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In Their Own Words...
Nathan Fulcher excels at teaching AP English in Santa Monica. |
I’m in my third year of teaching here in California and I love what I do. I taught for two years in Bakersfield, getting experience working at a low-performing school with a large Latino population. I can’t tell you how many times I returned to Jim Burke’s Reading Reminders and Tovani’s I Read It But I Don’t Get It for help with reading strategies. They still sit on the bookshelf behind my desk and get used frequently.
While in Bakersfield , I taught sophomores and seniors and coached speech, debate, and girls tennis. It was a full load and great fun. I enjoyed my job, but wasn’t quite happy with Bakersfield , so I decided I needed a change.
In preparing my resume again, I dug out my old Hire A Hawk to prep myself for applications and interviews. Again, resources from my college days at Iowa proved to be an invaluable tool.
I lucked out and landed an interview at Santa Monica High School , one of the premier public schools in Los Angeles . I was offered a job just two days later with the district bypassing many of the hoops most applicants have to go through. I’m fairly certain that it was because they saw my background at Iowa and that they knew I was a well-trained teacher. I now teach sophomores, and junior and senior AP, and if I crane my head just right when I look out my classroom window, I can see the ocean, which is a little nicer than the snow I used to see in Iowa .
The saying “sink or swim” for the first couple years of teaching really is true. I’ve met many new teachers who have come into the field extremely unprepared from their programs. I can honestly say that while my first couple years have been hard work—no one said teaching is easy—I could handle the work because I knew what to expect. My education in the English and education programs at Iowa fully and completely prepared me for what was out there. I watch other teachers freak out and burn out and I wish that they could have had the experience in college that I had.
My success as a teacher is the direct result of the outstanding job you guys do at Iowa . I am eternally grateful for my time at Iowa and I hope you keep up the amazing work you are doing. And tell your current students we could use some more Midwest transplants out here in California ...they’re always blown away by how well the Midwest teachers have been trained!
Nate Fulcher (BA ’03)
English Teacher
Santa Monica High School
Student Affairs/Student Development Alumni Update
SAAR students/alumni visit the Iowa State Fair. L to R: Seifert, Marisela Rosas, Becki Elkins Nesheim (PhD '04), Gov. Tom Vilsack, and Karla Carney (PhD '04) |
Kristi Leonard (MA ‘00) graduated from the University of Northern Iowa ’s Community Health Education master’s program in 2004.
Brian Marth (MA’00) promoted to assistant director of the new advising center at Columbia College , Chicago .
Heather O’Neill (MA’00) is the associate director of admissions for Vanderbilt University .
Emily Villhauer (BA ‘00/MA ‘05) is a specialist for programming in the Dean of Students Office at Illinois State University in Normal , Ill.
Ellen Sunshine (MA ‘01) was selected to join a team of University of Minnesota faculty and staff to travel to France to evaluate several study abroad programs in Paris and Montpellier .
Susie Beederman (BBA ‘02/MA ‘05) is a resident director at Binghamton University in Binghamton , New York .
Laura Guthrie (MA ’02) is the residence manager for Foster Quad at Indiana University .
Joe Cilek (MA ’03) is the program manager at Fuller Theological Seminary in Colorado Springs .
Karina Franco (MA ’03) is a faculty associate for recruiting and advising in the College of Engineering at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte .
Cheree Rawlins (BA ‘03/MA ‘05) is a residence hall coordinator at the University of Missouri – Columbia .
Karla Carney (PhD ‘04) is dean of students at Cornell College in Mt. Vernon , Iowa .
Becki Elkins Nesheim (PhD ‘04) is director of Institutional Research at Cornell College in Mt. Vernon , Iowa .
Allison Benbow (MA ‘05) is a new student advisor at Loyola University in Chicago .
Tammy Bronk Hoeger (MA ‘05) is an advisor/placement specialist in The University of Iowa’s Pomerantz Career Center .
Sara Johnson (MA ‘05) is an academic advisor in the College of Biological Sciences at The University of Minnesota.
Angela Reams (MA ‘05) is coordinator of The University of Iowa’s Stepping-Up Project.
Sarah Reshetar (MA ‘05) is a residence director at Coe College (Cedar Rapids , Iowa) where she also directs leadership and community service programs.
