Recipients of the annual College of Education awards have been chosen. Please enjoy learning more about them and reading excerpts from their nomination and supporting letters. In-person recognition and presentation of awards will occur in August during the fall All-College Meeting. •
Read moreFive COE instructors set for retirement
Congratulations to these College of Education instructors who are retiring this spring! The group includes Kathy Brosier, Laurel Burman, Jan Hart, Jean Searls and Marc Sgro, instructor in the Director of Special Education program. Several shared memories and reflections on their time
Read moreMessage from the Chair
Spring greetings from the Department of Special and Early Education! It is hard to believe that commencement is just around the corner. As a magnificent thunderstorm brews outside my window, I am reminded that spring brings change – change for flora; change
Read moreBill Penrod, Ximena Burgin researching Safe Toddles Pediatric Belt Cane efficacy
When Hunter College instructor Grace Ambrose-Zaken needed someone to research the efficacy of a device she helped to invent for children with visual disabilities, she knew where to turn. “She only sent out grant proposals to people she had known for a
Read moreCongratulations!
Congratulations to these members of the NIU College of Education family! Stephanie DeSpain, assistant professor of Early Childhood Education in the Department of Special and Early Education, is among three winners of NIU’s Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching Awards for 2022. The Excellence
Read moreToni Van Laarhoven retires to new paths advocating for adults with special needs
Toni Van Laarhoven’s foremost “why” is named Steffanie. Van Laarhoven’s older sister, who is non-speaking and has severe intellectual disabilities, inspired more than the career of the Distinguished Teaching Professor in the NIU Department of Special and Early Education (SEED). Steffanie also
Read moreAlumna Aimee Zepeda visits COE to help recruitment for Educate U.S. in Houston
For the first time since January 2020, the NIU College of Education’s Educate U.S. program will this May transport select licensure candidates to the Houston Independent School District for a week of immersion in the life of a teacher. Aimee Zepeda knows
Read moreThree first-year faculty members share details on teaching, research interests
It’s still Year One for three NIU College of Education faculty members who joined the team in August. Read below to learn more about Quortne Hutchings, Farah Ishaq and Stephen Walker – in their own words. Quortne Hutchings Ph.D., Higher Education, Loyola
Read moreU-46 paraprofessionals ‘leap’ to begin journey to Special Education degrees
Thirty-five paraprofessionals from School District U-46 have begun their employer-paid pursuit of NIU bachelor’s degrees in Special Education. Part of the College of Education’s PLEDGE-Partnering to Lead and Empower District-Grown Educators initiative, the new Licensed Educator Accelerated Pathway (LEAP) program provides a
Read moreNIU celebrates fall commencement
Congratulations to our newest NIU College of Education alumni! Two of our amazing graduates were featured in videos shown during the ceremonies. Meet Alexander Kramer, who earned his B.S.Ed. in Elementary Education … … and Eduardo Perez, who completed his M.S.Ed. in
Read moreJohnson named Senior Faculty Fellow
Newly out of college with a bachelor’s degree in psychology, Jesse “Woody” Johnson could not find a job that matched his preparation. So he took what did come his way – “working with kids with very severe challenging behavior,” he says –
Read moreMessage from the Chair
Season’s Greetings to all our Special and Early Education alums and supporters! The 2021-2022 academic year has launched with many changes for SEED. Although a few of these changes are sad—for example, the retirements of Barb Amberg (undergraduate advisor), Valerie Sawyer (clinical
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