie Brooks

From the Dean’s Desk

Dear Friends and Alumni,

It has been a year since our last Envision, a year of success and enormous activity for the College of Education. In the pages that follow, we share stories about our hopes, dreams and some of the folks helping to make our dreams become a reality.

You’ll see how, for instance, with generous support from the Albertson Foundation, we designed and implemented the university’s most highly technology-integrated classroom/ lab. With this classroom, we provide future educators with world-class technology integration skills, as well as conduct practical, in situ research on the ways teachers and students use technology. Through these pages, we hope you feel the energy your College of Education is creating — on campus, in the state and across the country — as we set high standards of research quality and bring in grants that benefit K-12 students, teachers and administrators and communities.

During this past year, the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education, as well as the state of Idaho, granted the college full continuing accreditation for our educator preparation programs. The process was rigorous, prolonged and intense — entire computer servers were dedicated to evidence of program quality and student performance. Site visits by national and state evaluation teams resulted in our strongest-ever review, and we continue to receive national recognition for the work we do.

Our physical facilities have consumed a great deal of attention this year. The “skin” of the Education Building (all its outer walls that are not brick) has been failing for some time. When it rains, we place buckets on the floor; dangerous asbestos materials are pervasive, which raise health and safety concerns. The state agreed to provide funds to remove the outer skin and for abatement of asbestos-laden materials, and the university committed to bonding for replacement of the building.

But we considered that the state’s citizens, its university, and its students could be better served by more than mere replacement. We set out to see whether our community thought so, too. We are pleased to say that through the generosity of alumni and foundations, in the fall of 2016 we will move back into a state-of-the-art, high-tech building. It will be a new home that features student and faculty collaboration spaces filled with light, a building that will inspire future educators to greatness and benefit the entire university. We cannot thank enough those who have contributed to what will become a very special building for the UI campus. To people for whom this is new information, there still is more to do; we hope you also will consider supporting the building’s renovation.

Read and enjoy. Thank you for your support, now and in future. And please stay connected — let us know where you are and what you’re doing.

Sending you warm greetings,

Cori Mantle-Bromley, Dean

Staff and Faculty

New F AC u LT y

MoveMeNT SCIeNCeS

1) Russell Baker, clinical assistant professor

2) Mostafa Hegazy, clinical assistant professor

3) Melanie Meenan, clinical assistant professor

LeADerShIp AND CouNSeLINg

4) Jeff Brooks, professor and chair of the Department of Leadership and Counseling

5) Jean Henscheid, clinical assistant professor

CurrICuLuM AND INSTruCTIoN

6) Melanie Brooks, assistant professor

7) David Campbell, clinical assistant professor

8) Janine Darragh, assistant professor

9) Cassidy Hall, clinical assistant professor

10) Aleksandra Hollingshead, assistant professor

11) Royce Kimmons, assistant professor

12) Mary Jaglois Orr, clinical assistant professor

New S TAFF

13) Tammey Boston, development director

14) John Murray, grants/contract and compliance specialist

15) David Schloss, administrative assistant, student services

16) Amber Ziegler, administrative assistant, movement sciences

By Allison R. Stormo

The University of Idaho College of Education received accreditation through spring 2019 from the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE).

The educator preparation programs were reviewed as meeting or exceeding all accreditation standards and had only one recommendation for improvement — increase the diversity of K-12 students with which candidates interact. NCATE accredited the college in six areas: candidate knowledge, skills and professional

dispositions; assessment system and unit evaluation; field experiences and clinic practices; diversity; faculty qualifications, performance and development; and unit governance and resources. The standards for national accreditation for the preparation of educators have become increasingly rigorous. Dozens of performance standards for students also are electronically documented.

“National accreditation provides the assurance to our students and stakeholders that our educator preparation programs are of the highest quality. Accreditation is possible because of our high quality

u niversity of Idaho College of e ducation r eceives National Accreditation from NCAT e

faculty, programs and students,” said Cori MantleBromley, dean of the College of Education.

The accreditation also reflects the work of many university-wide faculty members who partner with the College of Education to prepare educators, and the work the UI does to prepare the best teachers and administrators possible for Idaho and beyond.

The College of Education is committed to serving the people of Idaho and the region by providing educational programs that emphasize leadership at all levels, and that are based on the latest research findings.

The college has a strong reputation for innovation and excellence, and for students who emerge transformed by their experience and confident in their ability to contribute and make a positive difference in their chosen profession.

“NCATE accreditation standards are more rigorous, and the accreditation process more all-encompassing and demanding as a result of increased national scrutiny of educator preparation programs,” said Katherine Aiken, interim provost and executive vice president. “The University of Idaho College of Education’s continued accreditation represents a tremendous accomplishment on the part of Dean MantleBromley, the faculty, staff and students. It represents recognition that University of Idaho programs are high quality and deserving of national recognition. I commend everyone involved for their efforts and for their commitment to the University of Idaho — its programs and its students.”

A significant number of Idaho’s school administrators and teachers choose the UI College of Education because of dynamic programs that are innovative, effective and provide tools for success. In addition to preparing educators, the college provides health and wellness programs for those students who are interested in careers related to movement sciences, such as recreation, exercise science and health, dance and athletic training.

Founded in 1954, NCATE is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as a specialized accrediting body for schools, colleges and departments of education. NCATE and the Teacher Education Accreditation Council have consolidated and are now transitioning into the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation.

For more information about the College of Education, go to www.uidaho.edu/ed. For more information about NCATE, go to www.ncate.org.

Doceõ Teachingfor the Future Center

New Doceõ Center seeks to help teachers explore, evaluate technology

By Tara Roberts

Tablets, laptops, digital video cameras, smartboards and more are pouring into schools across the country, and the list of new technologies available to teachers and students keeps growing.

To prepare current and future teachers for a world of wired classrooms, the College of Education has opened the Doceõ Center for Innovation + Learning. The center was established in summer 2013, and its hightech learning laboratory classroom opened in April.

Now, the center is ready to extend its mission and better engage and support educators, pre-service teachers and students across the state.

“From Day 1, our primary goal has been to start building relationships with Idaho’s K-12 educators,” says Royce Kimmons, Doceõ Center director. “That allows us to understand what they need, how to communicate with them and how to leverage our resources to support them.”

Changing expectations make technologyenriched education vital to Idaho, Kimmons says. New Common Core requirements emphasize technologybased learning. Most Idaho school districts are rural, which can isolate them from technological opportunities, and Idaho ranks 50th in per-capita education funding from state and local sources.

Students work on a Smartboard in the Doceõ Center.

The Doceõ Center offers research-based information and training that is customized to the needs of individual school districts — whether it’s guidance on using the devices they already have, advice on what they may want to purchase next or grant-writing support to open new opportunities.

“We’re here to help,” Kimmons says. “We want teachers’ ideas. If they fit, we say, ‘Let’s do something. Let’s be creative.’ We need more creativity and ideas to solve problems in innovative ways.”

A Plan for the Future

The Doceõ Center was created through a $3 million, J.A. and Kathryn Albertson Foundation grant.

“Thanks to our partnership with the Albertson Foundation, the Doceõ Center already has begun to help teachers and students around the state to improve education through the better use of technology,” says Chuck Staben, president of the University of Idaho. “Too many students are failing out of college by the eighth grade, but partnerships like this promise brighter student futures by better educating them from kindergarten to graduate school.”

The center’s goals include not only to increase the capacity of Idaho’s teachers to integrate technology into their classrooms, but also provide research to help educators choose the tools that will most effectively enhance student learning.

“We are thrilled to be able to say that our preservice teachers are now being prepared with stateof-the-art technology in a classroom designed for technology integration. We realize, however, that it is not the tools alone that make great teaching and strong learning,” says Cori Mantle-Bromley, dean of the College of Education. “Most critical is teachers who know when technology is appropriate, which technology best addresses the need, and, most importantly, who know when no technology is actually the best solution. We have the facilities and the faculty expertise to address all these issues. ”

While the Albertson Foundation and an external evaluation firm oversee the center’s progress, the Doceõ Center guided by an independent advisory board is made up of UI faculty, K-12 educators and administrators and representatives from nonprofits and state industries.

Albertson Foundation Executive Director Jamie MacMillan said the Doceõ Center opening marks a

new era for colleges of education in Idaho and across the nation.

“By researching and implementing national best practices in blended learning, Doceõ faculty and staff will transform how future educators teach and Idaho’s students learn. We know that the education leaders at UI are progressive, motivated and innovative,” MacMillan said. “We hope that Doceõ faculty and students will embrace a culture of experimentation and learning, and anticipate that this will be a hub of information and a hotspot for the latest research and best practices in blended learning not just for Idaho, but for the nation.”

Inside the High-Tech Lab

The Doceõ Center Lab allows pre-service teachers, K-12 students and educators across Idaho to explore the possibilities that new technologies offer.

It functions as a fully wired classroom in which students can connect laptops, tablets or other devices to the central system to share information and ideas. The instructor guides the room from an iPad that allows him or her to interact with or highlight anything happening on any other screen in the room.

“Everything in this room has educational possibilities,” says Cassidy Hall, the center’s technology integration specialist and lab manager. “This is the way of education right now — teachers and students looking at things collaboratively in a virtual environment.”

Groups of students, teachers and faculty have already begun testing technologies and teaching methods in the lab. Brant Miller, an assistant professor in the

A student experiments with Google Glass in the Doceõ Center.

College of Education, is now teaching his Technology Tools for Teaching and Learning class in the lab.

“We can look at the nuances of the technology within the lab,” Miller says. “It’s really exciting to have a space that’s the absolute latest and greatest and shows the interaction between the latest and greatest.”

Miller says the lab’s interactive capabilities bring a new level of collaboration to his class. If a student finds a great resource online, writes a line of useful code or builds a short video explaining a concept, Miller can share it with everyone.

“From my iPad I can project that on everyone’s screen, and we can have a conversation about it. Having that audio-visual capability is unlike anything out there,” he says. “Within a matter of seconds, I can give students voice and have them guide the discussion from what they’ve found.”

Dedication to Research

Miller is also among a group of faculty members who are collaborating with the Doceõ Center on technology-infused research projects. His research investigates how technology can support science learning, using tools such as a tablet with embedded

scientific devices, a cloud-based video editor and Google Glass.

Other research includes a pilot project that tests iPads and Chromebooks for students at tribal elementary schools in Washington and Idaho; a project that offers afterschool computer game programming in Boise; and a study of how technology can help measure students’ physical activity to help prevent childhood obesity. (See sidebar on next page for more.)

The Doceõ Center faculty provide resources and expertise to these outside projects, but also conduct research of their own. For example, the center’s Chromebook initiative has placed carts of the relatively inexpensive laptops in more than 10 Idaho schools, allowing researchers to understand how students use them, how they affect learning and how sustainable they are for schools across the state.

“It really shows the Albertson Foundation’s foresight and recognition of the problems we’re facing in the state to not only want to improve Idaho schools, but also to make Idaho a national leader in guiding large-scale educational innovation with technology,” Kimmons says. “The final goal is that we will become a national model for education.”

Established in 2013 with a J.A. and Kathryn Albertson Foundation grant, the University of Idaho Doceõ Center for Innovation + Learning leads teaching innovation and technology integration initiatives at the University of Idaho and in Idaho’s K-12 schools. The center does this by supporting, teaching, modeling and researching technology integration practices in various settings. Some examples of outreach efforts include:

CHROMEBOOK INITIATIVE FOR EDUCATORS

Bonners Ferry, Moscow, Rathdrum, Spirit Lake, Troy We provide teachers and students at participating schools with Chromebooks and professional development. We then study the impacts on learning and feasibility for scalability and sustainability.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN TECHNOLOGY INTEGRATION

Bonners Ferry, Moscow, Post Falls, Rathdrum, Spirit Lake, Troy Our technology integration specialist travels to schools throughout the area and provides technology and integration support and expertise to participating schools at no cost.

