COE
BUTLER UNIVERSITY COLLEGE of EDUCATION
2021 | YEAR in REVIEW
CONTENTS
Faculty Retirements ABOUT 6 Advancement 7 Butler University and Ivy Tech Community College Announce Statewide Transfer Agreement 8 The New Normal STUDENT 10 My Butler Story | Matthew Aspinwall ’23 11 Scholarship Stories | Making an Impact 12 YCD Interns Create an Immersive Learning Experience and Fundraiser ALUMNI 14 16 18
EPPSP Graduates of Color Unite Honoring A Mother’s Legacy: Donor Gift Supports College of Education Faculty Catching up with Blue
FACULTY and STAFF 20 21 22 24
How the Guyer Chair Provided New Teaching Ideas DEI in the COE Second Annual Butler Giving Circle Grant Awarded to College of Education for New Mentoring Program Faculty and Staff Highlights
Several beloved faculty members recently retired. We miss them, but wish them the best retirement! Dr. Stephen Bloom Dr. Steve Bloom retired at the end of the academic year in May 2020. Dr. Bloom began at the University in 1996 and retired after 24 years of service. Dr. Bloom’s expertise was in math education. More recently, Dr. Bloom taught a class on Martin Gardner (the father of recreational mathematics) with Dr. Jeremiah Farrell, emeritus faculty in the Math department in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
Prof. Art Furman Prof. Art Furman joined the College of Education at Butler University in 2013. Prof. Furman taught and coached at institutions all over the country before coming to Butler to teach in the Human Movement and Health Science Education program. Prof. Furman, and his wife, Dr. Sally Click, who was also the Dean of Students at Butler University, both retired in May 2020.
Dr. Matthew Maurer Dr. Matt Maurer retired after the fall semester of 2020 after 29 years of service. Dr. Maurer started at Butler University in 1991. Dr. Maurer taught in the area of exceptional learners, and his area of research interest was of students with visual impairments. Dr. Maurer also taught classes regarding the intersection of education and technology.
Dr. Deb Lecklider MS ’89 EPPSP
2021 YEAR in REVIEW EDITOR
Chasadee Minton EDITORIAL DIRECTOR
Chloe Starleaf ART DIRECTOR
Alisha Luckenbill
Dr. Deb Lecklider will retire at the end of this semester in December 2021 after 19 years of service. Dr. Lecklider started at the University in 2002. Dr. Lecklider has served in a variety of roles from full professor, where she most recently taught a Perspectives in Leadership class open to all Butler students, associate dean for COE, Director of EPPSP, as well as creating several professional development service academies for Indiana school superintendents and aspiring superintendents.
ABOUT the COLLEGE
Dean’s Message
Our Shared Commitments Shared Commitments As faculty and staff members in the College of Education, these Shared Commitments represent our histories as well as our opportunities to learn and grow in our beliefs and practices. We understand we make mistakes and engage imperfectly in this work. By learning from and with one another and with diverse communities, we use our strengths alongside these mistakes and imperfections to stoke our professional curiosities, provide provocations for improvement, and ensure that we avoid complacency in our work and in our world. Pursue a Just and Equitable Society. We aspire to embody and enact anti-racist and identity affirming teaching, scholarship, and professional practices. This means providing maximum access and opportunities to notice, name, and interrogate our own practices and those of others. We commit to dismantling systems and policies which have historically been used to marginalize and which persist in denying full educational access to all learners. Simultaneously, we uphold, strengthen, and create systems and policies that promote just and inclusive practices. Learn from, Contribute to, and Apply Theory and Research. We work to integrate theory and research to inform, interrogate, and renew our professional practices. We are intentional and transparent in engaging with research to assess what is working within our practices while also challenging who we are and changing our practices to interrupt inequitable systems for all learners. Using the research we create and seek, we confront what is difficult in our individual and collective work to transform ourselves and impact communities. Embody Inclusive and Responsive Teaching, Learning, and Mentoring. We demonstrate transparency in the ongoing and intentional development of our professional identities through self-examination and self-transformation. We are engaged and active contributors to our professional practice through collaboration and solution focused advocacy. We commit to keeping our teaching practices relevant and engaging for all students across all identities. Our teaching and mentoring must reflect what we hope to see revealed in our students’ professional practices. *Affirmed by Omni May 7, 2021
Welcome New Faculty! Dr. Danielle Madrazo
Danielle Madrazo recently served as the Vice President of Professional Education at the Indiana Youth Institute. Prior to relocating to Indianapolis in 2020, she was the Director of Teacher Education, Chair of the School of Social Sciences and Education, and Associate Professor at North Carolina Wesleyan College, where she provided student teacher supervision, taught a variety of seated/hybrid/online classes in K-12 curriculum, technology, assessment, classroom management, and licensure test preparation. Danielle was awarded several distinctions as an advocate for equity in education, including the Holderness Professorship in Public Education for promoting efforts to diversify the teacher pipeline. She was named a 2019-20 Public Education Policy Fellow with the Institute for Educational Leadership and the NC Public School Forum, has received the NASA Minority Educator Institutes Emerging Star Network Award, and recently served as the lead researcher in the areas of culturally responsive pedagogy, English Language Learners, and trauma-informed practices for a
Federal DOE Early Learning Grant. Dr. Madrazo will be teaching ED 199, ED 299, and working with student teachers this Fall.
Prof. Pengtong Qu
Pengtong Qu is a Ph.D. Candidate in Literacy, Culture, and Language Education at Indiana University. She is a IU Future Faculty Teaching Fellow at Butler University. Her research interests include biliteracy, family literacy, heritage language maintenance, and multicultural children’s literature. Her current project explores Funds of Knowledge in Chinese American immigrant families and creative and dynamic features of translanguaging. Pengtong’s journal article “The Dilemmas of Teaching Dilemmas in a Foreign Language Classroom” will be published by International Journal of Designs for Learning in 2021, and her work “Biliteracy at the Train Table: Supporting Young Emergent Bilinguals’ through Play and Multimodality” has been accepted as a book chapter in Multimodal Literacies in Young Emergent Bilinguals: Speaking Back to Print-Centric Practices. Prof. Qu will be teaching ED 112 and co-teaching ED 498 in the Fall.
Thank you, educators, for your tireless work during this past year. It is certainly an understatement to say it has been a challenging year for learners, educators, families, and communities. In the past year, we saw educators respond to difficult circumstances with perseverance, commitment, and passion. At the same time, educators’ hard work was often understandably accompanied by exhaustion, fear, and burnout. To the educators in our communities, I send deep gratitude for your efforts. I trust you have found ways to rest and prioritize your own health and well-being and just as importantly, I hope the organizations of which you are a part have intentionally created systems and spaces that center your health and your well-being.. For College of Education faculty, staff, and students, the past year brought safety plans and masking, remote field experiences, “hy-flex” teaching, and new technology. In this Year in Review, see how my talented College of Education colleagues responded to pandemic teaching with flexibility, creativity and in student-centered ways (pp. 8, 14, 20). In addition to excellent teaching and mentoring, COE faculty and staff have been busy bringing innovative and strategic programming to fruition. COE faculty and staff are well-represented within Butler Beyond Strategic Direction workgroups and are having a positive impact on the University’s ability to realize the vision of bold innovation and expansive education. Earlier this year, for example, a COE Elementary Education articulation agreement with Ivy Tech Community College was announced as the first such agreement at Butler University (p. 7). The culmination of years of work, the agreement will provide greater access to COE educator preparation. Even with the extraordinary commitments shown by educators across PreK-12 and higher education, the pandemic has highlighted and accelerated disparities of access and attainment in our communities. Last year, I wrote about the need for educator preparation programs to commit to listening, learning, and most importantly ensuring our students are prepared to serve as inclusive and equity-minded educators in our schools and communities. I invite you to read an overview of our efforts in this area (p. 21). We are indebted to our alumni of color of the Experiential Program for Preparing School Principals who shared their experiences and offered their expertise to ensure the program’s recruitment and retention strategy, curriculum, and leadership foundations prepare equity-minded and action-oriented school leaders. I encourage you to read about their contributions and impact on page xx. As we look to the coming year, the COE will redouble our commitments and actions toward inclusive and equitable education. We will consider what we have learned and unlearned in the last year and we will intentionally review what we need to transform, what we need to expand, and what we need to let go of in our curriculum and instructional practices. With hope and anticipation, we will move forward with our unwavering commitment to serve educators and to positively impact our schools and communities. I hope you—our valued supporters, friends, and alumni—will stay connected with the COE in the coming year. I look forward to continued collaboration, and I invite you to share your thoughts, questions, and ideas with me at bkandel@butler.edu.
