The College of Education鈥檚 staff and faculty are actively engaged in teaching, research and service activities both within the university community and beyond. Read about the accomplishments and achievements of our faculty and staff during the Spring 2022 semester.
To submit information for a future issue of College of Education Faculty and Staff Notes, please contact Elizabeth Engasser at eengasser@usf.edu.
Professor Vonzell Agosto, PhD, was interviewed for a news story published by Washington Post in February. In the , Dr. Agosto discusses the impact that recent legislation and executive orders have had on public school curriculum.
Professors Michael Berson, PhD, and Ilene Berson, PhD, were featured guests on , a civic and environmental education podcast, to discuss their online civic education site, , and their research on how elementary school children learn about their social world.
Additionally, Michael and Ilene served as members of a team at the that authored a new report titled 鈥�.鈥� The report identifies five basic principles for fostering digital civic participation through critical inquiry. It includes a curriculum purpose statement and guidelines and recommends many suitable resources for educators to use.
Professor William Black, PhD, co-edited a new book titled 鈥�.鈥� The book, which explores the question of who decides how to organize schools around criteria of ability and/or disability and what these decisions imply for leadership in schools, features chapters published by USF Visiting Professor Sarah Semon, PhD, and USF graduates Rod Jones and Angela Passero Jones. USF graduate student Csaba Osvath assisted with the cover design. The book was published by Information Age Publishing.
Academic advisor Bobby Brown was named the 2022 U-Decide Instructor of the Year by USF鈥檚 Office of Undergraduate Studies. The recipient of the award is an instructor at the university who is committed to creating a student-centered classroom by using effective and creative teaching practices, increasing students' self-efficacy, and raising awareness of options for potential majors and careers.
Associate Professors Jolyn Blank, PhD, and Sophia Han, PhD, served as members of a panel that explored 鈥淩ethinking Early Childhood Education鈥� at the Hillsborough Education Foundation in April. The event was hosted in partnership with Hillsborough County Public Schools (HCPS).
Initiated by undergraduate students in USF鈥檚 Early Childhood Education Program, the event served as an opportunity for pre-service teachers to share what they鈥檝e learned about early childhood education best practices in topics such as play-based learning, assessment approaches, professional support, and instructional continuity across the early childhood years. The event was also an opportunity to highlight the partnership between the College of Education and HCPS.
Associate Professor Cheryl Ellerbrock, PhD, was awarded the 2021-22 Margaret Burlington Tritle Excellence in Teaching Faculty Award, an annual award presented to college faculty members who demonstrate exemplary teaching. The Margaret Burlington Tritle Excellence in Teaching Faculty Award was created in 2017 through by USF alumnus Lawrence Tritle to honor his late wife鈥檚 teaching legacy. Faculty recipients receive an award to support their research, professional travel and other activities related to teaching and scholarship at USF.
Assistant Professor Nathan Fisk, PhD, was an online panelist for hosted by the in February. The event was hosted to celebrate Safer Internet Day to foster discussion around media literacy and how it can be used as a tool to support a safer internet experience for children.
Assistant Professor of Instruction Jane Govoni, PhD, was awarded the 2021-22 Margaret Burlington Tritle Excellence in Teaching Faculty Award, an annual award presented to college faculty members who demonstrate exemplary teaching. The Margaret Burlington Tritle Excellence in Teaching Faculty Award was created in 2017 through by USF alumnus Lawrence Tritle to honor his late wife鈥檚 teaching legacy. Faculty recipients receive an award to support their research, professional travel and other activities related to teaching and scholarship at USF.
Associate Professor Thomas Miller, EdD, was interviewed for in May that explores how USF is helping students graduate sooner and providing support services to underrepresented populations, such as low-income and first-generation students.
Associate Professor of Instruction Helene Robinson, EdD, was a speaker at the in March. In her TED talk, Dr. Robinson shared the story of how ableism has shown up in her life and helped the audience understand how society can create a more inclusive environment by working together. A recording of her talk is available on the .
Professor Janet C. Richards, PhD, edited a new qualitative textbook titled, 鈥�.鈥� The textbook contributes to the developing field of qualitative research pedagogy and offers strategies and approaches to actively engage students in qualitative inquiry. The book was co-edited with Audra Skukauskait臈 from the University of Central 51在线 and Ronald Chenail from Nova Southeastern University. It will be published in May by Brill | Sense.