TECHNOLOGY-INFUSED RESEARCH PROJECTS

Through our collaborations with a host of UI researchers and faculty, we provide technology resources and research expertise on a number of projects. These include: Engaging youths in computer programming with Scratch in Boise; Northern Idaho Google Festival in Coeur d’Alene area and Kellogg; Leading teaching through technology in the implementation of Idaho Core Standards in Emmett, Melba and Middleton; The role of mobile technologies in supporting place-based STEM education in McCall; Innovative middle

level instruction with Promethean boards and flipped classrooms in Moscow; Physical activity motion sensor technology validation in physical education in Moscow; Systematic integration of technology for STEM support in special education in Moscow; Affordances and challenges of technology use in classrooms on American Indian reservations in Plummer; Integrating technology into the classroom via Chromebooks using preservice teachers as community collaborators in Post Falls.

GOOGLE APPS FESTIVAL

Post Falls

Doceõ Center Ribbon Cutting

In February, the center sponsored the first Idaho Google Apps for Education Festival. This festival brought together kindergarten through 12th-grade teachers, administrators and technology staff to explore the educational application and management of Google Apps for Education in school settings. Skills presenters from California, Colorado, Idaho, Oregon and Washington led 16 sessions.

RESEARCH AND SHARING PORTAL

Through the Doceõ Center research and sharing portal, researchers and practitioners share resources, implementation guides and research findings related to technology integration to support educators in their technology integration efforts.

TECHNOLOGY AND LANDSCAPE REPORTS

The center regularly releases research-based reports on topics of interest for educators and educational technology decisionmakers. Examples of report topics released so far in the 201314 academic year have included evidence for one-to-one initiatives, diffusing technology integration practices among higher education faculty and a K-12 web system usage.

A ribbon cutting and open house was held at the center on April 4 to coincide with Mom’s Weekend.

Attending the VIP ribbon cutting were local and state dignitaries who attended the event included Sen. John Goedde, Coeur d’Alene, chair of the education committee; Sen. J Dan Schmidt, D-Moscow; State Board of Education President Don Soltman; UI President Chuck Staben; UI Vice President of Advancement Chris Murray; UI Provost and Executive Vice President Katherine Aiken; Moscow Public Schools Superintendent Greg Bailey; Moscow Charter Schools Principal Tony Bonuccelli; Doceõ Center Board members, UI College of Graduate Studies Dean Jie Chen; UI College of Education Dean Cori Mantle-Bromley; UI College of Engineering Dean Larry Stauffer; and CIO and Executive Director of Information Technology Services Dan Ewart.

At the ribbon cutting, leaders sat down at the work stations and went back to school to learn about the new center and were given a demonstration by center Director Royce Kimmons and Cassidy Hall, technology integration specialist. Attendees also were invited to play with the technology and explore the possibilities the center has to offer.

From Left: Cori Mantle-Bromley, Royce Kimmons, Lisa Fisher of J.A. and Kathryn Albertson Foundation, UI President Chuck Staben and Cassidy Hall participate in the ribbon cutting for Doceõ Center.

education

The College of Education Building dates back to 1969. But time and the elements have taken their toll on the place. Cracks, leaks, lack of insulation and old asbestoscontaining building materials must be remedied. The building was constructed during a time when the use of asbestos as an insulation and construction material was common. As more was learned about the dangers of asbestos, the building became, in essence, unrepairable. Any work on the building such as roof repair or window replacement or even minimal, but critical, improvements like adding power outlets for the increasing adoption of technology, was deferred due to the complexity, dangers and cost of ridding the facility of asbestos. Simultaneously, the exterior’s stacked rock and plaster panels, which make up the outside surface of the five-story building, have been separating from the steel posts to which they are attached, exposing cracks in the joints of the windows. This deterioration and the weight

of the panels have resulted in leaks at nearly every window and between every floor, none of which is repairable without extensive and cost-prohibitive asbestos abatement.

Major renovation is slated to begin in July. Completion is expected by June 2016. Renovation will require relocation of College of Education offices: see page 15 for details.

State funding of $7 million will help with the cost of replacing the building’s exterior, asbestos abatement and renovation.

Please consider a gift to the College of Education Building Renovation Project on behalf of Idaho teachers. Every UI education graduate will touch hundreds if not thousands of lives over the course of a teaching or movement sciences career.

The university has secured bonding for an additional $7.5 million in improvements.

However, private support is needed to cover the cost of furnishings, of adding the latest technology and improving the five-story building’s student collaboration spaces.

“The Vandal family has the opportunity to turn what could be an education building that is ‘good enough’ into a state-of-the-art teaching and learning facility that the entire university can use and take pride in,” said Cori Mantle-Bromley, dean of the College of Education.

Initial support for that portion of the project is promising: More than half of the $5 million goal for private support is in hand. That includes a recent $1 million gift from the J.A. and Kathryn Albertson

Foundation, Inc., a strong supporter of the college, as well as generous support from longtime donor Thomas C. Wright, and other alumni and friends.

Every dollar raised for the building will go to key features, upgrades, finishes and furnishings that will turn the building into a source of pride for the university and more importantly, a source of quality education for students in COE.

Please consider a gift on behalf of Idaho teachers. Every UI education graduate will touch hundreds if not thousands of lives over the course of a teaching or movement sciences career. For information on giving, contact Tammey Boston at 208-885-7476 or boston@uidaho.edu.

For information on giving, contact Tammey Boston at 208-885-7476 or boston@uidaho.edu. Or go to www.uidaho.edu/inspire-edbuilding

Artist rendering by Miller Hull Partnership

Donor Support

Alumni Kathryn “Kaye” and Dr. Lawrence “Larry” Knight

long have been supporters of and loyal donors to the University of Idaho. The Knights have taken a particular interest in support of science and math education and committed a generous gift to create the Kathryn and Lawrence Knight STEM Faculty Fellowship. The pair are expanding that commitment to support of the College of Education Building Renovation project.

“We want to help underwrite the cause of providing a decent place for the College of Education,” said Larry, who received his UI bachelor’s in pre-med in 1956 and his medical degree from the University of Washington.

He and Kaye, who received her degree in education in 1955, have not only offered financial support, but they have also volunteered countless hours of service on university and COE advisory boards, including Larry serving as president of the Alumni Association. The couple have received the President’s Medallion, the Jim Lyle Alumni Award for volunteerism and the UI Silver and Gold Award for outstanding service.

Not only did Kaye receive her degree in education, but two of the couple’s five children have made a career in education — one is in secondary education and another is a math professor. Technology in education remains a priority for COE as well the Knights.

“I think it is absolutely essential that there is a building flexible enough to serve the needs of the college for the next three generations.” Larry said. “With modern classrooms, which can be flexible enough to serve a variety of needs with digital, visual and audio capabilities to accommodate the modern technology of teaching.”

Wade Rumney (’69, Education) may have taught only a year before changing careers and serving as a postmaster until his retirement in 2003, but education remains among his passions. He has remained a loyal supporter of the University of Idaho and has displayed his Vandal pride through a donation to the College of Education Building Renovation Project.

“The College of Education doesn’t get what it should as far as I’m concerned. Teachers aren’t getting paid what they should be,” Wade said.

Rumney, who has been a financial supporter of UI for more than two decades, is looking forward to seeing the College of Education expand and believes the College of Education is where money needs to be spent.

After graduating from UI, he entered the Navy before teaching in Florida for a year. He then moved back to his home state of Colorado where he started working for the U.S. Postal Service. He now lives north of Seattle and recalls his time in Moscow fondly.

“Going to classes was always an adventure where I was learning something new and interesting.”

Lawrence and Kathryn Knight with family.

College of education offices to relocate During Building renovation project

The College of Education Building renovation project begins this summer and will require the relocation of faculty and staff offices through summer 2016.

“The renovation project will ensure that the building not only meets safety requirements but is also an investment in a space for educating teachers for future generations of children,” said Ron Smith, vice president for finance and administration.

The university will provide office space for College of Education faculty, staff and students across campus. Places include:

• Administration Building;

• Idaho Commons;

• Targhee Hall;

• Engineering-Physics Building;

• Education and Laboratory of Anthropology;

• Student Union Building;

• Agricultural Science Building;

• McClure Hall; and

• Business Technology Incubator.

The Curriculum and Instruction Department will be in Targhee Hall, TRiO programs will be in Targhee and the Administration Building, Student Services will in be the Education and Laboratory of Anthropology, formerly the ITED, and the Dean’s Suite will be located in the Idaho Commons.

In addition, the College of Education library will be located to two locations: some holdings will go to the university’s main library. Curriculum materials will be housed in the Education/Laboratory of Anthropology, where EDCI classes will be held.

“We greatly appreciate the flexibility of the campus community in housing the students, faculty and staff who are directly affected by this critical university renovation project,” Smith said.

The move will temporarily close Targhee Hall as a residence hall starting in fall 2014. Students have been notified, and the university is working closely with those affected by the closure to provide housing and meal options.

“We are grateful to the university community for making rooms for us in multiple locations as we move out of the Education Building,” said Dean Cori Mantle-Bromley. “And once completed, we look forward to sharing our classrooms and meeting spaces across the university.”

Artist rendering by Miller Hull Partnership

u I Micron p ilot p rogram Suppor T STe M eD u CATI o N in Three Idaho Communities

By Tara Roberts

University of Idaho’s Science, Technology, Engineering and Math – or STEM – Education Research Initiative has launched innovative programs in three Idaho communities to support student academic success and increase interest in STEM education.

The programs, which began last summer, are part of a five-year project funded by a $1.2 million Micron Foundation gift.

In Jerome, a three-day summer camp for preschool Head Start students focused on science. In Post Falls, online resources assist parents in navigating techniques used in the new Common Core State Standards for Mathematics. In Lewiston, students are competing for prizes for the best student-produced, informative YouTube videos that feature community members who have STEM-related jobs.

The innovation projects reflect the mid-point of the Micron STEM Initiative. The project’s early research

Students conduct experiments as part of STEM learning.

included focus groups with parents, teachers and community members in 12 Idaho counties, followed by telephone surveys. Researchers also surveyed fourth, seventh and tenth graders, their parents and teachers statewide.

“The world is facing complex problems that require a STEM-literate citizenry,” said Susan Stauffer, a UI research associate with the Micron STEM Initiative. “With growing populations and limited resources, people need to make informed decisions in their personal lives and in the voting booth on issues from the environment to medicine.”

The innovative projects are based on findings from the focus groups and surveys. While the results show strong statewide support for increased public education funding and STEM education efforts, Idahoans revealed conflicting attitudes about their levels of trust in science and scientists.

Students’ responses showed a decline in positive attitudes toward and experiences with math and science between seventh and tenth grade, with girls reporting a more dramatic decrease than boys. Also, Hispanic students in seventh and tenth grades were statistically less likely to have positive experiences with and hold positive attitudes toward math and science.

In Kootenai County — the site of the Post Falls project — 49 percent of parents indicated that their own level of math and science knowledge made it challenging to assist their children with homework. Instructional videos target two of the Common Core mathematical practices, giving parents strategies to support their children as they approach challenging math problems.

Micron + STEM

Jerome’s three-day bilingual summer science camp reflects the community’s growing Hispanic population. The camp also responds to survey findings that revealed parents in Jerome strongly support their children’s education but a majority, 72 percent, described difficulty with helping their children in school, given their own math and science knowledge.

The YouTube video campaign in Lewiston also is informed by survey findings from Nez Perce County where a third of parents said they were unsure of what classes a student should take to be successful in college.  The studentproduced videos will inform parents, students and community members about both college and career preparation by featuring the educational and career paths of local STEM professionals.

Corinne Mantle-Bromley, UI’s dean of the College of Education and codirector of the Micron STEM Initiative, said the findings from these pilot projects will help researchers better understand the problems as well as the most promising next steps for improvement.

“The hope certainly is that the Micron-funded research leads to changes across the state that lead to improved access to STEM fields. With increased interest in the STEM fields, additional funding is gained where we can do major state projects,” Mantle-Bromley said. “Because of the groundbreaking research, we now have a baseline for the state; we know a lot about the state landscape that we didn’t know earlier.”

