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 Idris Harta (PhD ’00) teaches Math Education at the University of Muhammadiyah of Surakarta in Surakarta, Indonesia. Harta writes that after graduating from Iowa, he now has a much better job in Central Java.
Ellen Fredberg Johnson (BA ’00) teaches tenth grade English and advises the yearbook at John Glenn High School in Westland, Michigan. She’s currently working toward a master’s degree in School Counseling at Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti.
Kristi Leonard (MA ‘00), chair of the Waldorf College Wellness program, was one of the institutions highlighted under the category of Overall Models of Wellnessin the most recent edition of Best Practices For Creating And Promoting Comprehensive Student Wellness, published by National Student Affairs Best Practices.
Dale Whitacre (BA ’00/certification ‘01) teaches social studies, advanced American history, American government, world history, and personal finance at Adair County R-1 High School in Novinger, Missouri. He also coaches the baseball and softball teams, is the student council advisor, and serves on the scholarship committee.
Kelly (Behmer) Neumann (MA ‘01) left her current position at Marquette University as the coordinator for Residence Life Programs to live in Cologne, Germany, for two years.
Susie Beederman Regan (BBA ‘02/MA ‘05) is now in her third year as a resident director at Binghamton University. Regan is involved in developing and instructing an online course for parents of first-year college students.
 Kimberly Welge
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Kimberly (Ruisch) Welge (MA ’02), who writes under the nom de plume Kimberly Stuart, had her third book published in May. In Act Two: A Novel with Perfect Pitch, Stuart pens a story that can be viewed as Julliard moving to Green Acres—where protagonist, classical music diva Sadie Maddox, takes a professorship at a small liberals arts college in Iowa and falls in love with Mac, a large-animal veterinarian. It is the first of three stand-alone works she is writing under contract with her publisher. She is also the author of the Heidi Elliott Series with NavPress. Welge formerly taught Spanish and English as a Second Language in Chicago, Minneapolis, Costa Rica, and eastern Iowa.
Karla Christine Carney-Hall (PhD ‘04) is vice president for student affairs at Hendrix College in Conway, Arizona. Prior to that she served as dean of students at Cornell College in Mount Vernon, Iowa. Her ongoing research interests include parent involvement, first-year student transition and retention, and professional development for student affairs staff.
Nathan Frideres (BA ‘04/MA ’08) is an assistant director in the Career Management Center at Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago.
Brandy Killian (BA ‘04/MA ‘07) is a special events coordinator at Life University in Marietta, Georgia. In this role, she works closely with several campus offices to plan, execute, and evaluate student organization events, campus-wide events, and large conferences. She has created opportunities to use her knowledge and background through committee work and special projects.
Becki S. Elkins Nesheim (PhD ‘04) is director of institutional research at Cornell College in Mount Vernon, Iowa. Her ongoing research interests include effects of violence on student learning, experiences of graduate students and new student affairs professionals, college student learning, and the racial identity development of white students.
Maureen Perkins (BA ‘04/MA ’08) is the assistant director of undergraduate programs at The University of Iowa Tippie College of Business.
Gina Ledonne (BA ’05) teaches second grade, all subjects, at St. Mary of the Angels, a private school in Chicago, Illinois. She received a master’s degree in education from Loyola University Chicago and a Reading Specialist Certification, where she is state certified to teach K-12 students.
Michelle Ray-Michalec (MA ’05) was appointed to a two-year term on the Governor’s Commission for Persons with Disabilities.
Christine Urish, Ph.D. |
Christine (Malaski) Urish (PhD ’05), who started teaching at St. Ambrose University in 1994, was named to the American Occupational Therapy Association’s Roster of Fellows. This honor recognizes Urish’s commendable contributions to the OT program, education, and association as a whole.
“This honor is a testimony to Dr. Urish’s commitment and passion for the profession of occupational therapy,” said Phyllis Wenthe, director of the Ambrose’s Master of Occupational Therapy program. “She is an excellent role model for students and exemplifies what it means to be involved in your professional organization.”
Urish’s passion was seen last year when all members of the OT’s 2007 graduating class passed the licensing exam. The difficult test enables registered occupational therapists to practice nationwide.
“It is indicative of the high quality of our Master of Occupational Therapy program and the faculty that help to prepare these professionals for rewarding careers,” said Bob Ristow, dean of Ambrose’s College of Education and Health Sciences. The average national pass rate for students taking the exam is just under 89 percent.”
Aside from teaching classes, advising students, and working with the AOTA, Ulrish is a member of the Quad City Stigma Busters, an improvisational theater group whose purpose is to educate people about disabilities and dispel misconceptions.
