UWG alumnus Stephen Pruitt ‘96 was hired as Kentucky's new education commissioner.
The Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE) has awarded student Kelsey Kennedy, an accounting major, a scholarship at the ACFE Georgia chapter meeting held in Atlanta.
College of Education Faculty Dr. Frank Stonier was selected to represent UWG as a nominee for the Board of Regents outstanding Online Teaching Award.
Student Emily Newborn recently landed an internship with SunTrust in Atlanta due to her networking efforts with executives at the SunTrust events with the UWG Center for Economic Education.
The Board of Regents approved the College of Education’s new degree, Bachelor of Science in Health and Community Wellness. Brent Heidorn led the team, with an assist by Laura Smith and many others.
As part of Dr. Jennifer Beggs Weber’s sociology students' final capstone class, students organized a fundraiser and food drive to benefit the Carroll County Soup Kitchen. They raised nearly $250.00, collected 10 boxes of dry/canned goods.
UWG College of Education faculty and advisors participated in the first UWG Career Day at Temple Middle School on May 7. They spoke to 6th graders about their careers at UWG, what their jobs entailed, and level of education required to do their jobs. COE faculty and advisors also spoke about why it is important to study hard and the variety of jobs and degrees available at UWG.
Drs. Danilo M. Baylen and Adriana D'Alba co-edited a new book, "Essentials of Teaching and Integrated Visual and Media Literacy," which published Spring 2015.
The College of Education's Comprehensive Community Clinic is proud to announce the (soft) opening of the Murphy Campus clinic (Haralson County) for speech services. The clinic will be open on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Chair and Professor of Criminology Dr. David Jenks hold the distinction of being the first course developer at the University of West Georgia to submit a course for a formal, external Quality Matters Peer Course Review. The course, Introduction to Law Enforcement (CRIM 2272), was developed and taught by Dr. Jenks and has officially met national QM review standards. As a result, Dr. Jenks’s course will be the first UWG fully online course listed in Quality Matters’ Registry of Courses and will now bear the official QM certification mark of recognition.
Quality Matters is the leader in quality assurance for online education and has received national recognition for its peer-based approach to continuous improvement in online education and student learning. The QM Rubric has become the most widely used set of standards for the design of online and blended courses in higher education. QM has also developed a course review process, which helps to “improve courses, meet institutional goals, and demonstrate a commitment to quality” (Quality Matters, 2014)."
Dr. Pamela Hunt Kirk, associate professor of sociology, received her proposal for paid research leave approved. She will use the leave time to conduct research and draft manuscripts for publication. She has collected data on the topics of (Sub)Cultural Attitudes about Non-Birth Parents in Same-Sex Families and Variations in Police Response to Same-Sex Intimate Partner Violence (IPV), and she will use this data as the basis for her leave work.
Assistant Professor of Counselor Education and College Student Affairs Michael Keim and Assistant Professor of Special Education Kim Griffith held an anti-bullying summit for local schools on March 28.
John Sewell, assistant professor of convergence journalism, recently published an article in the Journal of Communication Inquiry, Volume 38(4), 291-307 titled "'Becoming Rather Than Being': Queer's double-Edged Discourse as Deconstructive Practice."
Associate Professor of Business Education Sunil Hazari and Sandra Thompson had an article published in the Business and Professional Communication Quarterly Journal in the area of online learning.
Abstract: "With the widespread popularity of distance learning, there is a need to investigate elements of online courses that continue to pose significant challenges for educators. One of the challenges relates to creating and managing group projects. This study investigated business students’ perceptions of group work in online classes. The constructs of learning and social interaction, process satisfaction, product satisfaction, and use of technology in the virtual learning environment were investigated. The use of social media networks by group participants was also examined. Recommendations are provided for business educators looking to develop or enhance teamwork in virtual learning environments."
The Gamma Zeta chapter of Chi Sigma Iota International, the Department of Clinical and Professional Studies, and Career Services joined together recently to spread a message of hope and recovery. On Thursday, February 26, they created a community art project. The activity took place in the lower level of the Education Center. Faculty, staff, and students were asked to stop by and leave a message of inspiration and hope on a small piece of wood. The pieces of wood were then used to create wall art that will inspire others to accept support and persevere through challenging life experiences.
The College of Education's Department of Leadership and Instruction hosted a hiring simulation on March 7. This annual event is a collaboration among the physical education, secondary education, and educational leadership programs. Professors involved included Drs. Johnson, Heaberlin, Mosier, Huss, Edelman, and Butler, as well as instructors Moore, Parker, and Shepherd. Educational leadership students, i.e. aspiring leaders working in area schools and learning to interview and hire personnel as a part of their studies, interview aspiring teachers, i.e. students in their final semester of teacher education. These aspiring students are in the field doing internships at this time and are looking forward to being hired into teaching positions next year. As a part of their curriculum, they have to develop resumes and cover letters. Those are sent ahead of time, electronically, to aspiring leaders in our program.
On the day of the event, teams of aspiring leaders interviewed aspiring teachers in a round robin style. Aspiring teachers also observed interviews. At the end of the experience, someone landed a hypothetical job. They received certificates as well.
Professors Huss, Johnson, and Butler have presented at the following conferences on their students’ experiences in this event.
February 2015 - Getting a foot in the door: Helping
education students kick it during interviews. Association of Teacher Educators annual
conference, Phoenix, Arizona.
October 2014 - Getting a foot in the door: Helping
education students kick it during interviews. Georgia Association of Teacher Educators
annual meeting, Brasstown Resort, Hiwassee, Georgia.
Dr. Jim Burton, professor of business administration, gave a presentation on personal branding and leadership to approximately 50 managers at Walmart.com on February 10 at their training facility in Carrollton.
Dr. Bruce Landman, professor and chair of the mathematics department, has published, with co-author Aaron Robertson of Colgate University, the new book “Ramsey Theory on the Integers, Second Edition.” The book, published by the American Mathematical Society, is quite unique in that it is not only a research monograph, but also is designed to introduce undergraduate students to the world of mathematical research. It contains over 150 unsolved problems suitable for students in senior level special topics courses, research experience courses, and for the general mathematical community. The first edition of the book, also written by Drs. Landman and Robertson, earned high praise from editorial reviews and readers for its groundbreaking approach to student research, its writing and accessibility, and its comprehensive study of Ramsey theory.
Dr. Landman’s book has been a catalyst for the very competitive National Science Foundation “Research Experience for Undergraduates” grant that has been awarded to UWG. Dr. Landman and Dr. Abdollah Khodkar of the mathematics department will be running their fifth such program during the summer of 2015. Their latest such NSF grant is a $229,000 three-year award that runs through 2016.