With gratitude, Dr. Brooke Kandel-Cisco, Dean Butler University, College of Education
ABOUT the COLLEGE
COE Advancement Greetings All! My name is Michael Lofton and I serve as a Director of Development for Butler University Advancement and am the Lead Development Officer for The Butler University College of Education and the Lacy School of Business. I am currently in my fourth year at Butler University and it is my privilege to help lead the engagement and fundraising with the Deans of both COE and LSB and serve as a liaison for the Dean’s Advisory Boards and other advisory boards as needed. Over the past 15 months, being able to work with Dean Brooke Kandel-Cisco and other COE leaders has been some of the most rewarding work that I have ever been a part of in my professional career. Her vision for the COE focused on equity and inclusion is one that resonates with our University community and the Indianapolis region. With an emphasis on expanding and deepening COE’s impact through pipelines, customization, and partnerships, the College is prepared to take the next step in its fundraising and engagement efforts.
Butler University and Ivy Tech Community College Announce Statewide Transfer Agreement Ivy Tech Community College and Butler University have partnered to create their first transfer agreement, making a seamless process for students to earn a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education. This agreement also seeks to address Indiana’s teacher shortage by providing an affordable pathway. Under the agreement, any Ivy Tech student that completes an Associate of Science in Elementary Education degree can directly transfer to Butler University’s Elementary Education program with junior standing. “Ivy Tech is elated to announce this new partnership with Butler University, not only to create an affordable and seamless transfer experience, but to address the critical shortage of educators in our state,” said Dr. Sue Ellspermann, president of Ivy Tech.
Some of our goals include the following: partnering with Dean Brooke Kandel-Cisco to create a vibrant, diverse, philanthropic advisory board , partnering with the Office of Strategic Partnerships and the Transformation Lab led by Dean Esteves and Melissa Beckwith to ensure COE’s inclusion for all corporate/foundation support.
Eligibility will require a 3.0 or higher cumulative grade point average and course grades of “C” or better. Additionally, students must also complete Butler University’s transfer application. Upon meeting these requirements, students may apply a minimum of 57 credit hours from their Ivy Tech associate degree toward requirements for Butler University’s Bachelor of Science degree in Education.
Over this past year, we have received very generous support throughout the College, but namely in the form of faculty support, scholarships, and the first DEI fund within any of the schools/colleges at Butler University. With the encouragement and connections of Dr. Lecklider with our EPPSP alumni, our goal is to create a new scholarship within the program for the start of the January term. Lastly, the College of Education has been awarded the second annual Butler Giving Circle Grant for a new mentoring program.
“Butler University is excited to open this door to a community and statewide partnership that not only will help address the teacher shortage, but will also increase access to Butler University and attainment of bachelor’s degrees in our state,” Dr. Brooke Kandel-Cisco, Dean of
Butler’s College of Education, said. “We look forward to this being the first of many agreements with Ivy Tech Community College.” Ivy Tech students interested in this opportunity can work with their academic advisor to confirm their academic plan meets all the requirements. To maximize savings, students can take advantage of scholarship and grant opportunities at both institutions. The agreement, which became effective December 10, 2020, remains in effect for two years. After two years, the institutions will review the agreement for renewal. For more information about Ivy Tech’s education program, visit IvyTech.edu/education. For information about Butler University, visit Butler.edu.
About Ivy Tech Community College Ivy Tech Community College is Indiana’s largest public postsecondary institution and the nation’s largest singly accredited statewide community college system, accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. Ivy Tech has campuses throughout Indiana and also serves thousands of students annually online. It serves as the state’s engine of workforce development, offering associate degree and short-term certificate programs, and trainings that align to the needs of the community. The College also offers courses and associate degree programs that seamlessly transfer to other colleges and universities in Indiana, as well as out of state, for a more affordable route to a Bachelor’s degree.
As the University closes in on its largest comprehensive campaign in its history, the Butler Beyond Campaign, we invite our alumni, supporters, and advocates to consider supporting the College of Education this fiscal year. Our main fundraising priorities are scholarships, community engagement, and educational partnership and faculty support funds. Please do not hesitate to reach out to me directly for more engagement opportunities within the College of Education. Thank you for all of your support for The College of Education and thank you for all you do for Butler University. Sincerely, Michael Lofton
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ABOUT the COLLEGE In the fall semester, Lecklider continued basing some of the program’s lessons on the challenges facing educators due to COVID-19. “During this pandemic,” she explains, “there has been a lot of weight on the shoulders of teachers and school leaders. Not only do you have to be concerned about maintaining safety during in-person classes—with social distancing, masks, and so on—but you also have some students attending classes virtually. That means you have to prepare for both the students you’ll have in front of you and the ones you’ll have online with you. The adaptations teachers need to make with this HyFlex model are just enormous.” The hybrid learning environment was relatively new for both Lecklider and her graduate students, most of whom were simultaneously teaching their own classes in K-12 schools. Luckily, they could all meet twice a week to share what they had learned.
The New Normal By: Katie Grieze I don’t think I have this perfect yet. How’s it going for you? What do we need to do differently? Susan Adams, Professor of Education, has asked those questions to her students again and again throughout the academic year. Even as she adapts to teaching in a hybrid learning environment, with a few students attending her classes in person and most tuning in on Zoom, she’s been making sure to explain her choices, ask for feedback, and create learning opportunities for future educators. “We are finding ways to make hybrid learning work,” Adams says. “I am super comfortable on Zoom—I had already been using it for five years before we went virtual last spring. But the difference for me, in education, is that I also have to be a model for my students: ‘Here’s how you do this. Here’s what I’m thinking. Here’s why I’m making this choice.’ I’m trying to be transparent and vulnerable, letting them watch me struggle out loud with those decisions.” One way Adams has done this is through implementing a practice she calls “class notes.” The shared documents are somewhat like weekly syllabi, outlining detailed plans for
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“It was different for me, and it was a lot of work,” Lecklider says. “But I have learned a lot from my students. We all just work together, and I try to be as supportive and understanding as possible. Extending grace during this pandemic has been increasingly important.” Lecklider added a “cool tools” section to each class session, carving out time for students to teach one another about different technologies and online platforms that can make it easier to hold hybrid classes. During one meeting, a student taught the group how to use FlipGrid, a website allowing teachers to create videobased discussion boards. Lecklider learned to use the platform right alongside her students. “With the experiential piece of the EPPSP program, we are in the trenches,” she says. “We cover things in class that students can practice on their own time, out in the field. With the pandemic, we are all in this at the same time and learning together.”
each class period and providing links to all the relevant resources. But unlike a typical syllabus that covers a broad schedule and might be updated once or twice throughout the term, “class notes” also serve as collaborative online spaces for students to share thoughts and reflections with one another. “This is something I never would have thought of if we weren’t partially virtual, but I’m not going to stop doing it after the pandemic is over,” Adams says. “It’s just so beautifully practical, and it’s another way for me to be transparent about our class plans and my thinking behind them.” Other faculty across the College of Education (COE) have also made the most of hybrid learning, using it as a lesson on the need to stay flexible in the classroom. COE Professor Deb Lecklider MS ’89 EPPSP serves as Director of Butler’s Experiential Program for Preparing School Principals (EPPSP). When it first became apparent last spring that reopening schools during the pandemic would not be easy, Lecklider and the graduate program’s cohort members switched gears to help provide school districts with the resources they would need to make difficult decisions. By the end of June, the class had interviewed more than 80 education experts and created a nearly 400-page guidebook of recommendations to support school leaders through the reopening process.
