Bower-Suhrheinrich College of Education and Human Services
Fusion
University of Southern Indiana
a collaboration of people, service, and education
Volume 2, Issue 2 • Spring 2011
University repositions three departments University of Southern Indiana President Linda L. M. Bennett has announced organizational changes for three academic departments, effective July 1. The departments of Teacher Education and Physical Education will be integrated into the Pott College of Science and Engineering, and the Social Work Department will become part of the College of Liberal Arts. The departments will not physically move, nor will students see any immediate changes in their academic programs or services. “The repositioning is intended to strengthen collaboration between teacher education and disciplines critical to educating our community,” said Bennett. “Those disciplines include math and the sciences as well as social sciences, history, and humanities. The professional development of teachers is a University-wide responsibility and everyone at USI will invest in its success.” National concern for teacher preparation Curriculum planning and implementation will be a joint endeavor between faculty in teacher education and faculty in other academic disciplines across the University. “The constant cry from employers is for more workers in the STEM fields,” Bennett said. “Indiana needs talented teachers to instruct students working toward a career in those areas.”
Numerous reports conclude the American education system is not adequately preparing the next generation of employees for advanced manufacturing careers that require skills of computer literacy, reading, math, and reasoning abilities. Through National Science Foundation funding, USI has established the Southwest Indiana STEM Resource Center in the Pott College of Science and Engineering to assist educators with current techniques and tools to prepare students for 21st century jobs. Pott College’s STEM initiatives align with an interdisciplinary approach to teacher education. Physical education The physical education curriculum offers programs in coaching, kinesiology, sport management, and physical education classes. “Physical education has broadened the curriculum and the class offerings in these programs and will interact well in the sciences,” said Ronald S. Rochon, provost. Social work The social work academic programs prepare students for work with diverse populations and emerging social issues at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Rochon said, “Liberal Arts programs in criminal justice, psychology, and sociology intersect Continued on page 2
Social work alumni organize Social work graduates introduced the reorganization of the Social Work Alumni Organization recently at the annual Social Work Festival. The group is planning events and has developed by-laws and formed committees. New officers include Caron Leader M.S.W.’96, president; Lauren Lesher ’04 M.S.W.’05, vice president, activities co-chair; Ann Smith M.S.W.’09, treasurer, scholarship chair; Laura Symon ’98 M.S.W. ’09, secretary, social media and public relations chair; and Julie Bellamy M.S.W. ’96, membership chair. Dr. Martha Raske is mentoring chair. The organization will present a scholarship this year to an undergraduate student. Plans are to increase the size of the scholarship fund in order to provide an award each year to a student in both the undergraduate and graduate programs. Signing the Articles of Association are, from left, Lauren Lesher, Caron Leader, and Julie Bellamy.
For more information, contact Leader at caron@ahacounseling.com.
from the Provost Content and teaching methods: a stronger collaboration Two colleges of the University will serve as home base for students in teacher education, physical education, and social work beginning in July. The departments of Teacher Education and Physical Education will shift to the Pott College of Science and Engineering, and the Social Work Department will reside in the College of Liberal Arts. The article that starts on page one explains how this approach builds synergies and strengthens our ability to prepare students for careers. With regard to teacher preparation, this step aligns Rochon with suggestions offered by the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) to deeply ground students in the subject matters the students plan to teach.
We want to strengthen collaboration between content and teaching methods in a manner that will enhance instruction for all students, but especially for the next generation of teachers who study at USI. Further, as we implement the clinical development of educators, we will bring content expertise to the service of our school district partners. We are held accountable to produce teachers who understand the needs of Pk-12 classrooms, bringing forward the relevant and effective pedagogical practices advancing the intellectual development of children within our region. Teacher preparation has a celebrated history at USI and has been continuously nationally accredited since 1973. Teaching is a prestigious career choice, and USI is committed to preparing student teachers to lead the modern classroom. The repositioning of the departments will bring together brilliant minds to elevate teacher preparation so student teachers can both master the subjects they plan to teach and also learn the best teaching methods.