Megan Ricks (MA ‘05) is a graduate advisor in economics at the University of Wisconsin Madison .
Christopher Stillwell (MA ‘05) is director of career development for the University of Wisconsin ’s Medical School in Madison .
Born Gay?
Cisco Sanchez advances the science of sexual orientation research at UCLA. |
What makes someone gay or straight?
It’s not only a political, social, and religious question, but also an important scientific question that might someday have a provable answer if Cisco Sánchez (PhD ’05) has success with his research.
“Sexual orientation is an essential part of human behavior and society,” Sánchez said. “Yet, it remains one of the most contentious and poorly understood aspects of human experience.”
Sánchez, a postdoc research fellow at UCLA, and colleagues are working under the mentorship of Eric J.N. Vilain, M.D., Ph.D., a well-established researcher on human sexual development and director of one of the world’s few research labs studying the biology of sexual orientation. Using biological and psychological research methods to further understanding of sexual orientation development, the research project studies identical or monozygotic (MZ) twin pairs who are discordant for sexual orientation (i.e., one twin identifies as heterosexual and the other as gay or lesbian).
“There is a 50 percent discordance rate for homosexuality between male MZ twins when one twin identifies as gay,” Sánchez said. “It’s been inspiring to be part of the continuing, cutting-edge biological research on sexual orientation.”
The team looks at DNA, MRI brain images, and Sánchez, whose doctoral degree is in Counseling Psychology, provides neuropsychological testing and mental health assessments for the study.
“My role is helping to derive phenotypes on the subjects, for example, gender role behaviors, mental health concerns, and family dynamics,” Sánchez said.
The lab’s most recent published work in the journal Human Genetics, showed how the number of women with extreme skewing of X chromosome-inactivation was significantly higher in mothers of gay men versus those who did not have gay sons.
For more information, visit www.uclatwins.com.
 Karla Carney (PhD ’04) is dean of students at Cornell College in Mount Vernon , Iowa . Her dissertation, “Parent Expectations of and Involvement with Their College Student and a Liberal Arts College ,” was selected as a finalist for the prestigious Hardee Dissertation of the Year Award, sponsored by the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators.
Elise Fillpot, Ph.D. |
Elise Fillpot (PhD ‘04) is currently a visiting fellow in the UI College of Education. With a $958,000 U.S. Department of Education Teaching American History grant, Fillpot is making history more meaningful for a difficult-to-reach demographic—middle and high school students.
“We hope to help young people increase the sophistication of their understanding of history, increase their historical and critical thinking skills, and enhance their appreciation of American history,” Fillpot said.
In the course of the new project, titled “Grant Wood History Institute,” Fillpot and her research team will work with 60 middle and high school teachers served by the Grant Wood Area Education Agency (AEA) in eastern and southeastern Iowa . The grant, which runs through 2008, will help establish professional development opportunities for 7 th through 12 th grade history and social studies teachers.
Fillpot has been director of the Bringing History Home (BHH) project since 2001. Under BHH, Fillpot worked with teachers and administrators in the Washington Community, Perry, Maquoketa, and Creston School Districts to establish a history curriculum for kindergarten through sixth grades. She was awarded Teaching American History grants for that project as well—one for $701,133 and another for $938,860 to expand the program—two of the largest grants ever secured by a UI College of Education graduate student.
Fillpot credits prior success, the cohesion of her program teams and belief in the project’s importance as reasons for receiving another large grant.
Rachel Kuperman |
Rachel Kuperman (BA ’04), a fifth-grade teacher at Pleasant Hill Elementary School in Des Moines, was awarded Teacher of the Year by the Downtown Des Moines Kiwanis International. Kuperman was selected for the 2005-06 award based on information provided by her students. One student said, “She is not much older than us so she can relate to our problems and help us find solutions.” Another said, “She always compliments me whenever I do something good or improve my grades…with kids she always seems to know what to do.”
In 2005, Kuperman was also named Woman of the Year by the Des Moines chapter of Leukemia and Lymphoma society.