2021 COE
$17,345 $2,680 $9,385 $4,503 $700 $77
BY THE NUMBERS
Total dollars raised to allocations supporting COE
COE Annual Scholarship Fund COE Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Fund COE Dean’s Fund Martha Zetzl Memorial Award Touched By Angela Book Fund 9
STUDENTS
My Butler Story | Matthew Aspinwall ’23
Scholarship Stories | Making an Impact
College of Education Major: Elementary Education
School Counseling Scholarship Impact Jamie Rogers ’23
Hometown: Atlanta, GA
I am so thankful to have received a School Counseling scholarship this past year. I’ve known School Counseling was
Hailing from Atlanta, Georgia, Matthew Aspinwall knew that he wanted to explore colleges far from home. And, outside of geographic location, it was most important that the college he chose offered the major he wanted, Elementary Education, and that he would have opportunities to be in the classroom early on. “In order to be a teacher, you should learn by actually teaching,” he says. “Compared to
always the path for me ever since I worked with young students in high school on a service-learning project. I loved working with children and families and assisting them in getting the necessary things to be self-sufficient. I worked in several human services roles, all with children and families but not School Counseling. I currently work in my district’s Student Services Department. I have watched school counselors work in various positions, all while envisioning myself in that role. The fear of starting all over again kept me in that position. After committing to myself and my strong desire to be a School Counselor, I finally applied to the College of Education to pursue a career in School Counseling. After graduation,
the other schools I was looking at, Butler offered the most classroom experiences.”
I plan on working with students and families in urban education settings. Thanks to you, I am one step closer to that goal.
When he learned that College of Education (COE) students would be in the
Being awarded the Dr. Daisy (Marvel) Jones and Eva Young Wiles scholarships have lightened my financial burden in
classroom starting with their first year, he was sold. The cherry on top was when he
many ways, which allows me to focus more on the most important aspect of school: learning. Instead of figuring out how
learned that he would have a full year of student teaching—as opposed to just one semester—during his senior year. “That
to manage working extra hours to cover the cost of graduate school to my expenses, the scholarship has helped fill in
didn’t happen at any of the other schools I was looking at.”
the gap of additional income I needed. One of the most significant stressors for me before enrolling in the program was
Not only did Butler offer him the experiential opportunities he was looking for, but he also found that Butler’s faculty truly care for their students—another quality that helped set Butler apart.
paying the extra expense. I knew I wouldn’t qualify for need-based financial assistance scholarships because I currently work full-time hours every week. Receiving the scholarship helped fill the gap to receive financial assistance I might not have otherwise received because of financial eligibility. While I still had to borrow money to pay for graduate school, the scholarship ultimately has helped me decrease the amount of student loans I needed to complete my first year in the School Counseling program. Butler had several scholarships, and I applied with hopes of getting extra help to offset school expenses. Your generosity has eased my anxiety about how I would afford school and manage my debt. It has also inspired me to continue my volunteer work with Girl Scouts of Central Indiana, where I work with young girls in my community, building girls of courage, confidence, and character who make the world a better place. I hope one day I will help students in the school setting achieve their goals just as you are helping me achieve mine.
EPPSP Scholarship Impact Andrew Smeathers ’13 MS ’17 EPPSP ’21 In a year that was marked with many challenging moments, it is easy to overlook the moments that make a positive difference. Being the recipient of two scholarships through the College of Education, The Dr. Daisy (Marvel) Jones and Jerry L Burris Educational Leadership Scholarships have helped me to remember how much happiness can come from the support and encouragement of those closest to us. Butler University College of Education has provided me, and my wife Shelbi ’14, careers where we get to give back and support students to achieve their dreams. To be a recipient of these scholarships encourages me to continue to follow my dreams, better myself, and help create the next generation of schools as a school administrator. I am humbled to receive these awards. I am thankful to those who, through their generosity, ensure future teachers, counselors, and principals are prepared and supported in being a catalyst for generations of students to come. Once a Dawg always a Dawg!
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STUDENTS
YCD Interns Create an Immersive Learning Experience and Fundraiser Think of the most exciting field trip you’ve ever been on. Did
and Butler serves as the facility host for the Horizons
it leave you feeling energized to learn more? Most great field
opportunity was especially unique because it resembled the
middle school summer program. These connections were
trips do. In response to a need for more engaging, experiential
field trips that Horizons students benefit from during their
extremely helpful resources while Amanda and Maycie
learning opportunities for students, Butler College of Education
summer program. The funds raised will sponsor the field
were striving to form partnerships with several local
Youth and Community Development (YCD) interns launched a
trips on Horizons summer program and throughout the year.
nonprofits, to secure sponsorships from Butler alumni,
new immersive learning experience and fundraiser: A Picture
Although the 2021 A Picture in Time event has already ended,
and to gain the expertise of faculty from two colleges. This
in Time for Horizons at
there are discussions with
St. Richard’s Episcopal
Horizons staff to make this an
School. This event raised
annual event.
money through corporate sponsorships and ticketed admission to raise money for Horizons field trips. YCD interns Maycie
Horizons at St. Richard’s
network has only expanded through A Picture in Time. A Picture in Time was made possible through new partnerships the COE interns helped form with several organizations. These include local nonprofits, such as
Episcopal School serves
the Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library and the Indiana
under-resourced children in
Historical Society. Sponsorships were also secured from
Indianapolis and strives to
Butler alumni business owners, including Joy Mason
address the disproportionate
from Optimist Business Solutions. Butler became a hub of
Farrell ’21 and Amanda
summer learning loss that they
connections for Horizons which brought this event to life,
Murphy ’21 responded to
experience. This primarily
and these sustained partnerships will help bring students
the need for more in person
occurs through Horizons’
new learning opportunities in the future.
learning experiences in
annual tuition-free summer
the wake of the COVID-19
program that approximately
shutdowns through this
160 children attend. Through
event. A Picture in Time’s
this program, students
immersive nature allowed
achieve an average gain of 2-3
people of all ages to
months in math and reading
experience Indianapolis
skills, students participate in
in a totally new way.
swimming and improve by at
Although there was ticketed
least two skill levels from the
admission for general
Red Cross, and many students
community members,
self-report that they are more
Horizon’s families were
aware of how to eat a nutritious
admitted for free to
diet. One unique aspect of
uphold the organization’s
the Horizon’s program is that
mission of providing free
once a student is accepted,
enrichment opportunities for their students and their families.
they are invited to remain in the program until they graduate
Narrowing the opportunity gap for under-resourced students
from eighth grade — regardless of any changes in their family’s
through tangible learning experiences is a core goal of the
economic status. The services that Horizons at SRES provides
Horizons program.
can be a life changing experience for students, and their work is
A Picture in Time was a city-wide scavenger hunt that brought
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to learn about each location’s history. This fundraising
making a significant difference in the Indianapolis community.
