The Torch - FSU College of Education Magazine, Fall 2020

FSU COLLEGE OF EDUCATION MAGAZINE

FALL 2020

FROM THE DEAN

THE TORCH

2020 might be one of the most important years in the history of Florida State University, to say the very least. The challenges, triumphs and changes are too numerous to recount in a short letter, but one thing I want to say above everything else is how impressed I am with the students, faculty and staff at the College of Education.

DEAN

Damon P. S. Andrew

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Jennie Kroeger

CONTRIBUTORS Amanda Coffman Kevin Derryberry Josh Duke

PHOTOGRAPHY Ken Higgins Jennie Kroeger

LAYOUT & DESIGN

University Communications Creative Services

Our philosophy of being student focused and innovation driven was tested by a pandemic, social justice movements, and an unprecedented shift to remote learning, and yet the College of Education is doing better than ever, with graduate student enrollment on the rise and new and existing programs earning impressive accolades. In fact, U.S. News and World Report ranked a number of our programs among the best in the nation, with our instructional systems and learning technologies program taking the top spot in their field.

Without a doubt, our success would not be possible without the people who call the college home. Whether it’s a student winning a fellowship, a faculty member publishing research on the most important topics of the day, or a staff member working behind the scenes to ensure that the college operates smoothly, it is the people that make this a special place.

This issue is dedicated to the people at the college, the challenges they faced and their efforts to overcome and make our community a better place. Our faculty, students and staff stepped up to help guide the response not only of the college, but of the entire university to all the world-changing events that took place in 2020. I am incredibly proud of their dedication and I hope you enjoy learning about their efforts and hard work in this issue.

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The theme of this issue is The Future of Education. With all that has happened this year, classrooms across the U.S. from K-12 to college look very different now than they did even a year ago. The shift to online learning has brought educational technology to the forefront. The Black Lives Matter movement has sparked conversations about race around the country, causing us to think more deeply about the roles we all play and how we can change things for the better. This change starts with education. As Malcolm X once said, “Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today.”

I hope that through all the events of this year, you are doing well. We always like to hear about the latest updates from our alumni and friends, so I encourage you to keep in touch and let us know about your latest accomplishments and life changes. You can always send us a message by emailing education.communications@fsu.edu.

education.fsu.edu

Stay safe, stay healthy, and Go Noles!

Damon P. S. Andrew, Ph.D., FNAK, FNAKHE Dean and Professor College of Education Florida State University 2 | THE TORCH - COLLEGE OF EDUCATION MAGAZINE

CONTENTS 07

04 PEOPLE FIRST. CONTENT SECOND. TECHNOLOGY THIRD.

CONVERSATIONS IN THE CLASSROOM: ANTI-RACISM EFFORTS IN K-12 EDUCATION

15

12 EDUCATION WITH A PURPOSE

A FAMILY AFFAIR: THE COTTINGHAM LEGACY AT FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY

20

18 A COMMITMENT TO SERVICE: TELEHEALTH COUNSELING DURING THE PANDEMIC

24 FACULTY AND STAFF UPDATES

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT: LAUREN BAGDY

29 ALUMNI UPDATES

10 DECONSTRUCTING RACE: TRANSFORMATIVE RESEARCH IN HIGHER EDUCATION

16 IMPROVISE, ADAPT, OVERCOME: THE ROLE OF EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY IN TODAY’S CLASSROOMS

22 HONORING THE PAST, PREPARING FOR THE FUTURE: THE HARDEE CENTER – A. WAYNE KING ENDOWED PROFESSORSHIP

@nik9olas Excited for the semester. Thankful to do what I do! #KeepGoing

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SOCIALLY SPEAKING

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People First.

Content Second.

Technology Third.

By Josh Duke

and focus on the who. From the beginning of the pandemic to the present, Dr. Vanessa Dennen expressed her advice simply yet profoundly: “People first. Content second. Technology third.”

“In the midst of our educational response to a public health crisis, it’s easy to fixate on the technology,” says Dennen. “I’ve seen lists of tools that are available to use for teaching online. I’ve used several of them in the past, and they’re good tools – I won’t dispute that. But it still doesn’t mean that our primary job right now as educators is to learn how to use tools. Our response should focus on the people first.”

Dr. Vanessa Dennen

W

hen the COVID-19 pandemic hit America, everyone in education was forced to think quickly and come up with solutions. The word “everyone” may not even be hyperbolic, judging by the amount of advice that came out of a short period of time: bring classes online, stop the semester, give everyone laptops, assign more homework, teach asynchronously, assign less homework, teach synchronously—so many “solutions” and so much contradiction, and it all depended on who you talked to and who was making the decisions.

One voice, however, tried to cut through the noise and deliver an important message: stop thinking about the how and what

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Dennen, professor of instructional systems and learning technologies at Florida State University, has spent much of her professional career looking at online learning. Her primary areas of research focus on learner engagement and community in online learning, identity development and knowledge management in online networks and ethical questions related to learning via technology. If there was anyone prepared for this moment in education, it was Dennen.

“I’m not used to people really listening to what I have to say, at least not en masse,” she says. “Online learning is typically more of a niche area. Having the education world suddenly turn its head in this direction was not something my online learning colleagues and I ever would have anticipated.”

BRAVE NEW WORLD Despite the fact that online teaching has been around for a while, not every teacher has experienced in it. In fact, for a majority of

design takes advantage of the medium, and in many instances the motivation and preparation of the teachers and students for learning in an online modality.”

The saving grace of the spring semester was the relationship that educators had made with their students. “During the spring, with the swift pivot from campus to emergency remote courses, instructors and students were able to leverage existing relationships from the classroom to support their interactions for the rest of the term. That was an advantage, but at the same time their overall learning plan was disrupted. People struggled to find a new learning rhythm in the middle of a term,” Dennen says.

Designing an online class requires knowledge of technology, how learners interact in online communities and rethinking how assignments are used. These are fundamental aspects that must be considered, and despite what some might think, the work that goes into creating an online class often exceeds the amount of preparation a teacher does for in-person teaching. The extra work is the primary reason why universities, including Florida State, often charge more for online classes.

K-12 teachers, the first time they taught online was during the pandemic. The past few months have been a trial by fire for most teachers, and as such, stress levels have risen dramatically.

There is a myth in education that teachers can take the lesson plans they have developed for in-person learning and simply move them online. Course conversion isn’t as simple as shifting content from in-person delivery to online delivery. While the content part of conversion is relatively easy to accomplish, by focusing on the content we overlook the need for practice and feedback, discussion and interaction. These are the areas where different approaches and skills are needed.

Dennen says on her website, which she frequently updates with her thoughts and advice, “The COVID-19 crisis is not turning campuses into online classes. It is temporarily shifting them online.

That may sound like the same thing, but the difference is a meaningful one.”

A comparison would be spending your life perfecting the art of skiing and then being asked to switch to a snowboard. And because the pandemic affected classrooms midway through a school year, to finish the analogy, you need to go from skis to snowboard while traveling down the mountain. The destination is the same, the goal is the same, and yet by asking for such a “simple” transition, it would be reasonable to expect that the skier would fall flat on their face.

Dennen says that the difference between classes moved from in-person to online versus online classes “reflect how class community and rhythm is established, the degree to which the course

HANDLING THE UNEXPECTED The spring semester was a reaction to the pandemic, but with the pandemic still going strong in the U.S., teachers and school districts are trying to prepare for an unknowable future. With different states struggling with different rates of infection, every state has set different expectations and plans to address the unprecedented health crisis. However, regardless if a state or school district plans to take classes online, the experience has certainly raised awareness as to the potential of online learning.

“During summer and fall, instructors who teach remote classes need to grapple with how to establish relationships with their students at a distance,” Dennen says. “That may be a challenge, but they will have the opportunity to establish remote learning expectations and set the rhythm of their remote courses from the start.”

For teachers interested in learning more about teaching online, Dennen advises them to answer some basic questions about what they hope to do. The first major question is whether or not classes will be taught synchronously or asynchronously. Synchronous classrooms meet in real time and are ideal for when teachers are hoping for instant reactions. Asynchronous learning, on the other hand, typically involves providing content and resources that learners can explore on their own time, as well as facilitating activities.

When school first transitioned over the spring and summer to online classrooms, Dennen advised using these two modes of teaching to help provide a routine to students so used to having one. Now, she acknowledges that most K-12 teachers have to follow along with school district decisions. However, she still thinks teachers can create multiple ways to connect. For instance, if their continued on next page THE TORCH - COLLEGE OF EDUCATION MAGAZINE | 5

People First, continued

Student participating in online class

district or school is holding synchronous classes, teachers could consider recording the session so that students can review it later.

gaged in any form of remote or online learning found out how different online learning is from classroom learning.”

It’s also important to keep it simple when it comes to tools and add-ons. There will already be a learning curve to transitioning online, so Dennen argues that adding additional things to learn will only complicate the situation more. That’s not to say that some tools aren’t helpful, and she recommends a learning management system (LMS) like Canvas.

While there was a lot of stress during the spring and summer semesters, Dennen says that “teachers who shift online and then return to the face-to-face classroom often say that their online experiences improve their classroom teaching.”

Finally, she recommends preparing students and defining exactly what they need to do and when to do it. Because students are so used to routines, and because 2020 has disrupted virtually everyone’s routine, Dennen believes that setting expectations more precisely is a necessary step to ensure that students do not feel overwhelmed.

However, Dennen stresses if there’s one takeaway to successful online teaching, it’s community building. “The key to having a successful online learning experience is developing a sense of community among the class members and ensuring that everyone has their needs met, is prepared to learn and is comfortable with the types of learning interactions that will occur. Once the relationships and forms of interaction are established, students will be ready to learn the content. The technology, although important in a foundational way, should take a back seat. The less time students spend thinking about it, the better.”

AN ONLINE FUTURE? Whether or not more schools will offer classes online in the future even after the pandemic, Dennen does not want to speculate.

Right now, more than anything, she thinks the focus should be on supporting teachers and the needs of students in the here and now.

That being said, she does believe that teaching and learning online has started some important conversations about the importance of education. The experience taught a lot of people the importance of teachers and the role that they play in a student’s everyday life.

“I think families learned how critical schools and teachers are in their children’s lives, and educators who had not previously en6 | THE TORCH - COLLEGE OF EDUCATION MAGAZINE

Even with the opportunity to plan for remote learning going forward, Dennen says that there are still differences between remote classrooms and true online learning courses. For instance, the classes that FSU has offered online for more than two decades “were designed specifically to be taught online. The faculty who teach them and the students who enroll in them do so by choice, because online learning best meets their interests and needs.”

ACCEPTING IMPERFECTION Above all else, though, Dennen says to focus on people. In the case of a classroom, that means students but also teachers. What can the teacher handle? “This is probably not going to be your best teaching experience ever, but it also doesn’t have to be your worst one,” Dennen says. “Allow it to be imperfect.”

No one has lived through an experience quite like this. Consider the extraordinary measure of shutting down an entire country and realize that multiple nations have done that in the last few months.

There will be consequences that need to be addressed at some point in the future, but for right now, everyone should adopt the belief that everyone is doing the best they can with what they have right now.

This idea extends to the classroom. Teachers are already asked to do so much, and switching to online learning is just another in a long line of major asks. But despite the challenges of this year, educators everywhere have shown their dedication both to their students and to the belief that education is a tool for good, whether online or in-person. n

CONVERSATIONS IN THE

CLASSROOM

Anti-Racism Efforts in K-12 Education

By Josh Duke

S

chool-aged children have a lot to process. Not only are they absorbing fundamental information, transitioning into adolescence and then into young adults, but they are also establishing social networks, developing communities and gaining more and more understanding of the world around them. Unfortunately, as of late, the world has been a turbulent place, and the stress of growing older has been compounded by high-profile killings of Black Americans and a global pandemic.

They might not grasp all the nuances surrounding these events, but even a child can understand the importance of worldaltering moments like these.

With so many major developments taking place in children’s lives both developmentally and in the world around them, school counselors play a key role in helping students manage stress and stay healthy. Dr. Erik Hines, associate professor in the Department of Educational Psychology and Learning Systems, has helped train the next generation of school counselors for most of his professional career. Last year, he joined the FSU College of Education to coordinate and lead the school counseling program.

For Hines, the current moment and discussions about race are deeply personal, not just as a Black man himself, but as someone who has devoted much of his career to researching

the college and career readiness of African American males.

Understanding the historical and present context of race and how it has affected minority populations in the United States, he sees an opportunity for school counselors to take an even more active role in the lives of students and potentially help combat the resurgence of racism in America.

If that sounds like a tall order, that’s because it is. However, he believes that promoting equity is an essential part of being a school counselor and educator. “Teachers, administrators and counselors should not only promote anti-racism, they must take on these identities,” he says. “Educators are the gate openers— not keepers—to educating our next generation of citizenry.

Being anti-racist ensures equitable opportunities for all students to succeed and receive optimal outcomes, such as graduating high school and attending college or discovering their gifts and talents without bias or negative expectations based on skin color.”