For more information on the U-Idaho Micron STEM Education Research Initiative and findings, visit uidaho.edu/research/stem/micronstemed.

Students conduct experiments as part of STEM learning.

First r ecipients of Doctorates h onored

FLORENCE ALLER

Florence Aller set the stage for future Vandals in 1962 when she became the first person at the University of Idaho to obtain a doctoral degree in education.

The university recognized the 50th anniversary of the awarding of the first doctorates at the May commencement ceremony on the Moscow campus. Aller was honored posthumously along with six others who received their doctorates in 1963, including John Morford, who earned his doctorate in education administration.

Aller was born in Sylvia, Kan., and graduated from high school in 1925. She went on to earn her bachelor’s degree from Southern Nazarene University

Above: Florence Aller with son, Wayne, and husband, Alvin.

in Bethany, Okla. She taught in Montana before meeting her husband, Alvin. In 1949, the pair moved to Nampa, where they both taught at Northwest Nazarene College. The family spent about a decade moving across the United States while Alvin finished a tour of duty in the Navy. In 1946, Aller received her master’s degree in household administration in home economics from Oregon State University in Corvallis, Ore., where she then taught for two years. The Allers returned to Nampa for several years before moving in 1959 to Moscow, where Florence became an assistant professor of home economics

JOHN MORFORD

John Morford received his bachelor’s degree from Gonzaga University in Spokane. He went on to earn his master’s and doctorate from the UI as a National Defense Fellow. He spent 10 years in Ohio at John Carroll University and founded one of the nation’s first programs to prepare teachers for work in the impoverished areas of central cities. He also initiated the university’s first programs to prepare teachers for elementary special education and was the chair of the Department of Education. He returned to the Northwest in 1973 and served as dean of Seattle University’s School of Education from 1973-78. Under his leadership, Seattle University’s only doctoral program, the Doctorate of Educational

at UI with research focused on marital adjustment and teenage marriage.

When the UI became authorized to offer a doctoral degree for the first time, Aller sought to pursue a degree in guidance and counseling through the psychology department. She was denied. At the time, no one older than 45 was allowed to begin a doctoral program. Aller was 51. She persisted, and when the psychology department chair asked what she intended to do with the degree, Aller said she wanted to teach. The chair then asked if she thought she’d be a better teacher with a doctorate. Aller replied, “Do you think I would not be a better teacher after taking classes from you?”

Aller died in 1993. Her late husband was a professor of botany at UI. They have one son, Wayne, who received the 50th anniversary honor on Aller’s behalf.

Leadership, was formed. Morford designed and led the program from the mid-1970s until his retirement in 1993.

In addition to his academic achievements, Morford has spent time with the Jesuits in Nepal, worked on the Commons Park project, is active in the St. Vincent De Paul Society, where he manages the Friday Food Bank, manages a Sunday dinner for homeless people, served as treasurer for Washington/ Chile Partners of the Americas and helped re-found the Western Washington Chapter for the Association for Psychological Type. He and his wife, Jerene, live in Seattle. They have four daughters and a son.

Dean Cori Mantle-Bromley stands with Wayne Aller, left, who was on hand to receive an honor on behalf of his late mother, Florence Aller, who was the first person at UI to obtain a doctoral degree in education and John Morford, right, who received a doctorate in education administration.

Student Awards

The Northwest Chapter of the American College of Sports Medicine presented several awards to the University of Idaho during its annual conference in Salem, Ore. The following doctoral students received the Outstanding Doctoral Student Research Presentation Award:

Amber Green, education with emphasis in exercise science and health, for “Sedentary Behavior, Central Obesity and Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors in Young Women.”

Ryan McGrath, education with emphasis in exercise science and health, for “Prediction of Total Energy Expenditure and Moderate-Vigorous Physical Activity by the NHANES Physical Activity Questionnaire.”

Katie Taylor, education with emphasis in exercise science and health, for “Associations of Insulin Resistance with Metabolic Syndrome Risk Factors in Young, Hispanic Women.”

Three movement sciences students traveled to Wenatchee, Wash., to attend the 2014 Annual Conference for the Northwest Chapter of the American College of Sports Medicine. Undergraduate students, Kimberly Carrier, Mac Kenzie Schneider, and Thomas Anderson, competed against 21 teams to take home the trophy from the jeopardystyle competition. The students have now been offered to represent the University of Idaho and the Northwest Chapter of ACSM at the National Conference in Orlando, Fla., at the end of May. This is the first time the University of Idaho was represented at the annual meeting, and is a testament to the students, graduate representatives, and faculty that supported them.

Aimee Navickis-Brasch, research assistant on Associate Professor’s Anne Kern’s Back to the Earth project, will be honored for her “Best Paper Award” at the American Society of Engineering Education annual conference. Navickis-Brasch is a doctoral students in civil engineering/ engineering education.

In addition, the Outstanding Master’s Research Presentation Award was given to:

Brad Dieter, sport pedagogy and exercise physiology, for “Muscle Activation Patterns Differ Between Cyclists with Patellofemoral Pain and Those Without.”

Doctoral student Katie Taylor was accepted as a national student representative for the American College of Sports Medicine — the largest sports medicine and exercise science organization in the world. She represents the Northwest chapter, which includes Idaho, Oregon, Washington and Montana.

Doctoral student Vanessa Martinez was awarded first place at UI’s Annual Innovation Showcase in Graduate Interdisciplinary Presentations for her research on the relationships among acculturation, psychological measure and health risk factors in college-age Mexican-American women.

Exercise Science and Health students Kalyn Hasenoehrl, Jordan Tracy, Reagan Snow and Ashlee Therriault worked to integrate nutrition and physical activity into the Moscow Farmer’s Market through the city of Moscow’s Blue Cross High Five grant. Two students will be hired to lead the summer project.

Doctoral candidate John Herrington appeared in a CBS ad celebrating Native American Heritage Month. The astronaut is the first member of a Native American tribe to fly into space. He is a member of the Chickasaw Nation. The video can be viewed at: cbs.com/cbs_cares/topic_video/55

Students

Travels with Marco

By Marco Mendoza

There can be a lot to say about one’s life and experiences and we show them in different ways. My name is Marco Mendoza and I am a senior at the University of Idaho and it has truly been an experience that has affected my life.

I came here three years ago planning on graduating with an English and broadcasting degree. Now, I find myself double majoring in secondary education and Spanish with a double minor in English as a second language and writing. The changes that I went through are typical .. .like those experienced by many other students. But what really changed me was living in Spain for five months. It was truly an experience for which I don’t have sufficient words to fully express.

I am a second-generation Mexican-American and very proud to be a part of two cultures. Being the oldest son has led me to take on a lot of responsibility in my life. It also has given me the willpower to be the first in my family to graduate from high school and kept me on track to graduate from college. What really

impacted me in Spain was the opportunity I had to teach English to kids. It seemed to come naturally to me, and the professors I worked with were impressed and shocked that I wasn’t pursing a degree to become an educator.

Coming back to the United States was very difficult, but returning to the University of Idaho was a gift. Being in my broadcasting classes made me realize that it wasn’t my passion anymore, and becoming a teacher was. I want to be able to inspire other students and help them find their dreams just like so many instructors here at Idaho have helped lead me to mine.

The youth is our future just like I am now; there is still a lot to learn and to experience. Growing up, I had to learn and use two languages, and it was a struggle for me. I still have some issues with both languages. I hope to improve my writing and better understand the workings of both languages.

— Marco has been supported by the J.A. and Kathryn Albertson Foundation Go On Scholarship and will be doing his student teaching in the fall.

Marco Mendoza found a passion in teaching while traveling in Spain.

From Farm to Class

By Allison R. Stormo

A passion for teaching led junior Cara Pantone to spend a summer on a farm and in the fields to better prepare for the classroom.

While the program’s connection to a future teaching career might not seem obvious at first, Pantone found valuable lessons that apply to her career goals.

The secondary education major spent the summer of 2013 on a paid internship with the University of Idaho Extension’s Gooding office doing what she describes as an “eclectic” mix of duties. “The purpose of the internship was to expose the intern to the different areas of Extension,” Pantone said.

She took on projects in outreach and research with dairies and the Gooding community garden while working with specialists such as Mario E. de Haro-Marti, who serves as Extension Educator and specializes in dairy/livestock environmental education.

“She wasn’t afraid of doing anything,” de Haro-Marti said of Pantone.

Her projects ranged from writing and editing the community garden’s newsletter to digging ditches and helping to gather milk and blood samples from dairy cows for a study.

“There were days I literally was working from 4 a.m. until 2 in the afternoon,” Pantone said.

The hard work didn’t deter her, nor was it unfamiliar. The Shoshone native grew up on a cattle ranch, was involved in FFA as a youth and served as a state FFA officer during her freshman year of college. That background was part of what attracted her to the Extension internship, even though it didn’t directly relate to her goal of being a high school educator. Pantone said it’s important for her to have a job and work hard, but also to have different experiences and be able to have respect for people’s backgrounds and what they do.

Cara Pantone

“It is important for me to have practical experience before I teach it,” she said.

De Haro-Marti helped ensure that Pantone gained that practical experience. He creates projects so that students learn and aren’t bored. He assigns interns to create promotional materials and prepare a class for the community garden in addition to creating the newsletter.

“I don’t want them pulling weeds all day,” he said.

Pantone arranged the class, prepared and organized materials and brought her own ideas on presenting the materials to an audience that often includes an audience of diverse community members.

“You don’t always have a captive audience and it teaches you to sharpen your technique to attract the audience,” de Haro-Marti said. “(Pantone) will go to the classroom and apply the experience and understand students better.”

Among the internship’s highlights for Pantone were being able to experience the community through the garden and interacting with people from different generations with different backgrounds, she said.

“I think it helped me fully embrace that education isn’t always in a classroom and doesn’t always come from a book,” Pantone said.

That experience has strengthened her desire to teach not only students, but the public at large. She was able to combine teaching with enhancing people’s awareness of nutrition and the environment. The secondary education major is aiming for a minor in Spanish.

Ultimately though, “Secondary education is definitely what I am passionate about,” she said.

Cara Pantone digs a trench at the Ballard Dairy in Gooding as she was helping to set up a research project.

rising up to the Challenge

By Amanda Cairo

When Orofino-based teacher Carrie Brooks began her Master of Education in educational leadership in 2007, she knew she it was going to be a slow process while working full time and raising teenagers.

A devastating car wreck in 2009, however, set her timeline back even further; but focusing on finishing her degree and drawing on the Vandal spirit helped her get back on her feet and walking again.

“Working toward my degree really helped me, and it gave me something to focus on and provided goals to keep me moving forward and take my mind off what I was going through,” Brooks says. “Then it became my goal to walk across the stage on my own.”

While Brooks was on her way to her son’s wrestling meet, a boulder fell across the road and caused a car to swerve and hit Brooks’ car head on. Luckily, a traveling nurse was in the next car and administered care until the ambulance arrived, which started her journey to four hospitals as her injuries needed more specialized care.

Brooks endured 35 surgeries, including painful facial reconstruction and thousands of hours of rehabilitation; they broke bones in her face that altered her appearance; and at different times she was told she’d have to have her feet amputated and could have possible brain damage.

It was with grace and tenacity that Brooks took these challenges on — once settling for a B rather than an A. Her students, who also taught her great lessons about herself, received an education beyond the

Carrie Brooks at the Student Rec Center.

classroom as they watched her recover over the past five years. Now, Brooks has finished her degree and walked across the stage at commencement on her own two feet to receive her diploma, an accomplishment the doctors said wouldn’t happen.

“It was a little overwhelming at first, but I’ve always set the bar high for myself,” Brooks says. “But the College of Education and the College of Natural Resources, where my husband, Randy, works, really pulled together and helped me out so much. I really felt part of the Vandal family.

While she enjoyed the support of the campus community, Brooks was determined to not let her experience be an excuse. She worked twice as hard to accomplish her work, while drawing on the understanding of her professors.

“I didn’t want them to treat me differently, but there were some points they had to understand about my capabilities at the time,” Brooks says.

