Current and former SJSU students in any major are invited to join Dr. Nidhi Mahendra and Marcella McCollum to learn about SJSU’s Speech Language Pathology MS program and gather ideas for submitting a competitive application! RSVP to attend at bit.ly/3Dd7YNm
College students over the age of 25 are often overlooked in efforts to increase student success. Yet, adult learners make up over one-third of all undergraduate students. Adult learners have distinct challenges when pursuing their education. In addition to balancing coursework with jobs, many adult learners have family responsibilities/roles and other layers that make up who they are as a student. Watch the recording of our Lurie College Student Success Center’s workshop “Thriving at SJSU as an Adult Learner: Part 1” which focused on navigating the 4-year system. Register for more upcoming workshops at sjsu.edu/luriessc/student-resources-workshops
Congratulations to Communicative Disorders & Sciences faculty Nidhi Mahendra, who was the guest editor for and published “Racism, Equity and Inclusion in Communication Sciences and Disorders: Reflections and the Road Ahead” in Teaching and Learning in Communication Sciences & Disorders: Beyond Cultural Competence: Addressing Racism, Equity and Inclusion! The article introduces this timely special issue on Beyond Cultural Competence: Addressing racism, equity and inclusion, and provides information on how this issue was conceptualized. The editors reflect on the critical importance of equity and inclusion work in speech-language pathology and audiology in order to address structural racism and inequities for diverse students and professionals. It concludes by offering insights about the emerging levels of evidence as well as a call to action for continued engagement and expanded scholarship of teaching and learning research on these topics.
Congratulations to Counselor Education faculty Kyoung Mi Choi, who copublished “A phenomenological approach to understanding sexual minority college students in South Korea” in the Journal of Multicultural Counseling and Development! Dr. Choi and Dr. Insoo Oh used a phenomenological approach to explore 12 sexual minority Korean college students’ coming out experiences. They found four themes from in-depth interviews, including (a) expression of universal needs, (b) awareness of sociocultural violence, (c) coping strategies, and (d) cocreating an inclusive culture. They characterize interactions of sociocultural factors, such as gender norms, sexual prejudice, and education with sexual identity development. Findings provide an understanding of the importance of developing effective and empowering strategies for counseling.
Our Fall 2021 Lurie College Storytellers, Ana, and Caryn, take you along their journeys to becoming educators and speech and language pathologists. Keep up with them through the Lurie College Tik Tok and Instagram weekly to watch what they do during their weeks, give tips about school work, talk about their passion, and more.
@sjsulurieHi! I’m so happy yo have this opportunity to be a Lurie College Storyteller and take you along on my journey this semester! ##sjsu ##storyteller @sanjosestateuniversity♬ original sound – Lurie College of Education
@sjsulurieWelcome! Excited to be a lurie college storyteller and ready for you to come on this journey with me 😊 ##sjsu ##storytellers @sanjosestateuniversity♬ original sound – Lurie College of Education
Lurie College is proud to provide financial support to its students who are presenting their research at conferences. Undergraduate, graduate, credential, and doctoral students are eligible to apply for up to one $500 grant per fiscal year (July 1 – May 20) towards expenses for registration fees, travel, lodging, and meals.
Lurie College is also proud to provide financial support to its students who are in need of supplies to conduct their academic research. Undergraduate, graduate, credential, and doctoral students are eligible to apply for up to one $200 grant per fiscal year (July 1 – May 20) towards expenses for research supplies. A limited amount of funding is available.
To apply for either of these awards, visit sjsu.edu/education/financial-aid.
Shoutout to Child and Adolescent Development faculty Ellen Middaugh and recent alumni Kristen Huey, Kristina Smith, and George Franco, who were recently featured on the Visions of Education podcast to discuss the research project they are involved in, which centers around young people’s engagement with news through social media.
We’ve developed our new BA in Interdisciplinary Studies online degree completion program for individuals who have accrued some college credits with a flexible and engaging opportunity to complete their bachelor’s degree. The curriculum is entirely online and brings together a variety of academic disciplines including education and the social sciences with a focus on leadership skills and promoting social justice to support career advancement. Learn more about what this means for a few of our students – Doris, Jeff, Mona Lisa, and Ruby – by watching the full video above or by using the links below!