Phillip D. Lewis (PhD ’04) is an assistant professor at Langston University in Oklahoma City , where he was named Rehabilitation Counseling Faculty of the Year. He serves as professor, advisor, mentor, and at times counselor to his students; as advisor for Langston University ’s Student Chapter of the Oklahoma Rehabilitation Counseling Association and Chi Sigma Iota National Honors Society; and coordinator of the Scholars Networking Banquet.
Gregory Wolniak, Ph.D.
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Gregory Wolniak (PhD ’04) won the Dissertation of the Year Award from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE). His dissertation is entitled, “How Major Field of Study in College Affects Job Satisfaction: A Study of the Job Satisfaction of College Alumni and the Influences of Undergraduate Major, Major-job Field Congruence, and Income.”
Jeffrey Englert (MA ’05), a Cedar Rapids Johnson Elementary first-grade teacher, was named one of the top 14 Exemplary Elementary Science Teachers (K-5) in the country by the National Science Teachers Association.
Professor Emeritus Robert Yager, who nominated Englert for the award, said he was recognized because his teaching and structuring of learning materials emphasize educating students about scientific processes and principles to help enhance understanding of the natural world, economic productivity, and intelligent discourse.
Christine Urish (PhD ’05), an associate professor of Occupational Therapy at St. Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa, was appointed by Governor Tom Vilsack to the State Rehabilitation Council.
Jennifer Church |
Jennifer Church (MA ’92), who has served as interim dean of student affairs for Carnegie Mellon University since June 2005, has been named dean.
“After an extensive search, we’ve come to find what most of us assumed, that Jennifer Church was the best candidate for the job,” Vice President for Enrollment William Elliott said. “Jennifer has been a strong advocate, advisor, and counselor for our students during the past 10 years and she’s become a vital member of our university community.”
Church joined Pittsburgh-based Carnegie Mellon in July 1995 as a residence life coordinator and one year later was promoted to assistant dean of student affairs. She became associate dean of student affairs in 2000. Prior to coming to CMU, she was director of housing and student activities at Yakima Valley Community College in Yakima , Wash. , and an admission counselor and sorority house director at The University of Iowa.
Church called the appointment “an honor and a privilege.”
Kelcy (Whitener) Lofgren (BA ’93) earned National Board Certification in 2005 in the area of Early Adolescence English/Language Arts. Since 1994 she has been teaching language arts and communication studies in the Ankeny Community School District , and currently teaches 9 th grade.
Warren Lofgren (BA ’93/MBA ‘97) taught Core-Plus Integrated Math and Geometry for grades 9-12 at Ames High School from 1997 to 2004. Since then, he’s been teaching Algebra I and II, Geometry, Statistics, and Probability for grades 10-12 at Ankeny High School . He also teaches Cy-Tag Mathematics at the Iowa State OPPTAG (Office of Precollegiate Programs for Gifted and Talented) summer program for talented and gifted students.
Elizabeth Storrs (MA’94) is currently the director of Academic Services at the New England School of Acupuncture in Watertown , Massachusetts .
Melissa Fraterrigo |
Melissa Fraterrigo (BA ’95) is currently a publications editor at Saint Xavier University in Chicago . Livingston Press awarded Fraterrigo’s book, The Longest Pregnancy, with the Tartt First Fiction Award. Her collection of short stories was published in April 2006.
Heather Curtaz (BA ’97) is currently teaching math for the Tamalpais Union High School District in Larkspur, Calif.
Suzanne Miller (MA ’97) is the new principal at Twin Oak Elementary School in Mount Vernon , Ohio.
 Holly Allen (MA ’83) completed her Ph.D. in Christian Education at Talbot School of Theology in 2003. She is currently an associate professor of Christian Ministries at John Brown University in Siloam Springs, Ark. Allen directs the Children and Family Ministry program and oversees internships for Children and Family Ministry majors and Family and Human Services majors. She has published several articles and book chapters on intergenerational issues and children’s spirituality. She is an editorial advisory member for Christian Education Journal, the leading journal for evangelical Christian educators.
Barbara Chesler (MA ‘85) pledged $50,000 to establish an endowment benefiting The University of Iowa rowing team. The Dr. Christine H.B. Grant Rowing Shell Endowment will help pay for equipment replacement costs and name a rowing shell in honor of Grant, UI intercollegiate women’s athletics director.
