Pint-Sized Painters 

A new art exhibit opened in the Worlds of Words last month with the artists in tow. This wasn't your typical art exhibit because the artists had to be accompanied by their parents. That's because these were pint-sized painters, just 4 to 5 years old. Curt Kiwak, a Warren Elementary Pace Pre-K teacher, and Tessa Baumgartner, an early childhood student teacher, nurtured and prepared the young artists for the public showing, which will be up until August 1 in WOW on the fourth floor of our building. Stop by and celebrate these wonderful works of art! 

Save the Date for a Prickly Pear Party! 

For centuries, people have collected and processed prickly pear fruit and mesquite pods. Now you can join in the fun -- not to mention the delicious results -- by attending the first Prickly Pear Harvest and Mesquite Pod Milling Festival at the Cooper Center for Environmental Learning, 5403 W. Trails End Road, in Tucson.

You'll learn about the natural history of the prickly pear and how to use prickly pear and mesquite products. Hands-on sessions will take you through the process of safely collecting the fruits, extracting the juice, and making prickly pear jelly and syrup. We'll also make mesquite flour. Bring any prickly pear fruits and mesquite pods you have collected (preferably before the summer rains) if you'd like to have them processed. There is a $5 fee to grind pods into flour (for each five-gallon bucket). Learn more about mesquite pod milling.

Details

Prickly Pear Harvest and Mesquite Pod Milling Festival

Saturday, September 12

8 a.m. to noon

Cooper Center, 5403 W. Trails End Road

Free!

Celebrating Shirley Fisher

 

Friends, family, and former students both near and far came to honor Director of Field Experiences Shirley J. Fisher for all she has done for the college, the community, and the more than 3,300 UA student teachers she placed in nearly 250 schools -- via some 165,000 emails and 4,000+ school visits/meetings! (It would be hard to even begin to estimate the number of lives she touched as both a principal and teacher in Flowing Wells School District. Let's just say the number is, well, overflowing.) 

 

To celebrate her retirement, the college held a party at the Lodge on the Desert and announced the establishment of the Shirley J. Fisher Scholarship Endowment. Many people spoke of Fisher's tremendous impact, including Professor Patty Anders, who said, "Her beautiful smile has successfully launched hundreds of young beginning teachers, and she has provided a model for all to learn what is meant by the words, 'professional educator.' "

 

And then there is Shirley Fisher the Wildcat Fan! She has been to about 480 basketball games and 105 home football games. So, she was especially pleased when Wilbur made a special appearance at the celebration. A toast to Shirley Fisher!

If you'd like to donate to the new scholarship endowment in her honor, please call 520-621-3413.

 

 

 

A Message from David Overstreet, Alumni Council President

 

A proud tradition continues as we congratulate another class of educators who graduated last month! More than 30,000 students are now members of an outstanding group of alumni who serve the education community and make a difference across the globe.    As the new president of the College of Education Alumni Council, I ask our new graduates and all alumni to be part of continued support of the college. Consider becoming involved by joining the council. Involvement opportunities vary from attending Alumni Council

events to planning events to donating to a scholarship fund or specific program. 

 

Please update your information here so we can stay in touch with you. Keep an eye open for chances to participate in Homecoming 2015 and other activities the council supports. For now, BEAR DOWN!

 

David Overstreet, Alumni Council President

 

2015-2016 Alumni Council Executive Board

 

President	David Overstreet
Vice President	Maura Mulligan
Secretary	Susan Cray
Treasurer	Gloria Barnett

 

Get involved with the Alumni Council! Email Assistant Director of Development Lee O'Rourke or call 520-621-3413.

 

 

Speaking of Alumni

Attention, College of Education Alumni: Please keep us updated with the exciting milestones and accomplishments in your life. We want to share the news with fellow alumni in our upcoming issue of Imagine magazine. 

 

Tell us your good news, and send pictures, too! We're interested in what you are doing, including work anniversaries, career milestones, birth announcements, awards, retirement -- you name it!

 

Send your updates here.

 

 

Almost 850 Books for Literacy Connects!

 

Among the books are (left to right): Tere Gonzalez-Castillo (Bilingual Elementary Education), Tiffany Wojtak (Early Childhood Education), and Betty Yu (Pre-Education, intending Elementary Education).

 The Student Ambassador Book Drive for Literacy Connects was a huge success. Nearly 850 books were collected, the vast majority of which were children's books. Other ambassadors who contributed to the successful book drive are:

 

Marco Cubillas (Literacy, Learning, and Leadership)

Holly Durr (Deaf Studies)

Yair Davidowitz (Deaf Studies)

Amani Lewis (Elementary Education)

C.J. Pierce (Elementary Education)

 

Thank you, our hard-working ambassadors!

 

 

Cooper Starts Crowdfunding Campagn

 

 

Just over a month into its first major fundraising campaign, the Cooper Center for Environmental Learning has raised $61,500. Director Colin Waite says, "Our community has shown a huge amount of support! We have raised more than $10,000 from Cooper alumni, teachers, parents, and people who value environmental learning. Cooper also was awarded a $40,000 grant from the Marshall Foundation and received a $10,000 gift from the Southwestern Foundation for Education and Historical Preservation."

 

And now there's one more way to give to Cooper. Check out the new crowdfunding site.

 

Teaching Team Selected for the Inaugural Trustey STEM Teaching Fellows at Notre Dame

A team of teachers from Tucson's Gridley Middle School, led by a graduate of our Teachers in Industry program, was selected to be part of the inaugural Trustey STEM Teaching Fellows at the University of Notre Dame Center for STEM Education.