Indiana’s history to life by allowing participants to experience
Throughout Maycie and Amanda’s internship and while
downtown Indianapolis like never before. The event kicked off
developing this event, the Butler network was an invaluable
on April 17, 2021, and was live for asynchronous participation
resource. So far, Butler University and Horizons at St. Richards
through May 15, 2021. Horizons families and community
are connected through multiple channels. For instance, two
members utilized an interactive scavenger hunt app to visit
Butler professors serve as Horizon board members, a graduate
eight mystery locations while completing fun secret missions
from Butler’s EPPSP Program is Horizon’s Executive Director,
Maycie and Amanda recently graduated from the College of Education with a Bachelor of Science degree in Youth and Community Development. This major is a new addition to the COE and sets Butler students up to expand the educational opportunities for young people outside of the classroom. Horizons at St. Richards is just one example of the many organizations and opportunities that Youth and Community Development students can learn from and be a part of. Maycie and Amanda both have gained valuable skills, knowledge, and experience through their capstone
Youth and Community Development The College of Education understands that the role of professional educators extends beyond the traditional classroom. Through the COE’s newest major—Youth and Community Development (YCD)—students are prepared to be well-informed advocates for high-quality educational and outreach practices in community settings. In addition to 39 hours of professional education coursework, students select a concentration area to provide more in-depth knowledge.
FIVE AREAS OF CONCENTRATION INCLUDE: • Sociology with an emphasis in Socail Work • Recreation and Sport Studies • Human Communication and Organizational Leadership • Arts Administration • Entrepreneurship and Innovation
internship. This hands-on experience creating a fundraiser and educational event from scratch has allowed them to feel more confident as they proceed into life after graduation. The Butler and Horizons partnership began with alumni who are passionate about equitable education, was deepened through Maycie and Amanda’s full-time capstone internship, and was expanded through the local connections they established. The combined time, efforts, and resources of this enthusiastic team will help make education and enrichment opportunities more accessible to students and the Indianapolis community.
The capstone experience in the senior year, similar to student teaching, is a full-time internship that aligns with both the major and the area of concentration. Organizations hire our graduates for positions in museums, nonprofit youth organizations, educational policy roles, recreation and sports programs, and community centers.
Learn more: https://www.horizonsindy.org/a-picture-in-time-info
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ALUMNI
EPPSP Graduates of Color Unite EPPSP Graduates of Color were invited to meet virtually for the purpose of collaborating and finding ways to improve our program. Jim Ellsberry, former director, stated, “As good as we are, how can we get better?” Three leaders from the EPPSP Graduates of Color group collaborated sharing their perspectives on what the group has been working on during the last year.
“Why this? Why Now?” Ms. Flora Jones MS ’16 EPPSP
The Butler University Experiential Program for Preparing School Principals (EPPSP) Graduate Program has been a program that has provided opportunities for educational leaders to become extraordinary in the area of school leadership, curriculum and instruction, diversity and equity, and academic excellence. The EPPSP program has provided opportunities for students of color to advance within the educational arena and pursue leadership roles that have created systemic changes that have led to greater student outcomes. Because of the Butler EPPSP Mission and Vision, as well as the current state of educational equity and access, it is time for the Butler Graduates of Color to take a stand and give back to the program and the students who identify as students of color. In giving back, alumni of color must address the current state of recruitment, curriculum and instruction, financial accessibility for all and student retention. The vision of the work is to create a dialogue of collaboration with colleagues of color with the possibility of creating a movement and not just a moment. EPPSP Graduates of Color seek to support the EPPSP programming with our focus on equitable services to all Butler EPPSP students, past and present. Graduates of Color are encouraged and persuaded to continue this work in partnership with the Butler University EPPSP Program. Graduates of Color possess the voice that is needed in times like these, with social justice on the rise, Graduates of Color are the chosen educators who can make a difference! Insight and guidance from this collective will increase the number of students of color who have not yet been tapped, but certainly deserve to be tapped, to receive the high quality programming that the Butler University EPPSP Program provides. Equitable access is the key to increasing and retaining students of color, ensuring that their unlimited potential is tapped and cultivating a culture of scholars who will lead our nation in the pursuit of academic excellence!
“An Overview of the Work.”
Dr. Jamyce Curtis Banks MS ’98 EPPSP The EPPSP program “standards and principles support the development of instructional leaders who are equipped to lead in a complex society and in a variety of challenging leadership roles.” In these times that “complex society” includes the impact of social unrest and a pandemic, and like all other organizations and groups, EPPSP is reflecting on how to best equip future leaders to address the complexities. EPPSP is reflective in its practices and has a network of alumni that can contribute to reflectiveness in practice. As a result, EPPSP graduates of color were offered the opportunity to share their EPPSP experiences and how the program could address diversity, equity and inclusion to support the ability of all EPPSP alumni to be effective leaders. Dr. Lecklider and Dean Kandel-Cisco, both welcomed and encouraged the courageous conversations and sharing of experiences of the group that included alumni across over 30
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years of the program and a diverse range of cultural experiences. And, true to EPPSP, sharing was the start but action was the goal. Also true to EPPSP, the action was to come from and be supported by the group. As a result, the discussions were synthesized into three areas and alumni joined these groups with several key outcomes: Recruitment and Retention discussion resulted in strategies for recruitment including bringing together alumni of color for “recruitment nights,” social media marketing/ promotion that provide opportunities to create presence within communities of color, and alumni of color becoming ambassadors by reaching out to and matching specific people and forming district partnerships. Strategies for retention included establishment of an EPPSP Black Affinity Group as a safe space for students of color to gather, bringing administrators of color as speakers and mentors to share expertise and scholarships to support financial need. The key questions for the Curriculum & Instruction group were, “Do you believe that the coursework, handouts, materials, and speakers were presented with a multicultural, equitable viewpoint?” and “Was the curriculum inclusive of all stakeholders?” To that end, the discussions of the group included areas that should be addressed in the EPPSP curriculum and projects to develop culturally responsive leadership skills, such as raising awareness about personal strength/growth areas as it pertains to equity issues, the ability to coach courageous and uncomfortable conversations as well as the capacity to understand and support each person/teacher/family in the school community. The New Approach for Instructional Leadership group began its discussion with a conversation on innovation using an article from Forbes Magazine on characteristics of innovators (https://bit.ly/10TraitsInnovators). These characteristics were the foundation for the actions generated by the group. To support EPPSP students of color developing the ability to engage in innovation, the group proposed a speaker series and mentorship program of EPPSP alumni with an equity focus.