AN EXPERT ON THE BLACK SCHOOL EXPERIENCE Even before he joined the College of Education, Hines had made it a priority to research the experiences of Black male students.

His curriculum vitae includes more than 30 publications and research projects that secured more than $6 million in extramural and internal funding. continued on next page THE TORCH - COLLEGE OF EDUCATION MAGAZINE | 7

Conversations in the Classroom, continued

A TRANSITION IN SCHOOLS In the past, so much focus was put on awareness of racism.

For instance, a social studies class might explore the history of racism in America and around the world. However, what educators are realizing is that this might not be enough. Instead of focusing on defining and pointing out racism, educators are exploring the idea of anti-racism.

Transitioning to teaching anti-racism is an important change, says Hines. “Being anti-racist is about actively speaking up against the injustices and acts of racism committed against Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC). Moreover, being an anti-racist is a commitment to ending racism.

“Our students are our future leaders who can take the initiative to bring all individuals together to not only address racism, but to start a healing process for those who have been marginalized by racism while simultaneously repairing relationships between people of different races to unite our country.”

Dr. Erik Hines

Just this year alone, Hines achieved a number of high-profile accomplishments, including receiving a 2020 American Counseling Association (ACA) Fellows Award, the highest honor given by the organization, that recognizes Hines’ authorship, leadership skills and advocacy of values upheld by the ACA. He also served on a panel during the 2020 National Career Development Summit in Washington, D.C., where he lent his expertise on factors impacting the postsecondary success of Black males.

On the publishing front, he served as a guest editor for The Journal for Specialist in Group Work, and helped publish and write the editorial for an edition titled the “Special Issue on Group Counseling for African American Children and Adolescents.”

Along with his partner Mia Hines and a number of other colleagues, he also published an article titled, “Preparing African American Males for College: A Group Counseling Approach in the Journal for Specialists in Group Work,” which discusses strategies on how to help Black males plan for college through a group counseling approach.

Hines is also active as a panelist, though the pandemic hindered his in-person appearances. He presented at the Kingdom Program for African American Males at Carver VocationalTechnical High School, which is sponsored by the Johns Hopkins School of Education and is located in Baltimore, Maryland. He also appeared on the podcast Thoughts From a Counselor and discussed mentorship.

In short, this summer has been extremely busy for him, but he understands that this is an important moment and an opportunity to make a difference.

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Hines sees schools as playing a particularly important role in helping to heal our country. While the killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery, among others, sparked protests around the country, he points out that there are other, less visible repercussions of racism. “We have Black males with lower graduation rates from both high school and college,” he says. “Students of color, in particular Black students, are more likely to receive harsher school discipline outcomes, such as out-of-school suspension, at higher rates than their other racial peers, and Black males are overrepresented in special education rather than in gifted and talented programs.”

These early negative experiences can snowball into larger problems down the line. Due to the inequity in education, Black and minority students may “miss out on opportunities to improve their life outcomes, such as being eligible to attend college, taking the right courses for a career and improving their quality of living through cultural, economic, and social capital that comes with attaining an education.”

BRINGING ABOUT CHANGE Identifying the problems is one thing; fixing them is another.

However, Hines is hopeful that it can be done, and he thinks that school counselors can spearhead efforts alongside educators.

In the blog post “Resources to Support African American Students,” which he helped create with Mia Hines, he writes that school counselors should highlight accomplishments of notable African American graduates of a school and include them in their cultural competency toolkit. School counselors can and should serve as advocates for Black students and employ counseling skills in both individual and group settings to help improve outcomes.

ANTI-RACISM RESOURCES ONLINE RESOURCES

ARTICLES

ANTIRACISMRESOURCES

“5 Ways to Show Up for Racial Justice Today” by Nastia Voynovskaya

The Four Bodies: A Holistic Toolkit for Coping with Racial Trauma

“7 Virtual Mental Health Resources Supporting Black People Right Now” by Jesse Sparks

31 Children’s Books to Support Conversations on Race, Racism and Resistance

“A Running List of Anti-racism Resources” by Thom Wait

Glazer Children’s Museum Social Justice Resources

“How to Talk to Your Family About Racism on Thanksgiving” by Rachel Cargle

Culturally Relevant and Responsive Education

“The Unmattering of Black Lives” by Kimberlé Crenshaw “When Blackness is a Pre-existing Condition” by Kimberlé Crenshaw

BOOKS Eloquent Rage by Brittney Cooper

“Your Black Colleagues May Look Like They’re Okay— Chances Are They’re Not” by Danielle Cadet

How to be an Anti-racist by Ibram X. Kendi Me and White Supremacy by Layla F. Saad Sister Outsider Essays & Speeches by Audre Lorde

“75 Things White People Can Do for Racial Justice” by Corinne Shutack

The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander

“Repair the World” by Michael B. Horn

White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo

“Equity and Inclusion“ by Rebecca Atkins and Alicia Oglesby

Black for a Day: White Fantasies of Race and Empathy by Alisha Gaines

“SEL and Racial Equity | Social Emotional Learning Curriculum for Kids” by Charlie Marrow

Interrupting Racism: Equity and Social Justice in School Counseling, 1st Edition by Rebecca Atkins and Alicia Oglesby

“Guide for Racial Justice & Abolitionist Social and Emotional Learning” by the Abolitionist Teaching Network

VIDEOS Rachel Cargle’s Public Address on Revolution: Revolution Now Robin DiAngelo’s Why “I’m Not Racist” is Only Half the Story Brittney Cooper’s An ‘Unapologetic’ Black Feminist on Accelerating the Pace of Change American University’s Center for Postsecondary Readiness’ Antiracist School Counseling: A Call to Action Webinar

Furthermore, Hines believes that school counselors should participate in evaluating school policies that reinforce inequity.

For instance, he suggests looking at the evaluation process of referring students to gifted/honors/rigorous courses, as well as looking at who exactly is making that decision. Another area to explore is discipline procedures. Disciplinary policies, particularly zero tolerance policies, “often promote academic failure and learning loss,” says Hines. “An alternative is the use of restorative justice, which emphasizes repairing the damage or harm done between parties rather than emphasizing punishment. With this shift, students are receptive to engaging in school rules and educators are practicing empathy as a result of understanding their students, especially students of color.”

Undoubtedly, everyone needs to do their part to help repair the racial divide. The time of just simply acknowledging disparity and inequity should come to an end, at least in the minds of experts like Hines, and considering how much socialization takes place in schools, it is important that these issues are addressed in classrooms. And with their expertise in guiding students to success, school counselors can make a difference not just in the lives of individual students, but in the movement towards a more equitable and prosperous society. n

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Deconstructing Race

Transformative Research in Higher Education

By Jennie Kroeger

T

When Beatty first arrived at Indiana University, he had plans to be an accountant, but soon felt pulled in a different direction. He switched gears and changed his major to sociology.

As an undergraduate student, he assumed a number of leadership roles. He served as the president of his fraternity and was president of the National Pan-Hellenic Council, the govDr. Cameron Beatty erning body for historically Black Greek letter organizations. also worked in financial aid. While working With this increased attention on issues of race and equity, many colleges and universi- During this time at Indiana University, the with this population, he decided to pursue his ties around the country have begun conver- campus was experiencing budget cuts. One master’s degree in student affairs. sations about what diversity and inclusion of the first things that was rumored to be cut Eager to dive deeper into higher educawas the African American Cultural Center Li- tion, Beatty headed for Iowa State where he means for their campuses. brary on campus. earned his doctorate in higher education adBut for Cameron Beatty, assistant professor of higher education at Florida State Universi- “The black student union president called ministration. He worked full-time in fraternity, his dedication to this work began long be- me and said, ‘Cameron, you’ve got to get the ty and sorority life advising, historically Black Greek letter organizations and multicultural Black Greeks together.’” fore he entered into academia.

Greek organizations. After completing his deBeatty was born and raised in Indianapolis, Beatty sprang into action and organized a sitgree, he stayed on as the coordinator for the Indiana in a Black Catholic parish. It wasn’t in at the library, as well as a march to the main undergraduate leadership studies program until he began high school at a predominant- library. While there, Beatty and others met and directed the global leadership study ly white, private Catholic school, that he real- with the dean and the provost of the library abroad program to Sweden. and had a discussion about why this particized how rare this was. ular library was central to the experiences of “I loved the job, but as somebody who en“My pastor was Black,” says Beatty. “Our parnot only Black students and students of col- joys research and teaching, I wanted a tenure ish was predominantly Black. It was in a black or, but to all students on campus. “That was a track position,” says Beatty. neighborhood in Indianapolis. When thinking transformative kind of activist experience for One soon came available at Salem State Uniabout Catholicism, I didn’t realize that being me,” recalls Beatty. versity in Salem, Massachusetts. Beatty acBlack and Catholic was not the norm.” cepted a position as an assistant professor in High school was also the first time Beatty can higher education student affairs, but it wasn’t remember experiencing blatant racism. From long before a new opportunity presented itthings other students would say to how the self. teachers would respond to students of color, In 2018, Beatty joined the Florida State UniBeatty felt that their experiences were being versity College of Education as an assistant minimized. professor in the higher education program.

“I think it was minimizing for the sake of Thanks to Beatty’s efforts, the librarian kept not making a scene, or trying to deescalate her job and the library remained on campus “I felt like this position at FSU was created for things. It made me think, ‘Well, we’re not cap- and is still there to this day. His actions also me,” says Beatty. “It married my research initalizing on this moment. Number one, you’re garnered him a mention in a high school U.S. terests of leadership education with higher minimizing my experience, and number two, history textbook’s unit on social activism with education, and I’m able to center issues of soyou’re almost reinforcing the bad behavior by a photo of his group marching to the library. cial justice in my work. I get to do research on leadership education, but I get to teach unnot addressing it in the moment.’”

“It’s a reminder of the lasting impacts that we dergraduate, master’s, and doctoral students, These early experiences would end up shap- can have,” says Beatty. too. I’ve really been enjoying what I’m doing ing the trajectory for Beatty’s personal and After graduation, Beatty remained at Indinow.” professional life as a leader. ana University as an academic advisor and

he issue of racism is not new to education, but recent events have brought it into the forefront of conversations around the country—particularly on college campuses. With the growing use of social media as a tool for social justice and activism, more and more individuals—especially college students—are able to make their stories heard beyond their respective campuses.

“It’s a reminder of the lasting impacts that we can have.”

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there’s no doubt that we’re in an interesting time for higher education. “Over the years, we’ve seen waves and flows within higher education when we have to come to a reckoning with race, racism and racial justice,” says Beatty. “And I think this is one of those times.

Many organizations have put out statements condemning racism, but some take an extra step in asking, ‘How do we address the culture, the climate and the systemic issues?’”

Beatty and fellow students marched to protest a proposed budget cut

Beatty has received a number of grants to support his research on how students navigate racial battle fatigue, including one from the Association of College and University Housing Officers-International (ACUHO-I) fo“It’s frustrating that people have to still march cused specifically on resident assistants and and protest to call people to do what’s right,” students in leadership positions in residence says Beatty. “And that’s why I do the work I life. do. I want to amplify the voices of students of color, of marginalized students, of Black Most recently, Beatty was awarded a McKstudents—specifically those students on the night Junior Faculty Fellowship from the Florida Education Fund for the 2020-2021 acafront lines.” demic year. This program aims to promote And often those students are our student excellence in teaching and research by womleaders. They’re at the forefront of calling for en and underrepresented minorities. change and addressing inequities on college campuses. “They’re not learning leadership “The purpose of the fellowship and mission in the same way their white counterparts are of the Florida Education Fund is so important learning it,” says Beatty. The constant need for in working to address inequities in the acadaction has caused what’s known as racial bat- emy,” says Beatty.

Though Beatty’s group marched at Indiana University fifteen years ago, people are still marching on campuses across the country to protest racism and other injustices.

tle fatigue. Racial battle fatigue—one of Beatty’s main research interests—is the psychosocial stress response from being a minority on a historically white campus.

Through his research, Beatty aims to explore and amplify their experiences and use it to call for policy and practice changes in higher education. “The process of how these students are navigating racial battle fatigue involves them learning aspects of leadership that can carry over into their professional or public service lives long after their undergraduate career,” says Beatty. “How they’re learning is something that’s so important to understand and explore.”

Through this fellowship, Beatty plans to expand his research on Black student leaders navigating racial battle fatigue and share how Black and Latinx students engage in the healing process when coping with the racial trauma they experience on college campuses.

“I hope my findings will offer recommendations for how higher education institutions can better support students who experience racism on a regular basis in higher education,” says Beatty. “Given what is going on in our country and in higher education, I feel this research is timely.”

Beatty believes this particular reckoning is focused on these performative acts versus concrete ones. “We all know racism is wrong, and we don’t want racism to happen in our environments, nor do we want to be seen as racists,” says Beatty. “But I think this is more about, are we actually going to address the systemic change that allows racism to continue? In higher education, I think we’re doing a better job at understanding what is performative and what’s actually seen as addressing policy and practice.”