There is nothing more important than our children and their future. With this move we are investing in the process of faculty collaboration, both methodology and discipline-based instruction, so new teachers can master the content of the subjects they’ll teach while instructing more effectively.
Repositioning, continued from page 1
well with the social work curriculum, and the departments will complement one another.” Reputation for continuing education for teachers The University already has a strong reputation for continuing education opportunities for teachers in STEM disciplines—science, technology, engineering, and mathematics—and in other fields such as history through Historic Southern Indiana’s Lincoln workshops,” Bennett added. “USI is a site for the National Writing Project program to improve writing and reading. The local effort is the River
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Bend Writing Project Summer Institute which serves teachers of writing at all grade levels and in all subjects.” Council to form A Teacher Education Council will be formed. It will include representatives from the deans, faculty, staff, students, alumni, and community to chart a course of action. “We want to work closely with education partners in the surrounding counties,” Rochon said, “to get input about the needs of educators and students.” More than 5,000 alumni and a current student population of 1,367 undergraduates and 179 graduate students are in the departments being repositioned.
Dr. Ronald S. Rochon Provost
Recognition of generous donor The University will continue careful stewardship of contributions given to the USI Foundation for the College of Education and Human Services. The generous donation of Dallas Bower-Suhrheinrich of a $1 million gift in 1998 established three Presidential Scholarships, faculty enhancements, and programs to promote teaching excellence. In recognition of her gift, the college bears her name. Stewardship of the Bower-Suhrheinrich gift and honoring this important donor will continue. Plans are to establish seminars and other programming to be named in Bower-Suhrheinrich’s honor.
USI Bower-Suhrheinrich College of Education and Human Services
Gina Berridge studies literacy needs of inmates Dr. Gina Berridge, assistant professor of education, is helping assess the literacy needs of inmates in minimum security pods of correctional facilities in Knox County, Tennessee. The results will guide adult-education programs for the incarcerated population. As principal investigator, Berridge is studying the literacy level of individuals who are not enrolled in the GED program available to inmates. In July 2010, she presented information on literacy instruction at an adult-education conference sponsored by the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development. Pete Garza, chief of special programs for the Knox County sheriff’s office, heard her presentation. Berridge
“He gathered from my presentation on teaching adults who have limited reading skills, that there were populations of inmates whose literacy needs were not being met,” Berridge said. “He was concerned for their well being and wanted to provide them an opportunity to increase their reading skills.” Berridge is conducting the study in collaboration with the Center for Literacy Studies at the University of Tennessee Knoxville. In early February, she and researchers from the center tested 175 male and female inmates with an informal reading inventory test known as the Slosson Oral Reading test. It is designed to assess a subject’s “level of oral word recognition, word calling, or reading level.” While still under analysis, Berridge said the data indicate a range of reading levels from very low to quite acceptable.
“Some inmates volunteered information during the testing,” Berridge said. “From the 78-year-old man who told me he didn’t have much schooling and that he read only the Bible to the anxious female inmate facing 29 years in federal prison to the young girl who cried during the testing because she just wanted her life back, it was all quite moving.” During the three days of testing, the GED teacher and inmates in the program celebrated a 51-year-old inmate’s passing score on the GED exam. “He said he got his GED to get out of the housing projects,” Berridge said. “Working construction jobs all of his life until the economy plummeted, he had tried to get other jobs. However, every job description, even for the most menial jobs, required a GED or high school diploma. He now has hopes of getting a job when he is out of jail and renting a house or apartment away from the projects.” Garza said that Berridge’s presentation last July was “eyeopening.” It led him to add a number of materials appropriate to low-level readers—including children’s books and picture books—to the library available at the correctional facilities. He expects the research in progress to assist the adult-education program in providing reading programs that will help inmates improve their literacy in preparation for taking GED courses. He also anticipates that the results will provide direction in developing post-GED programs that will offer vocational training or college-level courses to inmates. Berridge earned degrees in accounting and elementary education from USI and holds master’s, educational specialist, and doctoral degrees from Indiana State University.
Dean Edmister named campus dean in Florida
Edmister
Dr. Julie Edmister, dean of the Bower-Suhrheinrich College of Education and Human Services, will become campus dean at Edison State College’s Collier campus in Naples, Florida, effective July 1. Edmister will oversee the academic operation of the campus managing all aspects of campus programs including compliance with academic and administrative policies.