As a head teacher working with Title I students in Orofino, Brooks wanted to learn more about her profession, deepen her coaching and mentoring methods and earn an advanced degree.

“I always knew I wanted my master’s degree; it was important to me,” Brooks says. “Personally, I’ve learned a great deal about education administration. As a head teacher, it sharpened my knowledge about leadership and I was able to build on what I was already doing.”

Brooks chose the University of Idaho because of the flexibility an online degree offered. It also was close if she needed resources. Her husband works on campus in the College of Natural Resources as an Extension forestry specialist, her son played football at the university before pursuing his master’s degree on campus, and her other son is currently attending the university as an undergraduate. Their daughter is a nurse at Gritman Medical Center.

“We really are a Vandal family,” Brooks says. “And the experience we’ve had here and the students we meet are so great.”

Though she worked on her degree online, Brooks has been able to use Moscow campus resources like the Student Recreation Center to aid in her rehabilitation from wheelchair, to crutches to walker, Brooks has been a regular at the SRC with her husband and sons training her to walk on her own again. Along the way, the couple have “adopted” several students and even helped start a weight lifting club.

“Everyone at the rec center has been so supportive of me. They’ve really been a pillar of support through this whole endeavor,” Brooks says.

And as a teacher, Brooks knows well that it is not just what students learn in the classroom that makes an impact. It’s what happens outside the lessons that can solidify the experience.

“After watching what she has overcome, I think you could safely say she is an outstanding example of all that is Vandal, especially brave and bold,” says Randy Brooks. “We have been blessed to be a part of the Vandal community.”

Carrie Brooks works out at the Student Recreation Center. The Orofino teacher recently received her master’s degree in educational leadership after recovering from a car wreck.

outstanding Alumni

Marilyn Hallet (’55, elementary education) along with her husband, Ken (’55, entomology), were honored with UI’s 2013 Jim Lyle Award, which recognizes the outstanding contributions of a living individual or couple who has shown long-term dedication and service to the university and/or the Alumni Association through volunteerism. Marilyn taught in the Spokane School District for four years and was a substitute for 22 years. Ken taught biology and coached baseball in Cheney, Wash., for 30 years.

Patricia Ann (Neal) Bowers (’78, education) was named Vallivue School District’s Teacher of the Year for 2013.

Malcolm D. Neely (’59 and ’64, zoology, education) of Federal Way, Wash., received the Ogden R. Lindsley Lifetime Achievement Award from the Standard Celeration Society, a special interest group of the Association of Behavior Analysis. The award is the group’s highest honor.

David Youmans (’59, ’69, ’76, agriculture, secondary education, education specialist) has published “Morning Mists,” in which he renders a third account of life and times in the rural West. He also is the author of “Beyond the Forested Ridge” and “Wherever Home Is: Recollections of an Itinerant Academic.” Youmans is a 1995 Alumni Hall of Fame recipient.

Deanne Clifford (’03, educational leadership), principal in Coeur d’Alene, received the Outstanding Educator Award from the AERA Research on Women in Education Special Interest Group.

Matt & Karen Telin

Julie Yamamoto (’10, doctor of education) was named Idaho National Association of Secondary School Principals Assistant Principal of the Year for 2013. She teaches at Vallivue High School in Caldwell.

The Boise School District named two UI alumni to administrative appointments: Clay “Colby” Dennis (math, educational administration) was appointed deputy superintendent of Timberline High School and Lisa Roberts (educational administration) was appointed area director of Timberline High School.

The Idaho Association of School Administrators honored UI alumni with the following awards:

Wiley Dobbs (’00, ’04, educational administration; doctor of education), Twin Falls School District, Superintendent of the Year.

Mary Ann Ranells (’91, ’95, educational administration, doctor of education), Lakeland School District, District Leadership Award.

Kindel Mason (’01, educational administration), Jerome School District, Outstanding Special Education Administrator of the Year.

Kim Keaton (’77, ’95, microbiology, educational administration), Lake Pend Oreille School District, Sandpoint Middle School, Outstanding Secondary Principal – middle level.

Kendra McMillan, Moscow School District, Lena Whitmore Elementary, Idaho Gem Award for Instructional Leadership.

Mark Jones (’98, educational administration), Boise School District, Maple Grove Elementary, Idaho Gem Award for Distinguished Service.

Matt and Karen Telin have been honored with a 2014 Jim Lyle Award. Matt received his master’s in education in 1972 and Karen received a bachelor’s of science in education in 1971.

Matt retired as UI Registrar emeritus in 1995. While serving as university registrar from 1970-95 and director of admissions from 1977-91, he was instrumental in implementing one of the great innovations of the time. Gone were the days of manual paper registration as students and the university welcomed the technological advances of computer assistance and online databases.

In 2008, Matt accepted the position of president of the national Vandal Booster board of directors, and worked with 38 other directors to provide tools and resources to students. He was a charter member and chairman of the Latah County Federal Credit Union board of directors and played a vital role in reactivating the Latah County Vandal Boosters. He also has been a regular volunteer at athletic fundraising and scholarship events.

Karen is a longtime Moscow schoolteacher at the elementary and junior high level. She is active with the Gritman Auxiliary group. Both she and Matt have been ambassadors for the Moscow Chamber of Commerce and members of the University of Idaho Retirees Association, among other public service groups.

The award recognizes the outstanding contribution of any living individual or couple who has shown long-term dedication and service to the university and/or the Alumni Association through volunteerism.

Conrad underdahl

By Brian Walker, Coeur d’Alene Press

systems for monitoring those indicators on a continual basis, not just when the state tests are administered.”

Conrad

Underdahl, ’80, can’t get enough of watching students improve.

“When you set high expectations for kids, they’ll generally rise to that expectation if you respect them,” the Lakeland High School principal said.

Underdahl has been named Idaho’s Secondary Principal of the Year by the Idaho Association of Secondary School Principals, a group with 240 members.

“I’m very honored and humbled to be selected by my peers this way,” he said.

Underdahl, in his 13th year as Lakeland’s principal, was nominated by Lakeland Superintendent Mary Ann Ranells.

“Conrad nurtures broad-based leadership by fostering an approach to curriculum that focuses on learning rather than teaching,” Ranells wrote in the nomination letter. “He is a keen practitioner of systems thinking.

“He is fixated on results and doggedly works with staff to articulate clear and measurable goals, to identify indicators that offer evidence of progress and to develop

Lakeland, which has 750 students, has consistently performed above the state and national averages on ACT and ISAT scores. Underdahl has advocated for expanded dual enrollment opportunities and Lakeland received a $100,000 grant from the J.A. and Kathryn Albertson Foundation for such purpose.

“About 50 of our students will graduate with their first semester of college already completed,” Underdahl said. “That’s been a big push of ours.”

Underdahl said he was asked a lot about the school’s culture during the award process.

“There’s an expectation that we treat the students as adults and an expectation that they conduct themselves that way,” he said. “We set high standards for students and we, as a staff, want to do what we can to make sure students meet those. I believe great schools are made of great teachers and staff.”

Two years ago, Lakeland received a Brightest Star award from Gov. Butch Otter for various ways of giving back to the community.

The award process included Underdahl being interviewed by an IASSP committee in Boise.

The honor qualifies him to be eligible for national Principal of the Year and has earned him a trip to Washington, D.C., in September to meet Idaho lawmakers and possibly hear President Obama speak.

Longtime Teacher Awarded uI honorary Doctorate

By Allison R. Stormo

Sue Hovey has dedicated her entire career to teaching our youths. Now, after nearly 50 years of service to Idaho education, the University of Idaho has selected her to receive an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters.

“I was amazed,” Hovey said. “I always had a career that I loved — but I didn’t think I had a career that would qualify for an honorary degree.”

Although humble, the alumna’s efforts as a champion of education in Idaho is widespread. She attended Baylor University in her native state of Texas for several years before marrying her husband, Norman. His time in the military took them to a variety of places before they chose to call Moscow home. Hovey then became a Vandal and finished her bachelor’s degree in education in 1968. She went on to earn a master’s degree is sociology in 1978.

Hovey started working for the Moscow School District directly after receiving her bachelor’s and spent nearly 30 years with the district until her retirement in 1996.

“I never got tired of teaching. I always enjoyed it,” she said.

Hovey’s passion for teaching expanded beyond the classroom. She became an advocate for education at local, state and national levels through her service on boards and volunteer efforts.

“Sue Hovey has, over the course of a long career, supported teachers, the teaching profession and teachers’ quests to become the best teachers possible,” said Cori Mantle-Bromley, dean of the College of Education.

Hovey indeed has supported education through a wide variety of positions including president of the Moscow Education Association, member of Idaho’s Special Education Advisory Board, chair of Idaho Professional Teaching Standards and serving on the

board of the National Education Associated Board of Directors, to name just a few. She also was among the founding board members of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) when it formed in 1986.

“The work that Sue Hovey did in her career not only changed the lives of countless children, but her visionary efforts and passion for teachers will change the lives of the children of Idaho and the nation for generations,” said Jerry McMurtry, associate dean of the College of Graduate Studies.

Hovey’s work continued after she retired from the Moscow School District when she remained as the facilitator of the UI’s NBPTS, only retiring from the position in 2013.

Her dedication has earned her notable awards throughout the years at a local and national level including Outstanding Idaho Teacher and winner of The Disney Channel Salutes the American Teacher.

“I know I was a good teacher and I know I was dedicated,” Hovey said. “But there are many teachers like me.”

While Hovey doesn’t see herself as someone who stands out in the crowd, honorary degrees are awarded to individuals deserving of honor by virtue of scholarly distinction, noteworthy public service or significant contributions to Idaho.

“I am getting this degree for a lot of wonderful people,” she said. “I feel very fortunate that my life has been made much more enjoyable by my career and by my work with folks at the University of Idaho and teachers throughout Idaho.”

Sue Hovey

post Falls teacher honored — Steve ostrom named STAr Discovery educator

By the Coeur d’Alene Press

Steve Ostrom (’97, bachelor’s degree in elementary education; ’03, master’s degree in professional technical education) has been named a STAR Discovery Educator by Discovery Education for his commitment to digital learning to inspire students’ curiosity and prepare them for future careers.

STAR Discovery Educators are members of the Discovery Educator Network (DEN), a global community of educators interested in teaching with digital media and technology and sharing ideas and resources.

As a STAR Discovery Educator, Ostrom has proven himself as a leader in transforming and enhancing learning in teaching at Post Falls Middle School as an educator in computer applications/media production and photography.

“Discovery Education and the DEN are proud to honor the hard work and dedication of Steve,” said Lance Rougeux, vice president of learning communities and instructional implementation for Discovery Education.

“It is the work of passionate and committed educators like him who are engaging students through the use of digital media and technology that is making a difference across the country.”

As a STAR Discovery Educator, Ostrom will share resources and innovative teaching methods with fellow educators across the district, state and world to improve student engagement and achievement.

STAR Discovery Educators have access to a wide range of free professional development activities provided by the DEN. The DEN offers best practices for effective and appropriate use of digital media and technology in the classroom and provides educators a forum for collaborating and networking online and in person.

Any educator who uses Discovery Education products and services can apply to become a STAR Discovery Educator by submitting an example in which they shared best practice techniques for engaging students using digital media and technology.

Discovery Education is a provider of curriculum-based digital content, professional development and assessment resources. It is a division of Discovery Communications whose networks include the Discovery Channel and Animal Planet.

Steve Ostrom

Alumna Featured in CBS Special “Teach”

By Allison R. Stormo

College of Education alumna Shelby Harris made an appearance in the living room of TV viewers across the U.S. last fall.

Harris was one of four public school teachers featured in the two-hour CBS special “Teach.” The 1998 graduate in elementary education teaches seventh-grade math at Kuna Middle School. During the 2012-13 school year, video cameras followed Harris, along with teachers Joel Laguna of Los Angeles, Lindsay Chinn of Denver, and Matt Johnson of Denver.