“The next phase of the work.” Dr. Brian Dinkins MS ’07 EPPSP
After several months of committed planning, the breakout group leaders met with Dr. Lecklider to identify opportunities to maintain momentum while shifting to a more explicit focus on recruiting and mentorship for current and future EPPSP students. The consolidation of thoughts, ideas, and recommendations from previous working groups allowed for the development of new mentoring and recruitment initiatives. The expansion also increased leadership opportunities to capitalize on the expertise, skills, and experiences of many alumni. The new focus on recruitment, building on the initial work, includes initiatives like EPPSP ambassadors of color, a social media promotional team, school district recruitment nights, and the development of district teacher pathways into the EPPSP program. The goal of the more explicit focus on recruitment is to expand the exposure of EPPSP by providing alumni of color the opportunity to use their voice and platform as a means of sharing the impact of Butler. Our approach also hopes to grow district partnerships by helping enhance school leadership capacity by developing aspiring teacher leaders through EPPSP. The opportunity to increase mentoring opportunities for EPPSP students of color was identified as a need. Initiatives such as the EPPSP speaker series, mentors of color, and students of color affinity groups are strategic priorities to help strengthen equitable experiences for all EPPSP students. This explicit focus on mentoring also hopes to bring more experienced leaders of color to campus to share their experiences while creating a mentoring framework that allows current students access to a network of graduates of color for current and future support. James Balwin said, “Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.” Dr. Lecklider models authentic leadership and a vision for educational equity. Bringing together Butler EPPSP Alumni of Color and providing voice are the first steps to equitable and sustainable change. EPPSP has been a beacon of light in education for decades, so excitement is high, and commitment is strong to continue building upon a great legacy.
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ALUMNI
Honoring A Mother’s Legacy: Donor Gift Supports College of Education Faculty By Jennifer Gunnels As John Steele ’92 approached the 25th anniversary of his mother’s death earlier this summer, he discussed with his wife and father how the family might mark the occasion in a way that would honor her memory.
The fund will also provide support for COE faculty to offer professional development and instructional coaching for local K-12 educators working with students with special learning needs. Thanks to the Steele fund, this training can be provided at little or no cost for schools with limited resources.
A lifelong learner and dedicated educator, Shirley Luhn Steele MS ’82, died of cancer in 1995 at the age of 56. At the time of her death, she was working at The Orchard School as Head of Support Services and pursuing a PhD in neuropsychology at Indiana State University. This year, through a major gift to the College of Education (COE), John Steele established the Shirley Luhn Steele Faculty Support Endowed Fund in honor of his mother’s continuous efforts to further her own education for the benefit of her students. The gift is the first of its kind at Butler to specifically support faculty in the COE.
John Steele is proud the fund will bear the name of a woman he says embodied all the qualities of a great educator. Even while battling multiple myeloma, Shirley Luhn Steele continued to show up for her students in spite of her pain. “I can’t think of a better role model in terms of a person of strong faith, humility, and just hard work and perseverance,” Steele says. “She came from very poor beginnings, and was the first person in her family to go to college. Through her own educational efforts and determination to continue improving herself, she influenced many lives with her dedication to her students.”
The fund will support faculty research, leadership development, scholarly engagement opportunities, and other specialized continuing education with a particular focus on supporting faculty in the area of special education and learning disabilities. The $125,000 gift will be matched over the next several years at a 1:1 ratio by John Steele’s employer, Eli Lilly and Company, doubling the impact of the gift. Shirley Luhn Steele taught for nearly 20 years at The Orchard School, beginning as a teacher’s aide and taking on roles with increasing responsibilities as her own training grew. She earned her master’s degree in Education at Butler in 1982 and later earned a certificate in Special Education in 1991. Steele was especially dedicated to helping students with learning disabilities succeed. “This was a sad milestone, but a milestone nonetheless. We wanted to find a way to honor her and also meet a need for Butler, which has a special place in my heart as a graduate myself,” John Steele says. “This fund is a good reflection of what my mom did as an educator for students with learning disabilities, continuing her training so she could pass that knowledge on to her students. The stars kind of aligned, and this seemed like the right thing to do at the right time.” Dr. Brooke Kandel-Cisco, COE Dean, says the fund will support faculty research in the area of Special Education, such as a project on which Dr. Suneeta Kercood and Dr. Kelli Esteves are currently collaborating with faculty who specialize in English as a Second Language. Within the project, Kercood and Esteves are investigating barriers
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special education practices from around the world, and engagement and leadership development connected to faculty involvement with professional associations focusing on Special Education, such as the Council for Exceptional Children.
Innovations in Teaching and Learning is one of the pillars of the Butler Beyond $250 million comprehensive fundraising
campaign. The University aims to raise $20 million in new funding for faculty through endowed faculty positions and funds like the Shirley Luhn Steele Faculty Support Endowed Fund, which will help Butler to attract and retain the nation’s top scholars. “The Shirley Luhn Steele Faculty Support Endowed Fund is a tremendous gift to the COE faculty, the Butler students they teach, and the thousands of children our COE graduates will educate in their classrooms throughout their careers,” says Kathryn Morris, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs. “Investing in the excellence of our faculty will have ripple effects well beyond our imagination.”
Innovations in Teaching and Learning One of the distinguishing features of a Butler education has always been the meaningful and enduring relationships between our faculty and students. Gifts to this pillar during the Butler Beyond comprehensive fundraising campaign will accelerate our commitment to investing in faculty excellence by adding endowed positions, supporting faculty scholarship and research, renovating and expanding stateof-the-art teaching facilities, and more. Learn more, make a gift, and read other stories like this one at beyond.butler.edu.
and supports that dual-identified students and their families encounter in special education, English language development, and K-12 inclusive settings, and identifying practices that will promote equity and access in these settings. Kandel-Cisco says research studies such as this one allow faculty to collect pilot data, which enhances their ability to secure large federally funded grants to support research programs. “Faculty support funds such as the Shirley Luhn Steele Faculty Support Fund are so important because they enhance faculty excellence and innovation in teaching, research, and curriculum development, which in turn has a positive impact on students and practitioners,” Kandel-Cisco says. Along with research support, other possible uses for the fund include support for Butler’s community partnership with Special Olympics of Indiana, which involves COE undergraduate and graduate students and aims to increase inclusion efforts on campus, international opportunities that allow faculty to learn about and conduct research on
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ALUMNI
Catching up with Blue
My Dad helps keep my program a well-oiled machine on the backend while I reel people in with the charm. He takes great care of me, helps me run my social pages, and keeps me looking good. Most importantly, we have gotten really good at creating two modes; “work mode” and “home mode” even when work mode may be happening at home. While I do think my job is fun, like any human with a job it is important to draw a thick line between work and time for myself. When we are working, Dad and I have a co-worker relationship, we are working together in a professional manner with the goal of representing Butler. Then we can turn that off when we log off for the day and our relationship can resemble a dog/human relationship. In all honesty I think my parents are obsessed with me, I am very, very, very well loved.
Evan, what’s been a highlight of this year for you, given that yours and Blue’s duties have shifted a bit to meet pandemic guidelines? Just like Blue, for me the highlight has been the people. To be able to have a front row seat to watching our students adapt to this once in a lifetime scenario and not just survive but thrive in their time was remarkable. There is just something special about our corner of Indy and I am so grateful to be a part of it every single day. To learn more about Butler’s mascot program, check out the Netflix episode “Much Ado About Blue” from the docuseries Dogs.
What are your favorite treats? 1. Apples 2. Watermelon 3. Cheese
How has your first full school year as the Butler University Mascot gone for you?
Which College is your favorite? (blink twice if it’s COE…)
When you hang with Uncle Trip, what do you do for fun?
Welp, it’s definitely not the first year I or anyone was expecting. However, like my fellow Bulldogs here on campus I found ways to adapt in a pandemic so that I could continue to thrive. Even though this was a tough year, I think the lessons we have learned and the things we will no longer take for granted will make us stronger.
I LOVE EVERY COLLEGE EQUALLY.
Mostly I just run around him in circles trying to convince him to play. If he doesn’t want to then I play fetch with his human brothers. They are great bulldog wranglers themselves. When Trip does want to play we love to chase geese, run around Hinkle Fieldhouse, and we love to ruin a fresh coat of snow with bulldog tracks. We have also been known to split a Benebone treat.