As the second ranking campus administrator, Edmister will focus on creating and leading programs to help students develop academic and professional proficiencies. Edison State College is a multi-campus baccalaureate-degree granting public institution with approximately 20,000 students
in Ft. Meyers and branch campuses in Naples, Punta Gorda, and La Belle. Edmister served as dean since 2008, and oversaw the re-accreditation of programs in the Teacher Education Department (NCATE) and the Social Work Department (CSWE), the creation of the Center for Social Justice, the awarding of over $2.5 million in grants, the development of the office of Student Services in Teacher Education, the addition of new degree programs in the Physical Education Department, and the implementation of an electronic data management system (Tk20) to support student certification, accreditation, and data reporting. USI Provost Ronald Rochon expressed congratulations to Edmister on the appointment. He said, “USI extends our best wishes to Julie. She promoted collaborative faculty partnerships on grants, research, and teaching across departments and colleges at USI. We congratulate Dean Edmister and wish her great success.”
USI Bower-Suhrheinrich College of Education and Human Services
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Teacher Education Special education major receives international award Michael Fuchs, a senior majoring in special education, is the 2011 recipient of the Outstanding Undergraduate Student Member of the Year Award presented by the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC). The award is given to one undergraduate student internationally who has made outstanding contributions to CEC and to exceptional children.
Fuchs
The Council for Exceptional Children is the largest international professional organization dedicated to improving the educational success of individuals with disabilities and/ or gifts and talents.
Dr. Julie Green, assistant professor of education, nominated Fuchs for the award. “Michael is extremely responsible and has devoted his life to working with students with disabilities,” she said. “He will be an exceptional special education teacher and will make a difference in many students’ lives.” Involved with the CEC for two years, Fuchs serves as vice president of the USI chapter. He has coordinated many projects with other students majoring in special education. He initiated efforts to establish a chapter of Best Buddies on campus and serves as president. Best Buddies is a national organization that provides opportunities for students to interact with members of the community that have disabilities. “Working with exceptional children has always been a passion for me,” Fuchs said. “Organizations like the
Council for Exceptional Children provide vital resources for professionals in the special education field, and it is an honor to be recognized by a group I respect so deeply. One of the things I’m most proud of is that I can represent the USI special education program.” Fuchs, who did not talk until age 4, has firsthand knowledge of secluded classrooms. He attended the early childhood program at Evansville ARC and was in special education classrooms early in his school career before being incorporated into general classrooms. He was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Fuchs began volunteering with Special Olympics nine years ago. His reception by individuals with disabilities at the first event prompted him to continue his volunteer service. “They are always happy to see you, and they give you the biggest smiles,” he said. “They make you think you’re the most important person in the world.” Fuchs received a plaque during an awards ceremony at the 2011 CEC Convention and Expo in National Harbor, Maryland. The conference was held in April. He also received an invitation to the President’s Reception and recognition during the Student Forum at the annual meeting. Three faculty members—Green; Dr. Katherine R. Robbins, assistant professor of education; and Patricia D. Davidson, instructor in teacher education—also attended the conference. This was Fuchs’ second year to attend the national conference. He went last year to the meeting in Nashville, Tennessee. “It’s definitely helpful,” he said. “They have a lot of neat ideas and new research about teaching children with special needs. I took away a lot from it.”
Mr. Al to teach, entertain at conference The 2011 Early Childhood Education Conference will feature Mr. Al, musician and entertainer. His workshop, “The Magic of Music in Learning,” will demonstrate how music has a magical way of helping preschool and early elementary children learn social, emotional, physical, and cognitive skills while having a great time. Also known as Al Rasso, Mr. Al has been a consultant to school districts, speaker, and children’s entertainer since 1988. He holds a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and a Master of Instruction in early childhood education. The conference will be held October 22 at USI. Contact Dr. Jane E. Meyer at jmeyer@usi.edu for additional information.
