Bridge V i r g i n i a
C o m m o n w e a l t h
U n i v e r s i t y
The magazine of the VCU School of Education
FALL 2010
New Urban Teacher Residency Program Diagnosing Autism • Learning the Game of Peace • Bibliotherapy for At-Risk Students
the
From the Interim Dean
Bridge
Vol. 5, No. 2 • Fall 2010 E d i to r
Michael D. Frontiero (804) 827-2415, mdfronti@vcu.edu
The Ripple Effect At publication, I am completing my fifth month as interim dean of the School of Education. When VCU President Michael Rao named Beverly Warren, our former dean, to be interim provost and vice president for academic affairs, I began an experience that has been equal parts challenging, exhilarating and, best of all, fun! This is a remarkable school with an accomplished faculty, dedicated staff and very talented students. It is my good fortune to work in such a dynamic, productive school of education. As you read the articles on the following pages of this issue of The Bridge, consider how many people benefit from the many initiatives the VCU School of Education is implementing at any point in time. The work of each faculty member, student and alumnus has a ripple effect that begins in Richmond and moves across the globe. Children and families across Virginia will benefit from the autism diagnosis training the Department of Special Education and Disability Policy coordinated for school psychologists, special educators and teachers. People with serious weight problems will be helped by the research noted lecturer Dr. Stephen Blair shared with more than 200 Exercise Science students and faculty in our Department of Health and Human Performance. A $1.3 million grant from the National Institutes of Health that Assistant Professor Lisa Abrams is co-directing with a colleague in the VCU School of Pharmacy will help science teachers and students become more aware of the clinical trials process. The annual John Cook Lecture focused on counselor health, a growing issue among school counselors who are not immune to the stress and fatigue generated by their interactions with students in crisis. Nearly 10,000 middle and high school students in Richmond Public Schools will benefit from our new Richmond Teacher Residency program, which will recruit 80 of the best and brightest from across the United States to learn to teach in high-needs middle and high schools. A delegation of Chinese soccer coaches who participated in a two-week workshop sponsored by our Center for Sport Leadership will apply what they learned at VCU to help rejuvenate women’s soccer in their country. Master of Teaching student Aaron Kunk is using his Fulbright award to work at a German secondary school to enhance his teaching skills and develop a better understanding of German culture. This year, U.S. News & World Report ranked us 28 th in its annual survey of “America’s Best Graduate Schools” of education. Our footprint is growing, the nation is noticing and the best is yet to come. Best wishes for an enjoyable fall.
Michael D. Davis Interim Dean, VCU School of Education
A r t D i re c to r
Delano Design, Holly S. Delano (B.A. ’88) holly@hollydelanodesign.com P h oto grap h y
Carrie Le Crom, Ph.D.; Michael Frontiero; Wendy Garland (Ph.D. ’09); Allen Jones and Tom Kojcsich, VCU Creative Services; Dat Le (M.Ed. ’96); Will May; Kurt Stemhagen (M.T. ’95); Michaele White; Office of the Governor Meghan Williams; American College of Sports Medicine; Chesterfield County Public Schools; Hanover County Public Schools and Henrico County Public Schools O F F IC E O F TH E D E A N
Michael D. Davis, interim dean Diane J. Simon, associate dean for student affairs Henry T. Clark III, senior associate dean for academic affairs Edwin E. Blanks, special assistant to the dean and director of business services Magnus H. Johnsson, executive director of external relations and development A LU M N I CO U N CI L
OFFICERS: Dale Kalkofen (M.A.E. ’76), president; Michael Huffman (M.S. ’02), vice president; Susan Younce (M.S. ’91), treasurer; Mary Bellone (B.S. ’75), secretary; Thomas Beatty (B.A. ’93), officer at large MEMBERS: Mary Allen (B.S. ’80), Bob Almond (M.Ed. ’85), Donna Dalton (M.Ed. ’00), Lynda Gillespie (Ph.D. ’01), Stephanie L. Holt (B.S. ’74), Cheryl C. Magill (M.Ed. ’81, Ph.D. ’99), Deborah Marks (M.Ed. ’83, Ph.D. ’02), Ronald C. Payne (B.S. ’79), Heather A. Shortall (M.T. ’00), Kurt Stemhagen (M.T. ’95), Carmen Y. Ward (M.Ed. ’01) EX-OFFICIO: Michael D. Davis, Magnus H. Johnsson VCU ALUMNI ASSOCIATION REP: Gordon A. McDougall A DVA N C E M E N T CO U N CI L
MEMBERS: Robert E. Marchant (M.Ed. ’71), chair; Jo Lynne DeMary (M.Ed. ’72); Mark E. Emblidge; Barbara-lyn B. Morris; Stewart D. Roberson; Walter S. Robertson, III EX-OFFICIO: Michael D. Davis, Magnus H. Johnsson The Bridge is published biannually for the alumni, friends and supporters of the VCU School of Education. Please send story ideas, comments and corrections to the editor at VCU School of Education, Oliver Hall, P.O. Box 842020, Richmond, Va., 23284-2020.
VCU is an equal opportunity/affirmative action university.
Bridge FALL 2010
V i r g i n i a
C o m m o n w e a l t h
U n i v e r s i t y
CONTENTS 2. The “Gold Standard” in Diagnosing Autism School psychologists, special educators, speech pathologists and teachers come to VCU to learn a well-respected method for diagnosing and treating children with autism.
6. Now the 28th Ranked Education School in the Nation! U.S. News & World Report confirms what many people already know: The VCU School of Education is one of “America’s Best Graduate Schools.”
28.
12. Cover Story: $5.8 Million Grant Establishes Urban Teacher Residency Program VCU will recruit exemplary student teachers with a living stipend and free or low-cost housing in exchange for three years of service in high-need secondary schools.
DEPARTMENTS
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02. Research 06. Faculty News 18. Student News 24. Alumni News 28. Centers and Institutes 31. Philanthropy •
16. Learning the Game of Peace A new documentary film highlights alumnus John Hunter’s innovative and provocative tool for teaching elementary school students how to resolve global conflicts without resorting to war.
18. Using Literature to Help At-Risk Children Cope with Stuff Special Education student Amanda Lynch receives two grants to help troubled youth overcome reading deficiencies, poverty and emotional hardships through Bibliotherapy.
24. Excellence in School Leadership Three principals and alumni receive the prestigious R.E.B. Award for Distinguished Educational Leadership.
28. Building Chinese Relations Through Soccer
This publication is available in alternate formats upon request. Contact the editor at (804) 827-2415 for more information.
The Center for Sport Leadership is using a $250,000 grant from the U.S. Department of State to improve cultural relations between the U.S and China through the sport of soccer.
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The VCU School of Education prepares students for meaningful careers in education and health-related fields, and promotes research that advances understanding of local, national and global challenges.To learn more, visit www.soe.vcu.edu. On the cover: Richmond Teacher Residency program personnel Janet M. Tusing (left); Associate Professor Nora Alder; Richmond Public Schools Director of Professional Development Darlene Currie; and Program Director, Associate Professor and Center for Teacher Leadership Director Therese A. Dozier stand in Richmond’s historic Shockoe Bottom neighborhood where exemplary teachers will live under the new Richmond Teacher Residency program.
Research
The “Gold Standard” in Diagnosing Autism A 5-year-old boy, wearing a lime green shirt, jeans and black toecap canvas sneakers, sat in a chair in a conference room in VCU’s Oliver Hall. Tucker looked like any other little boy until Dr. Donald Oswald administered what is described as the “gold standard” for assessing and diagnosing autism across ages, development levels and language skills.
“Vroom vroom,” Dr. Oswald said as he waved a small wooden block in front of Tucker to make the block appear to fly like an airplane. “Now you do it,” he said, handing the block to Tucker. Instead of imitating Dr. Oswald, Tucker put a finger in his ear. “Now make a birthday cake with candles,” Dr. Oswald said as he handed Tucker some Play-Doh and a doll. “The baby wants some cake. Can you feed the baby?” Instead, Tucker put the Play-Doh in his mouth and attempted to swallow it before Dr. Oswald quickly took it out. “OK, we are finished with the cake,” Dr. Oswald said. During the one-hour test, Tucker uttered few words, tapped on his chair and flapped his hands. In a classroom one floor above the room, two dozen school psychologists, special educators, speech pathologists and teachers from central Virginia observed the demonstration on a live, one-way, closed-circuit video feed. They participated in the second of four planned ADOS training sessions coordinated by the VCU School of Education Department of Special Education and Disability Policy.
School psychologists, special educators, speech pathologists and teachers from central Virginia observe a child being tested for autism at VCU using the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule. They watch the test on a one-way, closed-circuit video link.
Known as the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS), the test was used by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to determine that one in 110 children in the United States has an Autism Spectrum Disorder. Dr. Oswald, a veteran autism researcher formerly with VCU’s Virginia Treatment Center for Children, sat cross-legged on the floor in front of Tucker and tossed a ball to him. He then asked Tucker to throw it back. After a couple of tries, he did. Next, Dr. Oswald blew up a balloon and held the end closed with his fingers. “Ready, set, go!” he said as he released the balloon and let it fly across the room. “Eh, eh, eh, heh, hee, hee,” Tucker said as he placed his hands over his ears and then attempted to look under his chair for the balloon.
2 The Bridge • Fall 2010
When the test was over, Dr. Oswald came to the classroom to compare his observations with those of the participants. “He stayed calm in his seat the entire time, which was unusual, and he did not want to play with the toys that were on the floor,” Dr. Oswald said of Tucker. “He also was not looking directly at me when we were throwing the ball back and forth.” He noted that Tucker’s tapping and hand flapping grew more frequent over time, and that he was grinding his teeth repeatedly. “Lots of tension around the jaw,” he said. On the balloon test, he commented that Tucker placed his hands over his ears apparently because he did not like the noise. “He was getting distressed by it, and drumming and tapping on the chair.”
And he said that while Tucker displayed a wonderful smile during the test, he showed no other facial expressions. “I think this ADOS module helps us see what autism looks like and put words to how autism manifests in this particular child,” Dr. Oswald said. “Parents hate getting a plain diagnosis. A gift we can give them is what autism looks like in their child and what goals we need to work on at the school level. We are not good at teaching positive social behavior and that is really important.” The Virginia Department of Education offered the twoday training at no cost for school personnel involved in the educational assessment process. They learned how to use the ADOS test to assess students of all ages who have characteristics of autism. “The next step is to create a dialogue with school divisions to find out what their individual needs are regarding students with Autism Spectrum Disorder,” said Samantha A. Marsh (B.S. ’04, M.T. ’05), educational specialist for autism and intellectual disabilities with the Virginia Department of Education Office of Instructional Support and Related Services. “Different regions of the commonwealth have different needs, but the increased ability to gain information regarding a student’s present level of performance is something that every division can use, especially in the area of autism, one of our fastest growing identification categories.” Additional training sessions were held in Abingdon, Northern Virginia and Norfolk. The goal of this training initiative is to have at least 80 additional school personnel trained to work with incoming and current students in the 2010-2011 school year.
Fat Jogger or Skinny Couch Potato: Which is Healthier? You may have read or heard news reports that America is in the midst of an obesity epidemic. But being big is not necessarily unhealthy. Steven Blair, Ph.D., FACSM, a professor in the departments of Exercise Science and Epidemiology and Biostatics in the Arnold School of Public Health at The University of South Carolina, told 250 VCU School of Education students and faculty that too
much media attention has been focused on size and weight and not enough on physical activity. “Obesity by itself is not all that harmful to one’s health,” Dr. Blair said at an annual guest lecture sponsored by the Department of Health and Human Performance’s Exercise Science Club and the VCU Department of Epidemiology and Community Health. “In fact, many people who are overweight and obese have no major health problems.” Dr. Blair has served as the senior scientific editor for the U.S. Surgeon General’s Report on Physical Activity. He has published more than 450 papers and chapters in scientific literature and currently has more than 20,000 total citations of his work. He’s been awarded the NIH MERIT Award, American College of Sports Medicine Honor Award and the American Heart Association Population Science Award. Dr. Blair also is one of the few individuals outside the U.S. Public Health Service to be awarded the U.S. Surgeon General’s Medallion.
Dr. Steven Blair (inset) spoke at the Department of Health and Human Performance Exercise Science Club guest lecture program.
His research shows people who are obese but physically active have no increased risk for cardiovascular disease or stroke, and half the risk of dying prematurely than that of svelte coach potatoes. “Fitness is a far better predictor of who will die than weight status,” he said. What does it take to be fit? Just 150 minutes of walking or other moderate-intensity exercise per week, 75 minutes of running or other vigorous exercise, or a combination of the two. Don’t have that kind of time? Break it up into 10-minute daily increments. Still don’t have time? Try watching less television. “The average person watches three to four hours a day, which could be spent exercising,” Dr. Blair said. “If nothing else, you could walk during the commercials.”