Actress Queen Latifah hosted the special, which was directed and produced by Davis Guggenheim — best known for his documentaries “An Inconvenient Truth” and “Waiting for Superman” as well as the TV series “Deadwood,” “Numb3rs” and “NYPD Blue.” Harris and the other teachers involved also spent some time in Los Angeles filming parts of the special with Latifah.

Harris said cameras were in the room every day during the first few weeks of the school year, but the filming then dwindled to once a week or every two weeks or so.

“It became just a part of what we were doing,” she said.

The special was a Participant Media and Pivot TV Presentation and Little Room production. “Teach” kicked off Participant Media’s 18-month social action campaign in partnership with Teach.org to inform and engage students and recent graduates as they consider career choices. The initiative aims to rebrand and reinvigorate interest in the teaching profession.

Harris caught the attention of the director through her involvement in the nation’s first statewide implementation of the Khan Academy, an Idaho pilot project with financial backing from the J.A. and Kathryn Albertson Foundation. Khan Academy

is an online tutorial site that allows Idaho students to utilize technology to learn new concepts in the classroom and allows teachers to offer more one-onone instruction.

“It’s been powerful,” Harris said of the project. “I thought that it would distance me from the kids, but it’s been completely the opposite. I teach better now than I have in 13 years. They get more teaching time from me now than they ever did before.”

She and her husband, Chadd (’99, elementary education), have enjoyed working together in Kuna as well as the bonds they share with their students.

In November, Harris was able to explore where her career began when the College of Education, along with the Albertson Foundation and Washington State University, sponsored a special public showing of “Teach” at the Kenworthy Performing Arts Centre. She made the trip to Moscow for the event, where she visited with education students and the Kenworthy audience of “Teach.”

“My favorite part [of being involved in the special] has been getting to go to L.A. and coming here to Moscow,” she said. “I didn’t realize how emotional it would be.”

The campus visit was only the second time Harris had returned since graduation, and she was caught off guard by the memories that came flooding back.

“When I walked into the Education Building, I thought, ‘This is awesome.’ ”

She recalled the classes she shared with her husband and the many faculty members who played a vital role in helping shape her. The College of Education gave her the foundation on her path to “Teach.”

Shelby Harris, center, was featured on the CBS special “Teach.”

presidential Award

By Allison R. Stormo

Two UI alumnae have received the 2013 Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching, the nation’s highest honor for U.S. science and math teachers in grades kindergarten through 12th grade. Tauna Johnson and Donna Wommack, both teachers in Genesee, are among only 102 recipients nationwide. Winners receive $10,000 to use at their discretion and a weeklong trip to Washington, D.C., for an awards ceremony.

Johnson has taught fifth grade at Genesee Elementary School for 24 years.

Johnson’s love of science shows when she organizes hands-on Science Nights for families and community members. She has presented at the district, regional, state and national levels on successfully planning, organizing and conducting community science nights. Johnson represented the University of Idaho at the National Science Foundation’s Graduate STEM Fellows in K-12 Education annual conference in Washington, D.C., where she participated in a poster presentation.

Johnson works to bring new ideas to her district and has written thousands of dollars worth of grants to help her school. These grants helped buy science equipment, funded science field trips for her students and funded iPads and other technology for all elementary classrooms. Her latest grant had elementary students engineer a rinsing/recycling station for the school lunchroom.

Johnson has strong leadership skills and serves on many district committees. She is a region representative for the Idaho Science Teachers Association and a member of the National Science Teachers Association and Northwest Council for Computer Education.

Johnson has a bachelor’s degree in education from Eastern Washington University and a master’s of education from the University of Idaho. She

is a kindergarten through eighth-grade certified elementary teacher and a National Board Certified Middle Childhood Generalist.

Wommack has been an educator at Genesee Elementary School in the Genesee Joint School District for 18 years. She taught third grade for the past eight years and has taught first through eighth grade during her time there.

Wommack’s focus is to engage students in enriching, meaningful learning experiences. Her students learn mathematics, science and engineering skills through rocketry, forest research and activities that involve the entire community.

Wommack is a leader in grant writing for her school and has been awarded thousands of dollars for innovative technology and engineering projects that have made a significant impact on the school and community. Recent grants enabled students to work collaboratively to research, design and build a rinsing/ recycling station for the school.

Wommack shares her love of learning by collaborating with staff and serving on leadership committees to develop programs and make decisions that benefit all students.

Wommack has a bachelor’s in education cum laude and a master’s of education in special education from the University of Idaho. She is certified in elementary education. She is a National Board Certified Early Childhood Generalist.

Tauna Johnson Donna Wommack

Curriculum and Instruction

Robert Ketchum, lecturer in Coeur d’Alene in the career and technical education program, wrote an editorial for the North Idaho Business Journal called “Resolving the ‘skills gap.’ ”

Alex Hollingshead, assistant professor of special education, and John Cannon, assistant professor of career and technical education, were selected to develop national standards in their curriculum areas.

Margaret Vaughn, assistant professor of literacy, is teaching Literature Circles with pre-service teachers in Moscow elementary schools.

Anne Adams, assistant professor of math education, is continuing her work with the Making Mathematics Reasoning Explicit grant throughout the Inland Northwest.

Anne Kern, associate professor of science education, is continuing to work with the Coeur d’Alene and Spokane tribes as part of her National Science Foundation Back to Earth grant.

Raymond Dixon, assistant professor of career and technical education, received a $70,000-plus contract from the Clearwater Economic Development Association through the Rural Business Opportunity Grants Program. The project is to identify the five most critical occupations needed in the Northwest Intermountain Metal Manufacturing Supercluster and work with industry leaders to systematically identify the duties, tasks, general knowledge, skills and attitudes, tools and trends in those occupations and develop a strategy for implementing training programs to address the skills gap.

Through support from the Idaho State Board of Education and the Idaho State Department of Education, Julie Amador has received $650,000 in grants to create Regional Math Academies. Each of these academies in five cities throughout the state offers math teachers new classroom approaches. Each academy serves about 120 K-12 teachers. Amador also has been facilitating a book club surrounding “What’s Math Got to Do With It?” by Jo Boaler. The group of 35 meets every three weeks and includes students ranging from first-year through student teachers, as well as practicing teachers and five math coaches.

Ingrid Spence, lecturer and Community Partnership coordinator, received the Moscow Education Association’s Friend of Education Award. It is the group’s highest honor bestowed upon any individual or group each year. This award recognizes and pays tribute to recipients who have gone considerably beyond the normal expectations to support public education. Spence was nominated by Natalie Stone, Moscow Middle School counselor, who said “Ingrid has always done things behind the scenes to support education, and Moscow’s education system, in particular. … She thoroughly embodies an advocate of education.”

Camp for girls pushes their high-tech careers

More than two dozen girls participated in Dign’IT at the University of Idaho Coeur d’Alene Center last summer.

Dign’IT was designed for middle school female students to help increase their interest in careers in computer science and software engineering. The free program creates a path to college and high-tech careers for local students with high potential but limited opportunities. The program was sponsored by local tech company iShoutOut, the Verizon Foundation and UI CDA.

“The goal of Dign’IT is to provide students with meaningful experiences that will expose them to interesting careers and motivate them to continue on the academic path needed,” said Julie Amador, College of Education curriculum and instruction assistant professor.

One of the highlights of the camp was learning software engineering and coding while incorporating design and visualization elements.

Amador explained that the software industry is among the fastest growing industries worldwide. In the U.S., five of the Top 10 fastest growing jobs are in computer-related fields. Two of the three highest salaries for bachelor’s degrees are in computer science and engineering.

The Dign’IT camp is part of a bigger effort to create programs to raise awareness of these exciting careers and to address the workforce and research needs of the growing regional software and IT industry.

The region already benefits from a burgeoning and healthy IT industry base, but comprehensive programs for training current and future employees and entrepreneurs for the IT industry are not in place. UI is working closely with existing regional IT companies to ensure that programs focus on the skills required for industry success.

Middle school students participating in the Dign’IT camp work on projects.

First Dual-Language Textbooks Bring Nez perce Culture to Classroom

By Allison R. Stormo

Assistant Professor Margaret Vaughn was instrumental in a project that created the Nez Perce Tribe’s first dual-language textbooks for the Lapwai School District. The students themselves helped make them.

Vaughn developed the project with a small cohort of Lapwai teachers, whom she met with monthly during the 2012-13 school year, to help them increase cultural responsiveness in their own teaching. Several of the teachers are recent graduates of the prestigious Wright Fellowship Program for educators working on their master’s degrees in curriculum and instruction. The lead Lapwai teacher on the project was D’Lisa Pinkham.

The books were written and illustrated during the three weeks of summer school. Lapwai Elementary School students in kindergarten through fifth grade participating in the “Summer Youth Writing Project: Cultivating Stories, Writing Within an Indigenous Perspective” wrote and illustrated gradeappropriate texts relevant to Nez Perce culture. Nez Perce elders in the Nez Perce Language Program then translated the texts.

The resulting six dual-language books will be used as curriculum to enhance reading and writing skills. They were published by Blue Earth People Group, a publishing company

Department and Center News Curriculum and Instruction

owned by the late Arthur Taylor, who served as UI’s Native American tribal liaison.

“The goal of these books is to keep true to teachers, the tribe and the students — above all,” Vaughn said.

The books are the first of their kind, said Pinkham, who in May 2013 received her doctorate of curriculum and instruction from the College of Education. She said there were no culturally responsive books for Nez Perce students that took learning and connected it to their culture’s rich and diverse history.

“A lot of research shows that making a culturally responsive school increases academic success,” she said.

Pinkham and Vaughn worked together to gain community support by having Nez Perce elders, members and employees come into the summer school classroom and share cultural artifacts, stories and artistic and scientific relevant information as a foundation for the books. The classroom teachers then built on that and helped the students develop the stories, illustrations and layouts for the books. The final product will be used as curriculum in future classes.

“It’s a first for our children and community,” Pinkham said.

The writing project and research was supported by grants from the Inland Northwest Community Foundation, a University of Idaho Seed Grant and the Office of Community Sponsorship.

Leadership and Counseling

Jean Henscheid, clinical assistant professor, is part of a research team that’s a finalist for a Gates Foundation grant project on teaching beliefs among faculty teaching Massive Open Online Courses. She also is part of a multi-institution Association of American College and Universities research project on teaching beliefs across disciplines.

Jeff Brooks, professor and Leadership and Counseling chair, received a 2013 American Educational Studies Association Critics Choice Book Award for his book “Black School White School: Racism and Educational (Mis)Leadership” (Teachers College Press, 2012). The book is among a select group of 31 recipients. The AESA is primarily composed of college and university professors who teach and research in the field of education. Each year, an AESA committee selects titles it regards as outstanding books that may be of interest to those in educational studies as a way to recognize and increase awareness of recent scholarship deemed to be outstanding in its field.

Brooks was recently selected as a Fulbright Specialist by the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and the Institute of International Education’s Council for International Exchange of Scholars. He will spend several weeks in Thailand early this summer.

Susan Stuntzner, assistant professor of rehabilitation counseling, recently had her book “Reflections from the Past: Life Lessons for Better Living” published. The book focuses on offering resiliency skills and lessons to people with disabilities and others working through difficult or traumatic experiences, as well as how to successfully move past those situations. The book can be purchased on Amazon.com or through the publisher, Counseling Association of India at contact.caindia@gmail.com Stuntzner also has been featured on “Peace Talks Radio.”

Penny Tenuto, assistant professor, and Mary Gardiner, professor, received a Doceõ Center research grant on technology use in schools.

Students in the first Professional Practices Doctorate cohort graduated in spring commencement 2014.

Small-town roots

Lead to global Leadership

By Gemma Gaudette

Jeffrey S. Brooks is the University of Idaho’s new professor of educational leadership and chair of the Department of Leadership and Counseling in the College of Education. Brooks started his teaching career quite simply: as a seventh-grade English teacher in small-town Missouri. His scholarship and research would go on to have a nationwide reach.

Fast-forward to today, and you will find him based in Boise while conducting research in Thailand and Kosovo, with a mission that stays true to his roots.