Urish is also a board member of the Scott County National Alliance on Mental Illness, works as an Affiliate Scholar to the University of Iowa Institute on Ethics, Disability Policy and Rehabilitation Practice, and co-facilitates a teaching circle on campus.
“I am humbled and honored to receive this award. I’ve enjoyed every single day of my career as an occupational therapist and I cannot think of another profession I would enjoy as much,” Urish said. © 2008 The SAU Buzz
Susan Hildebrandt (PhD ‘06) is the recipient of the 2008 Emma Marie Birkmaier Dissertation Award given by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages and the Modern Language Journal. Hildebrandt is an assistant professor in Education and Spanish at Longwood University in Farmville, Virginia.
Angela Kellogg (PhD ‘06) received the Burns B. Crookston Doctoral Research Award. This award recognizes research by a doctoral student that brings greater understanding to student development or the organization and administration of student affairs. Kellogg won this ACPA (American College Personnel Association) award for her qualitative dissertation, “Critical Incidents in the Racial Identity Development of Multiracial College Students.
Kellogg is currently an academic advisor at the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point.
Kristin Wurster (BA ‘06/MA ’08) is an academic advisor at The University of Iowa.
Jerri Drummond (PhD ‘07) is the program coordinator for diversity at the College of Computer, Mathematical, and Physical Sciences at the University of Maryland College Park. Her ongoing research interests are faculty–student interactions, African-American student experiences with good practices, retaining minority students in STEM fields, and leadership development in minority students.
Ashley Wundram (BA ’07) is in her second year of teaching fifth grade with the Aldine Independent School District in Texas and is active in several service projects. She is part of the partnership between Aldine and the UI College of Education to help recruit teachers for the district.
She is raising funds for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and training for the Walt Disney World marathon in January to help fight leukemia and its related cancers.
“While I enjoy making a difference in my students’ lives, I want to make a difference beyond my own students,” Wundram writes of her commitment to help fight a disease that affects many children. To learn more, visit http://pages.teamintraining.org/txg/wdw-9/awundram.
Becki Levad (MA ’08) is a residence hall director at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Sarah McCracken (MA ‘08) is the director of member services for the Association of Fraternity Advisors in Carmel, Indiana. She oversees the association’s member recruitment and retention initiatives, volunteer management plan, and publications, including the quarterly magazine and several online publications. She recently received the Order of Omega Graduate Fellowship and was one of the winners of the 2007 Iowa Student Personnel Association Case Study Competition.
Andy Merrill (MA ’08) is an institutional research analyst at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh.
Nicole Sexton (MA ‘08) is a residence hall coordinator with The University of Iowa. She was one of the winners of the 2007 Iowa Student Personnel Association Case Study Competition.
Katie Wilson (MA ’08) is a health educator at the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire.
Long, Winding Road to Art Education
Hallinan finds his niche in Art Education.
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Ken Hallinan (teacher certification ’08) admits he didn’t always have his life mapped out—in fact, he describes the path that led him to the UI as a “long, convoluted one.”
With two bachelor’s degrees in art and journalism, and after a brief career in journalism, Hallinan, 42, decided he needed to get back in the classroom.
He wanted to be a teacher.
“I wasn’t positioned the way I wanted to be,” he said. “I struggled with it and decided that where I really wanted to be was in education and coaching.”
So he got an emergency certification to teach physical education, though the subject wasn’t his ultimate goal.
Two years ago, Hallinan decided it was time to pursue an art education degree and get his teaching certification.
“Art has always been in my blood,” he said.
Hallinan’s father, P.K. Hallinan, is a well-known children’s book author, his mother is a pastel and charcoal artist, and his two uncles work as a painter and a novelist.
Hallinan is passionate about education. Working with students who are struggling with something, then seeing “the light go off” and the student’s interest spike, is one of Hallinan’s favorite aspects of the job.
“I know it’s part of the expectation, but it never wears off, that great feeling of at least knowing you were there to witness that small moment of growth,” he said.
Hallinan accepted a job offer as an art teacher at Mount Vernon Middle School.
“You have to really love the kids and love what you’re doing; I think they deserve that,” he said. “That’s my idea about teaching: it’s an excuse to be the best person you can be. Every day, you get that chance to be a better person, to be a better teacher, and I like that challenge.”
© 2008 Daily Iowan
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John Watzke (BA ‘90/MA ‘94/PhD ‘00) was appointed chair of the Department of Educational Studies and interim dean of the College of Education and Public Service at Saint Louis University.