Chesler, a senior associate athletic director at Yale University , said she was motivated to make the gift by her deep respect for Grant. “Christine is a legendary leader in the world of women’s collegiate athletics. She has been a mentor to hundreds of women,” she said, “and I have come to recognize over the years that her leadership helped pave the way for my professional career.”
Dale Monroe, Ph.D.
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Dale Monroe (PhD ‘87), director of research and assessment for the Waterloo Community Schools, has been named superintendent for the Anamosa Community School District . He began this new position July 2006. Monroe ’s career has included work in education, business, and as an entrepreneur. He has led many state and local initiatives with his work in education. He models community leadership and volunteerism with his involvement in chamber and economic development boards. Monroe ’s active participation in a community is his way to “build community.” Building special relationships are keys to his success.
Pamela Rockwood (MA ’87) is the new superintendent for the Indian Creek School District in Shabbona , Illinois .
“I want to be a part of a team that prepares students for life after school, whether it’s college, starting their own business, or whether it’s going into a vocational field,” Rockwood said. “To prepare them, they have to be able to use technology as a tool. They have to be able to effectively problem solve, make good decisions, have a strong set of basic skills, and they have to have respect for themselves and the environment.”
Before coming to the Indian Creek School District , Rockwood worked as the superintendent for the Gavin School District and as the curriculum director for Lake Forest High School . She also taught French and Spanish classes for several years and taught college courses and community education courses.
“I’ve taught every age of student from kindergarten to adult,” Rockwood said. “It doesn’t make any difference if you’re a kindergartner or if you’re a community member, I like helping people obtain knowledge and making things better for the current and next generation.” –by Dennis Hines ©2006 The MidWeek
Valerie Tarico (PhD ’87), now a psychotherapist in Seattle , authored a new book, The Dark Side: How Evangelical Teachings Corrupt Love and Truth. Tarico says she calls upon her scientific training, professional experience, and background as a born-again evangelical as she examines crucial questions about faith, facts, and compassion.
 Christine Grant (BA ’70/PhD ’74), director of women’s athletics at The University of Iowa from 1973 to 1999 and currently an associate professor emeritus in Health and Sport Studies, was honored for her community service. Sponsored by the Johnson County chapter of the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), Grant was recognized for her assistance to community groups such as the Mississippi Valley Girl Scouts.
Grant helped draft Title IX, the landmark 1972 Congressional legislation requiring equal athletic opportunity for girls and women in public schools at all levels. During her tenure as UI director of women’s athletics, Grant expanded the women’s program to include 12 NCAA-level sports and supported UI women’s athletics in winning or sharing 27 Big Ten Conference titles. She served as president of the National Association of Collegiate Women Athletic Administrators and was co-founder and president of the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women. An inductee of the Hall of Fame of the National Association for Girls and Women in Sport, she has won many awards, including the Women’s Sports Foundation Billie Jean King Contribution Award and the Lou Henry Hoover Award for contributions to women’s sports in Iowa.
Rusty Barcelo, Ph.D. |
Nancy “Rusty” Barceló (MA ‘72/PhD ’80) has been appointed the first vice president for access, equity and multicultural affairs at the University of Minnesota . Barceló, a former vice president for minority affairs and diversity at the University of Washington , began her new job May 15.
University President Robert Bruininks called Barceló a national leader in multiculturalism in higher education. “Rusty will be responsible for ensuring that the university continues to be a vibrant and inclusive community as it strives to become one of the top three public research universities in the world,” he said. ©2006 Star Tribune
Roger Utman (BA ‘73/MA ’76) received a Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration from the University of Nebraska – Lincoln . After serving as dean of Student Support Services at Iowa Western Community College for 21 years, Utman currently works as a consultant to the Academic Core and Transition in the Bureau of Community Colleges and Workforce Preparation at the Iowa Department of Education.
This spring, The University of Iowa College of Engineering appointed Utman to its advisory board to represent the K-12 community, keeping the board in touch with the state’s educational trends.