Because of the pandemic, live appearances were minimized. How do you stay connected? I was luckily able to attend a handful of in-person appearances in a safe manner. A special shout out to our students for following protocol, our Arts & Events team, and our Health Services team for helping us facilitate those events. Those were very special to me to be able to spend time with our students. But with the pandemic I have had to get creative in how I connect with the world. The Butler Bulldogs have always been on the cutting edge of the social media world so I was able to lean into the digital world to communicate to our community. I explored live meetups on Instagram, launched my Tik Tok, and revamped my Snapchat game. While I know nothing can replace Bulldog pets, I hope my photos on social media bring a smile to my followers’ faces every single day.
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What is your favorite thing about being a live mascot? I’m in it for the people. Hands down. My perfect day would be a day full of spending time with Butler students, hearing about their classes, and letting them know how proud of them I am. Butler is full of the most wonderful, driven, and talented people and it is an honor to not just spend time with them but to be their representative.
What’s it like working and living with your handler, Evan Krauss ’16? Do you have a work/life balance? HA, Handler! We all know I am in charge over here. All jokes aside, we have such a weird work/life balance. Not only is this job such a lifestyle-based job with the weird hours and availability but we also live right here on campus. Even though we live on campus, because of COVID, we are still operating mostly out of our apartment. So our commute is 5 short steps from the desk to the couch. However, it’s such a blessing to be here every day. It helps me be more available so that I can attend as many events as possible and spend time with as many students, alumni, and fans as I can.
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FACULTY and STAFF
How the Guyer Chair Provided New Teaching Ideas By Lisa Farley
DEI in the COE By Chasadee Minton
Dr. Lisa Farley was awarded the Guyer Chair in Education in 2020. Richard W. Guyer ’48 MS ’50 Chair is awarded to a junior faculty member in the College of Education who exemplifies “values such as: compassion, integrity, dedication, servant leadership, and concern for the education of the whole student. Specifically, the recipient should be someone who advances the work of the College of Education and Butler University, demonstrates a deep caring and concern for students, and builds collaborations with the broader educational community.” What a year! Like most people, I was challenged to find new ways to help students learn, with a whole lot of variables to consider. Due to lower numbers allowed in the classroom, I implemented a “Hy-Flex” model of instruction for half in-person and half on-Zoom attendance in many of my classes. Some classes were lucky to have everyone together, unless students were quarantined for covid or contact tracing. Their Zoom attendance often came with very little notice. That was particularly challenging for classes where students were learning skills in the Human Movement & Health Science Education (PE prefix) courses. Luckily for me, and thanks to the Richard W. Guyer Chair in Education, I was given the opportunity to include some unique teaching equipment to innovate my teaching strategies. Since we were already learning new ways to teach, the timing was perfect!
Skill Development Have you heard about the latest sport craze? Pickleball has been a sport for 50 years, but has only recently gained traction in the community. It is now considered the fastest growing sport in America-and possibly the world. Dr. Mindy Welch had the foresight to include it in our curriculum 11 years ago at Butler University, the first university in the Indianapolis area to teach Pickleball to students and to offer it as drop-in fun for the whole Butler community. We have been teaching Pickleball in the Human Movement & Health Science Education (HMHSE) program and now have been approved to offer Pickleball as a Physical Well Being (PWB) course in the Core Curriculum. Additionally, during my fall 2019 sabbatical, I taught it to both Staff and Students at Vallentuna High School in Sweden and explored the possibility of teaching it in Switzerland. As an avid player, I’m always looking for ways to help people improve their playing skills and fitness levels. Late this past fall, funds from the Guyer Chair allowed me to purchase a Tutor Plus Pickleball Machine with an automatic ball feed that helps students hone their playing skills and offers more practice time. It provided us a way to allow students to play when we unexpectedly had reduced numbers in class due to covid issues. While we typically had 20
enough students playing on at least one court, we could set up the machine with the oscillator to feed practice balls to those waiting to get into a game, maximizing instructional time-a win-win for everyone. Students learned the game, had great practice opportunities, and learned how to use the machine for their own future teaching. My hope is to take the machine into communities where Pickleball isn’t yet offered to help others discover this lifetime sport, where people frequently play into their 80s!
Virtual Reality
Butler University has pledged to increase efforts in the areas of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). Butler was founded by abolitionist Ovid Butler, who believed that all people deserve an education, without regard to race or gender. Recently, Butler has reaffirmed its founding ideals and has created various avenues to continue building a University community that is inclusive and welcoming. Each College, department, and student group has been asked to evaluate their respective areas and identify opportunities for growth and action toward more equitable and inclusive educational experiences . The COE supports the University’s DEI efforts and is working to align our goals and take meaningful action in the area of DEI. In the 2020-21 academic year, these are some of the steps we’ve taken to more fully live into the ideals on which Butler University was founded.
Like everyone during Covid, there were times I would have loved to escape reality…. then a COE colleague led me to learning more about Virtual Reality (VR). What I learned, thanks to the Guyer Chair, was that the use of VR for fitness training was a game changer! I purchased the Oculus Quest 2 early in the spring semester to help my students learn about this technology and how it might help people find new ways to work out and increase their fitness. For my Foundations of Fitness and Health students, they used it as an investigative tool as well as an instructional tool. Students used it throughout the semester to determine how it might be used in fitness and training. Toward the end of the semester, students taught with it as a training tool for cardiovascular fitness. We even used it with one student on Zoom. While we only had one to use, we could screencast what the user was doing so the others could observe and provide feedback. It was also a way to keep the group numbers lower for the “group fitness” teaching portion of the class when we were a full group.
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Faculty and staff created DEI professional growth plans and submitted them to Dean Kandel-Cisco at the beginning of the academic year. The submitted plans were used to plan professional learning opportunities throughout the academic year. Beginning with 2021-22, all University faculty will submit DEI goals as a part of the faculty evaluation system.
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Dr. Susan Adams was named the inaugural COE Faculty Director of DEI and will work with faculty directors from other Colleges across the University to ensure that DEI becomes an integral part of discussions taking place from the student experience through the University administration.
In the Internships in Physical Education class, one student used it with a client as a training tool for rehabilitation on a shoulder injury. The student, his client, and the Internship Site Supervisor all loved the technology and how it allowed them to find new ways to do the work to heal. This allowed us all to include innovative technology and think outside the traditional ways of teaching fitness!
• The EPPSP Master’s program created a “Graduates of Color” group to address several areas related to DEI in teaching. Their goal is to support equitable access for all EPPSP students; past, present, and future. They also wish to “tap” more educators of color to continue with to pursue advanced degrees and additional licensure through the EPPSP program and pursue the EPPSP program, increasing diversity in educational administration.
I appreciate such a wonderful opportunity. I look forward to more innovation, but more in-class time with students too!
• Faculty and staff re-envisioned the COE’s existing core values to more explicitly state our commitments to DEI. The core values, now call Shared Commitments were affirmed in our College meeting in May 2021.
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The newly created College of Education Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion fund raised nearly $10k on the Day of Giving 2021. If you wish to contribute to the COE DEI fund, please visit: www.butler.edu/gifts and select “Designation,” and select “Other Designation,” then type “COE Diversity Fund” within the box.
