New Committee
GSEAP faculty members have formed a new committee, the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Committee, to promote and be a resource for equity and social justice efforts within the School and greater community. Stephanie Burrell Storms, EdD, associate dean and associate professor, will serve as ex-officio with faculty members Anne Campbell, PhD, associate professor of TESOL and bilingual/multicultural education, Bryan Ripley Crandall, PhD, director of the Connecticut Writing Project Fairfield and associate professor, Nicole O’Brien, PhD, associate professor of marriage and family therapy, and Jay Taylor, LCSW, clinical director of the master of social work program. Graduate student Gina Ludlow will also serve on the committee.
Pam Anderson, LCP, adjunct professor and clinical coordinator of counselor education, collaborated with Stephaney Morrison, PhD, assistant professor of counselor education, on an initiative at Jane Ryan Elementary School in Trumbull, CT, to demonstrate the role of school counselors. Six of their students served as interns this past semester to deliver classroom lessons based on the book, Oh, the Places You’ll Go, by Dr. Seuss.
Dr. Stephanie Burrell Storms was appointed to a three-year term to the Connecticut State Department of Education Program Review Committee for educator preparation program approval. As part of the Connecticut state advisory committee to the U.S. Civil Rights Commission, she and other members held a briefing last April in Hartford that focused on racial disparities and prosecutorial practices in the Connecticut Criminal Justice System.
Associate professors Dr. Anne Campbell and Dr. David Zera co-authored a peer-reviewed paper entitled, “Professional Development Needs of In-Service Teachers of English Learners and Learners with Special Needs” and presented it at the American Education Research Association meeting in Toronto in April. The paper was based on a six-year study of the impact of response to intervention on K-12 teachers.
The John H. and Ethel G. Noble Charitable Trust has awarded $60,000 to the Connecticut Writing Project (CWP) at Fairfield University. Through this generous gift, Dr. Bryan Ripley Crandall will provide crucial training to teachers from high need school districts who work directly with students with learning disabilities.
Professor Faith-Anne Dohm, PhD, was awarded the Fairfield University chapter Alpha Sigma Nu Graduate Teacher of the Year award. Dr. Dohm was recognized for her passion and ability to teach students the skills to solve problems on their own, and for her willingness to go above and beyond to assist students in truly understanding course material.
Paula Gill Lopez, PhD, associate professor and chair of the department of psychological and educational consultation, presented a documented session as a national expert on self-care at the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) annual convention in Atlanta. Dr. Gill Lopez was also interviewed for the NASP podcast. Her lobbying efforts to have self-care added to the most recent revision of the NASP Ethical Code have been successful.
Erica Hartwell, PhD, director of the Certificate in Sexual and Gender Minority Mental Health program, was promoted to associate professor and was granted tenure.
Diana Hulse, EdD, professor and chair of counselor education, and Peter J. McDermott published their new book #CanWeTalk. Hulse hosted a book talk at Dolan West at Fairfield University in March to preview the book and its use in interpersonal encounters. The book is now available on Amazon.
Ginny Kelly, PhD, professor of counselor education, was a featured speaker at the Connecticut Counseling Association (CCA) conference in April. Dr. Kelly participated in a book signing for her book, Addiction in the Family: What Every Counselor Needs to Know.
Jule McCombes-Tolis, PhD, director of reading and language development, will launch a new, 10-credit fully online Dyslexia Interventionist Certificate this fall. The certificate will provide an overview of the Wilson Reading System (WRS) curriculum and serve as the prerequisite for WRS Level I Certification.
Professors of counselor education Tracey Robert, PhD, and Dr. Ginny Kelly, hosted Saturday morning workshops at Dolan West this past semester to provide outreach and continuing education beyond the classroom on issues that matter most to counselors in clinical and school settings. Dr. Kelly presented on “The New Face of Addiction” and Dr. Robert gave a talk, entitled “Using Spiritual Interventions for Self-Care: Tools for Ethical and Competent Practice.”
Emily Smith, PhD, has been appointed as a Division K section co-chair for American Educational Research Association (AERA) field experiences: student teaching, supervision, school/community collaborations, and innovative approaches and models. She was also promoted to professor.
GSEAP Student Highlights
The following students were recognized as Dean’s Award winners for their contributions and achievements during the 2018-19 academic year.
Jessica Attruia
Annmarie Briones
Danielle Forma
Elizabeth Hutchins
Paula Kotara
Elisabeth Muller
Kimberly Sheehan