VCU School of Education 3
Research
Cook Lecture Highlights “Counselor Wellness” It is a school counselor’s job to help students who are struggling personally and academically every day, and it can take a toll on even the most seasoned professional. “It’s something we take for granted: our own wellness,” said Gerard Lawson, Virginia Counselors Association president and Virginia Tech associate professor of counselor education, during the 18 th annual John R. Cook Lecture at VCU.
“I remember one of my Catholic school teachers telling me, ‘Not everyone is good at math. I think you’re one of them.’” After some testing, he was diagnosed with mild to moderate dyslexia. “From those times, when I was repeating algebra for the second time, to today when I teach multivariable statistics to graduate students, something happened because one person made the time to determine why my grades did not reflect the kid sitting in front her,” he said. “So I was thrilled when I was able to begin figuring these things out and things began to clear up for me.” The annual lecture is sponsored by the Department of Counselor Education in honor of Dr. John R. Cook, the former head of guidance in the Virginia Department of Education and co-author of the first Elementary Guidance Legislation in the United States. His career in school counseling spans more than 40 years.
Cook Lecture Keynote Speaker Dr. Gerard Lawson (left), former Counselor Education Student Association (CESNA) President Melissa Joiner (M.Ed. ’10), former CESNA Vice President Megan Tajlili, Interim Dean Michael D. Davis, Department of Counselor Education Assistant Professor Donna J. Dockery, and Department of Counselor Education Associate Professor and Chair Mary A. Hermann
“There’s a tendency to believe that we are immune to the stresses and fatigues that come along with the work we do, and in fact our research shows just the opposite – that we are more vulnerable than the general population because of the exposure we have to people who are struggling in some really profound ways at times.” Dr. Lawson also shared his inspiration for choosing the counseling profession. He was 12 years old when his family moved from Detroit, Mich., where he and his siblings had always attended private Catholic schools, to Virginia, where he was enrolled in public schools for the first time. It was a difficult transition for him, and he began to struggle academically and socially. It was not until his sophomore year in high school that a counselor told him that he had greater potential than his grades showed. “That was the first time someone outside my family had suggested this to me,” Dr. Lawson said.
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$1.3 Million NIH Grant to Benefit Clinical Research Education The National Institutes of Health has awarded a $1.3 million grant to Department of Foundations of Education Associate Professor Lisa M. Abrams, Ph.D., and School of Pharmacy Associate Professor Patricia W. Slattum, Pharm.D., Ph.D., to increase awareness of the clinical trials process among science teachers and students in central Virginia. Project CRESST: Enhancing Clinical Research Education for Science Students and Teachers will operate as a partnership between clinical and translational scientists and middle and high school teachers and students. “The project is designed to enhance understanding of the clinical research process and human subjects protection for students, improve research training and professional development for secondary science teachers, and expand Internet-based curricula focusing on the clinical research process to a national classroom audience,” Dr. Abrams said.
The VCU Center for Clinical and Translational Research and VCU Schools of Medicine and Pharmacy will work with the VCU Center for Life Sciences Education and the VCU School of Education to develop an innovative inquiry-based curriculum for students in local school districts. Through student programs that are steeped in inquiry-based learning, sustainable teacher trainings that are strongly supported within VCU’s research environment, and curricular development that is effectively disseminated, the project will enhance VCU’s role as a community partner and foster positive relationships surrounding clinical research in central Virginia.
New Publication Help i ng F a c ult y F i nd W o rk - L i fe B alan c e : T h e Pat h T o ward F am i ly- F r i endly Ins t i t u t i o ns
• Maike I. Philipsen, Ph.D., professor, VCU School of Education Department of Foundations of Education • Timothy B. Bostic (Ph.D. ’06), assistant professor, Old Dominion University Department of English • Foreword by Mary Ann Mason This 224-page book analyzes how academics juggle the demands of their personal and professional lives. The authors focus on the ways in which faculty members’ specific challenges change over the course of their academic careers. Topics include the changing academic workplace, roles and rewards, the issue of tenure, what institutions offer, the division of labor inside the home, spousal/partner hiring policies, the changing definition of fatherhood, how individuals cope and what exemplary institutions are doing to reform the system. The authors include recommendations both for faculty and for institutions. The book will be published in October. “The authors have presented a best-practices approach to real work-life dilemmas that they have documented among American faculty. Administrators should find this book of great practical help.” – Teresa A. Sullivan, Ph.D. President, University of Virginia
“As a junior faculty member and father of three, balancing family and work can be a significant challenge. Philipsen’s and Bostic’s research provides a wonderful opportunity to consider different approaches I can take to successfully navigate the road ahead.”
Former University of Virginia Professor Eric Bredo (standing) was the keynote speaker at the School of Education’s annual Faculty Research Colloquium.
– Scott J. Allen, Ph.D. Assistant Professor, John Carroll University
Bringing Peace to the “Methodology Wars” No shots have been fired and no one has been hurt, but an intellectual battle is brewing in the research community over methods used to study best practices in education. “Much of the dispute is between quantitative and qualitative methods,” said Eric Bredo, a former professor and coordinator of the Social Foundations Program in the University of Virginia’s Department of Leadership, Foundations and Policy. “Some of the dispute is between those who have a purely instrumental orientation of what works and those who think we can’t escape some mixture of values and facts as we do research.”
›Methods are only as good as they are helpful for the purpose at hand.
In his keynote speech, “Getting Over the Methodology Wars,” Dr. Bredo told the VCU School of Education’s annual Faculty Research Colloquium that education students are often required to declare which research method they will use – qualitative, quantitative or mixed methods – before beginning their research. “My argument is, ‘All of this is backwards,’ ” he said. “Methods are only as good as they are helpful for the purpose at hand. If it were up to me, a student would state the issue he or she wants to study and then the appropriate methods would be adapted to it.” VCU School of Education 5
Faculty News
Now the 28th Ranked Education School in the Nation! The VCU School of Education now ranks 28 th in the U.S. News & World Report annual review of “America’s Best Graduate Schools” of education, up from 38 th last year. The rankings include measures of student and program quality, institutional reputation among peers and superintendents, faculty resources and funded research. Graduate programs at 279 schools granting doctoral degrees in education were surveyed. Our strong showing is reflective of the quality of our programs, the extensive research activities among our faculty and our growing reputation among our peer institutions.
ensuring that his assignments are meaningful and highly personalized. By allowing students the freedom to tailor assignments to meet their needs and existing level of knowledge, Dr. Muth helps students to retain information and ensure the material is meaningful and useful to them.” McLeod Faculty Development Award: Dr. Whitney H. Sherman Perhaps no one understands the need to support faculty more than Dr. Alan M. McLeod, the former division head of Teacher Education and special assistant to the dean. A long-term faculty advocate and friend, Dr. McLeod and his wife, Dardi, established the McLeod Faculty Development Fund. Faculty members submitted proposals that were evaluated by a committee established by the faculty organization.
Faculty Awards These awards celebrate the VCU School of Education’s greatest asset and resource – its people. Our school is highly regarded as a result of these and other talented faculty who made a difference in the 2009-2010 academic year. Dr. William Muth (center) proudly accepts the award at the School of Education’s Diploma Presentation Ceremony.
Charles P. Ruch Award for Excellence in Teaching: Dr. William R. Muth Dr. William R. Muth is the 19 th recipient of this award, which honors Dr. Charles P. Ruch, a former VCU provost and dean of the School of Education. An assistant professor of Adult Learning and Reading in the Department of Teaching and Learning, Dr. Muth has served the university with distinction as a teacher, scholar and adviser. In nominating him for this award, one of his students wrote: “Dr. Muth stimulates learning and encourages intellectual growth by
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Dr. Whitney Sherman (left), Dr. Alan McLeod and Dardi McLeod.
The award was presented to Whitney H. Sherman, Ph.D., an associate professor in the Department of Educational Leadership. Outstanding Teaching Award: Dr. Loraine M. Stewart Loraine M. Stewart, Ed.D., is an associate professor in the Department of Teaching and Learning. She has taught a variety of courses at VCU. Most of these courses are in the area of social studies education, children’s literature, and curriculum and methods for elementary school children. They reflect current knowledge and research-based information. Dr. Stewart also has supervised internships and externships.
Dr. Stewart is a superb teacher whose active, involved classes stimulate students to do their best work. Her teaching evaluations were described by her department chair as being “among the highest in a department of very good teachers.” As a member of the Early/Elementary Program group and in collaboration with other faculty, Dr. Stewart has been an active member of that faculty in redesigning and improving that program. She has held every year a high advising load, currently advising approximately 62 students in the Master of Teaching degree program, and has developed systematic procedures to help track and monitor their progress. Many students described her as understanding, organized, open, friendly and a great communicator. These comments all testify to her effectiveness as an instructor. Outstanding Scholar Award: Dr. Kevin S. Sutherland Kevin S. Sutherland, Ph.D., an associate professor in the Department of Special Education and Disability Policy, is a highly respected scholar in the area of emotional/behavioral disorders in children. His line of research and his prolific scholarship are indeed a tribute to his academic preparation. He has published 12 book chapters, 23 articles in refereed journals, and has delivered more than 43 presentations at national and international conferences, many as an invited keynote speaker. Dr. Sutherland has secured more than 11 grants, which translate to millions of dollars in research funding for projects related to behavioral challenges in children with emotional or behavioral disorders. He also has served as an associate editor or consulting editor of major journals in his field, including Mindfulness, Behavioral Disorders, Journal of Child and Family Studies, Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders, Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology and Journal of International Special Needs Education.
Outstanding Service Award: Dr. Cheryl C. Magill Cheryl C. Magill, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the Department of Educational Leadership, is an incredible asset to the School of Education and to VCU. Examining the work she does at the department, school and regional levels provides evidence of the depth and breadth of her service activities. On the department level, Dr. Magill represents the department at meetings of the Carnegie Commission on the Education Doctorate, develops the reports and presentations for VCU’s program, and has done considerable work in advancing the understanding of the education doctorate. On the school level, she represents her department on the Curriculum and Academic Resources Committee and the Ed.D. program on the Ph.D. Advisory Board. She coordinates the Visiting International Faculty program, which brings students from all over the world to VCU to earn a master’s degree in educational leadership. On the regional level, Dr. Magill is the School of Education’s liaison for the Virginia Department of Education leadership grant received by Hopewell City Schools. This grant is an effort of Hopewell City, Sussex County, Prince George County and Charles City County to develop instructional leadership skills in teachers in each of their school divisions, thus allowing these teachers to be considered for assistant principal positions. Her service represents hundreds of hours of work beyond teaching and traditional faculty work.
Top: Faculty Organization President and Associate Professor Jacqueline McDonnough (from left), Dr. Loraine Stewart and VCU Interim Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs and former dean Beverly Warren. Interim Dean Michael Davis (far left), Faculty Organization President and Associate Professor Jacqueline McDonnough, Dr. Kevin Sutherland and VCU Interim Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs and former dean Beverly Warren. Bottom: Interim Dean Michael Davis (from left), Faculty Organization President and Associate Professor Jacqueline McDonnough, Dr. Cheryl Magill and VCU Interim Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs and former dean Beverly Warren.
Dr. Magill is a model organizational citizen and models a professional’s interpretation of service.
VCU School of Education 7
Faculty News
E L E CTIO N S
Faculty Briefs P R O M OTIO N S
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HO N O R S
Muriel Azria-Evans, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the Department of Teaching and Learning, has been appointed director of the VCU Child Development Center. Henry T. Clark III, Ph.D., a professor in the Department of Foundations of Education, has been appointed senior associate dean for academic affairs. Leila Christenbury, Ed.D. a Commonwealth Professor in the Department of Teaching and Learning, has been appointed interim department chair and has received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Virginia Association of Teachers of English at its annual conference in Williamsburg, Va. Dale Mann, Ph.D., an adjunct professor and husband of Department of Educational Leadership Professor and Chair Charol Shakeshaft, has received a lifetime achievement award from the 66-nation International Congress for School Effectiveness and Improvement. Dr. Mann is responsible for developing the immersive, interactive computer simulation portion of Project ALL – a partnership between the VCU School of Education and Richmond Public Schools to create, evaluate and refine new methods to provide urban school administrators with new skills. Tammy M. Milby, Ph.D., an instructor in the Department of Teaching and Learning, received the Virginia State Reading Association International Literacy Award and Scholarship at the association’s annual conference in Virginia Beach. The award supported Dr. Milby in presenting her research at the 23rd World Congress on Reading in Auckland, New Zealand. Charol Shakeshaft, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Department of Educational Leadership, has been named as the Ohio University 2010 Samuel I. Hicks Executive-in-Residence, an honor that recognizes outstanding leaders in education.