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USI Bower-Suhrheinrich College of Education and Human Services
Freshmen in LLC partner with West Terrace Elementary School Freshman Katie Rogier has helped children at West Terrace Elementary School improve their reading skills this semester. She assists the classroom teacher by helping children read with no hesitation and with correct pronunciation. “This experience has definitely increased my love for teaching,” she said, “and has reassured me that I want to be a teacher.” Rogier and fellow students in the living learning community (LLC) for students interested in teaching careers are getting an early start with experiential learning. They spend an hour and a half each week in classrooms at West Terrace. “Our students do whatever the teachers ask,” said Dr. Joyce Gulley, associate professor of education and advisor for the living learning community. “They help with spelling tests or math facts. They work with individual students or small groups.”
Freshmen Katie Rogier, left, and Shelby Whitaker celebrated Read Across America, honoring the birthday of Dr. Seuss with green eggs and ham for breakfast in the cafeteria of West Terrace Elementary School.
Not only do the teacher education students get classroom experience, they receive mentoring from the teachers. “The teachers talk to our students about preparing to be a teacher and what it means to be a professional.” Gulley said. “They offer encouragement.” The LLC for students in elementary education, early childhood education, and special education helps students learn more about teaching early in their college career. Students live on the same floor of Ruston Hall. They take some of the same courses and have special opportunities that support their academic interests. Katie White, principal at West Terrace, is excited to have the teacher education students as a resource. “One teacher has compared the benefits of these students in the academic lives of the student to having enhanced technology
and has said the impact of the USI students surpasses that which technology might offer the low-performing students,” White said. “My teachers are eager to have the extra hands, additional perspectives, and opportunities for personal and professional growth which are a result of this partnership. We are blessed to have the opportunity to share growth with the USI students, develop long-lasting relationships with tomorrow’s teachers, and have an impact on the development of strong teachers.” Rogier is from Boonville, Indiana. She plans to major in elementary education with a reading minor. “I wanted to live in the LLC so I would have more opportunities to do things in my major,” she said. “I also thought it would be nice to have something in common with my roommates and the other people on my floor. My classmates are on my floor. If I have questions, I have a lot of people who can help me.”
Jane Meyer tapped for state subcommittee on childhood poverty Dr. Jane E. Meyer, associate professor of education, has been selected to serve on a subcommittee on child care for the Indiana Commission on Childhood Poverty. The subcommittee will examine the quality and affordability of child care and the impact of highquality early education and care on employment, graduation rates, and achievement gaps in Indiana. Melanie Brizzi, director of the Indiana Bureau of Child Care, chairs the subcommittee. Meyer
The objective of the commission is to evaluate the costs and effects of childhood poverty and provide a plan to reduce childhood poverty by 50 percent in Indiana by the year 2020.
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Social Work Social work, nursing collaborate to benefit heart patients Social work and nursing students are working side-by-side in a program designed to reduce hospital re-admission rates for patients with heart failure.
“This is a medical model that has not included social work so we basically are cutting edge with this collaboration,” Phillips said. “The Hartford Foundation has not seen what the two disciplines can do together. There is a lot of interest in that.
Students are paired with patients at The Heart Hospital at Deaconess Gateway to provide counseling before the patient is discharged and a follow-up home visit and/or phone calls for 30 days. Nursing students in a course taught by Dr. Renee Dugger, instructor in nursing, began the program last year. Social work students taught by Dr. Iris Phillips, associate professor of social work, joined this year to provide additional resources for the patient.
“Students in each discipline have learned a great deal from each other. Social work students observed that nursing students are knowledgeable about medications. Nursing students became more aware that social workers see the patient as a person in the environment.”
Social work students take into consideration the person’s ability to afford the medication, support system at Social work student Sabrina Smith, left, and home, transportation issues, and other nursing student Heather White review patient environmental factors. Phillips said the goal is to formulate a fourth pillar to The Centers for Medicare and files for follow-up. Coleman’s model that would include the Medicaid Services selected Evansville as one of 14 communities nationwide for a pilot care-transitions role of the social worker. program using a model developed by Dr. Eric Coleman to Health Care Excel, a consulting company in Terre Haute, ensure a patient’s successful transition to self-management at Indiana, manages the area pilot care-transitions program. home. The model includes medication self-management, Dr. Jane Swartz, instructor in nursing, is colloborating on the keeping a personal health record, timely follow up, and study with The Heart Hospital as her capstone project in USI’s knowledge of red flags that indicate a worsening in condition. Doctor of Nursing Practice program. Coleman’s work is supported by the Hartford Foundation.
