College of Education Newsletter

If you haven't been in the building lately..... it's a happening place. Renovations, summer camps, workshops, and classes make Mashburn a hub of activity. Mashbun103 has gotten a face-lift with new carpet, paint, and furniture. The PhD program is moving to a little larger space downstairs in room 121. The PhD suite will have a reception area, space for graduate assistants, two offices, and a small conference room/teaching space. It should be completed by mid July so stop in and take a look.

Facilities has been working to ensure that the fall semester finds us teaching and working in comfortable conditions. Our new roof and HV system should make a big difference. Physical space can greatly affect the outlook and mood of the individuals within an organization. When I first came to UCA one of the students told me that Mashburn had the "sad factor going for it". I've worked really hard to change that perception. Mashbun might not be as new as Lewis Science Center or as flashy as the College of Business, but it's our work home and should reflect the excellence within.

STEMulate Engineering Academy was held June 4-7 in the College of Education, hosting 84 students from grades 3-6. Students engaged in problem solving relating to inventions. Grade 3 students focused on the study of wheels, designing and creating water wheels and automobile wheels. Grade 4 students engineered hydraulic lifts and cranes. Grade 5-6 students designed and created working telegraphs to communicate across the classroom. Each day, students also engaged in digital design where they used a CAD program (Tinkercad) to create 3D prototypes related to their class theme. Some students were able to print their design using 3D printers in the Technology Learning Center (TLC). Additionally, many students created in virtual reality using the Oculus Rift. Students were also given “free design” time where they were able to use their imagination and creativity on products of their choice.

STEMulate Engineering Academy is directed by Drs. Debbie Dailey, Jason Trumble, and Alicia Cotabish. The camp is sponsored by Kimberly Clark Corporation. In addition to funding, Kimberly Clark engineers attend the camp and assist students with their designs. Teachers of the camp are candidates in the UCA Gifted and Talented program. Additional teachers are hired as needed so that each classroom has 3 teachers.

Many thanks go to the students and their parents, the teachers (Danielle Creswell, Sheila Dean, Beth Tyler, Kathy Harrell, Susan Pendleton, Abbey Robbins, Michelle Buchanan, Katy Harris, Amanda Wicker, Tracy Trumble, Ashton Trumble, and Caty Mason), and Kimberly Clark and their engineers (Guy Clay, Steve Nielsen, Michael Ray, Patrick Kelly, Todd Ake, Hitesh Patel, James Hesketh, Tim Wilson, Rafael Soto, and Dennis Cotabish). Additional thanks to Hitesh Patel for organizing the engineers for the camp. We would also like to thank SMC Packaging Group for the cardboard templates for the cranes and UCA’s STEM Institute for many camp materials.

The Department of Leadership Studies held their new student orientation on Saturday, June 2, 2018. The department welcomed 50 new students (16 LIBM/ITEC, 12 SLMA/EDLP, and 22 SCCN).

The students began collaborating with each other early during the session. They learned about access to Blackbooard and Collaborate Sessions and hands-on application of essential program resources. It was an exciting experience!

Dr. and Mrs. J. D. Mashburn had never heard of learning disabilities until two of their four children were born. Despite obvious intelligence, the two youngest children struggled with reading from an early age. The Mashburns eventually discovered that Zack and Molly had learning disabilities related to reading. According to Dr. Mashburn, the children’s struggles with reading nearly devastated their lives as teachers mistook their disabilities for a lack of trying.

Dr. Mashburn decided that helping his children was not enough. Dr. Mashburn has stated emphatically, “I won’t be satisfied until every school in Arkansas has at least one teacher who has been trained in this program and is helping students with learning disabilities.” Dr. and Mrs. Mashburn decided to establish the Christine Greenhaw Mashburn Institute named in honor of Dr. Mashburn’s mother. The institute was designed to bring authorities on learning disabilities to UCA to educate teachers about students with special needs. The Mashburn Center for Learning partnered with Dr. Don Deshler, a nationally recognized authority on learning disabilities from the University of Kansas.

In 1991, the University of Central Arkansas used the cash value of a $1 million life insurance policy the Mashburns purchased to host the Mashburn Center for Learning for the purpose of providing classroom teachers and administrators with research-based instructional strategies for use with students at-risk to fail or fall behind. Nearly 400 educators have successfully participated in the Mashburn Institutes during the past 17 years. Consistent with the vision of Dr. and Mrs. J. D. Mashburn, the academic achievement of thousands of students who struggle with learning in Arkansas schools has been dramatically improved as a result of the skills teachers have acquired through the Mashburn Center for Learning.

For more information, please contact Dr. Patty Kohler-Evans, director of the Mashburn Center for Learning.

You can visit the Mashburn Center for Learning website by clicking here.

Congratulations to Lindsay Phillips and Tiffany Shettles-Tull. They were recently named winners of the Gladys Sachse Endowed Scholarship. Each winner will be awarded a $1,000 scholarship to support their studies in the Graduate Library Media Program for the 2018-2019 school year.

Lindsay is currently a 4th grade literary teacher at MicroSociety Elementary Magnet in Jonesboro, Arkansas. She will be the Library Media Specialist at MicroSociety beginning the 2018-2019 school year. Lindsay has a plan of changing the library into an inviting place where all students want to come and learn. She wants the students at MicroSociety to love reading.

Tiffany currently teaches at Jacksonville High School. As a Library Media Specialist, she wants to "foster a love of learning” in students for many generations to come and offer a space within the school that encourages people to come in and check out something new. Tiffany feels that the Library Media Center is where she can start encouraging people of all ages to love the Library and all of its resources.

Dr. Louis Nadelson was recently hired as the Chair of the Department of Leadership Studies.

Dr. Nadelson holds a B.S in biological and physical sciences from Colorado State University, a B.A. with a concentration in mathematics and computer science from The Evergreen State College, a M.Ed. in education leadership and instructional technology from Western Washington University, and a Ph.D. in educational psychology – emphasis on research methods and measurement from UNLV. His scholarly interests include teaching and learning, leadership, preservice and inservice teacher professional development, program evaluation, multidisciplinary research, and educational innovation. Dr. Nadelson has published nearly 100 papers and has collaborated with over 50 students and 60 different faculty members across an array of disciplines.

Dr. Nadelson stated he is thrilled to be joining the Department of Leadership Studies, College of Education, and the University of Central Arkansas. He has been watching the development of UCA as an institution for several years. Dr. Nadelson stated the collaboration, creativity, and energy of UCA are ideal for thriving as a colleague, teacher, scholar, and leader. He looks forward to being part of the team as we seek opportunities to build upon the success of the institution and continue to evolve to meet the needs of our students and the greater community.

The Department of Leadership Studies recently celebrated Mrs. Donna Johnson. Donna will be retiring as the Administrative Specialist for the department after almost 28 years of service. When asked her plans for retirement, Donna said, "We will travel, work on my stain glass, cakes, other crafts, spend time with family and grandkids (2 boys 6 and 3). And just ENJOY life!!!​"

Congratulations, Donna! The College of Education will miss you!

Each month CAC Minutes are shared with faculty members through Google Drive. You can access these minutes by logging into your Google Drive, select "shared with me", click on folder named "CAC Minutes", then find the year and month you wish to view.

If you need assistance with or access to the CAC Minutes please email Melissa Earls at melissae@uca.edu.