Families in the 15,000-student Thompson School District of Loveland, Colorado, were offered an intriguing and innovative option this fall as the COVID-19 pandemic barreled into another semester. Called Thompson Connect Online (TCO), it’s a completely virtual “school” created solely to enroll the
Read moreWilkins, Quinzio-Zafran co-edit guide offering advice, support to new teachers
Elizabeth A. Wilkins, coordinator, Graduate Career and Professional Development for the NIU Graduate School and professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction, and Anna M. Quinzio-Zafran, an adjunct instructor in the department and 2015 alumna of the Ed.D. in Curriculum Leadership
Read moreCongratulations!
Congratulations to these members of the NIU College of Education family! Dean Laurie Elish-Piper, Professor Emeritus Jerry Johns and NIU College of Education alumna Susan Lenski are recipients of the 2020 Diane Lapp & James Flood Professional Collaborator Award from the International
Read moreNoted golf-swing guru Jim Suttie named Fall 2020 ‘virtual’ Educator in Residence
Jim Suttie was only 4 when he first encountered what has defined the rest of his life and his still-growing list of internationally celebrated accomplishments. “My dad was a physician – a pediatrician – in DeKalb. He played golf, and he got
Read moreAlumni Accomplishments
Congratulations to these alumni who are making a positive impact on the leadership and administration of education at all levels! Andrew Allen, M.S.Ed. Educational Administration, ’04, M.S.Ed. Instructional Technology, ’00, was named executive director of Information Systems in the East Aurora School
Read moreMessage from the Chair
The ancient Greek philosopher, Plato, is credited with the proverb, “Necessity is the mother of invention.” In 2020, I cannot think of truer words. As the COVID-19 pandemic has reshaped higher education, in KNPE we have learned new ways of mentoring students,
Read moreClinical experiences shift for COVID-19, remain meaningful via creative faculty
As a parent who is helping to manage the remote learning of his three young children, Jim Ressler sees firsthand how teachers in the Kaneland School District are shifting their instruction for COVID-19. Ressler, an associate professor of Physical Education Teacher Education,
Read more2020 HESA Alumni of the Year Award
In Spring 2020, HESA Program faculty and staff selected Dr. Brandi Hephner LaBanc, vice chancellor for Student Affairs and Campus Life at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, as the inaugural HESA Alumni of the Year Award winner. Dr. Hephner LaBanc is an
Read moreCelebrations
We are excited to celebrate accomplishments and life events of our HESA community. Alumni, current students, and faculty can submit information for the newsletter. Please submit any announcements and pictures for our next newsletter (Spring 2021) to HESA Program Coordinator Dr. Gudrun
Read moreScholarly Activities
Many members of our HESA community actively participate in professional development. Please find announcements about recent publications and upcoming conference presentations below. To submit a publication or conference presentation for the next newsletter, please e-mail Program Coordinator Dr. Gudrun Nyunt at gnyunt@niu.edu.
Read moreAlumni Spotlight
We would love to feature some of our alumni in alumni spotlights. If you’re interested in being featured in an upcoming edition of our newsletter or would like to recommend a colleague to be featured, please contact HESA Program Coordinator Dr. Gudrun
Read moreSport Management alum Jamaal Hines scores job leading after-school programs
Jamaal Hines grew up hooked on police procedurals on TV, imagining that he someday would solve crimes like the detectives on “CSI” and “NCIS” on behalf of innocent victims. Enrolling at Old Dominion University in his native Virginia, he earned a bachelor’s
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