University Collective

Dr. Judith Beauford, of the Dreeben School of Education, presented “Number Names Research in Mexico and Bolivia” at the School Science and Mathematics Association Conference in Florida in November.

Dr. Mary Ruth Moore and Dr. David Campos, both of the Dreeben School of Education, along with four former students, recently wrote an article titled “Inspiration to Teach—Reflections on Friedrich Froebel and Why He Counts in Early Childhood Education.” The article was published in the November 2010 journal of the National Association for the Education of Young Children. The article highlights a group of 14 students’ 2006 trip to Eastern Germany to trace the footsteps of Froebel, known internationally as the Father of Kindergarten. To read the article online, visit www.naeyc.org/files/yc/file/201011/HeritageOnline1110.pdf.

Dr. Glenn Ambrose, associate professor of religious studies, published an article titled “Religious Diversity, Sacramental Encounters, and the Spirit of God” published in the Fall 2010 issue of “Horizons.”

Dell Davis, head of public services at the Mabee Library, had an article she co-authored titled “Transformation of Access Services in the New Era” published in the April-June 2010 issue of the “Journal of Access Services.” She also co-presented “Access Services: Innovative Management” at the November 2010 Access Services Conference in Atlanta.

Dr. Stephanie Grote-Garcia, assistant professor in the Dreeben School of Education, recently published an article titled “Scaffolding the Comprehension of Beginning Readers: Incorporating the Patterned Books of ‘Then and Now’” in “English in Texas.” She also completed three children’s books in her educational series Read, Reason, Write. Each book was accompanied by a teacher’s edition. In November, she presented at the 54th annual meeting of the Association of Literacy Educators and Researchers in Omaha, Neb.

Dr. Denise Staudt, dean of the Dreeben School of Education, faculty members Dr. Michael Risku, Dr. Elda Martinez (DSE) and Celina Aceves Hinojosa, coordinator of English at Instituto Miguel Angel de Occidente in Guadalajara, Mexico, presented at the 9^th annual International Conference on Education in Honolulu in January.  Their presentation, “Mexico Teacher Research Project:  Improving Students’ Reading Comprehension,” focused on the schools’ partnership.

Dr. Sara Kolb, Maria Gillespie and Dr. Gary Norgan, faculty members of the Ila Faye Miller School of Nursing and Health Professions, along with Perla Zarate-Abbott and former nursing faculty member Jean Deliganis, all of whom work at the Ministerio de Salud, or Health Ministry, published “Perceptions about Blood Pressure among Mexican American Adults Diagnosed with Hypertension” in “Family and Community Health: The Journal of Health Promotion and Maintenance.” Gillespie, Deliganis and Kolb, along with faculty members Dr. Jennifer Cook, Dr. Holly Cassells and Yvonne Davila presented “Using Visual Learning to Educate Mexican American Adults about Their Blood Pressure” at the San Antonio Health Literacy Initiative 6th annual conference in October.

Dr. Jeanette McNeill, Dr. Ramona Parker, and Joyce Howard, from the Ila Faye Miller School of Nursing and Health Professions, Dr. Lu Pelayo, director at the Alamo Colleges, and Jackie Stovall, with the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, presented an invited symposium titled “Simulation in Nursing Education: Evidence Base, How-To’s and Dollars and Cents” for the Southern Nursing Research Society meeting in February in Jacksonville, Fla.

Dr. Gary Keith, assistant professor of political science, organized the annual conference of the Southwest Association of Prelaw Advisors in New Orleans in October, and he participated on a panel titled “Teaching Undergraduate Law through Movies and Novels.”

Dr. Sally Said, professor of modern languages, presented “Transgender in Transition: The Evolving Literacy of Gender Identity and Expression” at the Western States Rhetoric and Literacy Conference, “Transforming Rhetoric: Discovery and Change,” at New Mexico State University in October.

Sr. Martha Ann Kirk, Th.D., professor of religious studies, presented “Hope and Healing: Stories from Kurdish Iraq Where Persons Inspired by Fethullah Gülen Have Been Serving” at the International Conference on the Gulen Movement at the University of Chicago in November. She also presented “Christian – Muslim Encounters through Using Online International Exchanges in Undergraduate Religious Studies Classes” at the American Academy of Religion meeting in Atlanta in October. Kirk received the Insigne Verbum Award during December Commencement “for interfaith and intercultural dialogue in pursuit of peace.”