So, what’s next for Beatty and his research?

“In thinking about racial justice, I really want to move from understanding leadership education to thinking about how leadership education needs to be rooted in social justice,” says Beatty. “It can’t just be, ‘I’m learning what a leader is.’”

Beatty, who also serves as a researcher in Florida State’s Leadership Learning Research Center, believes that leadership is a way to enact social change. “If we’re not teaching an understanding of leadership from a point of making social change and addressing issues in society, then what we’re really teaching is management; we’re just teaching people how to be influential or manage groups.

So for me, I’m moving towards how to think about leadership education in a social justice framework.”

Activists and scholars like Beatty are paving the way to social progress, and their work will surely leave a lasting impact for generations to come. n

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Education with a PURPOSE

By Josh Duke

W

hen most of us were younger, we dreamed of what we wanted to be when we grew up. Some of us wanted to be firefighters or teachers, while others wanted to be astronauts. Regardless of what we hoped of becoming during the innocence of our youth, it all started with a dream.

Walt Disney once said, “If you can dream it, you can do it.” While much attention has been paid to the first part of that famous saying, let’s focus for a moment on the first clause: “If you can dream it.” For some kids who face systemic inequity and inequality, just the notion of dreaming something can be difficult.

That’s where programs like the Partners United for Research Pathways Oriented to Social Justice in Education (PURPOSE) come in.

PATHWAYS TO PURPOSE The Pathways to the Education Science Research Training program was established by the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) in recognition of the importance of a multitude of voic12 | THE TORCH - COLLEGE OF EDUCATION MAGAZINE

es in higher education. The ultimate goal of PURPOSE and the other Pathways programs is to increase the diversity of those with doctorates in the field of education. IES has awarded six different institutions program grants since the Pathways program started in 2016, and Florida State University and Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU) received one of them. That grant created PURPOSE in 2017.

At Florida State University, the Pathways training program’s mission to support historically underrepresented ethnicities takes center stage. With the understanding that inequity and lack of representation greatly affects classrooms around the country, PURPOSE attempts to create change in the local community and beyond by focusing on key aspects: • Recruit and support students from minoritized racial/ ethnic backgrounds • Provide mentorship opportunities with educational leaders at both the FSU College of Education and FAMU, as well

PURPOSE 2019 cohort

as the opportunity to conduct research alongside faculty members • Conduct research on important topics related to diversity, social justice and equity • Have the opportunity to work at the FAMU Developmental Research School (DRS) Freedom Schools program, which serves children with limited access to quality academic enrichment programs “One of the main objectives of PURPOSE is to increase diversity in the education sciences,” says Alysia Roehrig, professor and principal investigator of PURPOSE. She is also the coordinator of FSU’s educational psychology: learning and cognition program.

“By recruiting historically underrepresented students, we are encouraging change not just in classrooms, but in research spaces, which has largely been dominated by white males.”

ADDRESSING INEQUITY Why does higher education matter so much, particularly for ethnic minorities? According to a report created by the U.S. Department of Education in 2016, minority students who attended a higher education institution and completed at least a bachelor’s degree earned significantly more money in their lifetime. According to a February 2019 report by the National Center for Education Statistics, in 2016, Black Americans who had

not completed high school earned $21,400 on average. Black Americans who had completed high school earned $27,800 on average, and those who went on to finish a bachelor’s degree earned $54,700 on average.

This stark difference in average earnings contributes to upward social mobility and breaking the cycle of poverty, which has historically affected minorities disproportionately. But while college is such a no-brainer in terms of earnings, it is not always easy for students to get there. The report identifies that factors as far back as elementary and high school contribute to a student’s opportunity to go to college, and because students of color have less access to advanced coursework and resources that prepare them for higher education, they have a more difficult time going to college.

Thus, income gaps grow and social mobility falters. Understanding the challenges facing students of color, the importance of programs like PURPOSE become more and more clear.

BEING THE CHANGE The beauty of PURPOSE is that it addresses the needs of current students while attempting to help future generations of students of color. With its focus on recruiting minority students, PURPOSE supports students while also encouraging them to continued on next page THE TORCH - COLLEGE OF EDUCATION MAGAZINE | 13

Education with a PURPOSE, continued continue their research in a doctoral studies program. For those who will continue on to finish their doctoral studies and attain positions in higher education, they will serve as role models to the next generation of students.

Such is the case of Camille Lewis. Lewis became aware of PURPOSE while a master’s student in FAMU’s community psychology program. Excited at the chance to conduct research, she applied and was accepted as a fellow for the 2019 cohort. After she finished the program at FAMU, she applied to the educational psychology: learning & cognition doctoral program at Florida State to continue her research and work more with Roehrig. She also served as a peer mentor for PURPOSE over the summer.

She understands that her presence in PURPOSE can lead to transformation—not just of her own life, but of her students. Lewis quotes Brazilian educator Paulo Freire when asked about the role of education in combating racism in classrooms: “‘There’s no such thing as neutral education. Education either functions as an instrument to bring about conformity or freedom.’ I am in strong agreement with Paulo Freire in believing that education, especially for historically oppressed groups, must function as a tool to aid in their complete liberation. Education should not be limited to just arithmetic and reading, but should also include knowledge, skills and tools that equip children and young adults to deal with the systematic and social injustices that plague our nation.”

Lewis also believes and has learned through PURPOSE how her research can be used as a tool for social activism. Her current project involves looking at how teacher training programs can implement wellness education. She is also researching the implementation of culturally relevant curriculum. As a teacher, she doesn’t want to just facilitate learning, but understanding. “[We] have a duty to teach an unbiased history that is representative of all groups and ethnicities.”

EDUCATION FOR FREEDOM While scholars who complete the PURPOSE program will become exemplars of social justice and equity in classrooms and beyond, they make immediate impacts on the next generation through a service-learning research practicum at the FAMU DRS Freedom Schools program. Participants in the PURPOSE program are encouraged to get involved with the Freedom Schools program, and many of them find the experience rewarding not just for the K-8 scholars, but also for themselves.

The FAMU DRS Freedom Schools is an approved Children’s Defense Fund partner that provides summer educational programming designed to empower children to make a difference in their communities and prevent the effects of summer learning loss. For students at FSU and FAMU who serve as servant leader interns, they gain professional development as well as an opportunity to conduct research.

Madelyn McClarey started her path to PURPOSE in a classroom at the Freedom Schools. She became involved in the program through

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AmeriCorps as a reading teacher, but after being observed by PURPOSE fellows, she wanted to get involved with the program. Her research involves studying inequities in the Black community and the importance of women and women’s history as both educators and caregivers.

Being in the PURPOSE program and teaching at the Freedom Schools gave her a unique perspective on the role that educators play in society. “While I do believe that most educators really do have a love or talent for teaching, their own experience with Black students or lack thereof can hold them back from having inclusive and meaningful class experiences.”

Her own experience has taught her “it is imperative that [educators’] classrooms and teaching methods are inclusive.” To achieve that, McClarey believes that critical equity is key, which is why programs like PURPOSE and the Freedom School are great experiences for future teachers. “With a holistic approach to learning, educators can show up in a way that shows students that they are not simply seen as equal, but that they also are what the future is waiting for.”

McClarey, who has an amazing story of her own, has accomplished much during her time at both the Freedom Schools and as a PURPOSE fellow. However, her biggest accomplishment currently “is being able to encourage assigned mentees to tackle their challenges. I’ve been able to do this by reminding them that we are making history with the PURPOSE research program. Not only are we dealing with a pandemic, racial uprising and economic collapse, but we are also helping each other to have strength and determination, to be activists in our own right. I’m extremely proud of the fact that I am able to keep progress and equity going at a time that is so chaotic.”

A BRIGHTER FUTURE As McClarey points out, the world is in a moment of change. Programs like PURPOSE aim to make sure that the future is a brighter place for everyone. As fellows complete the program, they will carry on the mission of PURPOSE and create ripple effects to inspire a new generation of learners. And even though the program’s initial funding still has a couple years left, the impact PURPOSE has made on the lives of its fellows and students is undeniable. It has already made a difference by promoting those voices that were once marginalized and has made dreams a reality.

Each year, the PURPOSE program looks for new fellows to join the program. If you are a junior, senior or master’s student looking to get involved, you can learn more at purposetraining.org.” n

A Family Affair

The Cottingham Legacy at Florida State University

By Amanda Coffman

Rebecca Cottingham Montague and Sarah Cottingham Page

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n 2019, FSU invested in its future by completing the most ambitious hiring campaign in 70 years. Not since the Florida State College for Women went coed and formed Florida State University had Tallahassee seen such an influx of bright young scholars.

That first group of professors were known as the ‘49ers. They came brimming with optimism for the future of what FSU could be and for a better world for their families. As the professors went to work in FSU classrooms and labs, many of their children attended the Development Research and Lab School, known as Florida High.

Today, Florida High and FSU are growing once more, thanks in no small part to the support of FSU families like those of Sarah Cottingham Page. In 2019, Page committed $25,000 to the renovation and construction efforts at Florida High.

Page’s gift is Florida High’s most generous contribution ever received from an alumna and one that College of Education Dean Damon Andrew hopes will inspire others to give. “Many alumni might not think about supporting their high school as they would their university,” says Andrew, “but supporting Florida High also supports our research in the College of Education.”

In fact, Page recognizes that the notion had not occurred to her until Kevin Derryberry, assistant dean for development, first introduced it. “[He] asked how I felt about diverting my annual donation to Florida High to help with their new building, and I said yes.”

She first began supporting FSU through annual donations as far back as 1988, though her family’s legacy at FSU begins with the ‘49ers.

Page’s father, Dr. Harold F. Cottingham, was a researcher, advocate and dedicated educator who founded and chaired the counseling program in the College of Education. His wife Violet worked as a librarian and they sent their daughters, Sarah and Rebecca, to Florida High. Known to his students as “Dr. C,” Cottingham

oversaw at least 115 doctoral dissertations before retiring from the program in 1980, the year before he passed at the age of 67.

Dr. Robert Reardon (M.S. ’65, Ph.D. ’68) first proposed that Florida State honor Cottingham’s legacy with an alumni event called the “Cottingham Colloquium.” The colloquium was envisioned as an opportunity to bring alumni back to campus to provide continuing education credits for those who wanted them and to provide networking opportunities and inspiration for career paths to counseling students. With financial support from Dr. Peter Scanlon (M.S. ’71, Ph.D. ’79) in 2010, the first colloquium was held.

Though Scanlon became the colloquium’s first donor, he and Reardon agreed the colloquium would not be complete without representatives from the Cottingham family. The Cottingham sisters, Sarah Page and Rebecca Montague, joined their support for the colloquium annually for the first five years and have been active participants since the colloquium’s inception.

In 2016, Scanlon generously created a charitable lead trust that would secure colloquium funding through the year 2030 while increasing a permanent endowment for the Cottingham Colloquium. With the colloquium’s funding secured and her father’s legacy permanently honored in the College of Education, Page was able to make the first significant gift in the Florida High renovation and construction project.

Page’s contribution will be honored with the naming of “The Cottingham Sisters Music Room.” “[When presented] with the possibility of naming a classroom, I decided on a music room because the music program meant so much to us,” says Page. “My sister and I still play.” Page and Montague both learned to play the violin while at Florida High and have continued to play in their local orchestras throughout their lives.

The Cottingham Family has influenced the course of the College of Education for over 70 years. Thanks to their generosity and commitment to education, they have created a lasting legacy that will continue for years to come. n THE TORCH - COLLEGE OF EDUCATION MAGAZINE | 15

Improvise, Adapt, Overcome The Role of Educational Technology in Today’s Classrooms

By Jennie Kroeger

W

hile technology has played an important role in education for decades, students and educators around the country have utilized it more than ever this past year. The shift to remote learning due to COVID-19 saw huge changes to both K-12 and higher education operations; however, various tools have been able to help ease the transition and provide valuable learning experiences to students at all levels.

Through platforms like Zoom, which combine video conferencing, online meetings and chat, instructors have been able to hold classes virtually and interact with their students. Zoom was offered for free to K-12 students and teachers during the spring, a move that made the tool more accessible to users both in the U.S and around the world.

Students interacting with a SMART board

“Affordability of technology is one of the key factors in assuring student academic success,” says Dina Vyortkina, director of the College of Education’s Office of Information and Instructional Technology. “Here in the College of Education, we are approaching affordability of technology through improving access to it and making computers available to students for checkout when needed, enabling access to software via a virtual lab or remote desktop access, using free (and secure) digital tools when possible, and providing free technology training via FSU LinkedInLearning.”

The FSU College of Education is no stranger to educational technologies. Our Technology Sandbox, located on the third floor of the Stone building, was first opened in 2012. This facility houses a myriad of tech, including virtual and augmented reality, interactive devices, 3D printing tools, robotics, and more.