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Colleen A. Thoma, Ph.D., a professor in the Department of Special Education and Disability Policy and director of Doctoral Programs, was elected to the Council for Exceptional Children Board of Directors. Dr. Thoma will serve as Member-at-Large, NonDesignated, for the CEC – the largest international professional organization dedicated to improving the educational success of individuals with disabilities. F E L L O W S HI P S
Cindy M. Jong, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the Department of Teaching and Learning, was accepted as a fellow in Project StaR, a professional development program for new math educators that is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and coordinated by the University of Missouri. P R E S E N T A TIO N S
Jacqueline T. McDonnough, Ph.D., an associate professor in the Department of Teaching and Learning, presented at the National Science Teachers Association conference in Philadelphia. Dr. McDonnough’s presentation was on Secrets of the Sequence, a video series that offers an innovative way for teachers to incorporate advances in the life sciences from gene research into their teaching. Yaoying Xu, Ph.D., an associate professor in the Department of Special Education and Disability Policy, presented at the Council for Exceptional Children’s international special education conference in Riga, Latvia, with doctoral students Elizabeth O’Brien and Maggeller Huennekens. Their presentation was “Assessing English Language Learners Within Culturally Linguistically Responsive Contexts: An Alternative Approach.” Dr. Xu also has been appointed to the editorial board of the London-based international Journal of Early Child Development and Care. O R G A N I Z A TIO N S
Mary A. Hermann, J.D., Ph.D., an associate professor and chair of the Department of Counselor Education, has been chosen to represent VCU in Lead Virginia, a nonprofit and nonpartisan organization that educates leaders about regional differences, opportunities and challenges across the state. Participants meet with regional leaders to learn about assets and innovations unique to each region of Virginia, best practices and how each region contributes to the whole of the state.
Dr. Warren Appointed Interim Provost A familiar and proven leader from the VCU School of Education now occupies the Office of the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs for Virginia Commonwealth University. After five years leading the school, Dean Beverly J. Warren, Ed.D., Ph.D., FACSM, was appointed in April to be the university’s interim chief academic officer. The provost and vice president for academic affairs is responsible for developing and overseeing academic planning for the university and for overseeing the colleges and the schools on the Monroe Park Campus, which include the University College, the Honors College, the College of Humanities and Sciences, the schools of the Arts, Business, Education, Engineering and Social Work, and the Graduate School. In her new role, Dr. Warren has responsibility for academic financial administration; academic affairs and curriculum and degree development; information technology; community programs; the offices of EEO/ AA compliance and diversity advocacy; the Center for Institutional Effectiveness; the Center for Teaching Excellence; international education; the libraries; and student affairs and enrollment services. “It is a privilege and honor to serve VCU as interim provost. I share President Rao’s commitment to ensure an environment in which our students experience a high-quality education, our faculty enjoy the resources and academic freedom to develop world-class scholarship and creative expression, and that the university maintains its strong commitment to community engagement,” Dr. Warren said. “It is an exciting time to be at VCU.” Department of Teaching and Learning Chair Michael D. Davis, Ph.D., is now interim dean; Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Henry T. Clark, Ph.D., is senior associate dean for academic affairs; and Commonwealth Professor Leila Christenbury, Ed.D., in the Department of Teaching and Learning is interim chair of her department. “Dr. Davis brings a wealth of experience to the dean’s office, having served as director of the Ph.D. in Education program, as senior associate dean and as chair of the Department of Teaching and Learning,” Dr. Warren said. “Most importantly, he has a commitment to our vision and aspirational goals for the school and will lead effectively.”
VCU President Michael Rao, Ph.D., chose Dr. Warren to serve as interim provost and vice president for academic affairs after Stephen D. Gottfredson, Ph.D., stepped down from the post. During the next year, Dr. Gottfredson will assist the university with SACS reaccreditation, strategic planning and the development of an interdisciplinary Ph.D. program. He will become a professor in the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs in the 2011-12 academic year.
Dr. Beverly J. Warren outside her office at VCU’s Ginter House, where she now serves as interim provost and vice president for academic affairs.
Dr. Warren has provided excellent leadership as dean of the School of Education and in other roles at VCU, including chair of the University Equity and Diversity Committee and leading the initial effort to develop a Five-Year Diversity Plan for the university, Dr. Rao said.
New Faculty Darius D. Prier, assistant professor in the Department of Educational Leadership, comes to us from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, where he served as visiting faculty in the school’s Department of Educational Leadership. Dr. Prier’s research interests include cultural studies approaches to social foundations of education in teacher education programs, racial politics of urban school policy, social justice education, multicultural education, popular culture, critical race studies in education, critical pedagogy in education and urban school leadership. His dissertation was titled, “Understanding Hip-Hop as a Counter-Public Space of Resistance for Black Male Youth in Urban Education.” Dr. Prier received his Ph.D. in Educational Leadership from Miami University, Oxford, and holds a Master of Arts in Public Administration and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science with a minor in African American Studies from Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio.
VCU School of Education 9
Faculty News
Sharon Zumbrunn, assistant professor in the Department of Foundations of Education, comes to us from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where she graduated with a Ph.D. in Psychological Studies in Education, a Master of Arts in Educational Psychology and a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education. Dr. Zumbrunn’s research interests include cognition, learning and development, with a specific focus on motivation and self-regulation in the classroom. Her dissertation title was “Nurturing Young Students’ Writing Knowledge, Self-Regulation, Self-Efficacy, and Attitudes: The Effects of Self-Regulated Strategy Development (SRSD).”
Dr. Acevedo Promotes Exercise at NASCAR Race
She received her Doctor of Philosophy and Master of Education in Counselor Education from the University of New Orleans, and her Juris Doctor from Loyola University School of Law. “I am delighted to continue the tradition of program excellence that has been established by faculty and students throughout the years,” she said. Dr. Hermann succeeds Susan D. Leone, Ed.D., who chaired the department for six years and will continue to serve as an associate professor in the department.
GMA Interviews Dr. Schall on Autism
Automotive and human performance shared the spotlight at Richmond International Raceway when Edmund O. Acevedo, professor and chair of the Department of Health Human Performance, encouraged thousands of NASCAR fans to lead more active lives. Speaking as a representative of the American College of Sports Medicine’s Exercise is Medicine program, Dr. Acevedo led a question-and-answer session on exercise and fitness during a break in the races.
Dr. Edmund O. Acevedo talks to a NASCAR crowd at Richmond International Raceway about the benefits of physical activity.
Dr. Acevedo’s talk occurred at the end of a walk around the track with fans and Coca-Cola racing team members Joe Gibbs, Elliot Sadler, Jeff Burton and Denny Hamlin.
New Leadership for Department of Counselor Education Associate Professor Mary A. Hermann, J.D. Ph.D., has been appointed chair of the Department of Counselor Education. Dr. Hermann is a licensed professional counselor and an attorney, a national certified counselor and a certified school counselor. Her research interests include current issues in school counseling, legal and ethical issues in counseling and gender issues in counseling. She has co-edited a book on legal and ethical issues in school counseling, written numerous journal articles and book chapters, and she regularly presents at national, regional and state conferences.
10 The Bridge • Fall 2010
Assistant Professor Carol M. Schall, Ph.D., in the Department of Special Education and Disability Policy (left), was interviewed for a story on ABC’s “Good Morning America” program about GMA anchor Sam Champion’s sister, whose son has autism. Dr. Schall, an autism expert, was contacted for the story through her work with Champion’s sister. Read and watch the story at http:// ht.ly/1MwO2.
New Group For Virginia Social Studies Educators Not long after Department of Teaching and Learning Associate Professor Loraine M. Stewart, Ed.D., left Wake Forest University for VCU in 2005, she realized something was missing in Virginia – a professional group for social studies professors like herself to network and share research and ideas. “I was a member of a similar professors group in North Carolina,” Dr. Stewart said. “When I came to Virginia, I really missed that.” So last year, Dr. Stewart established the Virginia Professors of Social Studies Education (VPSSE) and serves as its president. The group operates as a subgroup of the Virginia Council for Social Studies (VCSS) and the Virginia
Consortium of Social Studies Specialists and College Educators (VCSSSCE). These two organizations are the state level governing bodies for social studies education in Virginia; yet, prior to now, neither focused on social studies education at the university level. The group is actively recruiting members. To join, contact Dr. Stewart at lmstewart@vcu.edu.
New Counselor Clinical Faculty Training Program Building on the success of the Center for Teacher Leadership’s Clinical Faculty training program for classroom teachers, the Department of Counselor Education has launched a similar program for school counselors. The program has trained more than 20 exemplary school counselors in the four Richmond-area school divisions to assist VCU pre-service counselors with their practicum and internship experiences. “Many of our students were being placed with counselors who were not prepared to supervise them,” said Clinical Coordinator Jennifer R. Burruss, Ed.D. “The Counselor Clinical Faculty Program addresses that gap in knowledge.”
The two-day summer workshops are funded through a small portion of a $45,731 grant from the Virginia Department of Education. To inquire about the program, contact Dr. Burruss at (804) 633-5088 or jrburruss@vcu.edu.
Education Secretary Discusses Charter Schools Virginia Secretary of Education Gerard Robinson presented his thoughts on charter schools and their place in Virginia’s education plan to VCU School of Education students and faculty. Secretary Robinson spoke at the invitation of the VCU Educational Leadership Doctoral Students Association Spring Colloquium, as the Virginia General Assembly considered and later approved legislation promoted by Gov. Bob McDonnell to make it easier to open more charter schools. With the recent opening of Patrick Henry School of Science and Arts in Richmond, the state has four charter schools.
Watch video highlights of Secretary of Education Gerard Robinson’s keynote address at www. youtube.com/user/ vcusoe.
While the state has no “magic number” to propose for charter schools, “We’d like to see more,” Robinson said. “We’re interested more in quality.” The enacted legislation allows the Virginia Board of Education to review charter school applications and make a recommendation along with local school boards, who retain the power to approve and deny them.
Dr. Jennifer Burruss (left) is clinical coordinator for the Department of Counselor Education’s new Counselor Clinical Faculty Training Program.
The program seeks to train a pool of Counselor Clinical Faculty members to be knowledgeable about theory, site supervisory style and literature on school counseling supervision. The intent is to provide the preparation for CCF to afford the best possible learning environments for practicum and internship students. “Many students are going into schools without much life experience, so having exemplary counselors who are well-trained in supervision show them how to navigate the school climate is key to their success,” Dr. Burruss said.
“That’s a quality enhancement,” Robinson said. “It’s always good to have two sets of eyes reading the same application. State board leaders are far removed from the day-to-day politics of what’s going on at the local level. They could be, some would say, a little more objective.” Robinson also said charter school applications that are denied will be posted online along with the reasons for denial. “It will stop people early from putting in applications that are sloppy because now your business is public and everybody will see it.” Robinson predicted that charter schools – like school desegregation and magnet schools – will remain controversial because they are new. “My job is to have an honest dialogue with those who want to see what we can do to make schools work,” Robinson said. “This is time for talk.” VCU School of Education 11
12 The TheBridge Bridge••Fall Fall2010 2010
$5.8 Million Grant to Establish Teacher Residency Program in Richmond Schools Program to serve as national model for teacher preparation The School of Education at Virginia Commonwealth University has received a $5.8 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education to create an urban teacher residency program in partnership with Richmond Public Schools. The goal of the Richmond Teacher Residency (RTR) program is to increase student achievement by designing and piloting an intensive, school-based approach to recruiting, preparing and retaining 80 bright, capable teachers for high-need middle and high schools. The project will target outstanding individuals who already have a bachelor’s degree and will prepare them through an approach based on the medical residency model. The 12-month teacher preparation curriculum will integrate the research and theory behind effective urban teaching with a yearlong residency under the mentorship of an exemplary classroom teacher before teaching residents become the independent teacher of record. To ensure success in their new career, program participants will have two years of additional mentoring following the residency year. “A unique feature of the program is that residency graduates also will attend Teacher Leadership 101 training in their third year of teaching to prepare them to take on leadership roles, such as department chairs, school improvement team leaders and mentors in their high-need schools,” said project director Therese A. Dozier, Ed.D., an associate professor in the School of Education and director of its Center for Teacher Leadership. To attract the best and brightest to the program, teaching residents will receive a living stipend and no- or low-cost housing in exchange for three years of service in a high-need middle or high school. Continued
VCU School of Education 13
The five-year project will make a significant contribution to the knowledge base of how to prepare and retain effective teachers and teacher leaders for urban schools, and will serve as a prototype for teacher preparation programs across Virginia and the nation. The most important beneficiaries will be the nearly 10,000 middle school and high school students in Richmond Public Schools. “Richmond Public Schools and Virginia Commonwealth University have launched a number of partnerships in the past few years designed to increase student achievement through innovative classroom instruction and enhanced teacher training programs,” said Richmond Public Schools Superintendent Yvonne Brandon. “Research shows that having high-quality teachers in every classroom is a critical element in realizing student success. Our latest partnership, the Richmond Teacher Residency Program, is another facet of our multilayered approach to provide teachers with the best methods for achieving success in the urban classroom.” The first cohort of 20 teacher residents will begin course work in summer 2011, followed by a yearlong residency during the 2011-2012 school year. N eeds
established to help other cities develop urban teacher residency programs that are based on the medical residency model. The principles are: (1) Tightly weave education theory and classroom practice together; (2) Focus on learning alongside an experienced, effective mentor; (3) Group teacher candidates in cohorts; (4) Build constructive partnerships with districts, schools, communities, universities and unions; (5) Serve school districts; (6) Support residents once they are hired as teachers of record; and (7) Establish and support differentiated career roles for veteran teachers. The UTRU Network, founded by three pioneering residency programs in Boston, Chicago and Denver, offers a Residency for Residencies Program (RRP) for organizations like VCU that are developing residency-based teacher preparation programs. The RRP combines an intensive series of learning institutes and site-based, individualized support services that will allow RTR partners to learn from the experiences of the three most advanced urban residency programs in the nation and receive ongoing support services.