“John brings strong administrative vision to this new leadership role,” said University Provost Joe Weixlmann. “I am confident that he will continue to help move the college’s programs forward.”
John Watzke. Ph.D.
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Watzke joined the SLU faculty last year. Prior to that, he held positions as administrator, faculty, and fellow in the Institute for Educational Initiatives at the University of Notre Dame. His research and academic work have focused on the development and support of teaching communities serving urban schools, teacher performance assessment, professional development, and educational policy.
He is the author of four books, including the policy works, Lasting Change in Foreign Language Education and Beyond Alternative Teacher Education. As an undergraduate, he received the first Ford Foundation cohort award for the preparation of teachers in critical languages.
Watzke is a founding member of the International Society for Language Studies, an interdisciplinary society of scholars and practitioners engaged in language students from medicine, law, the arts, social sciences, and other diverse fields. He serves on the society’s executive board and is editor of its journal, Critical Inquiry in Language Studies.
Current research projects have taken him into schools in Boston, Chicago, and Los Angeles to investigate the professional and personal identity formation of beginning teachers who work in urban public, Catholic, and Jewish Day schools. A proponent of connecting theory to practice, Watzke maintains his teacher certification in foreign language education.
Watzke’s teaching and studies also have led him to Russia, Poland, and Japan. His subsequent work in schools and teacher education has emphasized the need to establish partnerships across disciplines in service to schools and communities.
Toni the Teacher - Illinois' Best Counseling Educator
Toni Tollerud, Ph.D.
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Northern Illinois University awarded Counseling Professor Toni Tollerud (PhD ’90) with its 2008 Presidential Teaching Professorship Award. The award affirms what scores of students already know: Tollerud is an exceptional educator.
“Toni epitomizes what a teacher needs to be. She always makes you stretch and go for your very best,” says Sandra Kakacek, a counselor with more than two decades of experience who decided to pursue her doctorate after meeting Tollerud.
Applying that same standard to herself, Tollerud throws herself into her work so completely that colleagues have a difficult time separating Toni-the-teacher from Toni-the-person.
“Toni lives her work. Her identity as a teacher is who she is. She is naturally gifted in front of the class and is an excellent mentor,” says co-worker Francesca Giordano.
The passion and energy that she brings to the classroom helps many students reach goals they never imagined possible.
“She gave me the strength, inspiration, and will to push myself like I have never pushed myself before,” says Andrew Franklin, a high school counselor. “For the first time in my life I discovered my true career path, something I had been searching for since I was a kid.”
Like many of her former students, Franklin has joined with Tollerud in trying to raise the profile and status of school counseling in Illinois. Last year, he was part of an effort that got the Illinois Education Association to include language in its platform to formally recognize (for the first time) school counselors and the importance of their work.
That kind of breakthrough was a distant dream for Tollerud when she arrived at NIU 18years ago and was given the directive to create one of the best counseling programs in the state.
She worked to enhance and reshape the counseling program’s curriculum and direction for undergraduate and graduate level students. She also created the Illinois School Counselors Academy to improve the skills of counseling practitioners, and later the School Counselor’s Institute, which helps educators who wish to make the transition from the classroom to counseling.
Those efforts helped her establish a reputation across the state and earn the Outstanding Mentor Award from the North Central Association for Counselor Educators and Supervisors, the College of Education’s Extraordinary Contribution in Service and Outreach Award, and the Illinois Career Development Association’s Leadership in Career Development Award. Tollerud was also named Illinois Counselor Educator’s Educator of the Year, and received the Illinois Mental Health Counselors Distinguished Service Award and the Illinois Counseling Association Outstanding Research Publication Award.
Currently, Tollerud serves as the director of training for the Center for Child Welfare and Education, but she keeps her hand in teaching by leading training sessions and professional development courses. Staying away from the classroom simply would leave too big a void in her life.
“Teaching energizes me,” she says. “Students in my classes are there because they want to do a better job as counselors, teachers or administrators, and my goal is to help them be more passionate about what they are doing.
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Brian Campbell. Ph.D.
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Brian D. Campbell (PhD ‘97) has been promoted to full professor in the Chemistry and Physics Department at Southwestern Oklahoma State University where he teaches planetary sciences. Campbell is also the director of several science and science education grants. Thus far, he has been awarded about $2,500,000 worth of grants while at SWOSU. He continues to write science education grants and is working to expand the education activities at the General Thomas Stafford Air and Space Museum of Weatherford, Oklahoma.
Jeff Gustason (MA ‘97/PhD ’05), who served as associate principal for the past 10 years at Linn-Mar High School, was promoted to high school principal.
