Faculty & Staff Resources
Things of Interest
Brown Bag Series

Information to Share & Stories to Tell

College Highlights [October 2009]

The College of Education and Human Services (COEHS) is a diverse college that is dedicated to understanding and improving the lives of children, adolescents and adults – in schools and colleges, social service and physical activity organizations, clinics and hospitals, governmental agencies and businesses, and related settings.  There are eight academic units:  Departments of Curriculum and Instruction, Educational Administration and Higher Education, Educational Psychology and Special Education, Health Education and Recreation, Kinesiology, and Workforce Education and Development, and the Rehabilitation Institute and School of Social Work.  The yearly enrollment of the College is approximately 3800 students (2500 undergraduate, 1000 master’s, and 300 doctoral), with about 1500 degrees conferred annually. The College consists of 95 tenured/tenure-track faculty, as well as 225 non-tenure track faculty (about half of whom are part-time, and with a sizeable number off campus and/or funded by grants). 

There is much information to share – and many stories to tell – about our College.  Here are ten areas that can serve to let you know more about what and how we are doing:

• We have several programs rated in the Top 100 in the country, including Rehabilitation Counseling (at the lofty ranking of #6), Social Work, Communication Disorders and Sciences, Workforce Education, Health Education (doctorate), and Graduate Education.
• During the 2008 calendar year, our College published at least 7 books/monographs, 83 journal articles and 23 book chapters, and offered 6 productions.  We also presented at least 34 times at international conferences, 166 times at national ones, and 113 times at regional/state conferences.  
• During a difficult time regarding enrollments, we held our own this past fall by enrolling as many students as last year; actually an increase of one.  (Note:  The Department of Kinesiology has experienced a 43.6% increase in enrollment during the past five years, in its Exercise Science, Athletic Training, and Physical Education Teacher Education programs.  A new undergraduate major in Sport Administration will begin in spring 2010, which we think will generate considerable interest among students at SIUC.)
• Organized by our School of Social Work, we have offered Study Abroad programs in such places as Austria, Bangladesh, Egypt and Germany, and an Elderhostel program in Mexico.
• Among our recent awards and honors are:
• Distinguished Teacher Educator, Association for Teacher Educators
• Outstanding Scholar, American Association for Health Education (two years in a row)
• Fellow, American Educational Research Association
• Fellow, American Counseling Association
• President, American Educational Studies Association
• President, National Association for Multicultural Education
• President, National Association of Multicultural Rehabilitation Concerns
• President-Elect, Education Law Association
• Vice President, World Organization of Early Childhood Education – U.S. National Committee
• Partners in International Education Award, Global Commission of the Council for Social Work Education
• Outstanding Supervisor Award, Outstanding Mentor Award, and Outstanding Professional Teaching Award, from the North Central Association for Counselor Education and Supervision
• Award for Innovation, Illinois University Council for Career and Technical Education
• Three of 25 SIUC Most Distinguished Seniors and 1 of 2 SIUC Super Students (spring 2009)
• Our faculty serve as associate/assistant editors and editorial advisory/review board members for many (inter)national, regional and state journals.  Among the journals for which our faculty serve as editors or co-editors are the following:
  • Educational Researcher
  • Health Educator, The
  • Journal of the International Association of Special Education
  • Journal of Rehabilitation Administration
  • Journal of Teaching in the Addictions
  • Online Journal for Workforce Education and Development
  • Psychological Record, The
  • Rehabilitation Counselors’ and Educators’ Journal
  • School Law Reporter
• We have increased our external grant funding by 74% in the last five years, so that our fiscal year 2009 total was over $20 million.  Among our many funded projects are the following:
  • Adoption Pride Program, funded by the Department of Children and Family Services, provides training to foster parents in the state of Illinois.
  • Algebra Project, in collaboration with the College of Science, seeks to empower underserved high school students in their acquisition of mathematics knowledge and skills.  It includes rigorous instruction along with support structures, internships, and a summer academy.
  • Alliance for School-based Problem-solving and Intervention Resources in Education (ASPIRE) Project, in collaboration with SIUE, focuses on the education of at-risk students and students with disabilities.  It is designed to support schools in 41 southern Illinois counties in the delivery of research-based professional development (including Response to Intervention), increase participation of parents in decision-making in schools, etc. 
  • Center for Autism Spectrum Disorders is a regional focal point for service to children with autism spectrum disorders, their families, community service providers, and the public.  It also provides a training ground for future professionals in the field and serves as a research and evaluation site.