assessmen t
Like many states, Virginia has struggled to recruit and retain highly effective teachers, especially in its urban schools. Virginia’s traditional teacher preparation programs have been unable to meet urban staffing needs in both sheer numbers of new teachers produced and in terms of new teachers who are both well-prepared for the challenges of high-need, urban schools and who consider a career in urban schools. To address this issue statewide, Virginia implemented a Career Switcher Program in 2000 to provide an alternate route for individuals who want to become teachers in Virginia. While no formal evaluation of the Career Switcher Program’s effectiveness has been conducted by the state, anecdotal evidence from Virginia urban school districts and national studies on alternate certification recruits suggests that these individuals are not well-prepared for the urban classroom and leave teaching in greater percentages than traditionally prepared teachers. The Richmond Teacher Residency program is based on the “7 Principles of Teacher Residency” developed by the Urban Teacher Residency United (UTRU), a nonprofit, national network of urban teacher preparation programs
“Our participation in the Residency for Residencies Program will ensure the Richmond Teacher Residency Program has the highest chance of success, and membership in the Urban Teacher Residency United will provide national exposure for our work,” Dr. Dozier said. K e y
pr o je c t
pers o nnel
Therese A. Dozier, an associate professor in the School of Education and director of its Center for Teacher Leadership, will serve as the project director. Darlene Currie, RPS director of professional development, will serve as the RPS liaison for the program. Janet M. Tusing, mentor coordinator, will be responsible for implementation of the mentoring component of the program. Nora Alder, an associate professor in the School of Education’s Department of Teaching and Learning, will work with VCU faculty, outstanding RPS teachers and other RPS staff to design and implement the curriculum for the new residency model of preparation. Lisa M. Abrams, an assistant professor in the School of Education’s Department of Foundations of Education, will evaluate the program’s performance.
14 The Bridge • Fall 2010
The Richmond Teacher Residency program is another facet of our multilayered approach to provide teachers with the best methods for achieving success in the urban classroom.
VCU School of Education 15
Learning the Game of Peace “Welcome to the World Peace Game. I’m very, very sorry, but you’re going to have to have fun today.” That is how alumnus and teacher John Hunter (B.S. ‘77) introduces his fourth- and fifth-grade students in Charlottesville, Va., each year to The World Peace Game, a hands-on political simulator he invented more than 30 years ago to help them understand how the global community is connected and resolves conflict. This year, Hunter and Charlottesville filmmaker Chris Farina are introducing the game to the world in an hourlong documentary “World Peace … and other 4th-grade achievements,” which premiered at the South by Southwest Film Festival in Austin, Texas.
John Hunter (left) with filmmaker Chris Farina outside the Byrd Theatre in Richmond before a screening of their movie.
Played on a 4-foot-tall, four-level Plexiglas tower, the game pits four fictional countries against each other in every way – politically, socially, militarily and economically – and a group of about 30 Gifted Education students have to think their way out of some very chaotic situations without combat, if possible. Situations include global warming, toxic spills and water rights. The countries are poor, moderately wealthy and wealthy; some are on the verge of collapse. Students assume the roles of arms dealer, the United Nations, prime minister and even a Confusion Agent who works in secret to spread disinformation to make the game collapse. Farina was introduced to Hunter through a mutual friend. Within five minutes of watching the game and Hunter at work, Farina thought it could be the foundation of a good film. “I agreed to do the film to shine a light into what teachers do,” Hunter said. “I want people to see the kind of high-level thinking these students are capable of and ask themselves why many adults can’t think this way.”
16 The Bridge • Fall 2010
The film traces how Hunter’s unique teaching career emerges from his own diverse background. An African-American educated in segregated schools, where his mother was his fourth-grade teacher, Hunter was one of seven students to integrate a previously allwhite middle school in Chesterfield County, Va. In the mid-1970s, Hunter enrolled in an experimental teacher-training program at the VCU School of Education. Now closed, it was an alternative to the regular education program, allowing new teachers to get in the classroom immediately, instead of waiting for their practicum experiences at the end of their four- or five-year degree program. He studied under “phenomenal” instructors, such as Peter Madden, Sam Craver, Nancy Borax, Dean Howell, Jim Hodges and Nick Sharp. During his VCU years, he traveled and studied comparative religions and philosophy throughout Japan, India and China. It was while in India, the cradle of Gandhian thought, that Hunter – intrigued by the principles of nonviolence – began to think of how his profession might contribute to peace in the world. After graduating in 1977, he began teaching at Richmond Community High School in Richmond, Va. He became chair of its social studies department and taught a unit on Africa. That is when the idea for the game came to him. “Being new, I wanted to try something different beyond book learning and lecture,” he said. “So I bought some plywood and built a simple 4-by-4by-4 game. We studied Africa and pulled real world problems from it, breaking the kids into teams to solve them.” Since its premier in February, the film has been shown to audiences in Charlottesville and Richmond, Va., and at the Newport Beach Film Festival in Newport Beach, Calif., where it received an “Outstanding Achievement in Filmmaking” award. Despite his new stardom, Hunter insists his day job still is educator. “That is what VCU taught me to do.”
In a scene from “World Peace … and other 4th-grade achievements,” students Nash Davis (left) and Cody Smith plan their next move in teacher John Hunter’s World Peace Game. Photos by Will May.
Played on a 4-foottall, four-level Plexiglas tower, the game pits four fictional countries against each other in every way – politically, socially, militarily and economically...
VCU School of Education 17
Student News
Using Literature to Help At-Risk Children Cope with Stuff At-risk children with emotional hardships in Richmond, Va., will benefit from two grants that use literature to help them resolve problems, better understand themselves and get engaged in reading – a technique known as Bibliotherapy.
Lynch expects to graduate in December and wants to be a special education teacher. “My Bibliotherapy work will help me become a stronger teacher because I will have read a lot of books dealing with a variety of themes and I plan to incorporate them in my classroom,” Lynch said.
M.T. Student Receives Fulbright Scholarship
“I applied for the grants after noticing a lack of quality classroom books for children dealing with disabilities, emotional problems and poverty,” said Lynch, who was a teacher during the summer at Peter Paul Development Center. The Church Hill outreach and community center offers a safe learning environment for youth in one of the city’s poorest neighborhoods.
Aaron M. Kunk has received a Fulbright Student Scholarship for the 2010-11 academic year, one of eight VCU students to receive the prestigious scholarship.
“Bibliotherapy is a very nonthreatening form of therapy for students,” Lynch said. “It helps students express themselves through the characters and experiences in the books.” The books promote awareness about disabilities, poverty and emotional hardships that children face. Titles include “Cut” by Patricia McCormick, “Bad Boy” by Walter Dean Myers and “Bridge to Terabithia” by Katherine Paterson. “Paterson’s book deals with bullying, friendship, loss of a friend through death and a boy who likes painting and poetry,” Lynch said. “The book shows it’s OK for a male to paint and write poetry and gets away from the stigma that boys should not like things that society sees as nonmasculine.” The first grant came from the Richmond Area Reading Council, which provided $250 for Lynch to purchase books for pre- and in-service teachers and to support
18 The Bridge • Fall 2010
The second grant from the Virginia State Reading Association provided $100 for Lynch to continue her work with Bibliotherapy.
Amanda Lynch, a Master of Education student in the VCU School of Education Department of Special Education and Disability Policy, applied for the grants last year with the assistance of Department of Teaching and Learning Instructor Tammy M. Milby (M.Ed. ‘01, Ph.D. ‘07)
Lynch, who enjoys literature, discovered Bibliotherapy after doing a class project on the technique.
a book club to show them how to use the books in their classrooms.
By Tom Gresham VCU Communications and Public Relations
“These exceptional students have earned an invaluable opportunity to pursue their research interests abroad in an extended, focused fashion,” said Beverly J. Warren, Ed.D., Ph.D., FACSM, interim provost and vice president for academic affairs at VCU and former dean of the School of Education. “The students represent an impressive range of fields, highlighting the diverse strength of VCU’s programs. We are very excited for them.” Kunk, who is studying for a Master of Teaching degree, will serve as a teaching assistant in an English classroom at a secondary school in Papenburg, Germany. Kunk plans to strengthen his German language skills and continue his research on music pedagogy in Germany. Kunk is originally from Cincinnati. The scholarship will cover his living and travel expenses for 10 months.
“It has always been a dream of mine to study abroad for an extended period of time,” Kunk said. “The Fulbright scholarship is an opportunity to do that and teach without worrying about expenses. I will be able to get to know the people, language and culture while working as a teacher. It will be a great life and career experience at the same time.”
Dr. Brian Fellows and sister Dr. Meredith Parker stand beside dissertation committee chair Dr. William C. Bosher Jr. (center) and their parents, Brad and Pat Fellows, at the Spring Diploma Presentation Ceremony.
Established in 1946, the Fulbright Program aims to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and other countries through the exchange of people, knowledge and skills. Sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, the Fulbright Program provides funding for students, scholars and professionals to undertake graduate study, advanced research, university teaching and teaching in elementary and secondary schools. This year’s honorees applied for the Fulbright Student Scholarship through the VCU Honors College’s National Scholarship Office, which assists VCU students and alumni who wish to compete for prestigious national and international scholarships.
Doctoral Student Receives Best Paper Prize Doctoral Student Jesse Senechal was awarded the Virginia Social Science Association’s (VSSA) Prize for Best Paper by a Graduate Student for 2010. The paper Intentions, Outcomes, and Equity in Education Policy: Analyzing No Child Left Behind through Merton’s Framework of the Unanticipated Consequences of Purposive Action was presented at the VSSA’s 83rd Annual Conference at Virginia State University in Petersburg, Va. Department of Foundations of Education Professor Maike I. Philipsen, Ph.D., is Senechal’s adviser. The oldest association of academic disciplines in Virginia, the VSSA is an interdisciplinary organization, the members of which principally include scholars of anthropology, business, criminal justice, economics, education, geography, history, international relations, political science, psychology and sociology.
12 Students Honored as “Teachers of Promise” Twelve students from the VCU School of Education were honored this year at the Teachers of Promise Institute at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Va.
VCU Teachers of Promise 2010. Front row from left: Katie Sansbury, Mary Eberly, Lauren Bew, Homira Roanaq and Anne Goldman. Back row from left: Amanda Adams, Angela Gimby, Indira Jackson, Kourtney Kidd, Tara Kelley, Sandra Kanasink and Chanel Pritchett.
Selection as a Teacher of Promise is an honor. Participants are selected by their individual universities on a competitive basis and represent Virginia’s most promising and gifted pre-service educators. This year’s honorees are: Amanda Adams, Lauren Bew, Mary Eberly, Angela Gimby, Anne Goldman, Indira Jackson, Sandra Kanasink, Tara Kelley, Kourtney Kidd, Chanel Pritchett, Homira Roanaq and Katie Sansbury. These individuals exhibit a strong commitment to the teaching profession and exemplify the traits necessary for a truly exemplary career in public education. At the Teachers of Promise Institute, each participant is assigned a mentor who will work with the student for a weekend and continue to serve as a source of advice, assistance and guidance to help the student make a successful transition to the classroom. Students have the opportunity to attend practical, quality workshops and have opportunities to meet with award-winning educators. Department of Teaching and Learning Instructor Tammy M. Milby (M.Ed. ‘01/Ph.D. ‘07) was the VCU institutional representative.