Rosalyn Eaton-Neeb (PhD ‘97) is in her second year serving as the associate dean for first-year students at Saint Olaf College in Northfield, Minn., where she has taught for five years.
Jodi Linley.
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Jodi Linley (BA ‘98/MA ‘02) received the David J. Skorton Staff Excellence Award for Public Service. Given annually to individuals who have made significant contributions, the award recognizes those who have shown “exceptional imagination and dedication to improving the university community.”
For the past seven years, Linley has served as assistant director for the Iowa Biosciences Advantage providing oversight for the program’s daily operations. IBA is a federally funded program that aims to increase the number of underrepresented minority biomedical scientists in the United States by providing top-notch services and curricula to undergraduate scholars of color in the biosciences.
“Every day brings new opportunities through my multifaceted position, from managing our grant and budget to counseling students in crisis, from teaching student development seminars to assisting students in writing personal statements,” Linley said. “Diversity in higher education is truly my life’s passion.”
Linley teaches the “College Transition” course that helps first-year students ease into the college atmosphere, focusing her section on helping students of color succeed. She also teaches professional development to first-year, sophomore, junior, and senior Iowa Biosciences Advantage students.
She created and co-chairs “The Iowa Edge,” a retention program that helps first-year students of color and first-generation college students adjust to life at a large university. This involves collaborating with colleagues across academic disciplines and in student life, housing, advising, and admissions to create a positive orientation experience. She also plans and produces fundraising events for the Women’s Resource and Action Center as a member of the center’s Advisory Board, and designs and leads workshops to assist The University of Iowa campus in becoming allies to gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people through the Safe Zone Project.
Linley has been working for the University since 1995.
Joan Krush (MA ‘99) was recognized by the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources with the L.K. Crowe Outstanding Undergraduate Student Advisor Award.
Hollenbeck selected for Fulbright award.
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James E. Hollenbeck (PhD ‘99) was selected for the prestigious Fulbright award to spend five months in Bulgaria where he worked with two departments at Sofia University, the country’s flagship university.
As a visiting associate professor of physical chemistry, he taught a course entitled “Science, Technology, and Society” and conducted a research program with the Chemical Education faculty “Integration of Constructivism and Science, Technology, and Society Issues in the Secondary Science curriculum.” He also worked with graduate students and Bulgarian secondary teachers on education reforms. His mentor, Dr. Borislav Toshev, is the Bulgarian deputy minister of education and science.
Hollenbeck is an associate professor of Science Education at Indiana University Southeast. He directs the ISTEM-IUS program that emphasizes teacher professional development and student learning enhancement at the New Albany campus. The program, funded by a two-year, $100,000 grant, helps create an interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education in the southern Indiana region.
He also directs the secondary Science Education program and works with pre-service teacher training during the academic year. In the summer, he teaches teacher-centered content courses with topics ranging from biotechnology for teachers, earth science in American history, science literacy, and teaching evolution in the secondary classroom.
Locally, Hollenbeck is the project director of Shining Star, to help promote science, technology, and literacy in selected middle schools in the Greater Clark Schools Corporation. This project seeks to promote science and mathematics learning, application, and appreciation with the assistance of trained science educators using the Nova 5000, a student mini-computer.
This joint project with ISTEM-IUS, the School of Education of Indiana University Southeast, and Fourier-Systems has a goal to promote student learning and interest in science, mathematics, and technical careers.
What It Means to Be Gifted
Cindy Lovell (PhD ’99) published her second book in a series about children in a fifth-grade classroom. Not This Sunday is the story of a gifted student whose father is in prison. The book features a foreword from Professor Nicholas Colangelo, director of the Belin-Blank Center for Gifted Education.
“Cindy has a wonderful sense of kids struggling with things at home that they can’t fully grasp but can fully feel,” Colangelo wrote. “Also, Cindy captures, in quite a gentle, but powerful way, what it means to be a gifted child.”
The first book in Lovell’s series, Rachel Mason Hears the Sound, was published in 2005 and features a girl who seeks refuge in her classroom from alcoholism and domestic violence at home.
Lovell said she hopes her books offer encouragement to children who are facing challenging situations like the ones she writes about.
“Someone once told me of a Latin concept—reverisco—that roughly means ‘the ability to flourish through adversity.’ These are the kids I write about,” Lovell explained. “They have a unique resilience that moves them from the survival mode to one of utter and unexpected achievement and accomplishment. I don’t know how to explain them; I only know they exist and thrive despite seemingly insurmountable odds.
