COE November 2022 Newsletter

Dr. Alfred Hall Selected for National Science Foundation Fellowship

Dr. Alfred Hall, assistant dean in the College of Education, has been selected for a National Science Foundation (NSF) Fellowship. Beginning October 11, 2022, Dr. Hall will serve as a Program Director in the Division of Human Resource Development within the Directorate for Education and Human Resources. In this role, Dr. Hall will support NSF’s Division of Human Resource Development “commitment to enhancing the quality and excellence of STEM education and research through broadening participation of groups historically underrepresented in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM)- minorities, women and persons with disabilities.”  

Dr. Hall says of the fellowship, “I am honored to have this opportunity to serve the nation in improving STEM education pathways for underrepresented students. I have been involved in this work throughout my entire professional career, and I look forward to engaging with other colleagues at the National Science Foundation to broaden the impact of these efforts.” 

Become a Tiger, Become a Teacher Brings More than 300 Future Educators to Campus

The UofM College of Education hosted over 300 high school students at the third annual Become a Tiger, Become a Teacher Day on Friday, October 21. School groups, including Teaching as a Profession groups, from Bartlett, Covington, Desoto, Hillcrest, Melrose, Southwind and White Station high schools learned about life as a UofM tiger and the rewarding work of teachers. They attended mock College of Education classes in which faculty from the Department of Instruction and Curriculum Leadership (ICL) taught about being an equitable teacher, connecting with students and finding your “why” for pursuing a career in education. College of Education students and faculty shared their passion for educating and their experience at the UofM.

Jennifer Bubrig, clinical assistant professor in ICL, served as emcee of the event. She said, “What could be better than a room filled with more than 300 future tigers?  Future educators!  It was a great honor to be one of the ICL faculty who shared our mission to serve and impact our future educators.  The attendees heard from two current students (COE Student Ambassadors LaNerra Gray and Jenna Crist) who spoke about the transformative experience they have had being a student in our COE.  BTBT 2022 was indeed a success!  I am grateful to have been part of this momentous day for our college.  Go Tigers and go future Educators!"

We will host a similar event on the UofM Lambuth campus in Jackson, TN on February 24, 2023.

Dr. Rockinson-Szapkiw receives Fulbright Specialist award

Congratulations to Dr. Amanda Rockinson-Szapkiw, professor in Instruction and Curriculum Leadership, on receiving the Fulbright Specialist Award. She is finalizing a project at Timor-Leste National Commission for UNESCO that aims to exchange knowledge and establish partnerships benefiting participants, institutions, and communities both in the U.S. and overseas through a variety of educational and training activities. Rockinson-Szapkiw worked in Timor Leste, partnering with the US embassy and the National Commission for UNESCO, a semi-governmental institution under the Ministry of Higher Education Science and Culture (MHESC), to carry out a needs assessment and training initiative at five Timorese higher education institutions In addition, she did a two-day training for all lecturers who were part of this system on the systematic design of STEM Learning.

The Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the US government and is designed to build lasting connections between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. The Fulbright Program is funded through an annual appropriation made by Congress to the Department of State. Participating governments and host institutions, corporations and foundations around the world also provide direct and indirect support to the Program, which operates in over 160 countries worldwide.

Read the full Fulbright press release here >.

COE Faculty Present at ASHE Conference

The 2022 Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE) Conference on November 16-19 in Las Vegas, NV provided opportunities for COE faculty to share research that aligns with the conference theme of "Humanizing Higher Education." Dr. Genia Bettencourt, assistant professor in the Department of Leadership, will present three papers: "An emergent model of social class strengths in higher education", "A power-conscious examination of STEM doctoral students’ meaning making of switching advisors" and "The possibilities and precautions of using the designation “at-promise” in higher education research." Dr. Dustin Hornbeck, assistant professor in the Department of Leadership, will present two papers: "Exploring the logics of dual credit expansion from the community college perspective" and "Racializing dual credit coursework: white faculty and color blindness at the intersection of high school and college." Dr. Gina Tillis, assistant professor of teaching in Instruction and Curriculum Leadership, will present "Hispanic serving HBCUs: Advancing Afro-Latinidades at the meso-level." 