College of Education students can get hands-on experience with these devices in order to get a clear understanding of how they can be embedded into real life teaching, learning, assessment, and research. These technologies are currently in use or will be used in classrooms and other educational settings, allowing our students to meet rigorous accreditation requirements and state standards, preparing them for successful careers.

Student using the 3D printer

While the Technology Sandbox has been around for some time, College of Education faculty and staff have utilized some new tools and teaching practices this past year.

Field experiences and internships are a critical component of our teacher preparation programs. They allow students to gain real-world experience in K-12 classrooms and practice the techniques and skills they’ve learned thus far. With the move to remote learning, our Office of Academic Services and Intern Support had to make some changes to how the field experience and internship processes would work in order to ensure that these students were able to successfully complete them on time with the same high quality.

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Thanks to the platform called GoReact, they were able to do just that. GoReact is an innovative tool that streamlines observations and feedback across courses and field experiences and lets student teachers record or stream lessons from anywhere. Instructors can then give them time-coded and targeted feedback on their video-recorded performance, which allows students to improve their skills in a shorter amount of time.

“As first time users, our students and faculty found GoReact to be user-friendly and helpful with scheduling for observations,“ says Meredith Higgins, director of student teaching. “When schools began to close due to the COVID-19 pandemic, GoReact was a vital resource in evaluating our students. With this tool, lessons were recorded and submitted that would not have been able to be observed otherwise.”

Though GoReact was used primarily with students in teacher preparation programs this year, Higgins has plans to expand it to include other programs in the college requiring internships as well.

“Moving forward, we will be using GoReact with many students in the college, including those in our counseling programs,” says Higgins. “Since GoReact is HIPPA and FERPA compliant, we will be able to observe and evaluate students in a wide range of experiences, especially in places where our university supervisors are unable to be.”

Student using Oculus Rift, a virtual reality device

Top Tech Tools for Online Learning VIDEOCONFERENCING Zoom Skype Google Hangouts

Another tool the college has utilized this year is the GoPro—a versatile video camera that’s traditionally used to capture action from a first-person angle. Though this device itself is not new, our visual disabilities program is using it in an innovative way.

SCREENCASTING/SCREENCAPTURE

Students in the program who are training to become orientation and mobility specialists will teach individuals who are visually impaired the skills needed to physically navigate through their environments. They have traditionally learned these techniques through in-person classes, but tools like GoPro cameras are allowing them to learn and practice these skills remotely while receiving feedback from their instructors.

Screencast-O-Matic

“Student teachers can submit required video assignments to demonstrate their teaching skills on the go—especially while they are teaching orientation and mobility to children—while our travel to supervise them in person is restricted,” says Eileen Bischof, teaching faculty in the visual disabilities program.

With new tools emerging regularly, it’s clear that technology in the classroom is here to stay. Innovations and advancement in both technology and teaching practices will ensure that students receive an education either online or in person that prepares them well for the future. n

Kaltura Snagit

VISUAL THINKING TOOLS/ CONCEPT MAPPING Inspiration Padlet VIDEO ASSESSMENT GoReact Kaltura POLLING Kahoot!

PollEverywhere Other top tools for learning (2020): toptools4learning.com

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A Commitment to Service Telehealth Counseling During the Pandemic

By Josh Duke

W

inston Churchill said, “We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give.” While the world that Churchill lived in was very different than ours, his words still resonate today as we face a different kind of challenge than a world war. With the COVID-19 pandemic affecting everyone in some way, it is more important than ever to think about the ways that we can help and support one another.

Students and faculty in the clinical mental health counseling, counseling psychology and school psychology programs are devoted to helping others, and they understand better than most the kind of emotional, mental and psychological toll the pandemic puts on people. However, before they were able to address the needs of others, they had to overcome their own challenges caused by the pandemic, namely the restrictions on internships and technical hurdles that would need to be solved.

EVERYTHING AND ALL AT ONCE The clinical training is an essential part of these programs. Students in the combined doctoral program in counseling psychology and school psychology take part in a national match program for their American Psychological Association (APA) accredited internships.

Students go on to work at hospitals, mental health agencies, schools, federal prisons and university counseling centers all across America.

The pandemic brought this process to a screeching halt. While few can fault Florida State University for mandating that internship programs could only take place remotely—particularly seeing how the pandemic progressed through the summer—this created a tremendous challenge for these programs and their students, who need this experience to complete the program. Dr. Deborah Ebener, professor and director of clinical training and executive director of the Adult Learning Evaluation Center (ALEC), knew that these internships had to continue but in a way that was safe for students. Working with each internship site individually, she made sure that each site could adhere to the university’s guidelines.

“While most internship sites did initially switch to providing telehealth services, some could not do so because of the nature of their setting, such as prisons,” she says. “The challenge was to determine which internship sites could modify the student’s clinical experiences. This process involved assuring the sites were following CDC 18 | THE TORCH - COLLEGE OF EDUCATION MAGAZINE

Dr. Deborah Ebener and Dr. Taylor Thompson

guidelines and the students were comfortable providing face-to-face services during the pandemic. As such, my doctoral students became the first students to begin requesting exceptions to the FSU internship policy.”

Accordingly, Ebener decided to require that all students far enough along in their doctoral studies undergo telehealth training at the end of the spring semester. Many of these students worked in local organizations, which did not have telehealth capabilities yet. Finally, she also decided to allow students to practice telehealth at FSU’s Human Services Center (HSC) so that they could continue gaining experience.

RISING TO THE OCCASION Paul Eastman, a doctoral candidate in the counseling psychology and school psychology program and graduate assistant student supervisor at the HSC, has worked at both the ALEC and HSC in various roles over the last six years. He had followed the program’s routine: students would talk about cases as a group for an hour and a half, provide service to clients for three hours, and then recap and reflect on the day’s events before calling it a day. “It was a system that worked for everyone,” he says. “It’s a great space for early trainees to learn and develop their clinical skills. There are cameras set up in every room, as well as one-way mirrors, to allow for supervisors and fellow trainees to observe the therapy sessions and provide feedback immediately afterwards (or to interrupt if necessary, if any crisis or safety issues occur).”

Despite all the questions, complications, regulations and even legal issues, the program figured out a way forward using Zoom to provide telehealth services for clients. What makes this even more impressive is the fact that neither the ALEC or the HSC offered telehealth services before the pandemic.

Dr. Taylor Thompson, clinical director and licensed psychologist at the ALEC, says that she and her team did everything they could to ensure that the transition was as painless as possible. “In order to make that transition, the other clinical supervisors and I had to determine which services could safely and effectively be delivered via telehealth, seek training and competency in these new models for ourselves, pass this training along to our students, and provide enhanced supervision via videoconferencing to make sure that all telehealth services continue to be provided at the same level of quality as in-person services,” she explains.

While it was undoubtedly a lot of work, Ebener and Thompson were both blown away by the results. “In general, we have actually seen a greater rate of appointment attendance, since people do not have to travel to the clinic, even locally,” Thompson says. Doctoral students volunteered to be peer supervisors, served as the clinic’s receptionists and even marketed the services to ensure that people struggling could get help.

Eastman agrees. Not only was he pleasantly surprised “to see the therapeutic process wrap up relatively smoothly, all things considered” for patients, but he found an added benefit of the telehealth format for his personal responsibilities: “I was still able to observe sessions and provide feedback, and it was kind of nice to be able to do so without having to leave my apartment.”

THE UPSIDE OF UNCERTAINTY While the team couldn’t provide all the services they would traditionally offer to in-person clients, Thompson sees the transition as a success overall. “We would not be able to continue to serve our community without telehealth right now,” she says. In fact, she points to the fact that the ALEC and HSC could serve clients outside of the local area as a positive outcome of the switch to telehealth service.

Ebener agrees. “We reached people through telehealth that we would not normally serve in the clinic. For example, we had several clients who were located in south Florida, the panhandle, and even some UF students. The doctoral students had the opportunity to work with a diverse client group in terms of age, race, ethnicity and client issues. I felt this was an excellent training experience for the doctoral students as well as a needed community service.”

The results were so positive that Ebener wants to continue offering telehealth services going into the future.

HELP IN THE AGE OF COVID-19 If you are struggling dealing or coping with the effects of the pandemic, Ebener and Thompson recommend reaching out to someone in your support system, like a family member or friend, or a professional. In these uncertain times, “it’s important to manage your stress and anxiety,” Ebener says.

For those wondering how these mental health experts are dealing with the pandemic, Thompson says that her advice is a bit contra-

The HSC and ALEC offer a number of services to individuals, couples and families, both at FSU and in the community. Services currently offered include: • Evaluations for psychoeducational difficulties including Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), depression, bipolar, autism, etc.

• ADHD coaching services • Stress management • Counseling for depression, anxiety, motivation, selfesteem, and anger management • Conflict management • Relationship counseling

dictory: “keeping a routine, while also being flexible and patient. It’s important to keep some level of normalcy by doing the things you typically do, such as sticking to a certain schedule, working toward your personal goals, taking care of your health and visiting with family and friends (video gatherings are great!).

“On the other hand, patience with yourself and others is key during this time. It’s hard to plan ahead right now, and everyone copes differently. You may need to build more breaks into your schedule, be flexible with needing to change plans, ask for more support, prioritize different things than you normally would and be understanding if other people need to do the same.”

Ebener adds that while social distancing is important and necessary for slowing the spread of COVID-19, “that does not mean to socially isolate. It’s important for people to stay connected with others in their lives and maintain a social support system. While you may need to socialize in a different way, it is still a valuable and important aspect of coping with stress.”

She also adds that maintaining physical health is necessary to maintain mental health, so if you are feeling overwhelmed or mentally drained, going for a walk can do wonders for your state of mind.

Above all else, do not be afraid to ask for help. There are so many people out there—like Ebener, Thompson, their students and peers—who are devoted to helping others. If you are an individual in Florida, you can schedule an appointment at the HSC or ALEC by emailing hsc@coe.fsu.edu or coe-alec@fsu.edu, respectively. If you are located outside of Florida, you can access mental health services through resources found on Psychology Today, your community mental health agency, or health insurance provider directory. Other important national resources include the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (1-800-273-8255), Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the National Institute of Mental Health, and the National Alliance on Mental Illness. n

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Student Spotlight:

LAUREN BAGDY

Program Instructional Systems & Learning Technologies, Ph.D. Hometown Johns Creek, Georgia

When did you first discover your passion for your field?

As an undergraduate at Elon University, I majored in psychology and was particularly interested in industrial/organizational (I/O) psychology. My academic advisor included me in multiple projects, which piqued my interest in research. I eventually wanted to pursue a garaduate degree in I/O psychology, focusing on leadership assessment or workplace motivation.

Rather than jumping right into a master’s degree, I took a break from being a student and got a job as an administrator at an independent PK-5 school in the Washington, D.C. area.

I assisted with many of the school’s technology initiatives and had the opportunity to work directly with students. I developed a passion for educational technology.

While working at the school, I earned a master’s degree in educational technology leadership from The George Washington University (GWU). Some of my educational technology courses included instructional design, which aligned with my previous I/O psychology interests. The program at GWU was more practical than research-focused, and I was interested in learning about and conducting research. Shortly after graduating with my master’s, I started applying to doctoral programs in instructional design and educational technology.

What made you choose the FSU College of Education?

I applied to five universities, and FSU was my first choice. The instructional systems and learning technologies (ISLT) program at FSU is one of the top programs in the instructional

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design and technology field; many prominent scholars and educators in the field are affiliated with the ISLT program at FSU. Also, during my master’s program, I started following Dr. Vanessa Dennen’s research on learner engagement in online courses and learning in online communities and networks. I was interested in working with her on similar research. When I was accepted to the ISLT program, I was thrilled to find out that she agreed to be my major professor.

I also had a wonderful admissions experience. I felt like a part of the ISLT family before I completed the application process.

Mary Kate McKee, our program specialist, was welcoming and helpful throughout the entire admission process. I had the opportunity to interact with multiple ISLT faculty members who were genuinely interested in shaping me into a scholar. I was also connected with current students who were very supportive and answered my questions about the program and living in Tallahassee.

Describe your most memorable moment at FSU. I’ve had so many memorable moments at FSU. One that I will never forget was the pivot to online learning in spring 2020 as a result of COVID-19. I am an instructor of record for EME2040: Introduction to Educational Technology, an undergraduate technology course designed for preservice teachers.

I’ve taught this course in-person since I started the ISLT program. During spring 2020, three other instructors were also teaching in-person sections of the course. Under the leadership of our course supervisor, Dr. Dennen, we came together

to generate the best possible online course experience. Our field is dedicated to best practices for designing, developing, and delivering instructional material. While it takes a great deal of time and resources to design an online course properly, we had the prior skills and knowledge needed to finish the semester in this situation successfully. We started a team-teaching approach, providing support for each other and our students.

We finished the semester strong, and our students seemed to be pleased with our efforts. I am so grateful to Dr. Dennen and the other instructors (Ömer Arslan, Hajeen Choi, and Zhichun “Lukas” Liu) for being such a supportive team during a time of uncertainty and chaos.