Shoutout to Communicative Disorders and Sciences faculty Nidhi Mahendra, who was recently quoted in the Washington Post article “The post-pandemic future of college? It’s on campus and online.”
…but small steps can make a difference online. Nidhi Mahendra, a professor of communicative disorders and sciences, began opening her Zoom classroom well ahead of the start time when she noticed students clicking in 20 minutes early. It gave them more time to bond through chitchat. “That’s been kind of a kick, actually,” Mahendra said. “Never happened before.”
How can pursuing an education help you find your voice — and how can you use your voice to transform others?
San José State’s Connie L. Lurie College of Education is subverting the hierarchies embedded in higher education, primarily “systemic racism that has historically prevented full inclusion and equity for our BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) students, staff, and faculty,” one initiative at a time. Starting in 2018, Dean Heather Lattimer invited students, staff and faculty to participate in a year-long strategic planning process to brainstorm innovative ways to disrupt education. How could each department, from Teacher Education to Communicative Disorders and Sciences, create an environment that promoted inclusivity, diversity and anti-racist thought?
The first step? Listening. Listening to our teachers, undergraduates, graduate students and staff as well as educators working in the field, researchers and policymakers. Listening to lecturers like Marcella McCollum, ’05 MA Speech Pathology, ’22 EdD, who not only volunteered to serve on the strategic planning committee but also proposed a minor in Transformative Leadership in partnership with Rebeca Burciaga, professor of educational leadership and Chicana and Chicano Studies.
“We need to think about changing paradigms,” says McCollum. “We cannot just offer a class or textbook that tells you how to overcome the challenges that exist in our current educational systems as they are designed. We want students to question why things are the way they are. We want them to have the tools, so they can push back when something looks unjust.”
Throughout the year-long process, the strategic planning committee interviewed students, gathered research and collaborated to update the college mission. The committee created an identity statement and formed four strategic pillars — community engagement, cultural sustainability, holistic approaches and interdisciplinary collaboration — which unites the college’s work across departments. Faculty, staff and students were then invited to submit grant proposals for endeavors that aligned with those pillars.
Luz Nicacio, ’21 Child and Adolescent Development, provided key insight as the only undergraduate on the committee who helped review grant proposals, provide feedback to those submitting ideas and select those that would be awarded funding.
“I saw how influential my voice was in deciding the college’s direction,” she says. “Being on the committee showed me that my college values the opinions of its students and does care about us.”
Read the full story from Julia Halprin Jackson on the SJSU Transform website.
Shoutout to Special Education faculty Saili Kulkarni, who was recently featured by the SJSU Writing Center in their Better Know a Dept series!
“My particular research interests are to understand how race and disability inform teacher beliefs and practices. I am particularly interested in how special education teachers of color enact their beliefs in classrooms for multiply marginalized youth across disability and race. I am additionally interested in how discipline and behavior are approached for young children of color with disabilities. In far too many instances, these children are being harshly disciplined or excluded from spaces with their peers for minor behavioral issues. I am interested in how we can reframe discipline and be more restorative (draw from restorative justice) in our approaches to discipline for young people.”
Read the entire feature on the SJSU Writing Center blog.
The inaugural SJSU Transforming Communities: A Movement to Racial Justice is a visionary annual event designed to catalyze change in our community. SJSU seeks to bring together community, non-profits, organizations, schools, and businesses focused on creating a more racially just and equitable city and county. While we recognize that discrimination and injustice intersects with many identities, this movement centers race at the forefront of the conversation as we seek to ignite personal journeys, community conversations, and collective action to address racial justice.
The inaugural series will take place from November 1-12 and the theme is Reflection. Discovery. Action. Learn more and submit a program by Thu., Sep. 30 at sjsu.edu/diversity/systemic-racism/transforming-communities.
Are you passionate about supporting young children to reach their full potential? Do you want to cultivate relationships with others who share your career goals from across SJSU’s Lurie College of Education programs? Get involved in either of the two opportunities below to advance these priorities this school year and beyond! These options are open to anyone interested in working with young children – as an educator, therapist, counselor, program director, or any of the other professions committed to working with young children.