“I believe that high-quality research, culturally relevant teaching and proactive leadership for social justice can improve children’s lives and educational experiences. To me, nothing is more important.”

“Dr. Brooks brings to the University of Idaho a wealth of educational research knowledge and experience and a passion for connecting that research to policy development as well as school leaders and their work,” said Corinne Mantle-Bromley, dean of COE.

After receiving his doctorate in educational leadership and Policy Analysis from the University of Missouri-Columbia, Brooks began his career in higher education. He has worked at Florida State, Auburn University, the University of Missouri, and most recently, served as an associate professor of educational leadership and associate director of the School of Education at Iowa State University.

Brooks also believes strongly in students getting involved in research. “We want to make sure they are equipped with the highest level research tool, no matter what their career ends up being,” he said.

“I’m delighted that Jeff Brooks will be heading the College of Education’s Leadership and Counseling Department from Boise. His experience in several states and at the national level will be an asset to Idaho’s education community,” said Trudy Anderson, who served as Associate Vice President and CEO of the University of Idaho Boise before she retired.

Brooks is excited to be a part of the University of Idaho and the Treasure Valley community. “The city of Boise is great. We have four kids and love the quality of life here.”

What’s more, living in the state capital will allow Brooks to work closely with education policy.

“One of the assets of a department like this is to provide our research to the state — it’s a great way for us to make a difference.” Brooks said.

My Day in Italy

By Michael Kroth

I wake early. I want to go over my lessons for the day again and sometimes that takes some time. My apartment is roomy — a living room, two bedrooms, kitchen, bathroom and laundry room. The laundry room is my favorite because there is a table for working and an open window where I hang my laundry to dry. I had not used clothes pins for many years but the apartment has no dryer. The very small washing machine takes a couple of hours per load. I imagine someone from the street below can spot the brand and current status of my underwear, shirts and other garments.

Out the open window sits the FIAT headquarters and sometimes I see a helicopter landing atop the building. More pleasing to me is seeing the ebb and flow of people walking by, perhaps on a Sunday stroll, perhaps headed to the Lingotto mall that sits next to the FIAT building, or perhaps walking to the metro or bus stop just a block and a half away.

The lessons I review are sometimes for the classes I am teaching for the University Studies Abroad Consortium’s (USAC) Torino program (http://usac. unr.edu/study-abroad-programs/ italy/torino). USAC is comprised of universities like the University of Idaho from around the United States. Students from those universities take courses all over the world in places like Torino, Italy, and faculty from those universities teach for the program. I teach a

leadership class and a career development class. In addition to my U.S. students, I also have three from France, two from Poland, and one from Germany.

Other times, the lessons I am reviewing are for the Italian classes I am taking. At 61, learning a new language is hard but so very rewarding. I attempt to speak Italian everywhere I go and the Italians are unvaryingly helpful and appreciative that I am trying. Once, endeavoring to find lodging for the night in Venice, I walked into a hotel I knew was totally booked and the manager not only found a room for me but dropped the room rate by 20 Euros because I was talking with him in Italian. Or trying my best to do so.

Leaving my apartment each morning I walk across the street to a “bar” where I order a cappuccino, brioche, and sometimes a sprumata, which is fresh-squeezed orange juice. Luciana and Geno, the proprietors, know me well, greet me warmly, and help me with an Italian word here and there or share travel directions to places I am planning to visit. I ask them what it is like to live and work in Italy. They were excited when my wife, Lana, arrived for five weeks — they fell in love with her and vice versa — and sad when she left for home.

On the days I teach or take classes, I then make the five minute walk to school. I arrive just in time for class, enjoying being a student, and my Italian class begins. It lasts two hours and then, 15 minutes later, I teach for three hours. The long stretch is tiring but rewarding. I drop into the office to chat with the wonderful staff — Alyssa, Eliana, Daniele and Simona — who make my life so much easier. Every day I thank my lucky stars for these thoughtful, caring and expert people.

On the way home, I stop by a small restaurant for an inexpensive but tasty lunch of spaghetti. After, if I need supplies, down the street is the neighborhood grocery store. If my timing is not right, the shop is closed for an extended lunchtime period, well into the afternoon, as are many local businesses.

I spend the rest of the afternoon and early evening in my apartment working. If I have a free afternoon I hop on the metro or bus and head to downtown Torino or other nearby locales. I do not drive a car for the three months I spend in Italy. I do walk. A lot. An Italian told me that, despite the delicious food, many visitors actually lose weight during their time in Italy because they walk so much. This was not my experience.

I knew nothing about Torino when I arrived but it is filled with history, museums (the Egyptian museum is the second best in the world), palaces and awe inspiring churches. My last evening in Italy I decided that I would go to downtown Torino and visit churches. I wanted to visit a couple of churches I had discovered before for one last look. At times, I just decided that I would walk into every church I passed along the way. Each one touched my soul.

I am not a food aficionado, so my dinner is simple. My favorite, a margherita pizza, is said to have been named after Queen Margherita over a century ago, and has three colors – red (tomato), green (basil), and white (mozzarella) — representing the Italian flag. Occasionally, I get an urge for home and on the way back to my apartment, I drop by the cinema, not to see a film, but, to pick up some movie popcorn and a diet soda. Late in my stay, I discover the neighborhood bakery and sometimes take something home from there for dinner.

My last stop is the neighborhood gelateria where I buy a gelato, which is Italian ice cream. Many do the same, strolling down the street with cone in hand, which I find a very civilized practice. The store is run by Gio and Giovanna. Gio always makes friendly fun of me when I try to order in Italian, but after a certain number of times I remember the correct

Michael Kroth explores Italy with his wife Lana.

word, gender, and number and we have a nice laugh. Thankfully, it seems that everyone in Italy is my language teacher.

On days I don’t have classes, I study Italian or work. Sometimes, I catch a train and take a day trip to a town like Aosta not far away. Those trips, to places like La Sacra di San Michele (St. Michael’s Abbey) are sometimes as meaningful to me as more extended visits to Rome, Florence, Venice, Milan or Cinque Terra.

I am alone most of my visit to Italy. Lana is there for five wonderful weeks, arriving with two of our close friends who visit for a week and then leave for Rome. We see much together until she leaves for Boise and

then I am by myself again. But I rarely feel alone because I begin to feel — just a little — like I am part of the neighborhood, and the folks at USAC have made me feel so welcome. Even though we all know I am a passing stranger, I get to know a bit about what it means to live less as a tourist than most and more like a piece of the interconnected community, which I value supremely.

I want to return to Italy, to learn more about the people, the language, the history, the art, the religion and the land. I feel so fortunate to have had this opportunity to learn, to grow, to experience, and hopefully to make a difference abroad.

— Michael Kroth is an associate professor of Adult/Organizational Learning and Leadership. He spent fall 2013 semester in Italy.

Michael Kroth stands in front of the Leonardo da Vinci statue beside Galleria Vittorio Emanuelle II in Milan.

Movement Sciences

Belle Baggs, clinical assistant professor, is part of the BASK creative interdisciplinary artist collective. Along with Alexandra Teague, assistant professor, English; Stacy Isenbarger, assistant professor, College of Art and Architecture; and Kristin Elgersma, assistant professor, College of Letters, Arts, and Social Sciences, the dance/poetry/sculpture/piano cooperative conducted a creative workshop that explored projections of strength, social expectations and creative boundaries for the UI community.

Baggs and Melanie Mehan, clinical assistant professor, conducted jazz dance clinics and workshops in partnership with the 2014 Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival with support from Gritman Medical Center.

Grace Goc Karp, professor and physical education program coordinator, received the Distinguished Service Award from the Idaho Association of Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance state conference.

Chantal Vella, associate professor and director of the Exercise Physiology Laborary, is one of 25 international researchers to be awarded the Fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine in 2013.

Movement Sciences students working with Assistant Clinical Professor Helen Brown and Goc Karp are exemplifying healthy, active lifestyles in their service learning projects. The students’ projects include:

• Working with the Moscow Farmers Market, with support through a grant from the High Five Children’s Health Collaborative, powered by the Blue Cross of Idaho Foundation for Health, in promoting healthy eating options for children at the market and increasing parents’ awareness. Through this grant, a team of UI students will be working to create a program in which children can have their “passport” stamped for various activities, including visiting a designated vendor to try a fruit or vegetable, attending a class at the market or participating in a physical activity. The grant also will support a paid summer internship.

• Working with Moscow Middle School P.E. teacher Jessica Shawley to enhance breakfast options and participation in the school.

• Working with McDonald Elementary School to teach students activities to practice at home and then perform at a Family Activity Night.

• Working with Russell Elementary School to encourage students to participate in activities with their families at local recreation areas around Moscow.

• Reviewing best practices for helping college students in alcoholism recovery and assessing what already is in place on the UI campus.

• Collaborating with Vandal Vending on revamping and assessing 25 machines on campus to identify high-use machines and stock them with healthier choices.

Department of Movement Sciences welcomes New Chair

When Philip Scruggs landed in Moscow as an assistant professor six years ago, he found a place that, personally and academically, he and his family could call home.

“I fell in love with the mountain West,” the Texas native said.

Scruggs received his doctorate from the University of Utah and had been working at the University of Wisconsin when a position opened in the College of Education’s Department of Movement Sciences. He embraced the opportunity to become part of the Vandal family and return to the West.

Scruggs, now an associate professor, further cemented his roots here by being selected as the department’s new chair. He stepped into the role in January.

“As chair, I enjoy how much I get to engage and interact with the faculty and staff in all the program areas, and learn what they are doing professionally in order to recognize the work they are doing.”

During his 3½-year appointment, Scruggs said he hopes to find new ways to market the department’s programs and to partner closely with faculty and staff members to solve problems and work through challenges.

“Even though I’ve been a part of the department, I’m now able to work with the program areas in such a way that I’m able to learn about their intricacies and better promote them. As we continue to move along, I want to advocate and promote the excellent instruction, scholarship, outreach/engagement and service to help faculty find the support for work they do,” he said.

A foundation in movement science and a healthy, active lifestyle are key to that work, and are disciplines that Scruggs believes play a central role not just within the university, but in the community and all schools. He is looking forward to capitalizing on the department’s abilities to play a more significant role in promoting that lifestyle.

For starters, he tries to embody the lifestyle himself by walking or biking the streets of Moscow to work yearround — even in the winter. He has studded bike tires that help him get around in harsh weather.

When he isn’t at work, Scruggs is often either serving in his church, or spending time enjoying camping, sports, music, backpacking and gardening with his wife, Shelly, their four children, Ethan, Spencer, Aspen and Bryant, and the family’s yellow Labrador, YoYo.

examining healthy habits

By Tara Roberts

An increasing number of young women are at risk of developing cardiovascular disease, which is the leading cause of death for women in the United States.

Researchers in the University of Idaho’s Department of Movement Sciences are examining how women’s daily activity levels relate to their disease risk — and whether altering those levels could reduce their chances of facing serious health problems.

Associate professors Chantal Vella and David Paul, along with a team of graduate students, are conducting an in-depth study of 50 women. They want to learn whether their subjects’ levels of sedentary activity, physical activity and inflammation affect cardiovascular disease risk factors, such as abdominal obesity and elevated blood pressure.

The Women’s Health Study, funded by the UI Seed Grant Program, focuses on how much time the subjects spend in sedentary activities, such as sitting, versus physical activity, such as walking, dancing or rock climbing.

Vella, Paul and their team track the women’s activity levels using an accelerometer and a daily diary. Subjects run on a treadmill in the state-of-the-art Exercise Physiology Laboratory, where researchers monitor fitness indicators such as oxygen use, heart rate and respiration. An advanced tool called the BodPod precisely measures subjects’ body compositions using air displacement.

Preliminary results show that women who spend more time in sedentary behaviors may have a higher incidence of cardiovascular disease markers, Paul says. The study’s next steps include analyzing whether exercise intensity or duration relates to disease.