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Student News
with his mother. Williams visited an elementary school for orphans where all but one of the rooms had no roof. “Despite living in poverty, the kids were eager to learn,” Williams said. “I loved seeing how excited they got when they learned something new and when their parents learned to write their own names. So when I enrolled in VCU, I wanted a career that would allow me to make the biggest difference in the world.” Williams knew she did not want to be a doctor after she almost fainted while assisting during one of the medical procedures. So she chose teaching. Meghan Williams (center) in Fortaleza, Brazil, with children waiting to be screened to correct facial deformities. The 2004 experience inspired her to be a teacher.
Why I Decided to be a Teacher Meghan Williams has wanted to be a teacher since high school when she participated in a volunteer medical mission to Brazil to aid poverty-stricken children with facial deformities and their families. “I saw how much of a difference the entire experience made for the kids that it inspired me to pursue teaching,” said Williams, who plans to graduate with a Master of Teaching degree in Elementary Education in December. “I don’t think anybody really understands poverty until they go into a Third World country and see how some people live.” In August 2004, Williams – then a student at Manchester High School in Chesterfield County, Va. – accompanied a medical team with Norfolk-based Operation Smile to Fortaleza, Brazil’s fifth-largest city. Operation Smile is a children’s charity that treats cleft lips and palates around the world. Williams became involved at the suggestion of her 10th-grade English teacher.
20 The Bridge • Fall 2010
“We have all worked so hard to make it to this moment, and I know that we are all glad and probably a little bit relieved that it is here,” exclaimed Brittany Foster in a speech to her class of 2010. “We made it!” At the VCU School of Education Diploma Presentation Ceremony in May, 230 graduates received diplomas and some sage advice from faculty and fellow graduates. Foster, who received a Bachelor of Science and Master of Teaching in History Education, shared some important tips she learned during student teaching that could be applied to any aspect of education: Make learning fun, never stop learning, and do not be afraid to show your students how much you care. Jason Martin, who received a Master of Education in Sport Leadership, reminded graduates that as they write their life stories they should think about how the stories will end and how people will remember them.
She helped her patients feel at ease by playing games, singing songs and drawing with crayons.
“Obviously, in all of our lives this [day] has to be a great moment for us,” Martin said. “But somewhere down the line we may lose our way and run into trouble. When something hard happens to you … you can either get bitter or you can get better. Think of your story in each of these situations. Everything you do in your life reflects how you want your story to be. Don’t write a story that’s not worth living. … We all have the tools to write incredible stories. Now go out there and get it done!”
Many of the children lived on the streets and slept in the hospital. One lived in a cardboard refrigerator box
Interim Dean Michael D. Davis, Ph.D., told graduates to smile and take pride in their achievement.
Her job during the three-and-a-half-week mission was to comfort patients and their families before and during the surgeries. Williams also was trained to educate them on basic nutrition, fire safety, burn care, dental hygiene, dehydration and the importance of breast-feeding.
Spring Commencement
“Never before has your degree from VCU been more valuable,” Dr. Davis said. “This year the School of Education is ranked in the top 28 schools of education in the country by U.S. News & World Report. To put that into context, there are over 1,500 schools of education. Talk about name recognition – the nation knows about Virginia Commonwealth University.” On behalf of the faculty, Terry J. Carter, Ed.D., assistant professor of adult learning in the Department of Teaching and Learning, expressed her hope that the graduates benefited from the mentoring of their faculty as advisers and teachers, as well as mentoring from their classmates. “Those who are mentored tend later to become mentors themselves,” Dr. Carter said. “In essence, we learn how to mentor from the experience of being mentored. I hope you will … seek out opportunities to mentor others and share your knowledge and skills, the benefits of your education.”
and Interim Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Beverly J. Warren. The scholarships are paid through a $900,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to increase the number and retention of highly effective, diverse secondary science teachers in high-need schools in the Richmond, Va., area (see “NSF Grant to Increase, Retain Effective Science Teachers in High-need Schools,” The Bridge, Winter 2010).
Watch video highlights of the ceremony at www.youtube.com/ user/vcusoe.
Future Science Teachers Honored The first 12 scholarship recipients of the VCU Noyce Initiative were celebrated at the School of Education’s 2010 Scholarship and Awards Ceremony: (pictured right) Catherine Brewington, Joseph Carreras III, Lyndsay Durham, Natalie Epp, Zainab Fadlu-Deen, Georgia Karns, Mitchell Kupferman, Elizabeth Marquez, David Miller and Jessica Robinson. Not pictured are Rachel Bawks and Mark Tertocha. Also pictured: Interim Dean Michael D. Davis, Principal Investigator and Associate Professor Jacqueline T. McDonnough,
VCU School of Education 21
Student News
said Professor and Department Chair Edmund O. Acevedo, Ph.D. “I look forward to continuing to celebrate the accomplishments of our undergraduates in the future.”
Awards Professional and Academic Excellence in Community Health Education
Fixing Motorcycles and Education Noted author Matthew Crawford (seated above) visited the Ethics, Issues and Policy class (EDUS 673) taught by Department of Foundations of Education Associate Professor Kurt Stemhagen, Ph.D., (M.T. ‘95) to discuss his book “Shop Class as Soulcraft: An Inquiry into Work.” Crawford took questions from the class and explained the educational implications of his ideas. For anyone who felt hustled off to college, then to the cubicle, against their own inclinations and natural bents, Crawford’s book seeks to restore the honor of the manual trades as a life worth choosing. The book was featured in The New York Times.
Health and Human Performance Students Receive Awards The Department of Health and Human Performance honored six undergraduate students for their participation in activities and service related to the department’s mission, and for professional and academic excellence. “I was thoroughly impressed with our students’ accomplishments and with the energy and excitement of our students attending the awards celebration,”
22 The Bridge • Fall 2010
Samantha Jacobs • Third-year CHE student. • Maintained a 3.96 GPA. • Member of the Honors College. • Treasurer of the Community Health and Wellness Network. • Member of Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society. • Member of the American Public Health Association. • Internship with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Professional and Academic Excellence in Exercise Science
Jessica Nickolas • Maintained a 3.77 GPA. • Member of the Honors College. • Started in the Physical Therapy program at VCU. • Interned in the Health and Human Performance lab; coordinated V02nax tests, prepared blood samples, assessed vascular function, and interpreted test results. • Held a part-time position as a physical therapist tech. • Assisted Gray Lipford with his dissertation research. • Member of the Exercise Science Club and the Pre-Physical Therapy Club. • Member of the field hockey club. Stephen Vesely • Maintained a 4.0 GPA. • Member of the Honors College. • Started in the Physical Therapy program at VCU. • Instrumental in establishing the Exercise Science Club with Assistant Professor R. Lee Franco, Ph.D. • Vice president of the Exercise Science Club. • Helped coordinate guest speakers for the Health and Human Performance Lecture Series. • Presented a research abstract at Southeast American College of Sports Medicine (SEACSM). • Member of the VCU team at the SEACSM Jeopardy College Bowl.
Professional and Academic Excellence in
School of Education Scholarship Recipients
Health and Physical Education
Richard Mallory • Maintained a 3.9 GPA. • Earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from Virginia Tech. • Received the Frances A. Mays Student Recognition Award, the highest award given by the Virginia Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (VAHPERD) to an undergraduate student. • Assistant coach for both wrestling and baseball at Tuckahoe Middle School.
Carinda Pursley
Virginia Arnold Scholarship
Elena Panayotova
William C. Bosher Jr. Scholarship
Krystal Cofer
Jo Lynne DeMary Merit Scholarship
Jill Perlmuter
Jack A. Duncan Scholarship
Kathleen Lindstrom
Patricia H. Duncan Scholarship
Shannon Murray
Arnold P. Fleshood Scholarship
Bethany Burke
Ann Sarratt Garner Scholarship
Amanda Lynch
Howard G. Garner Scholarship
Maria Graziano
Department of Health and Human
Performance Scholarship
Virginia Snead
James O. Hodges Scholarship
Alexandra Beck
N. Thelma Jones Scholarship
Demilyn Odango
SOE Faculty Organization Scholarship
Samone Oliver
S. Virginia & Berta M. Newell Scholarship
Lauren Hidalgo
Phi Kappa Phi Undergraduate Scholarship
Penelope McFarline
Phi Kappa Phi Graduate Fellowship
Megan Tajlili
Phi Kappa Phi Graduate Fellowship
Jesse Senechal
Phi Kappa Phi Graduate Fellowship
Exercise Science “Student of the Year”
Jennifer Ellis
Ann Elizabeth Marston Scholarship
Bennett Fallow • Will attend the graduate program at the University of Texas in the fall. • President of the Exercise Science Club. • Assisted in arrangements for guest speakers for the Health and Human Performance Lecture Series. • Participated in the Heart Walk. • Member of the VCU team at the SEACSM Jeopardy College Bowl for two years. • Author of a research poster at SEACSM 2009. • First author of a poster to be presented at the national ACSM conference. • A Level II US Rowing coach.
Joseph Carreras
Richard J. Rezba Scholarship
Kira Austin
LeEtta (Lee) Pratt Merit Scholarship
Chenfang Hao
Schumacher Fund for Dissertation Research Award
Community Health Education “Student of the Year”
Leslie Williams • Emergency medical technician for the Forest View Volunteer Rescue Squad. • Served as vice president of the Community Health and Wellness Network. • Participated in the 2009 Heart Walk and two Monument Avenue 10K races. • Assisted with grant writing for the Center for High Blood Pressure.
Health and Physical Education “Student of the Year”
Leslie Meadows • Volunteer in the after-school enrichment program Keep Moving at Spring Run Elementary School. • Volunteer for the Special Olympics. • President of the Health and Physical Education Club. • Secretary for the Jaycees Club at VCU. • Member of VAHPERD and American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance. • Presented at the 2009 VAHPERD conference.
John Holland
Seyfarth Family Scholarship
Catherine Hammill
April Marie “Sweet” Hart Scholarship
Nicole Hancock
April Marie “Sweet” Hart Scholarship
Quiana Darden
Department of Teaching and Learning Scholarship
Monique Boston
John Van de Walle Scholarship
Amy Zajick
Rizpah Welch Scholarship
Leslie Meadows
Schiltz Merit Scholarship
Stephane Merck
SOE Alumni Council Scholarship
Rebecca Merritt
SOE Alumni Council Scholarship
Michael Moon
SOE Alumni Council Scholarship
Virginia Snead
SOE Alumni Council Scholarship
Elizabeth O’Brien
SOE Alumni Council Doctoral Scholarship
Ian Scheu
SOE Alumni Council Doctoral Scholarship
Amanda Lynch
William Goggin Merit Scholarship
Mandy Teachey
William Goggin Merit Scholarship
Matthew Caratachea
William Goggin Merit Scholarship
Megan Tajlili
Gaynelle Whitlock Scholarship
VCU VCU School School of of Education Education 23 23
Alumni News
Excellence in School Leadership The 2010 R.E.B. Awards for Distinguished Educational Leadership honored three Richmondarea principals who are alumni of the VCU School of Education. Each recipient will receive a $7,500 cash grant and an additional $7,500 for school projects chosen by the principal. David A. Hudson, principal of Linwood Holton Elementary School in Richmond, received his Bachelor of Science degree in 1984. Hudson, who has been principal at Holton since 2004, will use his funds to help design, build and maintain an outdoor garden and environmental studies classroom on the grounds of his school. Tracie Q. Omohundro, principal of Varina High School in Henrico County, received her Master of Teaching degree in 1994. Omohundro intends to use the school initiative funds for three projects. The funds will allow for the creation of instructional grants for teachers to use for designed lessons or units that exceed the normal budgetary allowance. Part of the funds will go toward an after-school fitness program, and part will support the mentorship component of the ninth-grade transition program. Debbie L. Arco, principal of Chickahominy Middle School in Hanover County, received her Master of Education degree in 1998 and Post Master’s degree in 2003. She will use her award to fund Developing Mathematical Ideas, a professional development curriculum designed to help teachers think through the major ideas of K-8 mathematics. Administered by the R.E.B. Foundation and The Community Foundation, the awards recognize public school principals who go beyond the day-to-day demands of their position to create an exceptional learning environment. For more information, visit: www.tcfrichmond.org.