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 Diane L. Cooper (PhD ’85) is professor and coordinator of the College Student Affairs Administration graduate program at the University of Georgia. She received the 2007 Albert Hood Distinguished Graduate Programs in Student Affairs Alumna Award, recognizing Hood’s contributions to the development of student affairs and counselor education around the country and around the world.
Diane L Cooper, Ph.D.
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Cooper is the author of five books and over 50 refereed articles, book chapters, and monographs. Her interests span several areas: student developmental theory measurement, administrative issues (e.g., supervision and training of new professionals, doctoral education), and multicultural students and environments.
She is former editor of the College Student Affairs Journal and currently serves on the editorial board of the Campus Ecologist Journal and the Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement. Cooper also serves on the ACPA Governing Board and Senior Scholars.
Ernestina Pesina Hernandez-Zudell
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Ernestina Pesina Hernandez-Zudell (BA ‘86/MA ’94) is a dual language teacher at La Mesa Elementary in Albuquerque. She recently completed her doctoral degree at the University of New Mexico with a dissertation entitled, “Language Attitudes and Perceptions of New Mexican Hispanic Students in a Dual Language Immersion Program.” Hernandez-Zudell began her teaching career as an elementary school teacher in Fort Madison, Iowa. After earning her master’s degree, she taught ESL in Wapello, Iowa, for two years before moving to New Mexico.
Jody (Bryan) Mineart (BA ‘88/teacher certification ’00) teaches at the Independent School District of West Burlington, Iowa.
Gillian Fox
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Gillian Fox (BS ‘89/MA ’05) is founder and executive director of Johnson County Iowa’s LIFE Skills, Inc., a non-profit United Way Agency providing services and support to assist with activities of daily living as they relate to mental health needs.
Fox, a longtime advocate of people with disabilities, founded LIFE Skills in 1989 and is also a licensed social worker. In 2005, the United Way of Johnson County recognized Fox with its highest award for her efforts as an agency director to improve social service quality for children and adults when they named her Agency Director of the Year.
This year, the Arc of Southeast Iowa named Fox its 2008 Administrator of the Year.
Engstrom - Dedicated Advocate, Caring Teacher Honored
Engstrom hugs her granddaughter after receving a Bob's Award. |
Debra Engstrom (BA ’81), almost missed the assembly meant to honor her. Instead, she wanted to do something that shows why she won $10,000 for outstanding teaching.
Engtrom, a special education teacher at Lawrence High School in Kansas, was going to drive a student to work because he didn’t have any other way to get there.
“I asked the office staff if it was okay if I missed the assembly,” she said. “They said no. … So, here I am — and boy, am I glad.”
Engstrom was the 12th winner of the Bobs’ Award, funded by 17 civic leaders who share the same first name and appreciation for education in Lawrence.
Engstrom knew the Bobs’ Award was hers after hearing the words “University of Iowa,” her alma mater, and seeing her granddaughter in the crowd.
“I’m not one that cries a lot, but this really got to my heart because my colleagues value what I do, then all the students showed up from the past,” Engstrom said.
Many teachers, including principal Steve Nilhas, nominated Engstrom, along with some parents of former teachers.
“She’s a remarkable individual. Tireless. An advocate for kids,” Nilhas said. “She’s just an amazing, bright, hardworking, and totally dedicated teacher.”
The winners are encouraged to do something for themselves with the money, but the meaning behind the cash is what speaks to Engstrom.
“I’m not going to turn it down,” she said, “but it represents a group of people that value education and value the work that teachers do and that’s awesome.”
The Bobs’ Award was created in 1996. The Bobs decided to remain anonymous to focus the attention on the educators that receive the honor, rather than on themselves. © 2008 LJWorld.com
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John Rasmussen (BA ‘70/MA ’74), Ed.D., is a professor of English at Robert B. Miller College in Battle Creek, Mich. Prior to joining Miller, Rasmussen was a literacy and leadership consultant/coach for Middle Start, Michigan Schools in the Middle. He has served both as an English teacher and administrator for the Battle Creek Public Schools and has taught for Kellogg Community college and Western Michigan University.
Maria Garcia Tumangday (PhD ’70) is professor emeritus at Adventist University of the Phillipines in Manila. After graduation from The University of Iowa, Tumangday served as dean of the school of education, professor and chair of the elementary education department for both the undergraduate and graduate levels, and vice president for academic affairs of the university.
Although she retired in 1987, she continued to teach until 1994. Currently, she administers a scholarship fund for poor but deserving working university students. The funds come from relatives, friends, and former students now residing in the United States.