New course on social justice applicable to many careers A new course offered by the Department of Social Work will help students understand the concept of social justice and how social justice movements have affected society and community today.
Wylie
Scott Wylie, an attorney with the Volunteer Lawyer Program of Southwestern Indiana, will teach the course, Introduction to Social Justice. It will be offered for the first time in fall semester. The course will examine basic issues in social justice, such as racial inequality, gender discrimination, sexual discrimination, poverty, and class.
“We will look at how the civil rights movement resulted in protections on race and how the women’s movement brought about reforms,” Wylie said. “We will tie that into how the students’ understanding of movements in social justice can inform their day-to-day life and work.” The course is designed to attract social work students who may work one day with vulnerable and disenfranchised populations as well as students throughout the University interested in careers in fields such as law, law enforcement, or nonprofit management. Dr. Martha Raske, chair of the Department of Social Work, said, “This is an opportunity to expose students to a better understanding of what social justice means to USI and what it Continued on page 7
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USI Bower-Suhrheinrich College of Education and Human Services
grow to 73 students next year when it includes both juniors and seniors.
Social justice, continued from page 6
means for us in this region. The Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation has recognized the importance of preparing students in the area of social justice with the formation of the Randall T. Shepard Academy for Law and Social Justice. Now both high school students and USI students will get this exposure.” Opened last fall, the Shepard Academy is designed to develop skills in critical analysis to prepare students for studies relating to law, social justice, American policy, and social values. The academy bears the name of Indiana’s chief justice, an Evansville native.
Chad Fetscher, left, and junior Jalen Chestnut review bills coming up for a vote in the Indiana General Assembly.
Chad Fetscher ’00 social science teaching, M.A.L.S. ’08 teaches in the academy, housed at Harrison High School. In its first year, the program attracted 22 juniors from EVSC high schools and Mount Vernon, Indiana. The program will
Students in the Shepard Academy earn USI credit through the College Achievement Program (CAP). Raske and Wylie visited in Fetscher’s classroom recently. The three are exploring ways the EVSC and USI programs can share resources. The partnership could lead to mentoring opportunities, coordinating efforts to bring in national speakers, or servicelearning activities. Wylie was formerly development and public relations manager for Historic New Harmony. He earned a law degree at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Wylie has been an administrator and professor of law at universities in Southern California. He is adjunct instructor for the Department of Social Work’s master’s level course on policy. He serves on the boards of a number of nonprofit organizations, including Legal Aid Society of Evansville, Small Business Development Center, Vanderburgh Community Foundation, and Evansville Bar Association.
What is social justice ? Social justice means the equal and fair allocation of rights, privileges, resources, information, services, decision-making and opportunities for all people. Code of ethics of the National Association of Social Workers
NEWS Grant supports alumni mentoring Twenty-five alumni of the social work program are paired as mentors this semester with students taking the project-research study course. All seniors are required to develop and complete an applied research or service-learning project that has value in the community. “Our alumni are positive role models,” said Dr. Iris Phillips, associate professor of social work. “We have strong relationships with them and want to build an even stronger alumni-student network. In addition, we encourage students who are graduating to continue that
bond as they develop their careers. We want them to be interested in providing support to other students.” Mentors were special guests April 8 at the annual Social Work Banquet where students presented an electronic poster session of their projects. The mentoring network is supported by a Major as Home grant provided by the USI Office of the Provost. The grants are desiged to build community.
Kelli Reidford is alumna in residence
Marcey Head-Vanpell ’08 MSW ’09, left, guides senior Twanna Copeland in her research project.