What are your plans for after graduation?

I am passionate about both research and teaching. My goal is to obtain a position as an assistant professor in an instructional design technology or educational technology program.

In addition to research and teaching, I look forward to advising and mentoring future colleagues in my field. I am also very involved in my field’s professional organization, the Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT), so I plan to pursue more leadership roles to contribute to the advancement of my field. n

Tell us about your research. What has been the most striking/interesting discovery you’ve made so far?

Since 2016, I’ve been working with a research team led by Dr. Vanessa Dennen and Dr. Stacey Rutledge exploring how teens use social media both in and out of school. After reviewing the literature, we discovered that teen social media use most is often associated with harmful activities (drama, cyberbullying, etc.) and outcomes (depression, low self-esteem, etc.). There is minimal empirical research examining how teens take advantage of the affordances of social media for productive endeavors. After interviewing 37 high school students, our team found that teens are using these platforms for crafting their online identities, building networks, participating in communities and learning. We are currently collecting data to investigate how teens are using social media during the COVID-19 pandemic.

I am most interested in how teens use social media for learning outside of school, particularly how they use these platforms for informal learning. Our team found that some teens are using social media platforms to support their informal learning needs related to their interests, hobbies, career/future planning and entrepreneurship. For example, we interviewed a teen who was joining the military the summer after high school. This teen used social media platforms to learn about military life and find information about what to pack for basic training.

Since informal learning was my area of interest, my research team supported me in first authoring a conference proceedings paper and presenting this work at the International Conference on Social Media & Society in Copenhagen, Denmark.

My dissertation research will be an in-depth exploration of how and why teens use social media platforms for informal learning. I think the data will be particularly interesting, as some teens will be attending high school virtually either this fall or the entire 2020-2021 academic year. I hope that the findings will shed more light on teens’ positive social media activities and provide insight for parents and schools about how to support these informal learning initiatives.

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Honoring the Past, Preparing for the Future: The Hardee Center – A. Wayne King Endowed Professorship

By Kevin Derryberry

A. Wayne King (M.S. ‘80)

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his fall, higher education professionals at Florida State have faced unprecedented challenges. They have had to build community during a pandemic without risking student safety, engage with a student body eager to confront issues of social justice while honoring our past, and build toward an uncertain future using new tools and technology. The work of a higher education professional can be challenging, though alumni like Allen “Wayne” King (M.S. ’80 Higher Education) have been making it look easy for nearly 40 years.

“He fits in everywhere,” says Sherrill Ragans, former vice president of student affairs of her longtime friend. “He’s comforting, efficient, and knows how to build bridges.” Ragans may be describing her friend, but she could also be describing the qualities of an ideal member of the higher education program’s LifeNet. Established by student affairs pioneer Dr. Melvene Hardee, the LifeNet is an extensive network of FSU alumni, faculty, students and friends working in higher education positions around the world.

Ragans helped introduce King to the LifeNet by chance when she met him the first day he set foot on campus. “I wasn’t supposed to interview him, but his supervisor was out that day,” says Ragans. But she had the good fortune to step in and make a friend for life. “He always brings good news and meets people well, and they remember him.”

Despite spending just one year in Tallahassee as he worked through his master’s program, King left a strong impression and left town with lifelong friendships and a commitment to the LifeNet and FSU. One of his first colleagues at FSU was Joey Satterfield. Satterfield worked in housing with King in the late ‘70s and the two have stayed friends. He remembers King’s uncanny ability to “lighten any room that he enters,” and described his work ethic as “rigorous and gregarious. He has the perfect chemistry for working with people in difficult times.” Several years later, when Satterfield and his wife moved to Greenville, South Carolina, King helped them find an apartment. “He’s always been a giver to folks,” says Satterfield.

King and Tony Floyd, president of Mars Hill University

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In the spring of 2020, through a commitment from his estate, King made the single most generous commitment in the history of the Hardee Center. His gift will create and endow the Hardee

tive graduate students, and participating in Hardee Center events. Ragans recalls a party that she hosted at her home for more than fifty students. King was in town and thrilled to attend. He even helped her clean up and wash dishes late into the night. She claims he has teased her to this day, by RSVP’ing to events so long as there are “no dishes,” but he has always shown up when he was needed.

King and Lee Gray of Gray Mortuary

Center – A. Wayne King Endowed Professorship so that the Hardee Center and the LifeNet continue to generate higher education leaders for generations to come.

King also serves on the Hardee Board, which supports and provides guidance to the center. “Wayne’s dedication, passion, and energy have positively influenced many aspects of the Hardee Center and the Higher Education program,” says Kathy Guthrie, director of the Hardee Center.

However, to fully appreciate King’s support of FSU, one needs to know how closely he values his time in Tallahassee and the incredible kindness and generosity of spirit that led him to make this planned gift.

King grew up in Taylors, South Carolina—a suburb of Greenville—and earned a bachelor’s in education from Mars Hill University. After graduating from FSU, he moved to Greenville, South Carolina and started a job at Furman University where he would spend more than thirty years as a higher education administrator.

King began as coordinator for men’s housing at Furman, then moved up to housing director after a brief return to his undergraduate alma mater, Mars Hill. At Furman, he presided over a liberalizing of visiting hours policy and played a key role in developing the North Village Apartments before moving to the Development Office where he worked in annual giving, donor relations and as a senior development officer. During this time, Rita Moser, a former director of university housing at FSU, recalls that King continually, “recruited graduate students for Florida State.” While working in housing and development, he continued to build the LifeNet.

“He reaches out to people,” says Ragans.

“He doesn’t forget anybody.” She recalls that King reached out to her when her brother passed away and that he spoke at the campus memorial service for Melvene Hardee on behalf of her master’s program alumni. “[Wayne] has no limit to his energy to help people,” says Satterfield. This energy for helping others extends to the work he has done since retiring from Furman in 2012. King works part time at Gray Mortuary, where he has spent more than twenty years helping to make final arrangements for families suffering through the difficulty of loss.

King is modest when asked about his career and impact on the lives of those around him. He prefers to shine the light on those around him. Satterfield describes him as “one for solutions, not one for credit,” but those who know him all agree that King has done a great deal for the people and organizations that he cares about.

In Satterfield’s words, “Wayne is one of those people that makes you a better person. And I hope I have become a better person from what he has taught me.” n

King and Dr. Craig Stanley, associate dean of the FSU College of Social Work and fellow Mars Hill University alumnus

King traveled back and forth to Tallahassee, bringing prospecTHE TORCH - COLLEGE OF EDUCATION MAGAZINE | 23

Faculty & Staff Updates NEW FACULT Y

DIANA BRANDON Educational Psychology and Learning Systems

MEGAN BUNING FSU COACH

EMILY PLUMMER School of Teacher Education

NEW STAFF

GARRET HALL Educational Psychology and Learning Systems

CHRISTOPHER SMALL Educational Leadership and Policy Studies

ERIC LUDWIG Educational Leadership and Policy Studies

SVENJA WOLF Educational Psychology and Learning Systems

STAFF ACHIEVEMENTS KERRY BEHNKE, administrative associate in the Office of the Dean, was honored for 15 years of service to the College of Education.

BOB BIRKEN, academic advisor in the Office of Academic Services and Intern Support, was honored for 20 years of service to the College of Education.

TRAVIS BROWN Office of Information and Instructional Technologies

SARA HALL School of Teacher Education

HOLLY CROSBY, business manager in the Office of the Dean, was honored for five years of service to the College of Education.

MIA HINES, academic advisor in the Office of Academic Services and Intern Support, was featured on WFSU’s Voices that Inspire. In the segment, Hines shares her experience in education and gives her thoughts on virtual learning, parenting, and the challenges facing teachers and students today.

JOHANNA PETTY Educational Leadership and Policy Studies

JENNIFER WALSH Educational Psychology and Learning Systems

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JIMMY PASTRANO, academic program specialist in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, was honored for 20 years of service to the College of Education. He also received the college’s outstanding staff member award.

DEREK TAYLOR, office administrator in the Office of the Dean, was honored for 10 years of service to the College of Education.

Faculty Achievements DR. MOTOKO AKIBA, professor and the chair of the Department of Educational Leadership & Policy Studies, presented at Penn State’s International Conference on Teacher Leadership and Socio-Emotional Development. Her presentation was titled, “Teacher leadership and educational systems: a comparative perspective.”

DR. RUSSELL ALMOND, associate professor of measurement & statistics, was appointed to the board of directors of the Florida Educational Research Association (FERA).

FERA sponsors an annual conference that serves as a way academic researchers can meet with researchers from Florida’s Department of Education and school districts as well as classroom teacher-educators. The conference covers a wide variety of topics related to higher education, classroom education and educational psychology (including psychometrics). Almond also received the award for Outstanding Contribution to the Field of Cognition and Assessment from the Cognition and Assessment Special Interest Group of AERA. DEAN DAMON ANDREW presented at the annual National Association for Kinesiology in Higher Education (NAKHE) conference, which took place January 8-11 in Palm Springs, California. The conference’s theme was “Leading Beyond the Campus: Driving Change as Experts.” Andrew was also invited to be the keynote speaker for the Korean American Association for Sport Management (KAASM) conference, which was conducted virtually. He gave his thoughts on the changing landscape of higher education, particularly due to the pandemic.

DR. CHRISTINE ANDREWS-LARSON, associate professor of mathematics education, authored a paper that was published in the Journal for Research in Mathematics Education titled, “Inquiry and Gender Inequity in the Undergraduate Mathematics Classroom.”

DR. TIMOTHY BAGHURST, professor and director of FSU COACH, gave a number of presentations this past year, including: the International Council for Coaching Excellence (ICCE) in Tokyo, Japan (“Best Practices for Coaching and Teaching the International Athlete”); the Nebraska National Strength and Conditioning Association state clinic in Omaha, Nebraska (“20 Athlete-Centered Leadership Strategies for a Successful S&C Program”); and the annual NCAA Convention in Anaheim, California (academic orientation

course to help international student athletes assimilate into American academic institutions). Baghurst also served as the vice president of the National Association for Kinesiology in Higher Education (NAKHE), where he was responsible for running the annual conference. While there, he participated in a panel discussion on “Interviews, Contracts, Negotiations, and Hiring Decisions of the Pre-Tenure Faculty Member.” He recently edited a book, titled Coaching for Sport Performance and conducted a Q&A with Routledge about what inspired him to write the book.

Additionally, Baghurst published a number of articles this past year, including: “Can Anyone Coach? Why I’m a Coach Educator and not a Dentist,” in Physical & Health Education America, which looks at what it takes to become a coach and argues that being a good coach requires training and study; “Integrating the Functional Movement Screen ® into Strength and Conditioning Programs” in Scholarship in Kinesiology, which provides an overview of integrating the Functional Movement Screen into strength and conditioning protocols; “Muscular Morphological Adaptations of Two Whole-Body High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) Configurations,” in the Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness; “Stress and Burnout Experienced by Intercollegiate Swimming Head Coaches” in the International Sport Coaching Journal, which presents a study that investigated burnout and stress among swimming head coaches in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and collected data on 223 coaches; and “The Susceptibles, Chancers, Pragmatists, and Fair Players: An Examination of the Sport Drug Control Model for Adolescent Athletes, Cluster Effects, and Norm Values Among Adolescent Athletes,” in Frontiers in Psychology, which explores the relatively unexamined situation of adolescent performance doping in sports and the efficacy of the Sport Drug Control Model for Adolescent Athletes, as well as develops a possible profile of athletes that may be at risk of doping.

DR. CAMERON BEATTY, assistant professor of higher education, published a chapter in New Directions for Student Leadership titled, “Leadership Educator as Social Justice Educator.” The chapter was co-written by alumnus Vivechkanand Chunoo (Higher Education Ph.D. ’18) and Melissa D. Gruver.

He was also inducted into the Martin Luther King, Jr. Collegium of Scholars at Morehouse College, Dr. King’s alma mater. The Collegium

of Scholars consists of academic, scholars and professors whose research, writing, teaching and mentoring across a variety of disciplines promote and support advancement towards peace through moral responsibility.

Additionally, he received the Inclusive Teaching and Mentoring Award from FSU and was named a McKnight Junior Faculty Fellow for the next academic year by the Florida Education Fund. Through the fellowship, Beatty will receive support for a year of research and writing. The award is given to junior faculty members in recognition of teaching excellence by underrepresented minorities and women.

Beatty also published an article with Higher Education student Allen Clay, Jr. and recent doctoral graduate Erica Wiborg titled, “COVID-19 in Florida: A Breakdown of Disparities in the Black Population June & July 2020.”

DR. BETSY BECKER, Mode L. Stone Distinguished Professor of Educational Statistics, received a Graduate Faculty Mentor Award from FSU. DR. SONIA CABELL, assistant professor of reading education/language arts and faculty member in the Florida Center of Reading Research, received a Council on Research and Creativity (CRC) planning grant from FSU entitled, “Impact of the Sit Together and Read and Write (Star-W) Intervention on Preschool Children’s Early Writing and Print Knowledge.”