Sievers Named Iowa's Reading Teacher of the Year
Sievers' students enjoy her as much as she enjoys them. |
Margo Sievers (BA ’72), an elementary educator for over 30 years at Sioux Central Schools in Sioux Rapids, Iowa, was recently named the Quint County Reading Association’s Teacher of the Year, and greater still, the Iowa Reading Association’s Teacher of the Year.
Sievers said it is reward enough every time a student walks into her classroom. Her zest for learning and love for reading is shared with her young students at Sioux Central every single day.
“I love dealing with the kids of all ages,” Sievers said. “At this age, they are like little sponges and absorb everything. When the kids come to that ‘aha moment,’ I get just as happy as they do.”
She is teaching a second generation of kids now and loves sharing stories of that first generation. She also teaches adult classes through Iowa Lakes Community College and Iowa Central Community College. In addition, she volunteers teaching English classes for adult language learners in the community and has partnered with others on the Sioux Central staff to provide professional development to teachers on the needs of English language learners.
She developed a summer reading program, which has been seen across the state, where she transforms into Mother Goose and brings to life characters of so many books using every medium she can while teaching and entertaining children. She reads aloud to participants, using finger plays, drama and dance, interacting with the children and having them actively participate along with her, always promoting reading along the way and bringing out the love of reading.
“Margo has made teaching reading a lifelong passion,” said Quint County Reading President Peggy Neubaum, “from beginning readers to struggling readers in her classroom to adult English Language Learners. She makes literacy her mission.”
Sievers didn’t intend to be a teacher until completing three years of pharmacy classes. She then decided on a career in education and can’t even imagine a career without seeing those cheek-to-cheek grins and children itching to learn.
“The best thing about being a teacher is being involved in a ‘people business,’” she said. “I view the world of education as a wonderful opportunity to make a positive difference in the lives of others. I’ve related well with my students, and the student-teacher bond established when my students were in my class has often times carried over into their adult lives. Many of them have become lifelong friends.”
She comes to work happy every day.
“This is a good place to work and there are a lot of caring people here,” she said. “If I don’t feel good, or am having a bad hair day, these kids still love me with no strings attached. And that makes all this worthwhile.”
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Eva Dahl (BA ‘73/MA ‘79/MS ‘82/DDS ‘76) received the University of Iowa’s Distinguished Hickerson Alumni Recognition Award for her outstanding contributions to the Alumni Association. Named for Loren Hickerson, the UI’s first full-time alumni director, this award recognizes Dahl for the time and energy she has devoted to the University as an adjunct professor, past UI Alumni Association board president, and board member of the UI Dental Alumni Association, which honored her as Dental Alumna of the Year in 2001.
Dahl has had a distinguished career in endodontics, a dental specialty in root canal treatment. She is involved in many state and national groups, from the American Association of Women Dentists to the National Academy of Sciences Institute of Medicine Committee on the Future of Dental Education.
Hector Ibarra (BS ‘75/MS ‘92/PhD ’05) is one of 25 teachers selected for a Teaching Ambassador Fellowship (TAF) position with the U.S. Department of Education. Ibarra is one of 20 teachers who will be a Classroom Fellow for 2008-09. Over a thousand teachers nationwide applied for the fellowships, which offer highly motivated, innovative public school teachers the opportunity to contribute their knowledge and experience to the national dialogue on public education.
Ibarra selected as Classroom Fellow.
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“Hector Ibarra will provide the Dept. of Education with invaluable classroom experience as he collaborates with federal policymakers on multiple issues impacting America’s students. I look forward to his contributions and insights,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings.
A teacher for 32 years, Ibarra teaches sixth and seventh grade science at West Branch Middle School in West Branch, Iowa. He is a former Fulbright Scholar to Russia and was inducted into the National Teachers Hall of Fame in 1998. Ibarra is also the recipient of numerous awards, including the Milken National Educator Award and the DisneyHand Educational National Award.
Timothy Haight
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Timothy Haight (BA ‘76/JD ’81) is currently an associate general counsel at Deer and Company. He is also vice president and chief counsel for John Deere Credit in Johnston, Iowa.
Wendy Wittkowski Haight (BM ’76) recently retired from teaching vocal music at Johnston Public Schools for 30 years.
Dannells (L) wins Al Hood (R) Alumnus Award.
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Michael Dannells (PhD ’78) received the 2008 Albert Hood Distinguished Graduate Programs in Student Affairs Alumnus Award.
Dannells was a professor in the Higher Education and Student Affairs program at Bowling Green State University in Ohio. His recent publications and presentations have focused on judicial affairs, legal issues, as well as faculty governance and professional development. He has held many leadership positions in both ACPA and NASPA, most recently sitting on the editorial board of the Journal of College Student Development. He is a long-term member of the Commission for Professional Preparation.