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Arlington Science Teacher to be Honored by President Obama Dr. Dat Le (M.Ed. ’96) will receive the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching, one of only 103 teachers in the nation and two in Virginia named by President Obama to get the prestigious award. Dr. Le, who teaches science at H-B Woodlawn Secondary Program in Arlington, Va., will accept the award in Washington, D.C., later this year. “I am very honored and humbled,” he said. “This award is a testament to the collaboration at my school between teachers, parents, administrators and community leaders.” The Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching is awarded annually to the best pre-college-level science and mathematics teachers from across the country. Winners are selected by a panel of distinguished scientists, mathematicians and educators following an initial selection process done at the state level. Winners of this honor receive a $10,000 award from the National Science Foundation to be used at their discretion. They also receive an expenses-paid trip to Washington for an awards ceremony and several days of educational and celebratory events, including visits with members of Congress and science agency leaders. “Science and technology have long been at the core of America’s strength and competitiveness, and the scientists and engineers who have led America on its remarkable path to success share something very precious: science and math teachers who brought these critical subjects to life,” President Obama said in a White House statement.
“Today we honor some of the best of these teachers and thank them for their dedication. They are inspirations not just to their students, but to the nation and the world,” the president said. Dr. Le plans to contribute half of his cash award to a student scholarship fund at his school and save the other half for retirement.
Veney-Chaplin Leads One of the Best Schools in the U.S. The latest U.S. News & World Report rankings of the nation’s best high schools includes Open High School in Richmond, Va., led by principal and VCU School of Education alumnus Candace Veney-Chaplin (M.Ed. ’07). The school received a bronze ranking from the magazine for the third consecutive year. The U.S. News & World Report rankings are based in part on the schools’ advanced placement exams, state performance and college readiness. The rankings were conducted by Standard & Poor’s School Evaluation Services. About 22,000 public high schools in the United States were surveyed. The state’s highest-ranked school was Thomas Jefferson High School in Alexandria.
Hoover Named 2011 Teacher of the Year Dr. Nancy R. Hoover (B.S., M.T. ’96; Ph.D. ’09) is the 2011 Teacher of the Year for Chesterfield County Public Schools in Chesterfield, Va. With 14 years of experience, she teaches physics and engineering and is the specialty center coordinator for the Governor’s Academy for Engineering Studies at Lloyd C. Bird High School. Her award was announced at Bird High during a surprise visit from school board members and Superintendent Marcus Newsome, who brought congratulations, roses, balloons and cake.
“Dr. Nancy Hoover is truly a phenomenal teacher,” said Bird High Principal Beth Teigen (Ph.D. ‘09) in a nominating letter, mentioning Hoover’s creative lesson plans; student mentoring; after-school activities, such as the robotics team and rocketry team; and outreach to students who might not otherwise consider applying to the engineering program. “If Dr. Hoover sounds too good to be true, she almost is. She cares deeply for her students.”
Dr. Nancy Hoover (front row, third from left) with her proud students.
Dr. Hoover began teaching physical science in 1996 at Bailey Bridge Middle School. She moved in 2000 to Bird High to teach physics and engineering. In 2005, she took on the additional duties of specialty center coordinator. “I did not follow a traditional path to teaching,” Dr. Hoover said. “I was what was tactfully called a ‘re-entry’ student and graduated at the age of 40. Despite my late entry into the teaching profession, I think I have always had the heart of a teacher – getting a thrill out of figuring something out or applying some new knowledge to solve a problem. I consider myself lucky to now have the chance to do that every day with students.” The next step is submitting Dr. Hoover’s nomination to the Virginia Department of Education, which will select eight regional Teachers of the Year, then will choose the Virginia Teacher of the Year from among the regional winners.
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Alumni News
Jacobs Named Elementary Counselor of the Year Jennifer S. Jacobs (M.Ed. ‘03) has been named the Virginia School Counselor Association (VSCA) Elementary School Counselor of the Year for her outstanding professional accomplishments in school counseling. “I am thrilled and honored,” said Jacobs, a school counselor at Glen Lea Elementary School in Henrico County, Va. “I am so proud of the work I do every day for children, but certainly I could not have accomplished this without the support of the Glen Lea teachers and administration or without the fellowship among the Henrico school counselors.” The VSCA is composed of more than 1,200 school counselors from throughout the state, is the largest division of the Virginia Counselors Association and is the official state branch of the American School Counselor Association.
Tournament Raises $18,000+ for Scholarships The VCU School of Education Alumni Council Fourth Annual Golf Tournament Fund Raiser was a recordbreaking success, raising $18,515 for scholarships. Above: Thomas Burke, executive director of the VCU Foundation, placed the winning bid on this basketball signed by players who attended the 2002 NBA Top 100 High School Camp held at VCU. A number of the players who signed the ball currently are playing in the NBA. Right: School of Education Assistant Professor Susan McKelvey watches as her father, Herb Proffitt, hits one down the fairway.
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More than 120 alumni, friends and faculty participated in the April tournament at The Crossings Golf Club in Glen Allen, Va.
Special thanks to gold-level sponsors Cisco Systems and Qdoba Restaurants; silver-level sponsors Educational Informatics, LLC; O’Brien Associates, Inc.; Pearson Digital Learning; the VCU Alumni Association; and the 18 hole sponsors and 42 contributors.
A Call to Teach in the South Pacific By Wendy A. Garland (Ph.D. ’09) I am working as the director of teaching and learning for the PNG University of Technology in Lae, Papua New Guinea. I never thought of leaving the United States for a Third World country, but the opportunity was there and I thought I would go for it! I graduated in December 2009 and started here in February 2010. It is an amazing opportunity and I personally thanked Interim Dean Michael Davis and assistant professors Terry Carter and William Muth for preparing me so well. I do not think we give enough credit to the faculty of the VCU School of Education. Every professor contributed to me being here today. I would like everyone to know that I received a stellar education at VCU. I could not have asked for a better group of faculty members to support me through my Ph.D. in Adult Learning. I was able to walk right into this department and immediately contribute to the university. It is an amazing feeling to bring everything together – even on the other side of the world!
Updates Thomas H. Beatty (B.A. ‘93), School of Education Alumni Council Officer at Large, is now executive director of secondary education for Richmond Public Schools in Richmond, Va. Ram Bhagat (B.S. ‘84) and Valerie Schwarz (M.T. ‘96), teachers in Richmond Public Schools in Richmond, Va., were chosen to participate in the 2010 Yale National Initiative. The program is designed to strengthen teaching in public schools by establishing exemplary Teacher Institutes. Bhagat teaches at Open High School and Schwarz at Munford Elementary School. They were among 62 public school teachers from eight states who were selected to participate. Donna Dalton (M.Ed. ’00) has been appointed acting chief academic officer for Chesterfield County Public Schools in Chesterfield, Va. S. Dallas Dance (M.Ed. ‘02, Ph.D. ’07) has been appointed chief middle schools officer for the Houston Independent School District in Houston, Texas. Jane Dowrick (M.Ed. ’92) completed the spring 2010 HIGHER Ground leadership program with VCU’s Grace E. Harris Leadership Institute. Dowrick is director of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute in the School of Continuing Studies at the University of Richmond. Donald E. Finn (Ph.D. ’05) has been promoted to the rank of associate professor of education at Regent University in Virginia Beach, Va. He also has been recognized as the Regent University School of Education 2010 Faculty Member of the Year for outstanding teaching, service and scholarship. On faculty at Regent University since July 2006, Dr. Finn designs and teaches classes in the doctoral program in Adult Education and Professional Development and supervises doctoral students in their dissertation research. Dr. Finn also teaches courses in the Higher Education and Elementary Education Licensure programs. Paul Fleisher (M.Ed. ‘75) has authored a fourvolume series of children’s science books titled “Weatherwise.” The books were written for readers at the fourth-grade level. For more information, see www.Lernerbooks.com.
Tami F. Carsillo receives the Virginia YMCA Service to Youth Award from Gov. Bob McDonnell
Victoria Oakley (M.Ed. ’88) is the chief academic officer for Richmond City Public Schools in Richmond, Va. She previously taught in Goochland and Greensville counties before coming to Richmond. Linda W. Pharis (M.Ed. ’75) retired from her position as vice president of education services at Blue Ridge PBS after nearly 16 years of service. Her husband, John H. Pharis, also retired as assistant principal for Roanoke County Public Schools. Marsha Tennant (M.Ed. ’75) has authored a children’s book, “Margaret, Pirate Queen.” For more information, see www.piratedogs.weebly.com. Patricia I. Wright (M.Ed. ’84) was reappointed Virginia Superintendent of Public Instruction by Gov. Bob McDonnell.
Awards Tami F. Carsillo (M.Ed. ’04) received the Virginia YMCA Service to Youth Award from Gov. Bob McDonnell for assisting the 2010 Model General Assembly. She is LEAD Media Specialist for the Virginia House of Delegates’ Legislative Education and Development Office in Richmond, Va. James G. Jenkins (B.S. ’76, M.Ed. ’80) received the 2009 Washington Post Agnes Meyer Award/Loudoun County, Virginia Teacher of the Year award. He is a fifth-grade teacher at Mountain View Elementary School in Purcellville, Va.
Jonathan A. Lauder
Jonathan A. Lauder (M.T. ‘09) was named Henrico County Public Schools 2010 First-Year Teacher of the Year. He teaches history at Mills E. Godwin High School in Henrico, Va.
VCU School of Education 27
Centers and Institutes a population of more than 20 million people – the Shanghai Football Association (SFA) currently has only 1,764 registered youth soccer players younger than age 18, among whom only 455 are girls. Factors contributing to this include a lack of funding for girls programs and the cultural stigma associated with recreational sports in China, as the focus is much stronger on education over sport participation. The Center for Sport Leadership’s DISCUSS grant (Developing and Improving Synergies in Chinese and United States Soccer) provides a very rare but highly valuable opportunity for a delegation of Chinese youth women’s soccer coaches to gain firsthand experience on youth soccer development and the youth sports culture in the U.S., and to learn from their U.S. counterparts through training and information sharing. A visiting Chinese youth soccer delegation watches a player make a save.
Building Chinese Relations Through Soccer By Carrie Le Crom, Ph.D. Center for Sport Leadership The VCU School of Education Center for Sport Leadership has completed Phase I of a $250,000 grant from the U.S. Department of State to improve cultural relations between the United States and China through the sport of soccer. The U.S. and Chinese women’s national soccer teams made history on July 10, 1999, when they met in the final of the Women’s World Cup at the Rose Bowl, making it the most-attended women’s sporting event in history, with an official attendance of 90,185. However, women’s soccer in the U.S. and China has headed in two different directions in the 10 years since that historic final match. U.S. Youth Soccer registers more than 3 million youth players between the ages of 5 and 19 and has more than 300,000 coaches nationwide. The participation of girls and women in soccer remains strong and is still growing in the U.S., with role models in the Women’s Professional League and on the U.S. National Team that won Olympic gold in the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics. Women’s soccer in China has remained stagnant in the years since 1999. The Chinese Women’s National Soccer Team has failed to reach the semifinals of any major international women’s soccer tournament since 2003. In Shanghai – China’s largest city, with
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During Phase II, which will take place in July 2011, a delegation of U.S. faculty and coaches will have the opportunity to travel to China to interact directly with Chinese youth soccer players and their coaches and parents to build awareness of the important educational values of soccer and sports. This project not only will help youth soccer, especially youth women’s soccer, in Shanghai and China by improving Chinese youth soccer coaches’ coaching skills, but also could potentially reshape Chinese culture about sports in the longer term by educating Chinese coaches and parents about the important educational values of soccer and sports.
$1 Million Gift From Altria to Support School Improvement The VCU School of Education has received a $1 million gift from Altria Group Inc. to improve the preparation and support of school leaders and to expand education partnerships in the Richmond area. The gift will allow the School of Education’s Center for School Improvement (CSI) to expand its services, infrastructure and community partnerships. CSI partners with school, district, state and national leaders to build organizational instructional capacity to increase student achievement and school accountability based on rigorous research and best practices. “We have seen the data that show the importance of school and system leadership in improving schools,” said Jennifer H. Hunter, vice president of corporate
affairs at Altria Client Services. “We are pleased that the VCU School of Education shares that view of leadership and is committed to working collaboratively with community partners.” One such partnership is Bridging Richmond, a collaboration of local educators and business and civic leaders working to ensure all students in Richmond and the counties of Chesterfield, Hanover and Henrico succeed academically and enter meaningful careers. VCU coordinates the partnership and is one of four new national demonstration sites that competed to expand on the success of Strive, a partnership established in 2006 to improve and enhance the birth-to-career educational pipeline in Cincinnati and northern Kentucky. They are supported by Living Cities and the Coalition of Urban Serving Universities. “This gift comes at a critical time when school divisions are facing severe budget cuts,” said VCU Interim Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Beverly J. Warren, Ed.D., Ph.D., FACSM, former dean of the School of Education. “It will allow us to expand our services to them.” The gift also will support a partnership between the School of Education and the University of Richmond’s Center for Leadership in Education called EduLead, which offers professional development opportunities, leadership training and support to school divisions. It combines resources from the two programs to provide training to help school leaders hone their leadership abilities, share their visions and mentor other leaders in the field. The grant will help the partnership’s efforts to improve the effectiveness of current school leaders in a standards-based environment and to enhance the capabilities of existing strong and talented leaders who are critical to the academic success of schools. In addition, EduLead will expand its work to prepare and support new principals and their leadership teams in academically challenged schools in its partner school divisions of Richmond, Chesterfield, Hanover and Henrico. “EduLead provides much-needed opportunities for area school divisions, and we are grateful that Altria continues to support this program,” said Jim Narduzzi, dean of the School of Continuing Studies at the University of Richmond.