Dr. María Félix-Ortiz, associate professor of psychology, was invited in January to join the new Bexar County Mental Health Consortium, an advisory committee working with Judge Nelson Wolff and other members of the Commissioners Court, to form a better coordinated system of mental health care for the indigent of Bexar County. She has been a regular volunteer instructor for the San Antonio Police Department Crisis Intervention Team Training Program presenting “Penetrating the Fog of Fear: Understanding and Communicating with Persons living with Chemical Dependence and Mental Illness” as police officers’ substance abuse training. She was recently recognized by the San Antonio Police Officers Association for her five years of service to the department. She was also invited as the keynote speaker for St. George Episcopalian Church’s Mental Health Awareness Day and presented “An Overview of Mental Illness and Substance Abuse for the Faith Community” in October.

Dr. Lydia Andrade, professor of political science, presented “The Scandals of the Bush Years” at the International Conference on Arts and Humanities in Honolulu in January. She was also recognized in December by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and the Educational Policy Improvement Center for significant contributions to the Texas College and Career Readiness Initiative. She worked on college readiness standards for the social sciences.

Dr. Valerie Kesner Greenberg, associate professor of communication arts, co-authored an academic paper with Terry Bertling, assistant managing editor of the San Antonio Express-News, concerning convergent media’s role in changing print journalism. They authored a primary research case study titled “Convergent Media and the Future of the American Newspaper.” The project was accepted in November 2010 to the International Conference on Education, Research and Innovation (ICERI) held in Madrid, Spain. The paper was included in the proceedings and online.

James Borders, assistant professor of art, had his work featured in the solo exhibition “Essence of Color” in Louisiana in October.

Ferd Vollmar, director of the Cardinal Marching Band, was invited to conduct the All Region Band in Houston and in San Antonio in January. His article called “It’s All about the Details” was published in the September issue of “Bandmasters Review.” The article shares effective teaching strategies designed to improve preparing ensemble music and performance enhancing concepts for high school marching band programs.

Dr. Christopher Paris, associate professor of English, published a poem titled “Tigers Extinct in Twelve Years” in the annual poetry and literature review “Literary House Review” in December. His poem “She Is Spirit” was published in the autumn 2010 issue of “A Hudson View Poetry Digest.” His poem “Vertigo Bridge” was published in the November edition of the online journal “Hudson View Online.”

Dr. Janice Dvorkin, associate professor of music therapy, led a workshop on “Process or Product: The Difference in Practice and Teaching in the Creative Arts Therapies” at the Creative Arts Therapy Summit in New York City in November.

Dr. Bernadette O’Connor, associate professor of philosophy, presented “Three Theories of Sublimation—Freudian, Maritainian and Ricoeurian—and their Metaphysical Foundations” at the annual International Conference of the American Maritain Association in Ohio in October.

Dr. Jo LeCoeur, professor of English, had her poem titled “A Poem Named Basket” published in the Houston Poetry 2010 Anthology.

Dr. Bob Connelly, dean of the College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, co-authored an article with Dr. Denise Doyle, provost, and Dr. David Fike, senior research statistician, called “Online vs. Paper Evaluations of Faculty: When Less is Just as Good,” which appeared in the online “Journal of Effective Teaching.” Find the article online at http://uncw.edu/cte/et/articles/Vol10_2/index.htm.

Debbie Bussineau-King, professor of music, and Professor Emerita Ruth Friedberg gave a recital titled “Songs of the Sefarad” at the Shabbat Service of Temple Chai at the Jewish Community of San Antonio in November. Bussineau-King also presented “Teaching Voice at the Dollar Store” at the Regional TEXOMA Chapter of the National Association of Teachers of Singing in Abilene in November. She is president of the chapter. In October, she gave a joint recital of music from the British Isles at St. John’s Lutheran Church’s First Friday Concert Series.

Dr. Michael Tallon, associate professor and chair of modern languages, presented “The Effects of Foreign Language Anxiety on Spanish Heritage Students” at the conference of the Texas Foreign Language Association in San Antonio in October and also at the conference of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages in Boston in November. He also recently co-authored “Foreign Language Anxiety,” a chapter in “Anxiety in Schools: The Causes, Consequences, and Solutions for Academic Anxieties.” In addition, his article “The Effects of Computer-Mediated Communication on Foreign Language Anxiety in Heritage and Non-Heritage Students of Spanish: A Preliminary Investigation” was published in “Texas Papers in Foreign Language Education.”