Recently, he accepted a position at Eastern Oregon University, where his wife will serve as vice president for Student Affairs.
Daniels named Counselor Education Alumnus of the Year
Daniels' research enriches lives. |
Harry Daniels (PhD ’78) was awarded the 2008 Counselor Education and Supervision Alumnus of the Year.
Daniels, a professor in the Counselor Education at the University of Florida, Gainesville, was chair of the department from 1966 to 2007.
He said he was “bitten by the research bug” during his time as a doctoral candidate at The University of Iowa.
“I enjoyed my Iowa experience because it provided the means for me to pursue my own curiosities,” he said. “Thus, early in my doctoral studies, I knew that I wanted to be in a position to do research and contribute to the conversations that inform our profession and its practices.”
Daniels’ research focuses on strategies parents and teachers use to influence children’s emotion regulation abilities as well as the relationship between students’ emotion regulation abilities and their school achievement. He also is interested in school experiences for children of the working poor.
Associate Professor Tarrell Portman said her department selected Daniels for the award because of his “proven record of contributing to the field of counselor education and supervision.”
Portman added, “Dr. Daniels exhibits the highest caliber of professionalism The University of Iowa expects from its graduates.”
Daniels said he is an “immensely proud Hawkeye” who still feels connected to his home state and The University of Iowa. |
Kristen Krieg Perry (BA ‘78) has taught or substitute taught students of all ages, including infant through twelfth grade, in both public and private schools. She also ran a home daycare while her children were young, taught scouts, and was active in the PTA and PTO.
With an avid interest in gardening, Perry now teaches classes through the South West Indiana Master Gardeners Association on seeds, roots, terrariums, potting, planting, and craft-related gardening projects for pre-K through sixth-grade students. She also works with adults on gardening-related topics and writes SWIMGA newsletter articles.
Perry, who now lives in Newburgh, Indiana, volunteers with the local juvenile detention center, preschool, and public gardens, all regarding plants, seeds, nature, or recycling.
She also enjoys continuing education coursework, and says she has used her education degree on the job, at home, and in her hobby.
“The University of Iowa made me a lifelong learner,” she said.
Nicholson Pens Book for Vibrant Health
Darca Lee Nicholson |
Darca Lee Nicholson (BFA ‘71/MA ‘74) recently had her book, Body Matters Simple Secrets for Elegant Aging, published. Reviewers note this well-written collection of health and beauty practices is unfailingly interesting.
Nicholson, an alternative health care practitioner for 40 years, explains what really works for health, beauty, and rejuvenation. Her advice is practical, supportive, funny and best of all, elegantly simple. In her opinion, simple but sophisticated techniques often unlock forgotten anatomical secrets to vibrant health.
“The book is full of tried and true treats that will change your life,” she says.
“Darca Lee Nicholson has made a major contribution to the personal health and healing field with this book,” said Michael Toms, president and CEO of New Dimensions Radio. “The insight and wisdom gleaned from the world’s great healing traditions, and her own considerable practical experience, combine to provide a treasure trove of information.”
The book also includes a number of stories about growing up in Iowa, being a co-founder of Iowa City’s Emma Goldman Clinic for Women, as well as experiences as an undergraduate and graduate student at The University of Iowa. Nicholson began consulting in Iowa City in 1968 when she started studying the body–mind connection in the Iowa Program for Human Development.
“It was quite radical,” she said. “Staff, students, and faculty—John Jones and Hal Adams—were all in one organization.”
Besides consulting at Integral Health Care, an alternative health care private practice in Ukiah, Calif., and Philadelphia, Nicholson currently teaches yoga at Mendocino College and Yoga Mendocino, a private studio, also in Ukiah. |
McCormick's Diversity Work Honored
Dale McComick |
Dale McCormick (BA ‘70) received a Catalyst for Change Award from the University of Southern Maine’s Jean Byers Sampson Center for Diversity in Maine. The founder and first president of the Maine Lesbian/Gay Political Alliance—now Equality Maine—is being recognized for her fight for jobs, economic justice, equality for women, human rights, and health care for all.
McCormick has served in the Maine Senate, four terms as state treasurer and currently as executive director of the state housing authority.
“Her life’s work is the essence of the Catalyst for Change Award and reflects the values exemplified in the life of Jean Byers Sampson,” Susie Bock, director of the center, said.
From the time she started fighting for gay and lesbian civil rights in Maine, McCormick said it has gone from gays and lesbians being thought of as piranhas and called names, to an era where it is the civil rights cause of young people, both gay and straight.