The ASHE promotes collaboration among those engaged in the study of higher education. Dr. Bettencourt, Dr. Hornbeck and Dr. Tillis demonstrate this collaboration through their research.

CREP partners with UTHSC team on "High School 2 Health Care" to encourage rural TN high school students to explore laboratory science careers

The National Institute of General Medical Sciences has awarded $1.3 million to a new initiative to educate rural Tennessee high school students about careers in medical laboratory sciences and public health information technology.

The UofM team working on this project is led by Dr. Carolyn Kaldon, research assistant professor at the Center for Research and Educational Policy (CREP). Dr. Jacen Moore, assistant professor in the department of Diagnostic and Health Sciences at University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC), is the principal investigator and program director. The CREP and UTHSC teams are joined by a team led by Dr. Simpfronia Taylor, director of the Ripley extension center at the University of Tennessee at Martin. The project is funded by a Science Education Partnership Award (SEPA) grant.

The COVID-19 pandemic amplified the stress of existing critical shortages of trained, qualified, allied health professionals, especially in rural communities and underserved populations. Careers in fields, such as medical laboratory sciences and public health information technology, are in very high demand, yet professional programs struggle to recruit students. This project aims to ease this recruitment challenge by familiarizing and engaging student interest early in high school, where these fields aren’t as popular or well-promoted as other health professions.

Called “High School 2 Health Care” (HS2HC), the project seeks to enhance opportunities in these fields for underserved student populations. It is comprised of a summer program and dual enrollment course that will educate high school students and their teachers about careers in medical laboratory sciences and public health information technology. Integrating Next Generation Science Standards, the classes will give students and teachers the opportunity to develop hands-on skills and experience what a career in these fields would involve.

Learn more about this project on UTHSC’s website >.

Dr. Patrick Murphy and CEPR Doctoral Students Present at SACES Conference

In November, Dr. Patrick Murphy and CEPR doctoral students Joy Hutchinson, Tristan Mckenzie, Zakeya Good, Keith Hembree, Courtney Loveless and Mary Neal traveled to Maryland to present at the Southern Association for Counselor Education and Supervision (SACES) 2022 Conference. Their presentations focused on creating safe spaces for African American male students (Hembree and Good), professional identity (Mckenzie), lived experiences of EMTs in counseling (Hutchison), burnout among trauma counselors (Loveless and Neal) and teaching multicultural counseling (Murphy). Dr. Murphy says of the conference, "It was great to have so many doctoral students represent the University of Memphis at this conference, share their current research and discuss current trends in counselor education."

SACES cultivates an inclusive community of counselor educators and supervisors who develop leaders and counselors committed to professional advocacy and dedicated to client equity and well-being. Learn more at saces.org >.

Kola Brown, CEPR Doctoral Student, to Serve on Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification Standards & Exam Committee

Kola Brown, doctoral student in the department of Counseling, Educational Psychology and Research, has been selected to serve on Comission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification (CRCC) Standards and Exam Committee. Kola graduated from UofM in 2006 with a Bachelor's Degree in Sociology. She is currently a student in the Counselor Education and Supervision Doctoral program with the aim of completion in May 2024.

CRCC is dedicated to the excellence of rehabilitation counseling and services for individuals with disabilities by setting the national standard in certification, providing leadership, education, advocacy and supporting research (CRCC website >). The certification exam allows Rehabilitation Counselors to demonstrate their professionalism, dedication to ethical practice and knowledge-base. In her three year term on the Standards and Exam Committee, Kola will be tasked with evaluating exam questions for Rehabilitation Counselor certification, reviewing testing exceptions, taking measures against fraud and safeguarding the quality of the exam. Kola says, "This role is important to me because it helps establish the foundational knowledge of the profession and works to ensure the reliability, validity and cultural equality of the exam."