Apply to the Early Childhood Connections and join us in exploring and building community with others who have a passion for working with young children under age 5. This opportunity is for current students and Spring 2021 graduates from across SJSU Lurie College of Education programs. First time ECC participants only. You will engage in networking meetings as well as small groups led by student coordinators to build community, learn from alumni and other professionals already in the field, and build your path as you pursue a career involving young children. Participants will have an opportunity to shape the program as it unfolds from September 2021 to April 2022. Supported by Lurie College and the SJSU Early Childhood Institute, this is an opportunity to learn, grow, lead and most importantly, connect! If you have any questions, email us at joy.foster@sjsu.edu.
Join the Early Childhood Student Alumni Network, a recognized student group that is building a broader interdisciplinary network of current San José State University students interested in working with young children and alumni currently in the field.
Whether you are graduating this spring or continuing on in your journey through SJSU, we hope one or both of these opportunities is right for you!
On September 2, President Papazian announced that after nearly two years, San José State University is finally able to safely host in-person commencement ceremonies!
That means that this December our Fall 2021 graduating students will be invited to attend their college commencement ceremony, and our Spring 2020, Fall 2020, and Spring 2021 graduated students will be invited to attend a makeup ceremony of their choice.
More information is available at sjsu.edu/education/graduation and sjsu.edu/commencement.
Hi Lurie College students.
On behalf of our college faculty and staff, I want to extend a big THANK YOU for all that you have done to make the first weeks of the semester a success. Thank you for your flexibility and perseverance as we’ve navigated a return to campus. Thank you for taking steps to keep everyone safe and healthy by wearing masks and getting vaccinated. Thank you for your generosity and compassion as we all adapt to the realities to this semester’s sort of in person, sort of online learning experience. You’ve been wonderful and I continue to be grateful to be part of a college with students who are committed to making a difference and caring for our larger community. Thank you!
As you continue to navigate through the semester, our faculty, staff, and advisors are here to support your success. Our college offices can be accessed both in person and virtually. Please see department websites for information about on-site office hours, phone and email contacts, and instructions on how to make an appointment for in person or virtual advising.
If you get stuck and aren’t sure who to contact, you can always call or email the Lurie College Success Center or stop by the Dean’s Office in Sweeney Hall 103. We are here Monday through Friday 8am-5pm.
On Tuesday, Pres. Papazian announced that we will have in person graduation ceremonies at the event center this fall. I’m delighted that we will be able to celebrate our newest graduates – as well as our graduates from 2020 and spring 2021 – in person. We are also hoping to begin to have more in person events and extracurricular activities as the semester progresses. Please keep an eye out for announcements in future newsletters. If you have ideas for community building events that you’d like to help organize, please check in with your advisors, student clubs, the success center, or contact the dean’s office.
Thank you again for all that you contribute to our college. We so appreciate you!
Congratulations to Multiple Subject Credential Program Supervisor and Lecturer Asha Sudra Finkel, who has been selected as September’s honorary poet laureate for Santa Clara County! Asha has been recognized by the Santa Clara County Alliance of Black Educators, KQED, TEDx, Content Magazine, SVPride, and GenCreates that she consistently uses her platform to voice out against injustice. She published Crawling in my Skin, a Kafkaesque exploration of the mind and mental health through the metaphor of ants, which was featured by Brown Girl Mag. Her latest book, Not Your Masi’s Generation is a memoir-like workbook that tackles mental health and healing from intergenerational trauma. Her dream is to establish her own K-12 school rooted in restorative practices, art, and social justice based standards.
Learn more about the Santa Clara County Poet Laureate program at svcreates.org/poet-laureate-program/
Congratulations to Teacher Education faculty Allison Briceño and Eduardo Muñoz-Muñoz, who co-published “It Is Not If, But When: Organizational and Leadership Recommendations for The Upcoming Demand for Expanded Dl Programs and Their Articulation” in the Journal for Leadership, Equity, and Research!
Congratulations to Special Education faculty Saili Kulkarni, who co-published “A QuantCrit Analysis of Context, Discipline, Special Education, and Disproportionality” in AERA Open. Read the article abstract below and read the full article at bit.ly/3jGCzf2.