“We have television shows where gays and lesbians are shown to be regular people doing all kinds of jobs and contributing to society,” McCormick said. “A tipping point has been reached. It’s a completely different world now than it was back when the whole society had policies that reflected the notion that gay people were unworthy.”
McCormick founded an organization called Women Unlimited that trains women on welfare for high-paying jobs in trades and technical fields.
McCormick has been a carpenter for 30 years and started and ran her own construction and design firm, later writing two books about her experiences.
She said her fight for women’s rights hasn’t seen as much progress as her fight for gays and lesbians. Between 60 and 90 percent of Maine women are still in low-paying jobs, she said. © 2008 Kennebec Journal Morning Seninel |
Dennis B. Van Roekel (BA ’68) is president of the National Education Association, the nation’s largest independent union representing 3.2 million members. Van Roekelis is a 25-year teaching veteran.
A native of LeMars, Iowa, Van Roekel’s parents, teachers, and community instilled a deep sense of the value of education and the understanding that public education opens countless doors of opportunity. His future career path was sealed in the seventh grade when he decided to become a teacher. And for more than two decades he was able to live his dream: standing in front of high school students teaching math.
Dennis B. Van Roekel |
But while Van Roekel knew it was his job to impart knowledge and a love of learning, he realized early in his teaching career that delivering a quality education to all children and serving the collective needs of all school employees go hand-in-hand. “To me, teaching and being an NEA activist are part of the same thing,” he said. “As one of my mentors said early on, ‘I can’t do half a job.’”
Roekel wants to make sure NEA members understand the connection between what happens in the classroom and what influences decision making. “It means listening to public education professionals and parents talk about what they want and then working through political action, lobbying, bargaining, and instructional advocacy to get members and students what they need,” he said.
Van Roekel’s commitment to improving student learning and enhancing the professionalism of education employees is guided by his belief in NEA’s mission and vision. “NEA’s mission and vision absolutely define who I am, what I care about, and what I believe in,” he said. “What a powerful statement for any organization, to say that the reason we exist is to ‘fulfill the promise of public education’—and not just for some, but to prepare every student to succeed. I’m proud of that. And I want to continue that journey.”
Van Roekel earned a master’s degree in Mathematics Education from Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, and has held key positions in all levels of the association, including Arizona Education Association president and Paradise Valley Education Association president. His accomplishments include dramatic increases in membership among teachers and education support professionals while president of the Arizona Education Association and a notable rise in voluntary political-action committee contributions during his term.
Phebe Scott (PhD ‘52) received a lifetime achievement award for making a difference in women’s sports. Scott had no idea this was coming. She had retired years ago, having been out of academia since 1987, her last year at Illinois State University.
Scott began teaching physical education to children in 1945. After completing her master’s degree at Teachers College, Columbia University, she moved up to high school level. She followed that with a doctorate from The University of Iowa.
Early on, she and others were disturbed that “sports” was always associated with boys and men.
“Sports are where leadership qualities are developed,” Scott said, and reasoned, “why not women?” She wanted to see the day when girls and women were able to compete nationally and internationally.
Scott became an officer in Division of Girls’ and Women’s Sport, working her way up to the president’s chair. She noticed that there seemed to be many opportunities for women in individual competition (tennis, golf, croquet, swimming), but no team events.
And then came Title IX in 1972. The Education Amendment Act was the first federal legislation that addressed equal opportunity for women. Soon the Committee on Intercollegiate Athletics for Women was formed because the NCAA had not assisted in creating a women’s program.
Scott was, at this point, chairman of Physical Education at the University of North Dakota. She then moved to Ohio State and on to Illinois State University, where one of the highlights of her career was hosting the first National Women’s Basketball Championships in 1972. This was followed by the Swimming and Diving National Championships.
Scott, now a resident of Fort Myers, Florida, looks back on the time when women could play golf on “Ladies Day” or after the men had gone ahead. Tennis was about the same. And now, 20 years after retirement, she is recognized as one of the people who really made a difference in women’s and girls’ athletics. © 2008 news-press.com
Laurence M. Smith (BA ‘58/MA ‘63) retired after serving 21 years as an academic advisor at The University of Iowa’s Academic Advising Center. He writes a special thanks to his mentors, Drs. McAdam, Van Dyke, and Haefner, as the “able men who provided a solid foundation for future growth and development, making it possible to spend 48 years in public education.” Smith earned an Ed.D. from Nebraska in 1969 and worked in Grinnell, Newhall, Calif., Omaha, and Minnesota.
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