Professor and Dean R. Anthony Rolle, PhD, was a featured guest on the Tampa Bay Politics Podcast with Angela Birdsong. During the episode, Dr. Rolle discussed his career in politics and higher education and the various career pathways available to students who study at the USF College of Education. The full episode is available on .
Associate Professor Stephen Rushton, PhD, was selected to receive the USF Sarasota-Manatee campus鈥檚 Outstanding Professor Award in April. The recipient of this award is chosen each semester by the graduating class at USF鈥檚 Sarasota-Manatee campus. Dr. Rushton has been a faculty member at the Sarasota-Manatee campus since 1998 and will be retiring this year.
Professor Jenifer Jasinski Schneider, PhD, wrote a guest column for the Tampa Bay Times in February. In the column, titled 鈥�,鈥� Dr. Schneider discusses the wave of book banning happening in schools across the country.
Associate Professor Ruthmae Sears, PhD, was elected as a fellow of the (AAAS). Dr. Sears is the first Black faculty member at USF to receive this recognition, which is one of the world鈥檚 most prestigious honors for academic research.
This semester, Dr. Sears received numerous awards from USF, including the Outstanding Faculty Award, the Office of Multicultural Affairs I Heart Diversity Award and the Office of Diversity, Equity and Opportunity鈥檚 Inclusive Excellence Award. She was also featured in Fox 13's "" storytelling series, which highlights positive stories in the Tampa Bay area. The story explores Dr. Sears's career as a mathematics educator and her national recognition as an AAAS fellow for academic research.
Associate Professor Ruthmae Sears, PhD, was interviewed by in January for a story about a study on structural racism that was conducted on behalf of the City of St. Petersburg last fall. Associate Professor Dana Thompson Dorsey, JD, PhD, also served as a co-principal investigator for the research study.
Associate Professor Patriann Smith, PhD, co-authored a new book titled 鈥�.鈥� The book draws on the authors鈥� experiences as Black parents, researchers, teachers, and teacher educators to provide a multipronged approach to affirming Black lives and literacies. It was published in March by Teachers College Press.
Assistant Professor Sara Smith, PhD, was a 2022 recipient of the program's Dr. Kathleen Moore Faculty Excellence Award. The Dr. Kathleen Moore Faculty Excellence Award recognizes women faculty who demonstrate excellence through their research at USF.
Dr. Smith was also featured in a story published by the in January about her project, (MARVL), an award-winning augmented reality (AR) application that uses technology and research-based best practices to support learning vocabulary in a new language.
Associate Professor Dana Thompson Dorsey, JD, PhD, was a facilitator at an Enlightenment Series Workshop hosted in February as part of USF鈥檚 Black History Month activities. The event, titled 鈥�,鈥� was hosted by USF鈥檚 Institute on Black Life, the Black Employee Steering Committee and Black Faculty & Staff Association.
Associate Professor of Instruction Cindy Topdemir, PhD, published in May on behalf of the 51在线 School Counselor Association exploring ways in which school counselors can stretch their comfort zone and grow as practitioners. Dr. Topdemir serves as governing board chair of the 51在线 School Counselor Association.
Academic Program Specialist Heather Van Allen received the USF Quiet Quality Award in February. The recognition is presented by the USF Staff Senate to celebrate employees who excel in their work roles while demonstrating professional traits beyond their basic job duties, such as problem-solving, positive attitude, leadership and resourcefulness.
Associate Professor Nathaniel von der Embse, PhD, is the principal investigator for a research study that received a $50,000 grant from the Caplan Foundation for Early Childhood to launch a new project that will help caregivers identify early warning signs of mental health issues in young children. The project, titled 鈥淧roject Begin Well,鈥� will increase caregivers' mental health literacy and the use of critical support services available to preschool-aged children (3-5 years old). Gabrielle Francis, a doctoral student in USF鈥檚 School Psychology Program, serves as co-principal investigator for the project.
Associate Professor Jennifer Wolgemuth, PhD, co-edited a new book titled 鈥�.鈥� The book, which was co-edited with University of Alabama Associate Professor Kelly Guyotte, PhD, features a chapter and two "mentoring moment" reflections written by USF doctoral students. The book was published in February by Routledge.