VCU Health System Celebrates Accomplishments of Interns With Significant Disabilities The VCU Health System celebrated the accomplishments of seven student interns who, despite significant disabilities, completed three 10week rotations in a variety of departments in one of the nation’s leading medical centers. The students are the first group to go through VCU’s new Project SEARCH, a one-year collaborative program involving the VCU School of Education that teaches 18- to 22-year-old Richmond Public Schools students with autism and other intellectual disabilities employment skills that lead to competitive employment opportunities. “Finding ways for these fine young people to become part of the health profession is one way we touch lives,” said MCV Hospitals CEO John Duval. The internships began in September 2009 and ended in June. The students worked on-site at the VCU Health System during the entire school year and were given support through a job coach and work site accommodations to achieve independence.
Project SEARCH celebration day at the VCU Medical Center. From left: VCU Rehabilitation Research and Training Center Employment Specialists Alissa Molinelli and Marie Phillips, Virginia Department of Rehabilitative Services Counselor Angelo Hardy, Richmond Public Schools Instructor Sheila Holmes, Project SEARCH Student Intern Brandon Hall, Richmond Public Schools Transition Specialist Judy Howlett, Project SEARCH Student Interns Malcolm Simmons and Keagan Giles, VCU Health System Vice President of Human Resources Maria Curran, Virginia Department of Education Director of Instructional Support and Related Services John Eisenburg, VCU Health System Executive Secretary and Vice President of Health Sciences Laurette Anderson-Gray, VCU Health System Director of Workforce Development and Human Resources Deborah Slayden, and Project SEARCH Student Interns Ashley Myers and Shamill Anderson.
Internship sites included Clinical Engineering Distribution, Ophthalmology, Patient Transportation, Rehabilitation OT/PT, Food and Nutrition Services, Aramark, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), Ambulatory/Women’s Clinic, Central Supply, Medical Surgical Nursing, Pediatric Research and Central Sterile. Classrooms, business liaisons and internship sites were provided by the VCU Health System. VCU School of Education 29
Centers and Institutes
The interns were presented with certificates of recognition by hospital department representatives attending the celebration. Among them was Mark Divens, director of Patient Transportation, whose interns delivered specimens to labs and operated elevators. “I was surprised how fast they caught on to their jobs,” Divens said. “Giving them a little encouragement allows them to take the ball and run with it.”
Virginia is for Heroes 2010 Conference
Project SEARCH collaborators included the Virginia Department of Education, VCU Health System, Richmond Public Schools, Virginia Department of Rehabilitative Services and the VCU School of Education’s Rehabilitation and Research Training Center (RRTC).
By Ann Mcmillan Partnership for People with Disabilities
“We know it is harder than ever to get a job in America today and internships are the best routes to employment,” said Paul Wehman, Ph.D., professor of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Division of Rehabilitation chairman and RRTC director, who has been leading the implementation of Project SEARCH at the Medical College of Virginia Hospitals.
Assistive Technology Blog Celebrates 1,000th posting By Susanne S. Croasdaile, Ph.D. Virginia Department of Education’s Training and Technical Assistance Center at the VCU School of Education When we began the Assistive Technology Blog in the summer of 2006, our intention was to reach AT practitioners across our region who wanted to keep up to date with best practices in the field. To our amazement and satisfaction, our blog has reached people around the state as well as across the country. We even hear from folks overseas!
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Visit us at www.assistivetechnology.vcu.edu.
Another intern was assigned the task of disassembling beds in the NICU, sterilizing the parts and then reassembling the beds.
Nationally, students with significant disabilities have low employment outcomes, regardless of the economic times.
When we visit national conferences, we see others refer to the Assistive Technology Blog; consumers who use assistive technology have responded with questions and good information; and we have been identified as one of the 200 educational blogs to watch by American Educational Research Association members. Stick with us for the next thousand. We’d love to hear from you!
Coming home is the goal of all who serve in the military. But for men and women who acquired traumatic brain injuries (TBI) or combat-related stress disorders while serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, coming home brings new challenges. The Partnership for People with Disabilities at the School of Education has been working with the Virginia Wounded Warrior Program to provide training to community providers who support veterans returning home with these “hidden wounds.” Recently, the Partnership and the Virginia Wounded Warrior Program, in collaboration with the Commonwealth Neurotrauma Initiative Trust Fund, sponsored the Virginia is for Heroes 2010 statewide conference. The daylong conference highlighted national, state and regional efforts to offer coordinated services and support to veterans and their families in their communities. More than 400 people attended. The keynote speaker for the conference was L. Tammy Duckworth, assistant secretary of public and intergovernmental affairs for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. A major in the Illinois Army National Guard, Duckworth served in Iraq as an assistant operations officer and also flew combat missions as a Black Hawk helicopter pilot. During a mission north of Baghdad in 2004, a rocket-propelled grenade struck the helicopter she was co-piloting. As a result of the attack, Duckworth lost both legs and partial use of one arm. She has resumed flying and recently was certified by the Federal Aviation Administration to fly aircraft without the use of assistive devices. Other speakers addressed topics including the effects of combat stress and TBI on veterans, their families and caregivers.
Philanthropy
Thanking Our Donors This issue of The Bridge is an expression of our gratitude. We thank more than 600 donors who gave a record-breaking $1.8 million in private philanthropic gifts to support the school’s students, faculty and programs during the last fiscal year.
in his honor through a planned gift he funded in his estate plans. • A gift of $50 to the annual fund from loyal donors was added to others who made similar gifts to help ensure more than $100,000 in unrestricted funds were available to the dean for important innovations, scholarships and new initiatives. • Students in mathematics education will benefit from a new endowed professional development fund that was created to honor a former School of Education faculty member.
Your gifts – large and small – provided support during an economically challenging time when critical resources were lacking. The success of the VCU School of Education depends on many factors, not the least of which is philanthropic support. A few examples of the impact you are making:
If you would like more information on ways you can support the School of Education, please contact me at (804) 827-1363 or johnssonm@vcu.edu.
• A gift of $200 was made by a donor to support Opportunity VCU, part of an ongoing university-wide campaign to increase student scholarship support. Such support will help the school continue to attract the most-motivated students to our campus as a first-choice university. • A great friend and longtime supporter of the School of Education passed away, but his legacy will live on through a permanent scholarship that will be named •
Magnus H. Johnsson Executive Director External Relations and Development
•
•
Cole Gift Leaves a Legacy
establish the first named room in the history of the school, the Waverly M. Cole Doctoral Hearing Room.
In August 2009, the VCU School of Education learned of the passing of a great friend, Dr. Waverly M. Cole, at the age of 80. Dr. Cole was an internationally known physician and philanthropist who, with his partner of 50 years, Dr. John Cook, worked tirelessly to support a variety of causes during his lifetime. In 2009, the School of Education received confirmation that Dr. Cole had included a generous gift to the school in his estate plans.
Look for a follow-up article in the spring 2011 edition of The Bridge to learn more about Dr. Cole.
“His whole life was spent giving,” Dr. Cook said. “He was one of the most generous people you’d ever meet. He never saw a cause that he didn’t fund. That was a great joy for him. He thought money should be used to help other people.” The gift will be used to establish the Waverly M. Cole Scholarship in Science Education and also to
If you would like to learn more about including the School of Education in your estate plans, please contact Magnus H. Johnsson at (804) 8271363 or johnssonm@vcu.edu.
New Director of Annual Giving and Alumni Engagement The VCU School of Education welcomes Director of Annual Giving and Alumni Engagement Donna Stewart Sharits. In a new position for the school, Sharits will lead the school’s efforts in attracting annual support from alumni and friends and increasing alumni involvement.
Sharits spent the past two years as the assistant director of development at the VCU School of Business. Her prior experience also includes fundraising and nonprofit leadership positions at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Chippokes Plantation Farm Foundation and the State Fair of Virginia. Sharits received her Bachelor of General Studies from VCU in 1996. “We are fortunate to have someone with Donna’s experience and background join our team,” said Magnus H. Johnsson, executive director of external relations and development. “Most of all, she brings a deep and abiding passion for VCU and our work as a school of education. I think our alumni and friends will really appreciate Donna’s spirit and energy.” If you have questions about supporting the school with an annual gift or you are an alum who wants to learn how you can get more involved, you can contact Donna at (804) 8284770 or dssharits@vcu.edu. VCU School of Education 31
Philanthropy
2009-2010 Honor Roll of Donors B enefac to r So c i e t y $ 10, 0 0 0 and up
Altria Group, Inc. The Cameron Foundation Coalition of Urban Serving Universities Waverly M. Cole Fund Jessie Ball duPont Fund Ruth and Louis S. Harris KnowledgeWorks Foundation Living Cities Inc. Robins Foundation Virginia Literacy Foundation J o h n S. Oeh ler So c i e t y $ 5, 0 0 0 to $ 9, 9 9 9
Don W. Hodges Joyce Hodges United Way of Greater Richmond & Petersburg Beverly J. Warren Vicki Godsey White Ol i ver Hall So c i e t y $ 2 , 5 0 0 to $ 4, 9 9 9
Colonial Athletic Association D ean ’s C i r c le $ 1, 0 0 0 to $ 2 , 4 9 9
Diane J. Simon Beatty and Thomas H Beatty Edwin E. Blanks Miriam T. and William C. Bosher Sr. Cisco Systems, Inc. Henry T. Clark III Council of the Great City Schools Michael D. and Connie Davis Jo Lynne S. DeMary Donna J. Dockery Michael and Jennifer Huffman Magnus H. Johnsson and Karen E. Nelson Dale Christina Kalkofen Susan Dana Leone Deborah Evans Marks Alan and Dardi McLeod James H. McMillan Mid Atlantic Athletic Trainers’ Association Mary Sue and John S. Oehler Jr. Ena Gross Patricia B. Pearman Harriette M. and Robert L. Potter Susan and Walter S. Robertson III Gary W. Sarkozi Charol Shakeshaft Susan F. Younce One donor wishes to remain anonymous. Par t ners $ 5 0 0 to $ 9 9 9