  • Defense University Research Instrumentation Program grant enables a faculty member to focus on assessment through the use of a virtual environment.
  • Elena M. Sliepcevich Centre for Health Education Studies, a collaborative project with SIUC’s Morris Library Special Collections, provides for an historical look at the health education profession.
  • Evaluation and Developmental Center provides rehabilitation services that assist people with disabilities in attaining greater productivity and self-sufficiency.  It also serves as a training environment for SIUC students and a site for related research.
  • Heartland GK-12 Project, in collaboration with the College of Science, seeks to improve science teaching and learning in schools by sending “resident scientists” (graduate students) to local high schools to provide content and pedagogical support to teachers and action and scientific research experience to students.  It includes a summer orientation workshop and ecology content seminar.
  • Illinois Office of Educational Services provides curricular resources and training opportunities for career and technical teachers.
  • Illinois workNet is a free online resource that provides career, training, education and work support information for Illinois residents and businesses. 
  • Integrated Assessment Program provides comprehensive screening and assessment by a clinical professional to all clients entering Department of Children and Family Services custody.  It serves 84 counties in southern and central Illinois.
  • Nurse Aide Testing Project manages the certification testing and criminal background checks for Illinois nursing assistants.
  • Project 12 Ways serves 11 counties in southern Illinois by teaching parents and their children the skills necessary to avoid child abuse and neglect.
  • Region V Technical Assistance and Continuing Education Center provides performance-based continuing education services to rehabilitation organizations and personnel in six states that serve persons with disabilities.
  • Rural Access to Mathematics through Professional Development (RAMPD) Project is a collaboration with elementary school districts in Carbondale, Meridian and Murphysboro (and two private faith-based schools) to improve K-8 student achievement in mathematics.  It seeks to reduce teachers’ math anxiety while increasing confidence to apply mathematical skills; increase math thinking processes of teachers; and establish a community of practice at each school for teachers to learn about students’ math thinking. 
  • Safety Center serves southeast Illinois, and just recently southwest Illinois, by providing training in the use of child safety seats.  It also participates in safe driving programs in local high schools.
  • Science, Mathematics and Action Research for Teachers (SMART) Program, in collaboration with the College of Science, seeks to increase K-8 teachers’ mathematics and science content knowledge, pedagogical knowledge, and skills for conducting and applying educational research in their classrooms. 
  • SER VET (Service and Training Program for Veterans with Service-Connected Disabilities in Transition), a collaboration with Disability Support Services and the Clinical Center on campus, is designed for veterans with disabilities and incorporates education, counseling and therapy, as well as scholarships. 
  • SIUC Cancer Rehabilitation Laboratory, which is aligned with the Strong Survivors Program at John A. Logan Community College,provides exercise and other support for cancer survivors and their caregivers.
  • Southern Illinois Region Early Childhood Program provides parent education for those with newborn to toddlers.  It has just contracted with the City of Carbondale to offer services in three classrooms at the Eurma Hayes Center.
  • Teaching with Primary Sources seeks to instruct educators in ways to incorporate the Library of Congress digital collections into school curricula.  (Its director was recently appointed as a member of the national Professional Development Curriculum Panel by the Library).
  • Tracking Rare Incidence Syndromes Project provides information on family services, treatment options, educational assistance and other supports for families with Trisomy 18, 13 and related disorders.
• Besides those listed above, there are of course many other research projects undertaken by faculty that could be significantly enhanced if external monies could be found to support them.  It would take way too much space to list them all, but here are a half-dozen examples:   
  • Our newly renovated Biomechanics and Integrative Movement Laboratory provides basic equipment for Department of Kinesiology faculty to conduct research on motor behavior and exercise science.
  • A faculty member in the Department of Educational Psychology and Special Education, in collaboration with researchers at Vanderbilt University, is studying the relationship between gene mutations and behavior problems among men with intellectual disabilities. 
  • A faculty member in Social Work is interested in communication between cultures, with a long-standing focus on facilitating cultural competence in hospice care.
  • Faculty from the Rehabilitation Institute have developed a widely recognized training and research program dealing with substance abuse and dependence, which they hope to organize into a Center for Rural Addiction Studies to centralize, coordinate and expand efforts in this regard.