Cabell also served as a guest expert during a Twitter chat sponsored by the International Literacy Association on the topic of early childhood writing instruction and how it can improve literacy. The chat is an educator-focused conversation aimed to help classroom teachers, librarians, pre-service teachers, administrators and more.

Additionally, Cabel won the 2020 Robert M. Gagné Research Award. Cabell received the award for her paper titled, “Impact of the Core Knowledge Language Arts’ Read-Aloud Program on Kindergarteners’ Vocabulary, Listening Comprehension, and General Knowledge.”

DR. KATHLEEN CLARK, associate professor of mathematics education, published an article with two peers, Drs. Uffe Thomas Jankvist of Denmark and Reidar Mosvold of Norway.

The article is titled, “Developing mathematical knowledge for teaching teachers: Potentials of history of mathematics in teacher educator training,” and appears in the Journal of Mathematics Teacher Education.

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DR. VANESSA DENNEN, professor of instructional systems and learning technologies, published two articles in The Conversation.

The first one is titled “Is online education right for you? 5 questions answered.” In the article, Dennen explores common misconceptions and issues surrounding online education, as well as discusses its possible future. The second article discusses advice on how teachers can get ready to temporarily teach classes online due to COVID-19. The article is titled “What to expect as colleges and universities move classes online amid coronavirus fears: 4 questions answered” and can be found here.

Dennen also contributed to an article that appeared on CPR News. The article, which looks at how the coronavirus has affected campus life for Colorado university students, contains advice applicable to college students everywhere.

Additionally, Dennen published an article with students Hajeen Choi and Kari Word in Educational Technology Research and Development titled, “Social media, teenagers, and the school context: a scoping review of research in education and related fields.” The paper looks at which disciplines between 2009 and 2018 have studied social media use of high school- and college-aged students.

DEAN EMERITA MARCY DRISCOLL published two book chapters in Lessons in Leadership in the Field of Educational Technology.

She wrote the chapters titled, “Marcy’s Story: Fortune Favors the Bold,” and “Robert M. Gagne: Colleague, Co-Teacher, Co-Author.”

DR. ROBERT EKLUND, associate dean of faculty development and advancement, edited the 4th edition of the two-volume Handbook of Sport Psychology. Retired faculty member Gershon Tenenbaum also edited the volume.

The volume is endorsed by the International Society of Sport Psychology and includes current knowledge about the understanding of the role of psychology in the areas of sport, exercise and performance.

DR. VERONICA FLEURY, assistant professor of special education, had her work referenced in a blog post published by the Institute of Education Sciences (IES). The post explores the literacy needs of students with autism and references Fleury’s research, including her IES-funded study. You can find the blog post here. Fleury also published a new study in Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders titled, “Brief Report: Caregiver perceptions of autism practices.”

Additionally, she published two chapters in the Encyclopedia of Autism Spectrum Disorders titled, “Shared Book Reading with Preschoolers with Autism” and “Public Perception of

Autism Treatments: Science Versus Pseudoscience in the Age of Mass Media.”

DR. FANCHON “FANCY” FUNK, professor emerita in the College of Education, co-authored Swans of the World Habitats: Setting the Standard for Swan Conservation. Published

by The Regal Swan® Foundation, Inc., the book was named a finalist by the 2020 Next Generation Indie Book Awards in the Animals and Pets category. The book examines the history of swans, swan medical care, and habitat conservation and is designed to help veterinarians, swan keepers and swan owners better understand these animals.

DR. KATHY GUTHRIE, associate professor of higher education, published a chapter in New Directions for Student Leadership titled, “Preparing the Leadership Educator Through Graduate Education.” The chapter was co-written with Barry L. Boyd and Cheryl A. Getz.

DR. ERIK HINES, associate professor of school counseling, published a second issue in the special theme series, Group Work with African American Children and Adolescents.

The title of the second issue is “Group Work with Black/African American Males,” and was published with his colleague, Dr. Sam Steen.

This emphasis on Black/African American male youth within the second edition is the first of its kind within the Journal for Specialists in Group Work and the editors hope this body of work builds on the ongoing scholarly endeavors that have the potential to produce positive outcomes for Black/African American males through group work.

DR. PHIL HIVER, assistant professor of foreign and second language education, received the 2020 Early Career Scholar Award from the International Association for the Psychology of Language Learning (IAPLL). The IAPLL is “an interdisciplinary association of scholars with an interest in exploring the psychological dimensions of language learning and teaching,” that promotes research, publications, cooperation between scholars in the fields, and promotes the psychology of language learning throughout the world.

DR. TAMARA BERTRAND JONES, associate professor of higher education, was featured in an article that appeared in Diverse Issues in Higher Education. The article spotlights the International Colloquium on Black Males in Education. The Colloquium took place in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and aims to spotlight some of the unique challenges that Black men and women face in academia.

DR. ITHEL JONES, professor of early childhood education, published two new books, Critical Issues in Early Childhood Teacher Education: Volume 1 U.S. Perspectives and Critical Issues in Early Childhood Teacher Education: Volume 2 International Perspectives.

DR. FENGFENG KE, professor of instructional systems and learning technologies, published an article in the Journal of Computing in Higher Education titled, “Investigating educational affordances of virtual reality for simulation-based teaching training with graduate teaching assistants.”

DR. AYESHA KHURSHID, associate professor of international and multicultural education, received a Graduate Teaching Award from FSU. DR. S. KATHLEEN KRACH, assistant professor of school psychology, published a new article in the International Journal of Gaming and Computer-Mediated Simulations titled, “Can video games be used as a stealth assessment of aggression? A criterion-related validity study.” She also published an article titled, “Can computers teach social skills to children? Examining the efficacy of ‘The Social Express’ with an African American sample” in the Journal of Contemporary School Psychology.

DR. SANDRA LEWIS, professor and coordinator of the visual disabilities program, wrote a chapter titled, “Students with visual impairments” that appears in the book Exceptional Lives; Practice, Progress, & Dignity in Today’s Schools.

DR. AMAL IBOURK, assistant professor of elementary science education, won the College of Education’s Undergraduate Teaching Award.

DR. JEFFREY AYALA MILLIGAN, professor of foundations of education and director of the Learning Systems Institute at Florida State University, published a second edition of his book, Islamic Identity, Postcoloniality and Educational Policy: Schooling and Ethno-Religious Conflict in the Southern Philippines.

DR. LYNDSAY JENKINS, assistant professor of school psychology, published an article in the International Journal of Bullying Prevention titled, “Bystander Intervention in Bullying: Differences Across Latent Profiles.” The article examines latent profiles of bullying and participating in bullying in the context of the fivestep bystander intervention model.

DR. CHRISTINE MOKHER, associate professor of higher education, contributed to a column that appeared in The Hechinger Report titled, “States are testing unproven ways to eliminate remedial ed—on their students.” She also published the following articles with colleague Daniel Leeds: “Unintended short- and longer-term consequences of assignment to

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college readiness courses: Evidence from Florida” in Educational Policy and “Improving indicators of college readiness: Methods for optimally placing students into multiple levels of postsecondary coursework” in Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis.

DR. JOHN MYERS, associate professor of social science education, published an edited book titled Research on teaching global issues: Pedagogy for global citizenship education. The book features new research on the modern day problems related to the teaching of global issues, including how to foster interest in students, particularly on the topic of global activism. The first section of the book explores the “contexts and policies in which global issues are taught and learned,” while the second section features “case studies of teaching and learning global issues in schools.”

DR. JOSHUA NEWMAN, professor and associate chair of sport management, appeared on an episode of the podcast, Global Sport Matters. The episode is titled, “The Huddle: NASCAR & The Confederate Flag, Student Journalists’ Roundtable,” and talks about recent events in NASCAR dealing with the Confederate Flag and driver Bubba Wallace.

DR. DEBRA OSBORN, associate professor of career counseling, co-authored a piece that appeared in the March issue of the National Career Development Association’s e-zine. The article is titled, “On Getting Started in Research and Asking Good Questions: Thoughts from Members of the NCDA Research Committee,” and can be read here. She also published an article in Career Development Quarterly titled, “Comparing career development outcomes for undergraduate CIP-based courses versus human relations courses.” Additionally, she published an article titled, “Utilizing experiential learning theory to train career practitioners” in the Journal of Employment Counseling.

DR. JASON PAPPAS, associate teaching professor and sport management internship program director, was featured in a segment on WCTV discussing the cancellation of March Madness. In the segment, he discusses the various factors that led to the NCAA to make the decision. Pappas also received an Undergraduate Teaching Award from FSU. DR. TOBY PARK-GAGHAN, associate professor of economics of education and education policy and associate director of the Center for Postsecondary Success, received the Outstanding Reviewer for Educational Researcher award for 2019 from the American Educational Research Association (AERA), a nonprofit organization serving the field of educational research and promotes best practices on the use of research in practice.

DR. LARA PEREZ-FELKNER, along with Samantha Nix (Higher Education M.S. ’13, Ph.D. ’18) and Melissa Magalhães (B.S. ’17), recently published an article titled, “The puzzling relationship between international development and gender equity: The case of STEM postsecondary education in Cambodia” in the International Journal of Educational Development.

Guest edited by Perez-Felkner, the first of two special issues was published in International Journal for Gender, Science, and Technology, on the topic “Reimagining Who Does STEM” in January 2020. Perez-Felkner also published an editorial, “Surpassing STEM’s Gender Limitations: Structures, Interventions, and Systems Change.”

Additionally, she received a certificate of achievement from New Directions for Institutional Research for her article, “Conceptualizing the Field: Higher Education Research on STEM Gender Gap,” being among the top 10% of downloaded papers.

DR. ALYSIA ROEHRIG, associate professor and program coordinator for learning & cognition, published an article with doctoral student Makana Craig titled, “Motivating Diverse Learners Using Culturally Relevant & Responsive Education.” The article appeared on the American Psychological Association Division 15, Educational Psychology’s website as a practice brief and can be found here.

DR. JENNY ROOT, assistant professor of special education, has a new publication in Remedial and Special Education titled, “Applying the Universal Design for Learning Framework to Mathematics Instruction for Learners with Extensive Support Needs.” Co-authors include Dr. Sarah Cox (Special Education Ph.D. ’18), postdoctoral research fellow in special education; Dr. Alicia Saunders, research scientist at UNC Charlotte; and Deidre Gilley (Special Education M.S. ’18).

Root also presented at the 21st International Conference on Autism, Intellectual Disability, and Developmental Disabilities along with Sarah Cox and doctoral student Addie McConomy. Their presentation was titled, “Augmented Reality to Teach Mathematical Problem Solving to Students with Autism and Intellectual Disability.”

sition Education” in the Handbook of Adolescent Transition Education for Youth with Disabilities (2nd edition). The handbook serves as a resource to all individuals who assist in helping adolescents with disabilities transition into adulthood.

Root, along with co-investigators Sarah Cox, Addie McConomy, and Taryn Wade, was also awarded an AERA Division K (Re)envisioning Teaching and Teacher Education in the Shadow of Covid-19 grant for their project, “Care-giver Assisted Virtual Math Instruction for Secondary Students with Autism.” The seed grant aim to promote research on Covid-19-related research projects, particularly on how the pandemic has impacted families, P-12 schools, teacher education programs and specific communities, as well as looking at new ways to enact teaching and teacher education.

Additionally, she published the article “Contextualizing Mathematical Problem-Solving Instruction for Secondary Students with Extensive Support Needs: A Systematic Replication” in Research and Practice for Persons with Severe Disabilities. Co-authors include special education alumnae Sarah Cox, Kat Davis (B.S./M.S. ’20) and Nanette Hammons (Ph.D. ’20).

DR. ROBERT SCHWARTZ, professor of higher education, received a Senior Scholar Grant from the American College Personnel Association. The grant recognizes Schwartz’s work on inclusion and diversity in the field of higher education and goes to support further research in these topics.

DR. MIRAY TEKKUMRU-KISA, assistant professor of science education, published an article titled, “Theory and Research on Tasks Revisited: Task as a Context for Students’ Thinking in the Era of Ambitious Reforms in Mathematics and Science” in Educational Researcher. The article addresses the growing need for high-quality teaching and learning in mathematics and science classrooms and the close connection to student learning and the tasks assigned to them.

Tekkumru-Kisa is also the primary investigator on a National Science Foundation-funded project titled, “Facilitating Teacher Learning with Video Clips of Instruction in Science.”

Root also published an article in the journal Exceptionality describing how a series of systematic replications across 16 studies were used to develop and evaluate math curriculum for students with extensive support needs. The article is titled “Replication Research to Support Mathematical Learning of Students with Extensive Support Needs.”

DR. NICOLE PATTON TERRY, the Olive & Manuel Bordas Professor of Education in the School of Teacher Education and associate director of the Florida Center for Reading Research, appeared on an episode of SeeHearSpeak Podcast and shared her thoughts on bidialectalism, school-research partnerships, and poverty. The episode can be heard here.