• In June of 2021, the Butler Giving Circle awarded its second annual community partnership grant in the amount of $12,065 to the College of Education (COE) to support the development of a new mentoring program in which experienced teachers of color from the Partnership for Inquiry Learning’s Leadership Group will mentor small groups of COE students in inclusive, culturally responsive, and anti-racist teaching. •
COE staff committed to a yearlong book study into DEI, reading three books related to the topic. In 2020, Butler University invited Dr. Ibrahim X. Kendi, author of How to be an Anti-Racist to speak for our Fall Faculty Workshop. One of the books staff chose to read was Dr. Kendi’s book, mentioned above. Out of this book study, staff met online for deep discussions and asked thoughtful questions that sometimes required additional research. They plan to continue seeking opportunities to learn more about DEI and take action to make the COE a more inclusive place.
• Dr. Brooke Kandel-Cisco, Dean of COE, was selected to serve on the President’s Council on DEI. While these are just a few examples of how the COE has committed to DEI, we understand that disrupting systemic and curricular inequities will require steadfast introspection, honest evaluation, and personal hard work for the long haul as we continue to engage in learning and action in the long-term.
To Give
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FACULTY and STAFF
Second Annual Butler Giving Circle Grant Awarded to College of Education for New Mentoring Program By Jennifer Gunnels social justice and educational equity.
The Butler Giving Circle has awarded its second annual community partnership grant to the College of Education (COE) to support the development of a new mentoring program in which experienced teachers of color from the Partnership for Inquiry Learning’s Leadership Group will mentor small groups of COE students in inclusive, culturally responsive, and anti-racist teaching. The COE’s proposal, entitled Mentoring Toward Social Justice and Equity in our Schools and Communities, was selected from among three finalists to receive the $12,065 grant at the Giving Circle’s annual shareholder meeting on June 4. In the new mentoring program, five teacher-leaders of color from the Partnership for Inquiry Learning will meet with small groups of COE students at least once per month throughout the 2021-22 academic year to focus on relationship building, discussing and applying learnings from shared readings and coursework, and learning about successes in the mentor’s school community. Participants will then share what was learned through the program at local education conferences and with COE faculty, staff, and students, thereby expanding the program’s impact beyond its direct participants. Dr. Susan Adamson, Director of the Partnership for Inquiry Learning and a COE faculty member, will lead the program in collaboration with COE Dean Brooke KandelCisco, who says she hopes to see the mentoring program become sustainable in the long term as one component of a comprehensive approach to preparing teachers toward 22
“This generous funding will allow COE students to learn alongside an expert teacher mentor of color while also supporting and raising the profile of the teacher mentors of color as they share their expertise and refine their leadership competencies,” Kandel-Cisco says. “Our COE students will soon be educators, spread out across Indiana and beyond, and we are laser-focused on ensuring all our students are culturally and linguistically responsive educators with knowledge and experience working to advance social justice within schools and communities.” The mentoring program aligns with the University’s Butler Beyond strategic priority of creating an intentionally diverse, inclusive, and equitable learning and working environment through the curriculum, co-curricular learning, scholarship, and community engagement. The program will also support the COE’s strategic efforts to develop pipelines for recruiting and retaining a diverse corps of teachers. According to recent state data, approximately 93 percent of Indiana teachers identify as white, a number not reflective of the Indiana K-12 student population. “We know that teachers are the most influential in-school factor impacting K-12 student academic outcomes and that students benefit from teacher racial diversity,” Adamson says. “As a result of our highly experiential and communitybased teacher preparation approach, COE students will be able to immediately apply what they learn from this mentoring program for the benefit of local K-12 students.” Giving Circle Shareholder Ted Argus ’08 said the COE’s proposal stood out from among the other finalists because of its potential for having a long-term compounding effect on some of the root issues in education. “In many school settings, the teaching professionals do not always resemble the makeup of the students within the
school. A student who sees someone like themselves as a teacher is more likely to look at education as a potential career path or just simply be more engaged in learning,” Argus says. “Supporting pre-service teachers with mentorships and giving leadership opportunities to teacher leader mentors of color will help to tackle some of the prevailing issues in education, including the development and retention of excellent teachers.” The Butler Giving Circle was established in 2019 and is designed to connect alumni to their philanthropic areas of passion, focused on two mission-critical elements of the University’s Butler Beyond comprehensive fundraising campaign: student scholarships and Indianapolis community partnerships. With an annual gift of $500, Butler alumni can become shareholders in the Butler Giving Circle. After shareholder funds are pooled, 40 percent of the funds are directed to the Butler Fund for Student Scholarship, 40 percent are granted to an Indianapolis community partner with an existing affiliation to Butler, and 20 percent are used to fund experiential learning opportunities such as student internships for Butler students with Project 44, the Giving Circle’s priority partner. Current Butler students and faculty who are engaged with Indianapolis community partners were invited to apply for the partner funding earlier this year by submitting project ideas. After an initial review of six applicant projects by Butler leadership and the Butler Giving Circle Executive Committee, three finalists were chosen to present their ideas for use of the funds at the June 4 shareholder meeting. In keeping with the Butler Giving Circle’s funding priorities, $12,065 of this year’s shareholder funds will be directed to the Butler Fund for Student Scholarship and $6,032 will be used to fund student learning opportunities with Project 44. Participation in the Butler Giving Circle increased significantly in its second year, with 52 shareholders in 2021, up from 32 shareholders in 2020. New shareholders can join the Butler Giving Circle at any time by making a gift at butler.edu/givingcircle or by contacting Associate Director of Butler Community Engagement Chelsea Hennessy ’12 at chennessy@ butler.edu.
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Faculty and Staff Highlights Nick Abel › Wrote and submitted the school counseling program’s selfstudy and application for re-accreditation by CACREP. › Co-presented with Dr. Oliver, Dr. Keller, and Lab School 55 counselor Aaron Munson at the Evidence-Based School Counseling Conference in March.
Susan Adams › I offered all of my students HyFlex class meeting options all year, but most opted to meet virtually on Zoom. Students credited the use of standing teams to provide ongoing academic, social, and emotional support across the entire semester in all of my courses. They also appreciated new opening moves rituals which provide focus and readiness for class activities. › Co-edited a special issue of Theory Into Practice on ELL family engagement featuring the work of nationally recognized scholars, including Katie Brooks and Cathy Bhathena, COE. I presented an AERA Division B paper session on an extension of ongoing curriculum theorizing work with Dr. Jamie Buffington-Adams, IU East.
Susan Adamson › As director of the Partnership for Inquiry Learning, received $70,000 in Phase I of a project with the Indiana Dept of Ed for standards-based support in the teaching of reading and mathematics for grades 2-5 in remote or classroom settings featuring Ryan Flessner, Courtney Flessner ’97, Matt Glover, Kathy Collins, Donalyn Miller, Lester Laminack. › Made my virtual debut, presenting three workshops for pre-K and K educators on teaching reading and writing to our littlest learners.
Katie Brooks › Completed my 5th and final year of my $2 million US Department of Education grant. 70 teachers earned an ENL license and an additional 17 teachers earned both a secondary content area and ENL license. › Published articles in Theory into Practice and Multicultural Education on the collaborative family engagement model that I have been developing in conjunction with immigrant communities.
Deborah Corpus ’74 › Worked as Associate Dean with COE students who required special accommodations because of Covid-19. › Taught ED308 and developed an online practicum for the 24
classes with the 4th grade students and teachers at Central Elementary in MSD Pike Township.
Lori Desautels ’84 › Growing the online certification in applied educational neuroscience with over 80 graduate students from 16 states and two countries as a part of cohort 6. › Connections Over Compliance Rewiring Our Perceptions of Discipline is being read and studied by over 100 plus school districts across the country and Canada.