Chantal vella, associate professor, was awarded the UI President’s Mid-Career Faculty Award. This award acknowledges faculty who have demonstrated a commitment to outstanding scholarship, teaching and engagement. Recipients of the award are limited to 10 annually and receive an additional $5,000 to the base salary effective the following academic year for two years. Vella has been with the university since 2011. She has been a lead researcher in identifying behavioral and physiological factors that contribute to obesity and cardiovascular disease risk in young and adult women. The overall goal of her research is to positively impact public health by conducting high-quality and clinically relevant research that will inform chronic disease prevention efforts in young women.

The study is part of Vella’s ongoing investigation into the relationships among sedentary behaviors, physical activity and disease indicators — a topic she’s been studying for six years. Vella, who also teaches in the Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, Idaho Medical Education Program (WWAMI), plans to expand the project and conduct exercise intervention studies to try to help people improve their health before they face major illness.

“Our preliminary results suggest that if you spend the majority of your day doing sedentary activities, such as computer work or watching TV, your chances of developing cardiovascular disease risk factors increase, even if you meet current physical activity guidelines of 30 minutes of physical activity per day,” Vella says. “These findings suggest it’s important for health to remain active throughout the day, not just part of the day.”

New Disability Studies Texts

Co-edited By CDhD Associate Director

Matthew Wappett, associate director at the Center on Disabilities and Human Development and clinical associate professor in the College of Education and Katrina Arndt, associate professor St. John Fisher College School of Education, have edited two new books that re-examine the foundations of disability studies as a field of scholarly inquiry and introduce emerging new scholars who are building upon those strong roots.

The first book, “Foundations of Disability Studies,” includes the contributions of senior scholars in disability studies, many of whom were instrumental in defining and establishing the field. The companion volume, “Emerging Perspectives on Disability Studies,” contains the work of emerging scholars who are producing insightful work that extends the understanding of disability studies and its applications in interdisciplinary contexts.

“Foundations of Disability Studies” is a collection of eight essays by scholars who have published extensively within the disability studies literature. This volume honors the scholars who have helped build the field, and represents their latest work and most current thinking. “Emerging Perspectives on Disability Studies” brings together up-andcoming scholars whose works expand the breadth and scope of disability studies scholarship. This

includes new perspectives on disability identity; historical constructions of (dis)ability; the geography of disability; the spiritual nature of disability; governmentality and disability rights; neurodiversity and challenges to medicalized constructions of autism; and questions of citizenship and participation in political and sexual economies. This volume uses disability studies as an innovative framework for its investigation into what it means to be human.

Wappett became involved with disability studies while working on his doctorate degree in special education at the University of Utah. Since then, he has continued to teach disability studies classes and actively participates in the American Education Research Association’s Disability Studies in Education special interest group. These are Wappett’s second and third books to be published.

CDHD has hired the following staff:

Ellen Radcliffe, Idaho Stars Senior Advisor

Tessa Trow, web coordinator

Karen Loeffelman, web coordinator

Nicholas Stallings, program technician

Teresa Stockwell, Idaho Stars Adviser

The Center for ETHICS at the University of Idaho offers study, intervention, outreach, consultation and leadership in developing and advancing the theory, knowledge and understanding of character education including moral and ethical reasoning, moral development, ethical leadership and ethical application. The center, through Director Sharon K. Stoll, professor of physical education, provides classes, workshops, applied interventions, evaluations, assessments and consultation about character education and all its perspectives to any organization, profession, industry and discipline.

The center continues its work with Winning with Character, a nonprofit organization dedicated to sport education, which serves 55 high schools and three universities, working in character education in sports across the United States. The center is contracted to develop curriculum and evaluation tools and assessments for the intervention program of WWC.

Stoll and the center staff completed preliminary and final data for an online education program for the World Anti Doping Agency through a grant with the University of Iowa. WADA is an independent international organization created in 1999 to promote, coordinate and monitor the fight against doping in sport in all its forms. Composed and funded equally by the sports movement and the governments of the world, WADA coordinated the development and implementation of the World Anti Doping Code, a document harmonizing anti-doping policies in all sports and all countries.

Stoll was a featured speaker at the Lewiston City Library on ethics as it pertains to sports and particularly women’s sports. The library collaborated with Lewis Clark Center for Arts and History on a Smithsonian Traveling Exhibit called “Hometown Teams.” Stoll participated as a part of the library’s focus on women’s athletics during the time the exhibit was in Lewiston.

TRiO has added the following staff:

Erick Brynestad, program specialist

Maribel Padron, program specialist

Jade Payne, program specialist

Megan Bircher-Craviotto, program specialist

Reyna Quiroz, program coordinator

STEM Access Upward Bound participated in the Idaho FIRST Tech Challenge with their robotics team. Throughout the fall and spring semesters, STEM Access participants in the Lewis-Clark Valley met to design and construct their robot. The robot had to be ready to drive without remote for the first 30 seconds, pick up cubes and deliver them into baskets. The robot was programmed by the students. The STEM Access robot successfully collected and delivered cubes until the last competition.

Silver Valley Upward Bound and Educational Talent Search have seen such a successful collaboration that the programs are now referred to TRiO Inspire North. The collaboration has resulted in a number of projects:

• More than 50 students traveled to Portland, Ore., for a field trip with the theme of “Green Energy.” They stopped to view the inside of a wind turbine, toured several universities and visited with the mayor’s office during a tour of city hall about Portland’s green initiatives.

• Students read and discussed the book “Ship Breaker” by Paolo Bacigalupi, which culminated in the three-day sail on the 100-year-old schooner, Adventuress, during a field trip to Western Washington.

upward Bound Takes Silver

valley Students on environmental exploration

By Arielle Horan

Silver Valley Upward Bound’s 2013 Summer Program was an amazing opportunity for students and staff. The program offered a residential, handson experience focused on environmental science and regional watersheds.

Starting in Kellogg, students learned about their home region’s environmental impact and how the Superfund site in Smelterville continues to impact the region’s water supply.

Moving west, students stayed in Post Falls and Spokane, Wash., to further study watersheds as well as human impact on the environment. Activities included auditing the amount of waste students produced over a one-week period, assessing each student’s average consumption of water and electricity, and xeriscaping, a project in which students developed a low-water landscaping plan that featured native plant species.

After completing the summer’s academic portion, students went on to the capstone experience. SVUB teamed up with Educational Talent Search from Coeur d’Alene to bring 20 students on a trip through Washington. Students stayed overnight in a U.S. Forest Service learning center at Mount St. Helens and learned how the 1980 eruption affected local waterways and ecosystems. They also participated

in a hands-on ecological assessment of the health of Coldwater Lake near Mount St. Helens.

Students then headed north to Seattle, where they had the opportunity to experience the city and tour several institutions, including the University of Washington and Seattle Pacific University.

Finally, students boarded the Adventuress, a 100-yearold wooden sailing ship that is a national historic monument. On board, the crew led students and staff through a number of learning exercises about waterways, the Puget Sound and marine ecosystems. Students also took part in a citizens’ science study on microplastics in which they dredged the sound and sent in water samples to be analyzed at Western Washington University in Bellingham.

Students received college credit for participating in the environmental science course — and created wonderful memories. The joint summer program has laid a strong foundation for future collaborations, particularly the fall 2014 IATP Student Leadership Conference and the 2014 summer program, where we are collaborating with the College of Education Department of Movement Science.

—

Arielle Horan is the interim director of Silver Valley Upward Bound

Students with Silver Valley Upward Bound experience the Adventuress, a 100-year-old wooden sailing ship.

D.C. Trip Inspires Nations Scholars’ Drug-Free Campaign

By Tasha Dev

Fall semester 2013 was a busy one for the scholars of Northwest Nations Upward Bound at Wapato, Wash., High School. In collaboration with the National Family Partnership and U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, Nations scholars planned and implemented a comprehensive “Red Ribbon Week” anti-drug campaign at their school.

Conceived of as a community service project tied to their summer Upward Bound curriculum, scholars worked with local law enforcement and federal DEA agents to advocate for drug-free and healthy, active lifestyles in their community.

The connection between the scholars and representatives of these federal organizations began in summer 2013, when Nations scholars took a field studies tour of Washington, D.C. To help draw realworld connections between their summer curriculum and the program’s career awareness initiatives,

scholars interviewed professionals at the national headquarters and control room of the DEA, as well as their congressman and leaders of nongovernmental organizations.

“This experience actually led me to want to work for the DEA,” said Raquel Perez, a junior at Wapato High School.

After returning home to the Yakama Reservation, scholars asked their Upward Bound coordinator if they could contact their new friends in D.C. and offer

Department and Center News TRIO

to host a Red Ribbon Week at their school. Soon after, a giant box full of Red Ribbon giveaways arrived on their school’s doorstep, and they were off to the races.

The week’s events were entirely conceived of, planned and implemented by Nations scholars with the happy support of their coordinator.

“I participated in Red Ribbon Week at Wapato High School because the DEA had shown me how different drugs affect the body and the risks of drug use to the community,” said Victor Valadez, a junior at Wapato. “Also, to send a message — living drug-free will give you more opportunities in life.”

Activities included an informational booth at their school’s college fair, a release of red balloons to commemorate a fallen DEA agent and a food drive for the local homeless shelter. Scholars earned community service hours to meet their high school graduation requirements, discovered potential essay topics for scholarships and university applications and gained real-world experience interacting with law enforcement professionals, administrators and chemists at the local and federal levels.

Most importantly, they began to embrace their role as global citizens and the future stewards of their community and nation.

— Tasha Dev is the interim director for Northwest Nations Upward Bound

Participants in Nations Upward Bound championed Red Ribbon Week at Wapato High School and (above) met with the Drug Enforcement Agency in a trip to Washington, D.C.

By Andrew Gauss

While children inspire first-grade teacher Patti Greenwood ’82, she has surely inspired plenty of them too, including her own two daughters. Each has chosen, like their mother, to pursue a degree in education at the University of Idaho.

Patti, who met her husband, John ’84 mechanical engineering, at the university, recalled feeling immediately at home on the “gorgeous” campus, where her brother also was a student. Now, she enjoys returning to stroll the arboretum and Hello Walk while seeing her daughters make the same transformation to adulthood that she did.

Laura Greenwood ’13 just earned her bachelor’s degree, and now teaches third-graders in the Boise School District, while Annie Greenwood is on track to graduate in 2015. Like their mother, they also joined Gamma Phi Beta sorority.

Patti and John, who live in Boise, have long supported their alma mater financially and give to a variety of programs.

Patti credited having “many bright, dynamic and fabulous teachers” at UI who inspired her to become

Like Mother, Like Daughters

an educator herself. However, she said, the College of Education must continue to remain dynamic to keep up with fast-changing technology.

“We have seen many changes in education. We cannot stand still or we, as educators, and our students will be left behind,” Patti said.

To make that happen, she hopes to see a new, updated facility for the UI College of Education — “one that our students deserve that is equipped with current technology.”

In a way, supporting UI is a natural extension of Patti’s dedication to educating and guiding young students, whether they’re in first grade or their first year of college.

“We believe that higher education is an opportunity for a better future for individuals and societies,” she said. “For emotional as well as practical reasons, we want to help provide opportunities for University of Idaho students to succeed in today’s world.

“We think that education elevates the quality of all our lives and we want to be part of that.”

Patti Greenwood (’82) and her daughters Laura and Annie all chose a degree in education with the University of Idaho.

educators give to help Future educators In perpetuity

Marilyn French ’62 and her husband, Carter, together have spent more than five decades educating youths. To continue their support of education in perpetuity, the Frenches have endowed a scholarship fund for students studying in the University of Idaho’s College of Education.

“We think education is very important,” she said. The Marilyn and Carter French College of Education scholarship will provide approximately $1,000 each year to a student pursuing a degree in elementary education. The first scholarship will be awarded for the 2014-15 school year.

“The University of Idaho gave me the start in education,” Marilyn said. “Both my husband and I have earned a living in teaching.”

Marilyn and Carter, a Washington State University graduate, believed it was the right choice to give back to her alma mater. Marilyn, originally from Lewiston, also has a family tie to the University. Her late brother, Richard Loeppky, who holds a doctorate, also attended the University of Idaho and was inducted into the University’s Alumni Hall of Fame.