Additionally, she published a chapter titled, “Academic Skill Instruction in Adolescent Tran-

She also published an article with Yaacov Petscher (sports psychology M.S. ‘04, measure-

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ment and statistics M.S. ‘05) called “Speech Recognition in Education: The powers and perils” on SmartBrief. The article looks at the biases associated with speech recognition software.

She was also elected as a fellow of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA).

DR. YANYUN YANG, professor of measurement and statistics, published an article titled, “College students’ attitudes, stigma, and intentions toward seeking online and face-toface counseling,” in the Journal of Clinical Psychology. FSU alumnus Matthew D. Bird (Sport Psychology Ph.D. ’18) and Dr. Graig Chow were also authors on the article. In the piece, they explore the “differences in public stigma, self-stigma, attitudes (value and discomfort), and intentions to seek help between online and face-to-face counseling.”

DR. EUNHUI YOON, assistant professor of school counseling, published a new article in the Korean Journal of Counseling titled, “The Development and Validation of the Korean Counselor LGBT Counseling Competency Scale.” She published the article along with peers from Dankook University and Gyeongsang National University.

She also co-authored an article titled “Exploring South Korean heterosexuals’ attitudes towards same-sex relationships, lesbians and gays: A qualitative study” in the Korean Journal of Counseling and Psychotherapy. The Beyond the Rainbow Foundation funded the study.

Additionally, she contributed to a report on conversion therapy for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights website. The report examines the umbrella term of conversion therapy and the damaging effects physically, emotionally and mentally.

The report looks at where conversion therapy takes place, its prevalence in various cultures, and ultimately calls for a global ban on conversion therapy.

Yoon also co-wrote an article titled “Promoting Identity Wellness in LGBTGEQIAP+ Adolescents Through Affirmative Therapy,” which was published in the Journal of LGBT Issues in Counseling. The paper looks at how affirmative therapy helps individuals “meet important developmental milestones and achieve a positive self-identity.”

DR. QIAN ZHANG, assistant professor of measurement & statistics, won the College of Education’s Graduate Teaching Award.

DRS. CHRISTINE MOKHER, TOBY PARKGAGHAN, AND SHOUPING HU published the following articles together this past year: “Shining the spotlight on those outside Florida’s

reform limelight: The impact of developmental education reform for non-exempt students” in the Journal of Higher Education; “Accelerating success: The impact of Florida’s developmental education reform on credit accumulation” in Teachers College Record; and “What happens to efficiency and equity? The cost implications of developmental education reform” in Research in Higher Education.

• MARTIN SWANBROW BECKER, associate professor of counseling psychology and school psychology

They also published “What happened when developmental education became optional in the Sunshine state? The Impact of Florida’s developmental education reform on introductory college-level course completion” in Educational Researcher with Xinye Hu and Haley Spencer, and “Exploring institutional change in the context of a statewide developmental education reform in Florida” in Community College Journal of Research and Practice with Haley Spencer.

Eight faculty members in the College of Education were chosen to receive seed funding grants from the FSU Office of the Vice President for Research. The grant money will allow teams to study the impacts of COVID-19 on various aspects of life. The faculty members and their projects are as follows:

DRS. REBECCA BROWER, CHRISTINE MOKHER, TAMARA BERTRAND JONES, BRAD COX AND SHOUPING HU published “From democratic to ‘need to know’: Linking distributed leadership to data cultures in the Florida College System” in AERA Open.

• PI: VANESSA DENNEN (EPLS), Co-PI: STACEY RUTLEDGE (ELPS) Adolescent Social Media Use in the Time of COVID-19

DRS. MOSTAFA PAPI & PHIL HIVER published an article in the Modern Language Journal, rated the top journal in the field of second language acquisition. The article is titled, “Language Learning Motivation as a Complex Dynamic System: A Global Perspective of Truth, Control, and Value” and explores the “applicability of one global framework of motivation to integrate different perspectives.”

DR. MIRAY TEKKUMRU-KISA, assistant professor of science education, published an article in the Journal of Research in Science Technology with Dr. Courtney Preston, assistant professor of educational leadership and policy studies; Dr. Zahid Kisa, research faculty at the Learning Systems Institute; Elif Oz (education policy and evaluation Ph.D. ‘20); and Jennifer Morgan (science education Ph.D. student). The article is titled “Assessing instructional quality in science in the era of ambitious reforms: A pilot study” and looks at the instructional reforms that have changed the focus from “discrete facts” to “a focus on a small number of disciplinary core ideas that can be explored in depth.”

Three faculty members in the College of Education were chosen for a Dean’s Circle Research Grant: • SONIA CABELL, assistant professor of reading education/language arts and faculty member in the Florida Center of Reading Research

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• JEANNINE TURNER, associate professor of learning and cognition Funding for the Dean’s Circle Grants come from donor contributions to the College of Education’s Dean Circle.

• PI: CAMERON BEATTY (ELPS), Co-PI: James Wright (Public Administration) Creation of a Dataset to Track County-Level Variables and COVID Infections

• PI: JAMES DU (SM); Co-PIs: AMY KIM (SM), plus three faculty from other universities. A Natural Experiment Testing the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Mental and Physical Health in the U.S. • PI: LAURA REID-MARKS (EPLS); Co-PIs: EUNHUI YOON (EPLS), YANYUN YANG (EPLS), Sylvie Naar (Medicine). Psychological and Substance Use Impacts of COVID-19 Perceived Threat in Racially Diverse Emerging Adults A number of faculty members received promotions and/or tenure this past year: DR. FRANK TENORE Promotion to Teaching Faculty II DR. ROSE SKEPPLE Promotion to Instructional Specialist II MS. REBECCA PFEIFFER Promotion to Instructional Specialist II MR. DENNIS NOBLES Promotion to Teaching Faculty III DR. SHAOFENG LI – Tenure DR. ALYSIA ROEHRIG Promotion to Professor DR. DEBRA OSBORN Promotion to Professor DR. DAVID ECCLES Promotion to Professor DR. COURTNEY PRESTON Promotion to Associate Professor and Tenure DR. AMY KIM Promotion to Associate Professor and Tenure DR. LYNDSAY JENKINS Promotion to Associate Professor and Tenure

Alumni Updates 1960s

MIKE MARTIN (Physical Education B.S. ’66) was honored by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association, who announced that their prestigious coaching award will be named after Martin going forward. “When I heard about it,” Martin said with a smile, “I was simply flabbergasted. It is such an honor to have my name associated with this award, and it is a tribute to all the players and coaches who worked with me at Florida State.”

M. Dianne Murphy

NCAA Division 1 Women’s Basketball Committee, and athletics director at the University of Denver.

Mike Martin, Photo by AJ Studios Photography

SHEILA BOLIN (Educational Leadership M.S. ’83) co-authored Swans of the World Habitats: Setting the Standard for Swan Conservation, which has been named a finalist by the 2020 Next Generation Indie Book Awards. Bolin is also the CEO of a non-profit organization, The Regal Swan® Foundation.

The foundation has worked to educate individuals about swan health, created two vaccines for swans, and much more.

1970s

CAY HOLBROOK (Visual Disabilities B.S. ’77, M.S. ’82, Special Education Ph.D. ’86) was quoted in an article that appeared on Good Morning America. The article talks about the critical demand for instructors who can teach Braille. In the article, Holbrook says, “I always tell people who are coming to me to learn how to teach Braille that I can guarantee them a job—in the city, in the mountains, near the ocean. It’s just that much in demand.”

1980s

M. DIANNE MURPHY (Educational Leadership/Administration Ph.D. ’80) received the Jostens-Berenson Lifetime Achievement Award from the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA). Murphy is currently the senior partner at The PICTOR Group, an intercollegiate athletics consulting firm. In her career, she has held a number of high profile titles, including the director of athletics at Columbia University, co-founder of The Center for Coaching Excellence, member of the

Mark Zeigler speaking at FSU commencement

1990s

KAREN CARMODY (Elementary Education B.S. ’92) celebrated her fourth anniversary as an assistant principal at Grassy Lake Elementary. The elementary school is located in Lake County, FL and leads the district in student achievement.

JENNIFER HALL (English Education B.S. ’96, Reading Education M.S. ’02) was featured in an article about how teachers in the Atlanta area are responding to the coronavirus pandemic and moving their classrooms online.

The article explores the concept of using the Bitmoji avatars to add personality and creativity to virtual classrooms. “It’s fun and creative in a space where teachers feel like they don’t have a lot of control. At least I can control what’s happening in my virtual classroom,” she says in the article. Hall has helped about 100 create Bitmoji avatars, earning her the nickname “The Bitmoji Whisperer.”

Sheila Bolin

VINCENT CASON (M.S. Education ’85) recently retired after 32 years of teaching. He served as an AP math teacher for much of his career.

MARK ZEIGLER (Higher Education M.S. ’87), teaching professor in the FSU College of Communication & Information, was featured in a video that explores the importance of communication. In the video, Zeigler shares his thoughts on persuasion, effective communication, mindfulness and how he approaches teaching.

Jennifer Hall

JAMES KRESS (Counseling/Human Systems M.S. ’93), a licensed professional counselor and addiction counselor, is currently working with

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at-risk mental health and substance use clients in a community-based setting with a community service board in Statesboro, Georgia.

HEATHER RAKAUSKAS BISHOP (Sport Psychology M.S. ’95, Higher Education Ph.D. ’01) was named the assistant dean of community college relations and student advising systems at Florida State University’s Division of Undergraduate Studies. For her responsibilities, she will recruit and retain transfer students and expand pathways for transfer students to enter the university through its feeder institutions. Additionally, she will oversee the data systems for both native and transfer students.

’02, Ph.D. ’04) was awarded the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching. The award, which is the nation’s highest honor recognizing teachers in STEM subjects, has recognized excellent educators since 1983.

BEN TARIO (Sport Management B.S. ’02, Sports Administration M.S. ’03) was named to the Sports Business Journal’s 2020 Forty Under Forty list. Tario is the associate commissioner of multimedia, business development and legal affairs for the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Ben Tario

Heather Rakauskas Bishop

TARA BATTISTONI (Elementary Education B.S. ’97, Measurement & Statistics M.S. ’99) was nominated by the Connecticut State Department of Education for membership on the national Smarter Balanced Assessment Performance and Practice Committee. Smarter Balanced is an assessment system that aims to increase “the number of students who are well prepared for college and careers.”

WILL GUZMÁN (Social Science Education M.S. ’99) was appointed full professor of history at Prairie View A&M University, located in Prairie View, Texas. Previously, Guzmán was an associate professor and director of the Hagan Africana Studies Center at New Jersey City University.

KEN AYERS, JR. (Mathematics Education Ed.S. ’03) was crowned Lionfish King for the State of Florida for the second time in three years (2017 & 2019). The lionfish is an invasive species in the Gulf of Mexico and Ken has eliminated over 3,500 lionfish in the last three years doing his part in protecting the gulf fish populations.

KAWANA JOHNSON (Higher Education M.S. ’03) was named a 2020 ECMC Foundation postdoctoral fellow. The ECMC Foundation seeks to create a more equitable postsecondary education system by supporting historically underserved populations. Johnson is currently the director of internships and career services at the FSU College of Business.

LEWIS BLESSING (Social Science Education B.S. ’00, Educational Leadership & Administration M.S. ’06) was named the November principal of the month by Leon County Schools. Blessing is the principal at Montford Middle School. The recognition program is sponsored by Opening Nights and Scott & Wallace, LLP.

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NICK WIERCIAK (Sports Administration M.S. ’04) was recently named to the St. Louis Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 list for 2020.

He currently serves as the vice president of ticketing, premium and suite sales for the St. Louis Blues, Enterprise Center and Stifel Theatre. According to the article, his department sold out all home games at Enterprise Center since the middle of the 2018–19 season.

JACKIE THOMAS, JR. (Higher Education M.S. ’06) was selected as a 2020-2021 Aspen Rising Presidents Fellow by the Aspen Institute. The Aspen Institute tries to advance practices that help higher education by supporting leaders—particularly leaders who promote students of color and low-income students in America. Thomas is currently the chief strategist at Lone Star College-Tomball in Tomball, Texas.

Jackie Thomas, Jr.

HEATHER LIVINGSTONE (Visual Disabilities M.S. ’08) was named an Exceptional Children Educator of Excellence by Wake County Public Schools in Raleigh, North Carolina.

She was honored at the 69th Annual Conference on Exceptional Children hosted by the Exceptional Children Division of the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction.

2000s

SCOTT SOWELL (Science Education M.S.

AMBER ROBINSON (Elementary Education B.S. ’03) was named a 2019 Outstanding Elementary School Educator by the Florida Association of Science Teachers (FAST). Robinson has served as a teacher for the past 16 years at Douglas L. Jamerson, Jr. Elementary School in Pinellas County and helped develop the STEM-integrated curriculum that uses engineering as an avenue to explore the link between science, math, and language arts.