Karen FarrelL MS ’91
Arthur Hochman
› Completed EPP Annual Report, TITLE II Reports, IPRC Report.
› Worked with alum Meredith Schaar, senior Angela Kotsonis, and current students to create an identity curriculum for 5th graders.
› Attended CAEPcon in Spring 2021 for accreditation updates.
Ryan Flessner ’97
Kelli Esteves
› Along with Courtney Flessner ’97, created 25 videos for teachers addressing mathematics standards in grades 2-5 for the Indiana Department of Education. Videos can be accessed at: https://www.doe.in.gov/standards/partnershipinquiry-learning
› Co-authored an article with Dr. Shelly Furuness titled Social Imagination Project: Fostering Empathy in Pre-Service Teachers by Reading Children’s Books Featuring Characters Who Have Disabilities. The article, published in the Journal of Teacher Action Research, addresses case study research done while we co-taught in COE foundations courses.
› Continued serving on the Board of Directors for the Indiana Council of Teachers of Mathematics. Chaired the Professional Development Committee and served as a member of the Equity and Social Justice Committee two groups that collaborated to host a series of webinars throughout the year.
› Served as the College of Education’s accreditation coordinator.
Fritz Ettl › I saw our students do their best and adapt to many uncertainties, especially during PE 369, “Supervised Coaching Experiences” during the fall semester. For this class, we met at the Shortridge High School track once a week, rain or shine, and with our own resistance training equipment in hand. Even though we were never certain whether SHS students would show up, but, we were always there and luckily the SHS students always showed up too--even on a couple of cold, rainy November evenings.. › I appreciated the collaborative work I’ve been able to do with Professor Cathy Hartman. Together we helped our undergraduates coaching Shortridge H.S. student-athletes create a smartphone coaching app by using Reggio-inspired documentation practices. We then wrote about that experience in a brief article that was featured in a recent IACTE newsletter.
Lisa Farley › Due to needing to stay on campus (Covid protocol), the PE 203 Golf and Pickleball class studied and learned Disc Golf. With equipment purchased from the Guyer Chair in Education award, we created a portable course on campus, leading to conversations about the sport as a recreational activity. › Taught most of my classes for the whole year as HyFlex classes where half the class is in the classroom and half is on Zoom. This new instructional strategy was part of overloads for both semesters and appeared to work well based on student comments.
Shelly Furuness MS ’05
› Worked with alum Ashley Pistello and current students to create advocacy videos for SafeUT crisis intervention.
Tom Keller › Taught classes using Flipped Classroom method. Student comments were very positive. › Co-presented with Drs. Abel, Oliver, and Lab School 55 counselor Aaron Munson at the Evidence-Based School Counseling Conference in March.
Susan Kleinman and Flo Barnes › Successfully ran the first full-year cohort of LMHC (Licensed Mental Health Counseling) fully online program with 36 students. Transition to online was planned and not due to COVID.
› In collaboration with seven Middle-Secondary Program alumni, we launched a fully Virtual PLC called “Teacher Led, Teacher Ed” to provide content specific methods support for pre-service and in-service teachers of English, math, science, social studies, world language and ENL.
› In order to maximize quality of the student experience, piloted the use of a team approach to building quality online programming. Team comprised of: Curriculum Designer, Program Manager and Content Expert (Course Instructor).
› Earned promotion to the rank of full professor.
Deb Lecklider MS ’89 EPPSP
Erin Garriott › Participated in weekly Zoom “Walk and Talks” with friends from Washington Township Special Olympics and in a virtual ALPs with Special Olympic athletes from across the state. › Wrapped up my fourth semester of grad work at the University of Dayton. In a couple more years, I will have my doctorate degree in Organizational Leadership through Diversity and Inclusion. A shout out to Dr. Ettl for being part of my dissertation committee as I research and evaluate data collected from the PWB inclusion classes on campus.
Cathy Hartman ’97 › Wrote a proposal with Mr. Ron Smith, principal at Lab School #60, to host the Reggio Emilia traveling exhibit, called the Mosaic of Marks, Words, Materials Exhibit & Atelier. The proposal was accepted and will be housed in our College of Education at South Campus. › Earned promotion to the rank of senior lecturer.
› EPPSP (Experiential Program for Preparing School Principals) formed a Graduates of Color alumni group focusing on improving our educational leadership program in the areas of equity and inclusion. Approximately 20-30 regular attendees meet monthly working on action plans to continuously improve our program. › EPPSP’s goal this year was to be more community focused, and we created a Dr. Nygaard Series and EPPSP Podcasts for educators, alumni, and community members on the topic of equity. Summer 2020, EPPSP created the EPPSP Blueprint 2020, a 388-page guidebook for school leaders as they transitioned back to school in the fall.
Angela Mager (Lupton) ’92 MS ’01 › Saw the culmination of many years of work result in the first Articulation Agreement between Butler and Ivy Tech. This will allow students who complete their associate’s degree in elementary education to finish their bachelor’s degree at Butler. › Began co-leading with Andy White, Associate Director of Admissions, the Butler Strategic Direction Multicultural Workgroup to increase full-time undergraduate representation to align with the University mission and provide greater cultural and socioeconomic diversity. 25
Theresa Knipstein Meyer
Brandie Oliver ’96 MS ’07
› Celebrated Butler University’s Council for Exceptional Children ten year anniversary with a virtual gathering of the first chapter officers as well as state and national CEC guests to give COE recognition for this accomplishment as well as supported the officers with monthly Zoom and podcasts on topics about all learners during the 2020-2021 school year.
› Received GEER Grant from the Indiana Department of Education to develop Social-Emotional Learning learning modules for educators, families, and per-service teachers.
› Worked with COE alumni to partner with students in methods for special education classes to learn how to support all learners in virtual and hybrid learning. These alumni were also virtual guest speakers in a variety of classes this last year. SHOUT out to them for all their service to COE at Butler University.
Chasadee Minton › Co-Champion with Kelley Hahn for IT’s Microsoft Teams migration of departmental file storage system.
Rick Mitchell › Successfully navigated all middle/secondary student teachers through a pandemic during virtual, hybrid, and live teaching models. › Supported Pike High School teachers during the pandemic. Became a cheerleader for the teachers. Sent out 36 nine page, weekly emails to keep everyone supported. Ninth year of being a master practitioner.
› Co-authored, Building Great Mental Health Professional Teacher Teams, which was released by Solution Tree.
Catherine Hagerman Pangan MS ’99 › Engaged in a 2-year research endeavor with the Center for Urban Ecology & Sustainability and the National Science Foundation around sustainability, urban farming, and edible schoolyards. › Selected as an Innovation Fellow for the development of the University’s Transformation Lab, a “R&D” space to support innovative ideas in connection with community partners. There are amazing ideas coming your way that will transform the way you think about higher education. Buckle your seatbelts!
BUTLER UNIVERSITY COLLEGE of EDUCATION GRADUATE PROGRAMS
TRANSFORMATIONAL LEARNING AT COMPETITIVE COST MASTER’S DEGREE PROGRAMS School Counseling Educational Administration (EPPSP)
Cindy Smith › Began new job assignment of student teaching and internship logistics and graduation job placements.
CERTIFICATE PROGRAMS Applied Educational Neuroscience Licensed Mental Health Counseling (LMHC) Fully Online
DO YOU KNOW SOMEONE WHO WOULD FLOURISH WITH COE GRADUATE INSTRUCTION?
MAYBE IT’S YOU! Request program information at www.butler.edu/coe/tap-form. www.butler.edu/coe
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