Linda Beyea (MA ’75) is currently superintendent for the Ames Community School District . School officials lured Beyea, a Marshalltown native, from New Jersey where she was working as a school administrator. Beyea’s 38-year career includes 18 years of teaching assignments in Iowa and New Jersey . She served as a science and technology magnet school principal in Somerset , N.J. , for two years, before becoming assistant superintendent of schools at Flemington-Rariton Regional School District in central New Jersey . Beyea received her doctorate in education from the Teachers College at Columbia University in New York City .
Galen Howsare . |
Galen Howsare (MA ’78) recently retired from K-12 public education after nearly 34 years in Rock Island , Wilton , Eldridge, Council Bluffs and West Des Moines . Currently, he is serving in Iowa ’s community college system as vice president of administration and finance at Hawkeye Community College in Waterloo.
Anthony Nitko (PhD ’68) co-authored the 5 th edition of his book, Educational Assessment of Students. The highly respected text offers the most comprehensive discussion of traditional and alternative assessment of any classroom assessment text. It also has expanded coverage of applying high-stakes assessment and accountability, state standards, and the No Child Left Behind Act. For more information on the textbook, visit www.prenhall.com/nitko.
Nitko and co-author Susan Brookhart are currently preparing another textbook titled, Assessment and Grading of Students, which will be published in 2007.
Lou Anne (Leonard) Zimmerman (MA ’55) retired after having a successful teaching career at the University Elementary School in Waterloo .
“I loved having student teachers and giving demonstrations for the campus education department,” she writes. “It all gave me experiences for my work as an education supervisor-consultant for the Waterloo school system.”
John D. Ferree (BA ’58/MA ‘59) retired after a 32-year career as principal in several Boulder , Colorado , elementary schools. He and his wife, who taught elementary music, raised two daughters who are now teachers.
Laurence Smith (BA ‘58/MA ’63) retired after teaching, administrating, and advising for 48 years. His career included teaching in Iowa , California , Nebraska , and Arizona , working as a school principal in Minnesota , and finally as an academic advisor at The University of Iowa Academic Advising Center for 21 years. Smith received an Ed.D. from the University of Nebraska in 1969.
Gwen K. Smith, Ph.D. |
Gwen K. Smith (PhD ‘46) received the Ruth Lester Lifetime Achievement Award, named for the pioneering Texas preservationist. The award recognizes an individual who “has made significant, long-term contribution to historic preservation in Texas .”
Conservation and restoration are two words that Smith takes seriously. She’s the type of history buff who knows without looking at a calendar that it’s Paul Revere Day, and is the type of passionate preservationist who keeps the past firmly alive in her community.
Smith has been a neighborhood rep for the Council of Neighborhood Associations for many years and helped form the Main Street Advisory board. She’s served with the Heritage Association, Historic Preservation Commission, Cemetery Commission, LBJ Museum Board, and the Hays County Historical Commission, among others.
Smith received a history degree, though the only history she would teach was part of her student teaching. Immediately after graduating, she went back to get her masters degree. She took numerous classes in physical education, and began teaching dance and physical education to elementary and high school students in San Marcos . She became more interested in teaching older students, deciding to pursue a higher degree—though education wasn’t her first choice.
“I really wanted to join the Marines, but my mother didn’t think that it was appropriate,” Smith said. “In hindsight, I’m glad I didn’t.”
She received her doctorate from The University of Iowa, one of the best schools for physical education in the country, and landed at Illinois State Normal University in Bloomington , where she would begin her 33-year career spanning from Colorado to Louisiana to Texas .
“I’ve taught everything from tiddley winks to women’s field hockey in the line of recreational sports,” Smith said “I’ve officiated women’s basketball, softball, and tennis, and taught a lot of archery. I enjoyed sports at a time when I could participate in it. I’m glad I did.”
Since Smith has retired, her interests have flip flopped.
“I never taught history a day in my life other than student teaching. And since I have retired, I have not done things in terms of physical education. The history and English are lasting me all my life,” Smith said.
Smith returned to San Marcos in 1981 and immediately immersed herself in the community—not just taking part in boards or commissions but developing long-term ideas for preservation.
As active as Smith continues to be, one has to wonder if the 90-year-old will ever officially retire. She still collects agendas from various boards and talks to people about what is going on in the community. She makes frequent visits to council meetings and is seen often at the Price Seniors Center tea room with members of the Heritage Association. – © 2006 San Marcos Daily Record
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