2010s Kawana Johnson

STEPHANIE PIZZA (Visual Disabilities B.S. ’10, M.S. ’12) was named the new director of Shoals Regional Center. The center, located

REBECCA L. BROWER (Higher Education Ph.D. ’13), information assistant and writer for FSU’s Center for Postsecondary Success (CPS), recently published an article titled, “Big Qual: Defining and Debating Qualitative Inquiry for Large Data Sets” in the International Journal of Qualitative Methods. It is among the first scholarly articles to propose a definition for a qualitative variant of Big Data called Big Qual. Co-authors include Drs. Tamara Bertrand Jones, La’Tara Osborne-Lampkin, Shouping Hu, and Toby J. Park-Gaghan.

Stephanie Pizza

in Tuscumbia, Alabama, assists individuals with visual disabilities and hearing loss and is a part of the Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blind. Before being named director, Pizza worked as a teacher of the visually impaired in Gwinnett County Public School District.

She later became the director of children and youth services at the Center for the Visually Impaired in Georgia, and then the direct supervisor to two classes of visually impaired children.

JASON HENDRIX (Sport Management M.S. ’11) was named a 20 Under 40 Golden A.C.E. Award winner by the Tallahassee Network of Young Professionals. The annual award recognizes young professionals who have made a mark in the Tallahassee community and beyond. Hendrix currently serves as the director of communications for the Florida Sports Foundation.

AMIRUL MUKMININ (International and Multicultural Education Ph.D. ’12) was promoted to become a full professor in educational policy by the Indonesian Ministry of Education and Culture. He works at the Graduate School/Faculty of Education, Universitas Jambi, Indonesia. He received a Fulbright scholarship to pursue his Ph.D. and was an Erasmus Mundus postdoctoral researcher at the University of Groningen, the Netherlands.

KYLE BUNDS (Sport Management Ph.D. ’14) was promoted to associate professor with tenure at North Carolina State University.

Bunds works in the Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management. His research focuses on examining the connection between sport and the environment, specifically about sport, water and air pollution.

CHRISTIAN WILLIAMS (Higher Education M.S. ’16) was chosen for The Advocate‘s Champions of Pride list for 2020. The list spotlights leaders championing the rights of LGBTQ and intersectional groups from each state, and Williams was chosen to be the selection from Delaware. Williams currently serves as the chair of the University of Delaware’s Faculty & Staff Pride Caucus and as program coordinator for the Office of Orientation and Transition Programs.

Kyle Bunds

ABIGAIL HALLETT (Special Education B.S./M.S. ’15) and AMANDA LEWIS (Special Education B.S./M.S. ’14) have started a new business aiming to support adults with disabilities. Their business, Future Pathways Florida, draws on their experience helping individuals with disabilities at the Adult and Community Education (ACE) Transition Program in Tallahassee, where they worked together for five years helping adults learn independent living skills, social skills and job skills. Future Pathways Florida ultimately hopes to help teens and adults gain independence through training and coaching services.

BRITTANY CHRISTIE (Sport Management M.S. ’15) was featured by the Tallahassee Democrat in a series called “Where Are They Now?” The series looks at athletes who made their mark on Tallahassee, whether at FAMU, FSU, or Tallahassee Community College. Christie is currently an athletics assistant at TCC.

Amirul Mukminin

Brittany Christie

Bayview Elementary School, located in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Bardill is currently a kindergarten teacher at the school.

BRITTANY BARDILL (Elementary Education B.S. ’16) was named teacher of the year by

Christian Williams

AMY BOOHER (Special Education B.S./M.S. ’17), a special education teacher at Hawks Rise Elementary School in Tallahassee, was named Florida Council for Exceptional Children Jack Lamb Rookie Teacher of the Year for the State of Florida.

CATIE HANSON (Elementary Education B.S. ’17) was named the Elementary Rising Star at Florida State University Schools for the 2019–2020 school year. The Rising Star designation recognizes teachers who have gone above and beyond for a school year.

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ALAN ACOSTA (Higher Education Ph.D. ’18) has been named the acting senior associate dean of students for Clark University, located in Worcester, Massachusetts. Previously, he served as an associate dean of students at Florida State University. He has also served as a residence coordinator and assistant director for residence life at FSU.

from the Division for Research Council for Exceptional Children. The award is for single case research; Cox won for her paper titled “Development of Mathematical Practices through Word Problem Solving Instruction for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder.”

Science (AAAS) Science & Technology Policy Fellow. She will serve at the National Science Foundation in Alexandria, VA. As a policy fellow, Petrova will help manage the program, conduct program evaluation, promote STEM disciplines and advance her own research.

Sarah Cox

Kitchka Petrova

DEIDRE GILLEY (Special Education M.S. ’18) published her thesis research study titled “Development of Mathematics and Self-Determination Skills for Young Adults With Extensive Support Needs” in the Journal of Special Education along with co-authors Drs. Jenny Root and Sarah Cox.

LEAH HOLLINGSWORTH (Mathematics Education Ph.D. ’19) received a Foundational Course Excellence Award from Florida State University during the 2020 Faculty Awards Ceremony. Hollingsworth is a faculty member in the Department of Mathematics at FSU.

DANIELLE MORGAN ACOSTA (Higher Education Ph.D. ’18) was named the Interim Director of Student Engagement at Florida State. This new position is designed to provide leadership and support to Florida State Student Government Association, Student Leadership Council and Student Organizations and Involvement. Acosta was also named vice president elect of the 2019 American College Personnel Association (ACPA) governing board. She will begin her time as vice president in 2020 and then will serve as president in the following term.

SAMA’A H. ALMUBARAK (Education Policy and Evaluation M.S. ’14, Ph.D. ’18) published an article in the journal Higher Education Policy titled, “Promoting Internationally Visible Researchers Through Research Performance Policies: The Case of a Saudi University.” The article looks at the steps universities have taken to enhance research productivity and tries to paint a better picture of research performance policies.

DAVID KENTON (Higher Education Ed.D. ’18) was appointed to Governor Ron DeSantis’s Children’s Services Council of Broward County. He previously served as an associate director at the FSU Center for Academic Retention and Enhancement.

SOPHIA RAHMING (Higher Education Ph.D. ’19) published an article in the Journal of International Students, one of the top journals for the field of higher education. The article is titled “Social Support and Stress-Related Acculturative Experiences of an Englishspeaking Afro-Caribbean Female Student in U.S. Higher Education.”

Sama’a AlMubarak

MATTHEW D. BIRD (Sport Psychology Ph.D. ’18) published an article titled, “College students’ attitudes, stigma, and intentions toward seeking online and face-to-face counseling” in the Journal of Clinical Psychology. Drs. Graig Chow and Yanyun Yang were also authors on the article. In the piece, Bird explores the “differences in public stigma, self-stigma, attitudes (value and discomfort), and intentions to seek help between online and face-to-face counseling.”

SARAH COX (Special Education Ph.D. ’18) received the 2020 Student Research Award

David Kenton

MADISON HAYES (Early Childhood Education B.S. ’18, M.S. ’19) was named the WCTV Teacher of the Month. Hayes, who is a second grade teacher at Woodville Elementary School in Tallahassee, was surprised during her science class with the presentation of the award.

This is her first year teaching.

KITCHKA PETROVA (Education Policy & Evaluation Ph.D. ’18) was selected by the American Association as an Advancement of

Sophia Rahming

DORSEY SPENCER, JR. (Higher Education Ph.D. ’19) was named the dean of students at Colgate University, located in Hamilton, New York. Previously, he was the director of administration in the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs at Florida State University.

Spencer also won the Daniel M. Maxwell Dissertation of the Year Award from the Association of College Unions International. His dissertation is titled, “’Like A Unicorn’: A Narrative

Inquiry Exploring The Leadership Experiences Of Undergraduate Black Men.” The Daniel M. Maxwell Dissertation of the Year Award recognizes outstanding dissertation research “that contributes to the knowledge of the college union and student activities field.”

MATTEO LUZZERI (Sport Psychology Ph.D. ’20) published an article in the journal Psychology of Sport and Exercise titled, “Presence and search for meaning in sport: Initial construct validation.” In the article, Luzzeri takes a quantitative look at the importance of sports and how it affects an individual’s sense of meaning.

• RYAN MITCHELL (Mathematics Education B.S. ’04, Educational Leadership/Administration M.S. ’15) Hamilton County • PAMELA MOSELEY (Reading Education/Language Arts M.S. ’07) Lafayette County • DEVAN ROULHAC (education minor) - Calhoun County • KRISTIN WILSON (Science/Math Teaching B.S. ’06, Science Education M.S. ’19) - Florida State University Schools

Matteo Luzzeri Dorsey Spencer, Jr.

JILLIAN TOTH (Special Education B.S./M.S. ’19) was hired as a special education teacher in the Transition Bridge Program in Douglas County, Colorado. The Transition Bridge Program provides instruction, independent living skills and community access to young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

2020s

DASHAWN DILWORTH (Higher Education M.S. ’20) published an article in the Journal of Student Affairs at New York University titled, “Elephants in the Room: Examining and Understanding the Black Assembly Line.” The article explores the recruitment effort to hire more Black student affairs professionals at universities and recognizes the underrepresentation of Black employees across campuses. Dilworth explores possible causes for this underrepresentation, including discrimination and discomfort.

Three sport psychology alumni, MATTHEW BIRD (Ph.D. ’18), ELMER CASTILLO (Ph.D. ’18) and MATTEO LUZZERI (Ph.D. ’20), published an article in the Journal of Sport Psychology in Action titled, “Performance Profiling: Theoretical Foundations, Applied Implementations and Practitioner Reflections.”

Created by the Jim Moran Institute for Global Entrepreneurship, the annual Seminole 100 list recognizes the fastest-growing businesses either started or led by Florida State University alumni. Five graduates of the College of Education made the 2020 list. These individuals and their companies are:

MEGAN HOLLIS (Higher Education M.S. ’10) and TRACEY LORD (Higher Education M.S. ’04, current Educational Leadership & Administration Ed.D. student) published a book titled Making Your Internship Count. The workbook aims to help students before, during and after an internship and is designed to be used by both interns and site supervisors to promote a “positive, productive experience for both parties.”

• JEFF HAUSINGER (Social Science Education B.S. ’98) – All Seasons Wealth

ROXANNE HUGHES (Educational Leadership & Policy Studies Ph.D. ’10), KARI ROBERTS (Higher Education M.S. ’14) and JENNIFER SCHELLINGER (Science Education Ph.D. ’19) published an article in the Journal of Research in Science Teaching titled “The Role of Recognition in Disciplinary Identity for Girls.” Schellinger is currently a postdoctoral researcher in the College of Education, Hughes is the director of the Center for Integrating Research and Learning at the MagLab and Roberts is the director of evaluation and postdoctoral liaison at the MagLab.

• KAREN BARTLE WALKER (Visual Disabilities B.S. ’87, Emotional/ Learning Disabilities M.S. ’87) – Allied Instructional Services • JOSEPH ST. GERMAIN (Sport Psychology M.S. ’05, Ph.D. ’09) – Downs & St. Germain Research • FRED SEAMON (Higher Education Ph.D. ’95) – MGT of America Consulting, LLC • TAYLOR GAYNES (Sport Management B.S. ’15) – Top Tier

Five alumni from the College of Education were named District Teachers of the Year by the Florida Department of Education this year: • JOLI HARTZOG (Mathematics Education B.S. ’94) - Washington County Dashawn Dilworth

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Socially Speaking

@vdennen Awesome to see my @fsueducation colleague @TheDrPT representing @TheFCRR at the school board meeting and donating backpacks filled with school supplies for families who participated in their summer reading program and students at Title I schools.

@LaurenKBirch4 Happy #WorldTeachersDay! I teach because I believe that students deserve to learn, and that each student deserves to be taught in the ways that work best for them. I also believe that a small lesson can have huge outcomes for a student’s future success!! @fsueducation #teaching

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@emplumC Today starts my 1st semester as asst. prof. @fsueducation. Thrilled to think through participatory culture & digital literacies w/ my students, especially significant topics in current realities.

Thanks to all who helped me get here despite the awfulness of 2020. We can do this!

@nik9olas Excited for the semester.

Thankful to do what I do! #KeepGoing @FSUSport @fsueducation @floridastate

@FSUResearch Congratulations to @tbertrandjones from @fsueducation on this recognition from @ASHEoffice! ASHE recognizes exemplary achievements and contributions to the study of higher education through research, leadership or service to ASHE and the field of higher education.

facebook.com/fsueducation

twitter.com/fsueducation

instagram.com/fsueducation

issuu.com/fsu_education youtube.com/fsueducation

bit.ly/FSUCOE

education.fsu.edu

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Student Focused.

Innovation Driven.

1100 Stone Building 1114 W. Call Street P.O. Box 3064450 Tallahassee, FL 32306-4450 36 | THE TORCH - COLLEGE OF EDUCATION MAGAZINE