Kelli Reidford ’00 MSW ’05, diagnostic assessment writer for Psychiatric Solutions, Inc., in Washington, D.C., delivered a presentation called “From Program to Professional Practice: The Social Work Degree in the ‘Real World’“ as the 2011 alumna in residence for the social work program. She focused on career paths beyond traditional therapy and case management and discussed licensure and the value of opportunities such as independent study and study abroad. Reidford also visited a number of social work classes during her two-day visit in April.
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Physical Education Sport management students organize successful 5K run Sport management students organized and managed a 5K race in February that brought approximately 740 runners to campus and raised more than $7,200 dollars to benefit sport management scholarships and travel funds. “The people of Evansville like to come out and have fun with their family in a fitness-related activity,” said Jill Gehlhausen ’02. A graduate of the exercise science program, Gehlhausen is race director for the Southern Indiana Classic Marathon and Half Marathon. Having seen the Golf Scramble that sport management students organized in the spring, Gehlhausen suggested last June to Dr. Glenna Approximately 740 runners gathered on campus for the Hearts on Fire 5K. Bower, chair of the Department of Physical Education, that students develop a 5K race that “We learned to expect the unexpected,” he said. “When the could be the first of three in a Winter Melt-Down series for the number of participants jumped from 300 to 500, it was a community. Other runs in the series are the Run of Luck 7K in shock. We certainly didn’t expect 740. It helped that we were March and the Southern Indiana Classic in April. attached to the Southern Indiana Classic. I believe there is an untapped group of runners in Evansville. We’re just starting to “It’s crucial that our students get hands-on learning,” Bower see them come out and join together in a big group.” said. “That’s why we decided to accept the invitation to plan, organize, lead, and implement this event.”
The Hearts on Fire 5K on February 12 exceeded expectations. Kyle Gengelbach ’10 served as operations director.
Gengelbach finished a kinesiology degree in 2010 and will graduate this spring with a major in sport management. For him, the best thing about the race project was working with fellow students. Many of the sport management students who honed their special-event skills last year with the Golf Scramble advised a new group of students who planned the second annual golf event. It was held in April at Cambridge Golf Course. Cassie Parsley, a senior in sport management, organized the Funfest that followed the run. Activities included clowns, live music, inflatables, and a food court in the Physical Activities Center (PAC). “A group of us began planning the race in June,” Parsley said. “We worked on it every week.” One of her goals was that the PAC take on a festive look. Paper hearts bearing the runners’ names adorned the floor. Balloons, paper chains, and music continued the theme.
Cassie Parsley, left, assists a race participant. Parsley managed the Funfest following the run.
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“The students came up with a lot of ideas and worked well together,” Gehlhausen said. “The event was well organized. They handled everything that happened in a calm and collected manner on the day of the race, even with an unbelievable number of runners.”
USI Bower-Suhrheinrich College of Education and Human Services
SMART program offers first summer session The SMART youth fitness and nutrition program will offer summer sessions on the University of Southern Indiana campus this year. Students at three elementary schools and three middle schools in Evansville are eligible to attend. This will be the first summer session for SMART, which began four years ago as an after-school program at Glenwood Middle School. Dexter Elementary School was added in 2010. SMART stands for Students Mentoring At-Risk Teens (or Tweens). Students ages 11-13 from Glenwood, Lincoln, and Cedar Hall middle schools will attend the July 11-15 session. Students ages 8-10 from Delaware, West Terrace, and Lodge elementary schools will learn about fitness and nutrition July 25-29. Each summer session will have 30 students. Participants will be bused to campus. SMART campers will participate each day in fitness activities focusing on aerobic fitness, strength/endurance, and flexibility with an emphasis on incorporating technology such as pedometers, heart-rate monitors, and compasses. Each day also includes yoga; outdoor adventure time (fishing, kayaking, rock climbing, and disc golf); nutrition and hygiene education; training in life skills (baby-sitting and first aid); sport instruction in basketball and tennis skills; and swimming (including lessons from certified instructors). A snack and lunch are included. Dr. Glenna Bower, chair of the Department of Physical Education, originated the SMART project to combat childhood obesity as a project in the Connect with Southern
Kinesiology major Travis Hobbs, rear, and physcial education teaching major George Ennulat, right, lead SMART participants in preparing healthy snacks.