"Congratulations to Lisa Kist, a graduate of our Teachers in Industry master's program, and April Knippen, a professional development participant," says Dean Marx. "They have used their connections with industry afforded by their studies to help Gridley develop a truly outstanding STEM education program. Notre Dame's selection is recognition of the national leadership that we are developing in Southern Arizona in STEM education."

Teachers in Industry, a partnership with Tucson ValuesTeachers, combines paid summer industry work experiences for STEM teachers in local businesses with either a master of arts degree in education or professional development credits. 

Student Interns Share Their Community Experiences

The Literacy, Learning, and Leadership major was created by the college for students who want to pursue leadership positions in a variety of educational settings outside of the traditional school format. A poster event on campus gave student interns a forum for sharing the work they have been doing in the community. UA News put together this great video of the students talking about their internship experiences.

Program Builds Resiliency in Veterans

Disability & Psychoeducational Studies Assistant Professor Michael T. Hartley launched a sports and wellness camp for veterans with spinal-cord injuries and diseases two years ago, and it continues to be a much sought-after program. Participants came from as far as Florida for the camp, which integrated wheelchair basketball, rugby, cycling, scuba diving, a digital storytelling project, and a scavenger hunt. The college hosts the camp in collaboration with Adaptive Athletics and the VETS Center. A grant from the Paralyzed Veterans of America Education Foundation covers the camp and travel-related costs. See the great photos from UA News photographer John de Dios.

Bases Loaded with Thanks on Recognition Night

 

University supervisors and cooperating teachers, counselors, psychologists, and interpreters who served as mentors to our student teachers during the school year -- plus their guests -- were all invited to Hi Corbett Field to watch the Wildcats play California. It's our way of saying thank you for all you do during the school year!

 

 

 

 

College of Education and UA School of Information researchers are collaborating on a three-year U.S. Department of Education Institute of Education Sciences grant, called AnimalWatch VI Suite. The project includes an iPad application and materials that enable students with visual impairments to use technology to learn about math and endangered species. Read this update in The Conversation.

 

People

Educational Policy Studies & Practice

 

Assistant Professor Nolan Cabrera was quoted on unconscious racist behavior in The Washington Times and on white masculinity in America's colleges in Fusion. 

 

 

 

 

Associate Professor Jenny Lee gave an invited address based on her latest research on neo-racism in higher education for the Institute of Security Studies in Nairobi, Kenya. She also was a keynote speaker for the International Education Conference in Kenya.

Associate Professor Francesca Lopez was named a coeditor for the American Educational Research Journal, the flagship journal of the American Educational Research Association.

  

Professor and Department Head Gary Rhoades was quoted in The Chronicle of Higher Education about his analysis of a national database of faculty unions' collective-bargaining agreements maintained by the National Education Association. 

 

Amanda Tachine, who graduated last month with a Ph.D., wrote an op ed in Al Jazeera America on Native American students who pursue postgraduate degrees.

 

Teaching, Learning & Sociocultural Studies 

Doctoral student Michelle Aguilera was selected as the Peter Likins Endowment Fellow for 2015-16. This prestigious award is for a first- or second-year doctoral student who has overcome substantial adversity. Aguilera was selected as the sole recipient from a very strong group of applicants from across the university.

Alum Georgina Georgelos, who received a master's degree in bilingual/multicultural education in 1998 and is a teacher at Mary Belle McCorkle Academy of Excellence K-8 in TUSD, received the Evelyn Jay Excellence in Education Award from the Educational Enrichment Foundation. Here's more. 

School board members Hernandez (left) and Foster.

Assistant Professor of Practice Crystal Soltero and Zahra Karimi, a graduate assistant, combined their Schooling in America classes for a special night session with local school board members Kristel Foster (Tucson Unified School District) and Daniel Hernandez (Sunnyside Unified School District). Soltero adds, "It was a good opportunity to get their perspectives on the state and local issues that these students have been grappling with all semester. About 60 students took time out of their regular schedules to attend this special evening session."

Professor and Department Head Bruce Johnson was interviewed on

Jesus Orduņo, a 2013 grad of Teach Arizona, was named TUSD's High School Teacher of the Year. Jesus teaches Spanish at Pueblo High School. This is an impressive accomplishment for a second-year teacher! Read more in this article, which also highlights awards from three additional College of Education grads: Norma Flores, Richard Sanchez, and Leslie Franzblau Wirth.

Fastest in the world! Associate Professor of Practice Barry Roth came in first place (age group 60-64) in the 800 freestyle, swimming the race in just a few seconds over 10 minutes. And, yes, that was the best time in the world in his age group! He also made the top 10 in 50, 100, and 400 freestyles. Where do the rankings come from? The Federation Internationale de Natation (FINA) compiles and ranks times from meets held all over the world. Roth also was quoted in the April issue of Swimming World Magazine.

Assistant Professor Sara Tolbert was selected as a 2015 National Academy of Education/Spencer Postdoctoral Fellow. This is the third consecutive year a UA College of Education faculty member has been chosen for this honor, which is among the most prestigious for early career educational researchers. The fellowship comes with a $70,000 grant to encourage fellows to pursue critical education research projects. The primary focus of Tolbert's research is to improve science learning opportunities for underserved students. Previous awards were granted to Associate Professor Francesca Lopez (Educational Psychology) and Assistant Professor Nolan Cabrera (Educational Policy Studies & Practice).  

Enjoy your summer!

Dean Ronald W. Marx