Using a dis/ability critical race theory (DisCrit) and critical quantitative (QuantCrit) lens, we examine disproportionate application of exclusionary discipline on multiply marginalized youth, foregrounding systemic injustice and institutionalized racism. In doing so, we examined temporal-, student-, and school-level factors that may result in exclusion and othering (i.e., placing into special education and punishing with out-of-school suspensions) within one school district. We frame this study in DisCrit and QuantCrit frameworks to connect data-based decision making to sociocultural understandings of the ways in which schools use both special education and discipline to simultaneously provide and limit opportunities for different student groups. Results showed a complex interconnectedness between student sociodemographic labels (e.g., gender, race, and socioeconomic status) and factors associated with both special education identification and exclusionary discipline. Our findings suggest that quantitative studies lacking in-depth theoretical justification may perpetuate deficit understandings of the racialization of disability and intersections with exclusionary discipline.
In collaboration with Dr. Insoo Oh at Ewha Womans University in South Korea, Counselor Education faculty Dr. Kyoung Mi Choi facilitated a week-long international virtual exchange program from August 8 to August 12, 2021. It was a wonderful opportunity for seven Counselor Education graduate students, Victor Calvillo Chavez, Yesenia Torres, Jasmine Torres, Laura Sheldon, Jilian Gomez, Ligia Briseno, Elvia Hernandez, at San José State University to co-facilitate a small group discussion and to engage in cross-cultural conversation with 13 Korean college students at Ewha Womans University about a range of topics, including diversity in college life, learning styles and academic success, career exploration and decision-making process, friendship and romantic relationships, and self-care and mental health in COVID-19. Dr. Samuel Y. Kim (assistant professor at the University of Denver) and Julia Kim (graduate student in Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education), also joined as guest speakers and shared their cross-cultural expertise and experiences.
Congratulations to Teacher Education faculty Tammie Visintainer, who is now a Co-Principal Investigator (PI) for a newly-received $600,000 National Science Foundation (NSF) Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) in Engineering and Computer Science award for the project “Multidisciplinary Teacher Research Experience in Engineering (M-TREE)”.
The SJSU Lurie College of Education is committed to taking action to advance racial justice and educational equity. As deans, we are in solidarity with our faculty, students, staff, alumni, and community partners whose work confronts structural racism, inequity, and oppression in our educational systems and society at large. At a time when there is tremendous pressure and scrutiny on educators, we want to make clear our responsibility and commitment to support our colleagues and community to speak truth, advance our collective understanding through research and teaching, and advocate for justice.
Education Deans and Leaders from campuses across the California State University system are similarly allied with educators who advance culturally sustaining, equity driven, and justice focused pedagogies and have issued a statement to voice their support. Learn more about our Lurie College Racial Justice Priorities and Strategic Plan Initiatives at sjsu.edu/education/community/strategic-plan.
Join Dean Heather Lattimer and Associate Dean Marcos Pizarro on Wednesday, September 1, from 3-4pm on Zoom for an informal discussion about your student priorities! The information to join the Zoom discussion was sent to Lurie College students via a Google Calendar email invitaiton.
Congratulations to Department of Educational Leadership faculty Arnold Danzig, who recently co-published School Leader Internship: Developing, Monitoring, and Evaluating Your Leadership Experience! The book is available for 20% off at routledge.com/9780367652036 with the discount code FLY21.
Congratulations to some of our Communicative Disorders and Sciences faculty on their recent publications! View more CD&S faculty highlights on the new sjsu.edu/cds website.
Dr. Peitzu Tsai co-published “Voice-related Experiences of Nonbinary Individuals” in the Journal of Voice with recent alumni Grace Shefcik, who also received the SJSU Outstanding Thesis Award for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Dr. Megan Cuellar co-published “Objective measures of lingual and jaw function in healthy adults and persons with Parkinson’s disease: Implications for swallowing” in Physiology and Behavior and co-published “Objective physiological measures of lingual and jaw function in healthy individuals and individuals with dysphagia due to neurodegenerative diseases” in MethodsX.
Dr. Lyle Lustigman published “Early collaborations: Adult-Child and child-adult co-construction of ‘but’-clauses” in Interactional Linguistics and copublished “Levels of Integration in Children’s Early Clause Combining in Hebrew” in Language Learning and Development.
SJSU undergraduate students are invited to attend upcoming info sessions for prospective graduate students, hosted by the College of Graduate Studies, on Tuesday, August 31, at 2pm. Learn more and RSVP at sjsu.edu/cgs/prospective-students/outreach-and-recruiting/future-student-info-sessions-general