  • Faculty members from several academic units (Health Education and Recreation, Kinesiology, Rehabilitation Institute, and Social Work) are researching gerontological issues.  This work helps to support our current Gerontology Certificate Program, with initial work being done to explore the establishment of a cross-disciplinary master’s degree program.
  • The Dean’s Office has initiated work on a Center for Teaching and Learning that would coordinate and extend related projects in the College that focus on the improvement of educational practice in PreK-16 settings and increase the visibility of these projects across campus and in the region and state.
• COEHS faculty and staff work closely with schools and families in many ways, e.g., by providing professional development workshops and formal consultations, serving on school and agency support teams and oversight panels, conducting collaborative research, etc.  Other examples of formal relationships include: 
  • Off-campus coursework and degree programs at several off-campus sites.  Examples recently in place or planned include:
  • Behavioral Analysis and Therapy in Belleville, Joliet, Norris City, Rockford, and Springfield
  • Early Childhood Education at Shawnee Community College and Rend Lake Marketplace
  • Educational Administration (doctoral) at SIUE
  • Elementary Education at University Center of Lake County, Rend Lake, Southwestern Illinois College, and Kaskaskia College
  • Reading Endorsement at Benton Special Education District
  • Rehabilitation Counseling at El Valor in Chicago
  • Special Education at Shawnee Community College
  • Teacher Leadership (master’s) in Rend Lake and Belleville
  • Workforce Education at 16 military bases from coast to coast, as well as in Riverside, California, Chicago, Southwestern Illinois College, and University Center of Lake County.
  • Professional Development School Partnership with several districts:  Carbondale Elementary District No. 95, Unity Point Community Consolidated School District 140, Murphysboro Community Unit Schools District No. 186, and Giant City Consolidated School District No. 130.  The primary goal is to positively influence student learning and involves related activities for prospective and current teachers.
  • Teaching Fellows Program enrolls students in a master’s degree program in several specialty areas.  With funding provided by local school districts and the College, students receive assistantships and tuition waivers to co-teach in classrooms.  They are closely mentored by experienced teachers who help to induct these new teachers to the profession.  For at least one year, they collaboratively do curriculum planning, deliberate on and assess student learning, use a variety of classroom strategies, and conduct action research projects.
  • Teacher Education Roundtable takes place bi-annually, bringing together COEHS faculty and cooperating teachers and administrators for discussions about the field placements and content preparation of our teacher candidates.  At last spring’s event, 17 center coordinators joined teachers from 25 districts, administrators from 18 districts, and program faculty from 15 majors across campus.
  • Child Development Laboratories provide high quality child care for children from six weeks to six years of age as well as important education and training experiences for students majoring in Early Childhood.
  • Spring Break in New Orleans during the last two years involved faculty from two departments and students from the Educ8kdz (Early Childhood Education) student organization working with schools and child care centers of the Lower Ninth Ward in New Orleans that are still recovering from the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
  • Sponsorship of conferences, for example:  Teachers’ Academy of Lifelong Learning, co-sponsored with the Illinois Education Association; Southern Illinois Educational Leadership Conference, co-sponsored with the Illinois Association of School Administrators and Illinois Principals Association; Southern Illinois University School Administrators’ Legal Roundtable; Southern Illinois Physical Education and Health Conference, co-sponsored with the Illinois Association of Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance; Southern Illinois Conference on Teaching Mathematics; and International Social Work Conference, co-sponsored with Helwan University in Egypt. 
• We continue to recruit highly qualified tenure-track faculty from excellent programs from around the country.  For example, we hired 8 new faculty in 2007-08, 10 in 2008-09, and 7 in 2009-2010 who came from such highly regarded institutions as:  Arizona State University, Boston College, Columbia University, Florida State University, Georgia State University, Idaho State University, Indiana University, Louisiana State University, North Carolina State University, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, University of Arizona, University of Central Florida, University of Georgia, University of Iowa, University of Kansas, University of Maryland, University of Nevada at Reno, University of Northern Colorado, University of Utah, Vanderbilt University, and Western Michigan University.  We hope in the years ahead that we will be able to continue to recruit such high-quality tenure-track faculty to our College, new colleagues who will support and enhance our academic programs and our scholarly efforts.