2019 End of Summer

Gradutate School of Education Newsletter

Message from the Dean

Greetings from Thousand Oaks, CA!

As the summer moves towards its inexorable end, the campus at Cal Lutheran is beginning to come back to life. Although there has been plenty of activity this summer (grant work, various programs starting, and multiple camps in residence), I know once August turns on my calendar that it’s time to look towards the fall and welcome back the many students and faculty who have been away for the past few months.

The fall will bring with it many exciting activities in the Graduate School of Education (GSOE), including the next Spectrum of Opportunity Celebration by the Austim and Communication Center (October 5th), workshops by HSI scholar Dr. Gina Garcia (September 26th), and the Susan Greiser Price Arts Integration and Learning Symposium (November 2nd). We also know that this is only a partial list of school offerings this fall.

As you will also see in this newsletter, I am pleased to announce a new leadership team who have started their work this summer. This includes a redefinition of the associate dean role to incorporate our equity and outreach work. Dr. Trudy Arriaga, the renowned former Superintendent of Ventura Unified School District, will occupy this position to capitalize on her work within cultural proficiency and her broad contacts throughout the community, state, and nation. Additionally, Dr. Tymika Wesley will assume the chair position of the Department of Learning & Teaching and Dr. Edlyn Pena will move into the chair’s role for the Department of Educational Leadership. Together with Dr. Dan Tillapaugh, Chair of Counselor Education, these four individuals create a powerful team for moving the school forward in our vision and mission within the field of education.

As always, please don’t hesitate to contact us within the GSOE and let us know if there is any way that we can be of service to you.

Wishing you all the best,

Mike Hillis
Dean & Professor

 
 

Featured Articles

The Aperture: Introduction to Research is designed to expose Oxnard College (OC) students to basic research processes, as well as the California Lutheran University community. Nine OC STEM students were introduced to the Cal Lutheran lab spaces along with participation in a series of specially designed workshops. Workshop topics included: how to get started in research, scientific methodologies, and ethics in research. Students were able to visit lab spaces, conduct small experiments with faculty, and see the research that is currently being done at Cal Lutheran.

Groups composed of Cal Lutheran & Oxnard College (OC) STEM students and a Cal Lutheran faculty mentor participated in the 8-week Aperture Summer Research Fellowship. Cal Lutheran students and faculty provided a unique experience for OC students by immersing them in a research lab to work on the project proposed. Through the Aperture Research Fellowship, OC students gain valuable research and presentation, as well as building a network of resources in their fields of interest through exposure at the Cal Lutheran campus.

From left to right: Jesus Aguilar (CLU), Dr. Travis Peterson, Janelle Zamora (OC)

From left to right: Sara Ortiz Ramirez (CLU), Bryan Villalobos (OC)

From left to right: Alexandra Stewart (CLU), Elliott Valladares (OC)

From left to right: Jessica Correa (OC), Christian Bustillos (CLU), Dr. Chad Barber

 

VIDEO

California Lutheran University GSOE students will be earning hands-on teaching experience through the Southeast Ventura County YMCA's "Find My Genius" camp, a five-week achievement gap program for low- and moderate-income students.  Camp Director Isabel Pelayo '16 is a Cal Lutheran GSOE Alum and is so proud to be a part of the program that has doubled camper attendees as they entered into their second year in the Conejo Valley. Read more in this Patch article.

 

Faculty Spotlight

Heidi Coronado and Angela Rowley presented the following session with three current Counselor Ed students (Mireya Milian, Carolina Hernandez Osorio, & Fatima Hernandez) on July 18-20 at the Mujeres Activas en Letras y Ciencias Sociales (MALCS)Summer Institute at the University of Massachusetts Amherst ​.

Honoring The Wisdom of our Madres and Abuelas: The role of Chicana/Latina Feminist Epistemologies and Historical Resiliency in the Breaking of Borders and The Remaking Personal and Professional Narratives in Education.

Diane Rodriguez-Kiino was invited and agreed to serve as an advisory board member for the U.S.-Japan Higher Education Engagement Study with the American Council on Education (ACE) and Japan Association of National Universities (JANU).

"The Study will be the first U.S.-Japan joint effort to collect and organize existing data from U.S. and Japanese higher education institutions and related organizations on four primary areas of partnership engagement: student and faculty exchanges, collaborative degree programs, joint research, and institutional presence in the other country."

Michael Cosenza visited the Washington DC offices of Congresswoman Julia Brownley (CA-26) and Congresswoman Katie Hill (CA-25).  During those visits, Cosenza had the opportunity to discuss with each representative's staff the seriousness of the national teacher shortage and different government policies that could serve to attract more people into education as a career.  Cosenza provided them statistics that showed the teacher preparation decline over the past 15 years The conversation also included promoting more opportunities to forgive student loans for teachers and  providing stipends or tuition assistance for candidates willing to participate in year long residencies.  Cosenza also left literature at Congressman Brad Sherman's (CA-30) office to review because he and his staff were unable to keep the appointment due to a congressional briefing.

Sincere appreciation to the outgoing chairs - Trudy Arriaga, Department of Educational Leadership, Mike Hillis, Department of Learning and Teaching and Beth Brennan, Associate Dean.  

 

 

2019-20 Leadership

Counselor Education - Dan Tillapaugh

Educational Leadership - Edlyn Pena

Learning and Teaching - Ty Wesley

Associate Dean of Equity and Outreach - Trudy Arriaga

 

Alumni Spotlight

Dr. Christine Powell is a 2017 graduate of the Cal Lutheran Education Leadership Doctoral program. She has recently returned to Thousand Oaks having completed a six-month fellowship as a Fulbright Distinguished Awards in Teaching (DAT) grantee in Singapore. While in Singapore, she worked with the Ministry of Education (MOE) and the National Institute of Education (NIE) conducting education research in secondary schools. Her inquiry project explored school-to-work career training and transition programs for students with special education needs. The overall goal of her research is to inform U.S. education policy, and practice focused on building workforce capacity and increasing access and support to students with diverse learning needs. This work is an extension of her research as part of her doctoral dissertation at CLU. Read more about her research, “School-to-Work Programs for Students with Special Education Needs (SEN) in Singapore: Implications for Policy and Practice in the U.S.

As part of her Fulbright experience, Christine has presented at conferences in Singapore and Japan and will be presenting her research findings in Washington, D.C. in August as part of the Fulbright Research Program annual Global Teaching Dialogue. Christine continues to advocate for increased equity in educational opportunities and outcomes for students receiving special education services by contributing to national education periodicals, global blogs, and parent magazines. You can learn more about her journey on her blog "Dr. Powell Purposeful Education".

 
 

Please visit our website for all upcoming events!

 

 

 

©