Indiana program in 2007. Bower directs the fitness program for SMART. Dr. Renee E. Frimming, assistant professor of physical education, coordinates the nutrition education. Patricia L. Marcum, instructor in physical education, will assist with the outdoor adventure and swimming activities during the summer session. Students from the kinesiology, physical education teaching, health education, and nutrition programs will help this summer. These include Ashley Johnson and Erica Lampert, student coordinators, along with Jessica Dooley, Rusty Seymour, and Ladi Stallard.
Students value healthy lifestyle More than 160 students majoring in programs offered by the Department of Physical Education recently completed fitness assessments. “We value a healthy lifestyle,” said Dr. Glenna Bower, chair of the department. “We want our students to be role models when it comes to healthy living.” Students in exercise science and kinesiology administered the tests at the Recreation, Fitness, and Wellness Center. All participants were assessed on body mass index, a one-and-a-half mile run, curl ups, push ups, a sit-and-reach flexibility test, and a hand-grip strength test. Bower said students learn about the test in the classroom. The assessment gives them a firsthand experience in taking the test and serves as an experiential learning opportunity for those who conduct the testing. Sport management students Jerry Forbes, Ashley Johnson, and Kyle Gengelbach helped coordinate this year’s fitness testing. Rusty Seymour checks Elizabeth Bell’s performance on the sit-and-reach test.
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What gifts can do...
Davis Scholarship fund grows to benefit more students A scholarship fund started in 2005 will benefit more students and provide larger awards to students majoring in programs offered by the Department of Physical Education.
Yochum is from Vincennes. A student worker in the Office of the Bursar, she also has held part-time jobs as a middle-school volleyball official and as a waitress. She participates in the USI Alumni Association’s Career Mentor Program. Her mentor is Matthew Weddle ‘08, physical education teacher at Corpus Christi School in Evansville. Yochum also serves as a conversation partner with an international student.
Dr. Jane Davis-Brezette, associate professor of physical education, established the Morris and Margaret Davis Scholarship in memory of her parents with payroll deduction. Recently, she provided a substantial gift that brings the endowment to the $100,000 level. The first $500 award was presented in 2008-09. Caryn Yochum, a junior majoring in physical education, is the recipient for 2011-12. In future years after interest has accrued, the fund will provide at least four $1,000 scholarships each year. With the award, Davis-Brezette wants to recognize the sacrifices of her parents and the hard work of students. Her father was a farmer; her mother was an elementary schoolteacher. They lived in Decker, Indiana, 12 miles south of Vincennes. “My parents sacrificed for my brother, Mike, and me,” Davis-Brezette said. “It was of paramount importance to
Jane Davis-Brezette presented the scholarship in memory of her parents to physical education major Caryn Yochum.
them that we go to college. They knew it was essential for a better life. This scholarship recognizes them in the best way I know. And, it will help support hard-working USI students forever. ”This also is a way for me to give back to the University of Southern Indiana, which has been so good to me and has been my professional home for more than 40 years.” The scholarship goes to a student who works at least part-time and has a 2.75 minimum grade-point average.
She recently attended the national convention of the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance in San Diego, where she presented information on the West Terrace Running/Walking Club. She is a student supervisor in the program organized by Dr. Renee Frimming and Dr. Jay Polsgrove of the faculty. The club aims to help elementary school students associate physical activity with fun. Yochum’s career goal is to teach physical education and health. She is observing in classrooms this semester. “There’s nothing like going into the classroom and seeing the students excited about physical activities,” she said.
Brickman Scholarship remembers mother of faculty member Dr. Martha Raske, chair of the Department of Social Work and professor of social work, presented a new scholarship to an undergraduate student majoring in social work in March at the Honors Day Convocation for the college. The Mildred Hughes Brickman Memorial Social Work Scholarship honors the memory of Raske’s mother, who died in August 2010 at age 98. Raske and colleagues in the Department of Social Work established the scholarship with gifts to the USI Foundation. Brickman was a native of White County, Illinois. Following World War II, she and her husband, Dr. I. William Brickman, returned to Carmi, where he opened a dental practice. They moved to Florida during retirement, but she returned to the Carmi area after his death in 1992.