For information on supporting the College of Education, please contact Tammey Boston at 208-885-7476 or boston@uidaho.edu.

Marilyn and Carter French

The College of education thanks each of you for your support in helping it reach 100 percent of its campaign goal. College of education alumni and friends are The BeST.

Building Fund

The State Commitment

The State of Idaho has provided funding of $7 million that will help with the cost of replacing the building’s exterior, asbestos abatement and renovation.

The University Commitment

With this rare state funding commitment, the University of Idaho has moved quickly to line up $7.5 million in bonds to be serviced by the University. This combined $14.5 million will allow the University to remove the asbestos and renovate the building with upgrades to ensure proper wiring for a 21st Century facility and to ensure the building meets current building codes. This $14.5 million project will replace the basics that provide a building that is safe for students, but certainly not the caliber of facility we strive for – or that our students deserve.

Desired Features of the Enhanced Building will Include:

• Classrooms with state-of-the-art technology that has been demonstrated to improve student learning;

• Larger classroom spaces that allow for student collaboration;

• Classroom furniture and informal meeting spaces that facilitate collaboration among students and faculty;

• Upgrades to finishing details that project an image of professionalism and value;

• A foyer that celebrates teachers and teaching; and

• Collaboration spaces throughout that unite the building and our vision for the future of education in Idaho and beyond.

With Your Help We Can Do More

We seek your help to ensure that the building does not just meet safety requirements – the minimum – for our College of Education, but that we create a space for which our University and those seeking to make a difference in the lives of children can take pride. Our goal is to create a sense of respect for, and excitement around, those who choose to become school and health/wellness educators.

Please join the many generous donors who are contributing to the new building. We need your help.

$5 M Private Support

($2.6 M of private support already raised)

$7.5 M Bonding

$7 M State Funding (Asbestos abatement and renovation)

For more information on giving to the College of Education, contact Tammey Boston at (208) 885-7476 or boston@uidaho.edu

Gifts to the College of Education Building Renovation Project of any amount are appreciated and may be made online at uidaho.edu/inspire-edbuilding or by mail to University of Idaho Foundation, Inc. 875 Perimeter Drive, MS 3427, Moscow, ID 83844-3147

The Art Taylor Indigenous Culture & ecology Memorial Fund

In honor of the work, relationship building and raising a cultural awareness that Arthur Taylor, (Ta-Wits-Pal-Lu), performed on the University of Idaho campus and throughout the Pacific Northwest, a new memorial fund has been created to help continue his legacy of achievement to inspire us all to strive to make a difference. The Art Taylor Indigenous Culture & Ecology Memorial Fund will impact Native American student development on campus for generations to come.

Arthur Taylor

Raised on the Nez Perce reservation, Taylor had a passion for education and his Nez Perce tribal culture. He was a proud advocate for public education and community involvement and this memorial fund is intended to further his goals and legacy.

Taylor had more than 33 years of experience within education that started as a Nez Perce tribal youth delegate to the United National Indian Tribal Youth (UNITY) conference, and continued through his receiving his doctoral degree in education from the University of Idaho in 2013. His academic achievements also included a bachelor’s degree in foreign language and literature from Washington State University in 2000, his first master’s degree in organizational leadership from Gonzaga and a second master’s degree in cultural and educational policy studies from Loyola University Chicago.

After serving in many roles within the Nez Perce Tribe, Taylor was voted to serve on the Nez Perce Tribe Executive Committee for two three-year terms. While on council, his positions included secretary, assistant secretary, education liaison and senior citizen liaison. As an avid fisherman, he advocated for the continued legal protections of tribal traditional fishing, hunting and gathering sites. He was chairman of the Natural Resources committee and served on the Pacific Salmon Commission where he helped negotiate international salmon harvests for the Nez Perce people. He also was responsible for coordinating the Nez Perce Tribal Youth Council, and came full circle from his early exposure to the need for youth leadership development. Taylor traveled wide and far and his infectious laughter and open personality helped him build true relationships nationally and internationally.

Taylor began his higher education career as the assistant director of multicultural programs and services at the University of Notre Dame. His journey continued and legacy strengthened as he

returned home and began working for the provost and executive vice president as the Indigenous Affairs officer at the UI in 2007. He worked to develop culturally sensitive and mutually beneficial protocols for relationship building; establish communication and academic projects between the University of Idaho and various Native American tribes; and directed the work to attain the goals of a memorandum of understanding established in 2001 with 10 tribes. He urged students, faculty and staff to learn about Indian Country, and he worked with many tribal communities throughout the Northwest.

Taylor lived the life he loved and now leaves us with a remarkable legacy of achievement that cannot be easily condensed, to inspire us all to strive to make a difference.

By giving to this fund, donors will honor Taylor’s memory and dedication to learning and creating meaningful community connections. With Anthony S. Davis and Jeremiah R. Pinto, Art taught the Native Hawaiian Culture and Ecology course, designed for UI Native American students to participate in ecological restoration service learning projects in Hawaii while learning about the culture, ecology and climate of the islands, and this fund will directly support the sustainability of that program.

To donate to the Art Taylor Indigenous Culture & Ecology Memorial Fund, go to uidaho.edu/inspire and click “Give Now.” Enter Art’s name in the search field and donate.

— Editor’s note: The College of Education will publish a more extensive story on Taylor’s contribution to the college and Indigenous research in next year’s issue. The college is honoring Nez Perce tradition and allowing a mourning period of a year before writing a more in-depth piece.

Meryle “Mert” Kay Michael

Meryle “Mert” Kay Michael, longtime University of Idaho supporter and first lady to former interim president Gary Michael, died Feb. 25 after a 19-year battle with cancer — just before what would have been her 73rd birthday. The Idaho native was proud to be a second-generation Vandal and was honored posthumously with a 2014 Jim Lyle Award, which recognizes the outstanding contributions of those who have shown long-term dedication and service to the university or Alumni Association through volunteerism.

Mert was instrumental in seeing the J.A. Albertson Building to completion which houses the College of Business. She was the inspiration behind the Legacy Pointe project at the Idaho Water Center, with Gary’s generous contribution to its funding. A conference center

called “Mert’s Room” is used to connect alumni as well as for student recruitment and other events. She served as treasurer for the Moscow YMCA board of directors. In addition, the Gary and Meryle Kay Michael Teacher Education Scholarship Endowment enhances teacher education and continues a legacy of helping COE students. The Michaels also have generously supported the Education Building renovation and a classroom will be named in Mert’s honor.

Mert is survived by her husband of 52 years, Gary; son Glenn and his wife, Gina, and children Chris, Scott and Andrew; son Jonathan and his wife, Linda, and their children Jack, TJ, Jed and Mia; and son Todd and his wife, Leslie, and their children Grace and Harrison.

Gary and Meryle Michael

Terry Armstrong Teacher, Artist, wrangler

1935 - 2014

By Cheryl Reed-Dudley

Emeritus Professor Terry Armstrong made a mark on many College of Education alumni, friends and colleagues. Most would agree that he was one-ofa-kind: a combination of brilliant professional and mischievous kid. On Jan. 23, 2014, he died after a short battle with cancer. He was 78.

Armstrong’s long career at the UI began the summer of 1963, when he arrived to study for his master’s degree. Noting his exceptional talent, COE Dean Everett Samuelson invited Armstrong back to UI to complete a doctoral program in 1967.

“I was already pretty cocky about getting a master’s degree,” Armstrong had said in the past, “and I wasn’t sure I really wanted to continue my education, but I finally took another step closer to the UI with the prompts of Dean Sam.”

Shortly after the invitation, Armstrong and his family moved to Moscow. His long list of awards and his service to his community and profession throughout his teaching career are impressive and noteworthy. These accolades are listed in his memoir, “Wrangling Snakes and Other Reminiscences of an Idaho Teacher.”

Terry Armstrong was not only a beloved educator, he also was a talented artist.

Armstrong worked at the UI until 1996, then maintained an emeritus faculty office in the COE and visited campus frequently. His hallmark greeting of, “Are we perky today?” resonated down the hallways long after he retired. He frequently visited UI friends to collect pennies for his Found Money Fund of Idaho or just to catch up.

Armstrong was born April 24, 1935, in Twin Falls, where he grew into a 6-foot-8 skinny kid who loved to play basketball. He graduated in 1954 and thought of playing college ball. During a tournament, he met UI coach Charles Finely and was certain he would receive a scholarship. However, in 1954 Finley resigned and Armstrong accepted a basketball scholarship from the University of Southern Mississippi instead. There, he majored in biology and developed an intense interest in the natural history of reptiles and amphibians.

During his junior year, he began to change.

In 1960, he married Pat Havemann, a medical technologist. In 1967, the couple moved to Moscow with their daughter, Mary. Armstrong began teaching while working on his doctorate of education, and was tenured by the time he was 40.

Armstrong was assigned as executive assistant to UI President Richard Gibb from 1978-89, but afterward returned to teaching until he retired. While working

we have raised onefifth of the $50,000 goal toward naming the Terry Armstrong Science education classroom in the new building. please be a part of honoring Dr. Armstrong’s legacy and passion for students, for learning and for life in general and join in making a gift toward this special opportunity.

“I learned to chew tobacco, rarely did my laundry and built up my tough-guy persona by snake wrangling,” he said. He recalled one afternoon driving to an area known for its reptiles and finding a large rattlesnake. “The animal was over five feet long and had recently shed its skin.”

After precariously stuffing the five-pound snake into a gallon jar in front of several bystanders, he earned the title of snake wrangler.

In 1958, Armstrong graduated and moved back to Salmon to teach science and coach basketball, bringing with him more than 30 snake specimens.

in Gibb’s office in 1981, Armstrong found three pennies on the sidewalk — the first contributions to his Found Money Fund of Idaho that is now worth more than $250,000.

Armstrong was an active community member and a talented painter, using it as a way of self-expression. His favorite paintings were impressions of the ranchers, miners, loggers and Old West characters of the Salmon area. Several of his paintings grace the walls of buildings on campus and around the Moscow area.

Thomas C. wright

The College of Education is saddened by the loss of alumnus and friend Thomas C. Wright, who recently passed away. Wright graduated from the University of Idaho in 1953 with a bachelor’s degree in education and in 1954 with a master’s degree in education. After being a teacher and educational book publisher for many years, he devoted his life to philanthropy. Through that support, he helped more than 100 students earn master’s degrees in education through the Thomas C. Wright Fellowship. In addition, he was a longtime supporter to the university — offering substantial gifts to better the future of all Vandals. In 2001, Wright was inducted into the Alumni Hall of Fame; in 2005 he received an honorary degree; he was a featured commencement speaker; and he served on the Capital Campaign committee. In 2013, he made a major gift toward the College of Education Building Renovation Project. We will provide a more detailed story on Mr. Wright’s life and contributions in the next Envision magazine.

Make a gift today!

Please consider a gift on behalf of Idaho educators and movement sciences professionals to the University of Idaho College of Education Building Renovation Project. Every University of Idaho education graduate will touch hundreds if not thousands of lives over the course of a teaching or movement sciences career. Our belief in and support of future educators matter. We want to add your name to those who so believe in teachers that you help to surround them with functional and inspirational spaces in which to learn. Please give what you can. We can even receive pledges up to five years out. Every dollar matters.

q Education Building Renovation Project

q Technology for the building

q Terry Armstrong Science Education Classroom

q Furnishings for Student Collaboration

q Funds that Support Green Building Materials and Education about Sustainability and built space, and our desire to achieve Gold LEED status.

Please send your gift or pledge to:

University of Idaho Foundation College of Education

Attention: Development Director

875 Perimeter Drive, MS 3427

Moscow ID 83844-3427

or e-mail boston@uidaho.edu

Or online: www.uidaho.edu/inspire-edbuilding

Please send to: University of Idaho, College of Education, Attn: Envision editor, 875 Perimeter Drive MS 3080, Moscow, ID 83844-3080 or email: astormo@uidaho.edu.