Robert A. Almond Cynthia T. and Richard M. Bagley Jr. BioMotion of America LLC William C. Bosher Jr. Thomas C. Burke Jr. Seonhee Cho
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Leila Christenbury Terry and Mark Dozier Educational Informatics, LLC Sharron and David N. Hart Stephanie L. Holt Shelly Bendheim Janus John J. Kregel Cheryl and Ken Magill Leonard F. Maiden NCS Pearson Digital Learning O’Brien Associates, Inc. Irene H. Carney and Fred P. Orelove Stewart D. Roberson VCU Alumni Association The W.M.Y. Fund Charlotte A. Wright B r i dge Bu i lders $ 2 5 0 to $ 4 9 9
Margaret H. Baumgardner Mary B. Bellone Lynne E. Bennett Granville Burruss and Donna S. Via Gail B. Camp Robert S. Carter Stephen G. Cunningham Donna Dalton William L. Dewey Sharon F. Eak Mark E. Emblidge Evans Roofing Company Muriel Azria-Evans and Ronald K. Evans Michael T. Gamel-McCormick Barbara E. Gibson Lynda V. Gillespie Xenia W. Gooding Angela M. Gray Barbara G. Hopper Michael J Howerton Christine G. Iacovo Anna McGinn Barbara-lyn B. Morris William R. Muth Anita H. Prince Marilyn Rice Richard D. Sawyer Jr. Donna Stewart Sharits Philip L. Worrell Edu cato r $ 10 0 to $ 24 9
Bernice B. Allen Gena R. Archer Lillie H. Arnaout Kabir A. Askaryar Anne J. Atkinson Michael J. Bache James S. Barna BCWH Architecture Interiors Planning E. J. Bialkowski Jr. George E. Bird Florence C. Bishop Mary L. Boone Noel D. Boraski Dana N. Bost Willie M. Bost
Nancy C. Boutchyard Billy K. Cannaday Jr. Chisholm Creative Solutions, Inc. David Coffield Anthony Coleman Tracey L. Coles Marilyn J. Corker Gretchen Unterzuber Cosgrove James A Cowgill W. E. Cross Jr. Dallas Dance James R. Darden Jr. Carol A. Dato Diane O. Davis Michael L. Davis Alan W. Davis Molly A. Dellinger-Wray John Morrison Dicker Digital Audio Video Services D. Thomas Doub Sondra C. Epley Frank H. Farrington Germaine S. Fauntleroy Rodney W. Fout Arthur J. Frizzell Brenda K. Gates Richard C. Gayle Deborah H. Getty Donna L. Gilles Peter Y. Gur Gerald R. Hamilton Joanna N. Hamnett Richard Lee Harris Raymond S. Hawthorne Highmark Inc. Jan Hodges Charles T. Horton Sr. Rebecca M. Hudson David C. Jennings Susan B. Johnson Deborah M. Jones Teresa A. Jones Stephen Justa Signe M. Langschultz John T. Lanier Marianne L. Lawrence Marilyn A. Leahy James J. Lendvay Dennis K. Lewis G. David Magill Brian A. Maltby Jo Ann Marshall Maryland Capital Advisors Inc. Carla Mathews Marie Maupin Sandra A. McCarver Susan and Brian McKelvey Gwendolyn G. Miller Jaclyn Miller Marie M. Moore Kenneth Morgan Patricia B. Morgan Lynn H. Myers Richard L. Nahstoll Northern Neck VFW Auxiliary 7167 Northrop Grumman Corporation Terry Oggel John W. Packard Ronald C. Payne
Perspectives, Inc. Edward E. Poole Jr. Larry C. Ray Serena Reese Paul S. Roper III Sherry T. Sandkam Alice R. Sangster John A. Sankey III Larry W. Sawyer Linda K Seeman Roddy N. Shingleton Patricia R. D. Solliday Patrick L. Stanfield State Farm Companies Foundation Arden M. Sterling Michael R. Stoneman Helen D. Tames Colleen A. Thoma James B. Thorsen George F. Tinker William I. Tucker Archibald Wallace III Wells Fargo Foundation Rebecca E. Weybright Russell E. Whitaker Jr. Michael D. Whitlow Reynolds C. Williams Jr. Bruce G. Willis Jacqueline W. Wilson Vicki B. Wilson Todd E. Wynkoop Yaoying Xu Troy R. Yenser Supp o r t er U p to $ 9 9
Edmund O. Acevedo Lara G. Addison Nora Alder Mary H. Allen Gerald C. Alley Mary S. Alligood Alice R. Alrich James D. Alsop Sr. Romain Jean Rene Ambert Joann L. Anderson Michael P. Andrews James D. Ankeney Stephen E. Anstey Tricia P. Arnaldo Eileen I. Atkinson Eleanor B. Avery Jane L. Bailey Carole Baker Arlene A. Bandas LeRoy Basham Sara H. Bateman W. Murrie Bates Jr. Hugh A. Beard Jr. William M. Belcher Carmen H. Bell Jack L. Berninger Renita L. Best Robert A. Bischoff Robert B. Blackburn Taryn A. Blake Henry C. Boschen Jr. Rebecca S. Bowen William E. Bowen
Charles W. Bowers Joyce W. Bowers David R. Bradley Sr. Theresa H. Brents Dale S. Britton Karen A. Britton Clifford S. Broeniman Paul William Brooker Jr. Eugene S. Brown Jr. Linda J. Brown Brenda B. Buck Colin M. Buckley William E. Buckner Jr. Jacqueline Bullock Kathleen A. Burleson Paul V. Butler Susan B. Butterworth Helen S. Byrd Marjorie A. Byrd Calvary United Methodist Women Jean Carlson Christie Carr Robert B. Carter Kathleen Cauley Althea T. Chambliss Joyce R. Chambliss Scott S. Christian Audrey A. Church Julie Bradley Ciavarella Judith B. Clary Donald E. Clatterbough Katherine B. Coates Jennifer M. Cobb Connie Lee Cochran Barbara B. Cockburn Edward N. Coffman Amy L. Cole James L. Colonna Linda P. Cooke Carmela Jean Corey William M. Costello Lori S. Couch Herbert C. Covington Raymon J. Cowans Jr. Catherine B. Cox Mary C. Curry William P. Cushing Beatrice C. Dalton Sarah D. Davis Virginia B. Davis Dorothy P. Deane Estelle S. Derricott LaVerne J. Deusebio Denise F. Dietz Rebecca W. Dingas Parthenia S. Dinora Monique C. Dixon William F. Dominick Sue S. Donaldson Michael S. Doran Norma S. Doss Cathleen M. Duvall Carolyn H. Elliott Terry L. Smith and Robert W. Ellis Vivien King Ely James P. Embrey Ann O. Epps Kevin D. Esslinger Michael D. Estes Zalika H. Etienne
Barbara J. Ettner Janet S. Ewen Erma Jo Fielden Merilyn L. Finn Angela L. Fitchett Christine A. Fitzgerald Gregory W. Florence Lynne H. Foote Shirley L. Foutz Thomas M. Frazier Jane J. Freeman William J. Galli Easter E. Galloway Shirley R. Garlington Sharon B. Garnett General Electric Foundation Ernest L. Giddings Linda A. Gill Willie H. Gillenwater Linda H. Gilliam Kimberly S. Giska Elizabeth A. Glascock A. Lawrence Goldman John A. Granger III Gloria E. Green Carolyn D. Grinnan Donald W. Gunter Martha W. Gunter Paul Hagan L. Preston Hale Verlan R. Hall Jr. Christine M. Hallman Ann H. McMillan and Randolph Hallman Nancy E. Hamblin Michael A. Hanky Sr. Vicki S. Hanner Danise J. Harmon Brice J. Harrington L. A. Harris Jr. Nan R. Harris Valerie F. Harris William R. Harry Regina D. Hart Valerie P. Hayden Kathryn B. Hayes Ruth L. Henley-Brooks Catherine Henson James T. Hill Paul E. Hill Jr. Gayle A. Hines Mary Elizabeth Long Hitchcock Janice H. Hix Vandivere P. Hodges Raymond E. Honeycutt Marla S. Hood Boyd E. Huffman Ann W. Hughes Elise E. Hughes Stephanie Humphries Joyce F. Hurt Linda S. Hutchinson-Troyer Barbara A. Ippolito-Hitchcock Joan Ruth Eckert Jackson Charles C. Jameson James G. Jenkins Jimmie M. Jett Caudill L. Johns Glenn N. Johnson Marja T. Johnsson
Christopher R. Jones Gale W. Jones Terri W. Jones Jacquelyn and William Joyner Marc J. Kalman Vickie G. Kansler Christine M. Kattula Jane T. Keller Hilda C. Kelly Anne T. Kitchen Margaret Stimpfle Klise Daniel A. Knighton Jr. Doris Myers Korman Roxie Kricorian Joseph B. Lammay Charlotte O. Land Mary M. Landis Pauline M. Lange Mary K. Larue Ann M. Lastovica Lois T. Lavery Nancy W. Lavier David M. Lay Kenneth J. Lee Allan M. Lewis Richard W. Lewis Donald L. Lewy Kelly E. Ligon Edna L. Lindsay Jacquelyn S. Lindsey Sandra H. Logan George D. Long Matthew R. Lord Michael B. Lott Kathleen Lynch Alice and Ralph Lyons Catherine J. Maddox Patricia L. Mahone Katherine Marchand-Beyer Charles D. Martin Sr. William A. Martin Jr. George D. Mason James B. Mason Lawrence E. Masters Christine P. Mattern Kimberly A. Matthews Rebecca A. Mayfield Colleen T. McCabe Anna L. McClenney Jacqueline and Kaestner McDonnough John P. McFarland Sara F. McKinney Allan P. McLearen Mary C. McPhillips Suzanne McWilliams Elizabeth L. Meixner Frances A. Meyer Kenneth L. Mitchell Shane J. Mitchell Venita M. Mitchell Saul Montero Ashleigh R. Moody II Elizabeth Q. Moore Deborah J. Morrell Joseph J. Mulieri Millard H. Nagle III Linda A. Natale Donald J. Newman Jr. Roger A. Nicholson
Patricia S. O’Bannon Occupational Therapy, PA Johnsie R. Oddenino Judith M. O’Donnell Mary Anne B. Oettinger Catherine D. Ogletree Theresa B. Okes Stephanie M. Pace Gay H. Packett Barbara and John Pagels Kimberly B. Parker Kyla C. Patterson James F. Peak Catherine H. Perdue Elizabeth C. Perrie Ann M. Peters Linda A. Pettus John H. Pharis IV Larkin C. Phillips Robert M. Phillips Ruth J. Pierce Roland L. Pifer Joyce N. Pitts Maggie H. Plummer Henry R. Pollard IV J. Michael Ponder William D. Poole Mark A. Porter Mary A. Pritchard Julia L. Putney-Brandt Elizabeth A. Ramsey Julie J. Ranson Diane B. Reed Frances B. Reid Leonard N. Reid Eleanor H. Rennie Grant Revell Jr. Jordan Rice Paul A. Rice Jean C. Ridgeway Eva M. Rittgers Susan B. Robertson Virginia G. Robinson Valerie J. Robnolt Carmen J. Romeo Janet H. Ruehle Jane C. Ruffa Diana T. Sadler Alejandro Sanchez Michael A. Sandy Frank A. Sansone Barbara M. Savage Joanne S. Savarese Mary Anne M. Schmidt Angela S. Schwartz Betty R. Schwartz David Scott Janice Seargent Patricia F. Seger Virginia A. Sharpe Stephen Shaw Lillian A. Sherin William H. Sheavly Diane Decker Siegel Marjorie M. Simmons Larry L. Sinsabaugh Barbara G. Smiley-Ingalls Jeffrey R. Smith Lloyd G. Smith Thomas J. Smith
Sondra C. Snidow Dana M. Souser JoAnn R. Spiegel Kristen H. Stahr Margaret Solari Stebbins Shelia R. Steinbrecher Kurt R. Stemhagen Elizabeth G. Stephenson Pamela M. Stevenson Julie K. Stocker Lisa A. Stone Harriet B. Stout Diane C. Stout-Brown Kathryn J. Streetman Jean M. Swann Robert L. Tabb James H. Talbott Julia L. Tatum McKinney Taylor Paul E. Terrell Jr. Dee Thomas Jean F. Thomas Ann M. Threadgill Delbert F. Tomes Jr. Martha S. Travis Barbara C. Traylor Robert A. Trumbull Jo Turek Susan S. Turkal Barbara E. Tuttle Joseph D. Tylus Monica Uhl John M. Vassar Christina Ericson Vernon Edwin J. Walent Jr. Lisa Rae Walker John M. Walter Carmen Y. Ward Deborah Waters Frank H. Watkins Helen S. Watkins Kay Watson Albert C. Watts and Peggy O’Neill Claudia Guyton Wells Susan J. Welsh Lauren T. Werner Deborah B. West Paulette C. Whitehurst Richard W. Whitt Kristin Wilkins Gloria C. Williams Karen H. Williams Theresa T. Williams Irvine T. Wilson John W. Winn Jr. Phyllis S. Winn Allen G. Withers Jr. Gerald L. Witt William Wittig R. Allen Wood Jr. Mary G. Woodhouse Arthur F. Woody Janet M. Worsham Bobbie P. Wright Robert L. Wynne Tricia L. Yeager Lisa A. Zajur Three donors wish to remain anonymous.
M em o r i al G i f t s
In Memory of Dennis Hall Mary Tomes In Memory of April Marie “Sweet” Hart Kabir A. Askaryar Amy L. Cole Angela L. Fitchett Rhonda and Michael A. Hanky Sr. David and Sharron P. Hart Valerie P. Hayden Janice H. Hix Courtney D. and Shane J. Mitchell Katherine and Donald J. Newman Jr. Northern Neck VFW Auxiliary 7167 Gay H. Packett Harriette M. and Robert L. Potter Mr. and Mrs. David Scott Kristin Wilkins In Memory of James O. Hodges Joyce Hodges In Memory of Mary P. Jenkins James G. Jenkins In Memory of Matthew Francis Thoma Colleen A. Thoma In Memory of Gaynelle Whitlock Patricia L. Mahone In Memory of Thomas L. Wright George Tinker Her i tage So c i e t y
This society recognizes donors who have made provisions for the School of Education through their estate plans or another giftplanning vehicle. John Cook Connie and Michael D. Davis Carolyn Eggleston Thomas Gehring Signe M. Langschultz Marilyn Leahy Two donor wishes to remain anonymous. The Honor Roll of Donors was compiled as accurately as possible from university records and reflects gifts made from July 1, 2009 through June 30, 2010. If we have omitted your name or have it listed incorrectly, we sincerely apologize. Please contact Donna Stewart Sharits at (804) 828-4770 or dssharits@ vcu.edu with any corrections. Thank you.
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VCU Students on the VCU Monroe Park Campus stroll through Linden Court.