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“I was deeply touched by the faculty and staff’s contributions to a scholarship in my mother’s memory,” Raske said. “Nothing could have been more meaningful. All three of her children’s lives were touched by the University. My brother and sister graduated from USI, and I have been a member of the faculty since 1998.” The social work faculty selected Sarah Garner, a junior, to receive the $1,000 award for 2011-12. “Her selection is especially meaningful to our family as Sarah is also a resident of White County,” Raske said. “We know the challenges students face today and feel honored that we can help support a social work student toward graduation.”
USI Bower-Suhrheinrich College of Education and Human Services
Social work graduate named ‘Phenomenal’ Johnna Denning ’07, social work, is among 10 women honored recently at the 10th annual Phenomenal Women of USI and the Community Recognition Ceremony. Denning was recognized in the community-atlarge category. Dedicating her career to helping vulnerable populations, she is development manager for Keep Evansville Beautiful. She has worked previously for United Neighborhoods of Evansville and for WNIN TriState Public Media. Denning is a former program coordinator for the USI Department of Social Work’s Center for Social Justice. She holds a master’s degree in public service administration from the University of Evansville. The Phenomenal Women awards program honors women from all walks of life who have made contributions to diversity in the USI and the Evansville communities. Sponsors are the USI Multicultural Center, Old National Bank, and the American Association of University Women.
Denning
✁ Yes! I want to support the departments of Physical Education, Social Work, and Teacher Education Please apply my tax-deductible gift to: q Physical Education Department (academic programs)
q Evansville Retired Teachers Association Scholarship
q Social Work Department (academic programs)
q Exceptional Needs Program Scholarship
q Teacher Education Department (academic programs)
q Jenny Ann Memorial Social Work Scholarship
q Helen M. & Fred Bamberger Memorial Scholarship
q Kappa Delta Pi Scholarships (education majors)
q Bower-Suhrheinrich Faculty Enhancement
q Rice Kello Memorial Scholarship
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USI Bower-Suhrheinrich College of Education and Human Services
11
Fusion
10001-01360 P10-5189
Bower-Suhrheinrich College of Education and Human Services 8600 University Boulevard Evansville, Indiana 47712
Bower-Suhrheinrich College of Education and Human Services Dr. Julie H. Edmister, Dean 812/464-1811 Dr. Thomas D. Bordelon, Assistant Dean 812/465-7140 Dr. Michael L. Slavkin, Assistant Dean 812/464-1858 Physical Education Department 812/465-1685 Social Work Department 812/464-1843 Teacher Education Department 812/465-7024
www.usi.edu/educ University of Southern Indiana is an affirmative action/equal employment opportunity institution.
Five students recognized as Outstanding Future Educators
Equity and Diversity Conference features author/educator Dan Butin
Five students have been named Indiana Outstanding Future Educators by the Indiana Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (IACTE). The following students were recognized in April at a luncheon in Indianapolis.
The sixth annual Equity and Diversity Conference featured a service learning expert. Dr. Dan W. Butin discussed the importance of engaging K-12 education institutions, youth service organizations, career and employment service organizations, and the higher education communities in meaningful dialogue and collaborative action.
•B rooke Carter, elementary education with a minor in reading •A manda Hopkins, elementary education with a minor in reading • Kyle Scott, French teaching • Eric Tharp, mathematics teaching • T ravis Tison, elementary education with a minor in physical education All the students will graduate in May. They were chosen for the award based on recommendations from faculty in the USI Department of Teacher Education and University supervisors of their student teaching. IACTE is a professional organization of colleges and universities with undergraduate and/or graduate programs to prepare professional educators.
Butin
Butin is the author of Teaching Social Foundations (2005), Service-Learning and Social Justice Education (2009), The Education Dissertation (2010), and Service-Learning in Theory and Practice: The Future of Community Engagement in Higher Education (2010). The latter book won the Critics Choice Book Award of the American Educational Studies Association. Butin is the founding dean of the School of Education at Merrimack College. The conference was held in April. It was previously known as the Multicultural Education Conference.