June 2019 Newsletter
Congratulations to the Class of 2019
On Wednesday, June 12, the School
of Education celebrated the accomplishments of our newest
teaching credential, MA, PhD and EdD alumni at our annual
graduation celebration. “Yesterday you were our students,” said
Dean Lauren Lindstrom in her address to the graduating class.
“Today you are our colleagues. I am so pleased to be the first to
welcome you to the community of educators working to make the
world a better place.”
Eloy Ortiz Oakley, Chancellor of the California Community Colleges, delivered the keynote address. Pedro Leon Martinez (Cred. ‘18, MA ‘19) was our student speaker this year—and received a standing ovation at the conclusion of his remarks.
Prof. Nicole Sparapani received the Education Graduate Student Association Faculty Service Award, announced annually at the graduation ceremony to recognize an outstanding faculty member for their service to the students of the School of Education. Sparapani was selected because she gives her time generously to her students, is passionate about supporting them to reach their full potential, and encourages them to persevere through challenges.
Check out highlights from the ceremony at the Mondavi Center in the photo album on our website or visit the UC Davis livestream channel to watch a video of the celebration.
PhD Candidate Vanessa Segundo Awarded Ford Dissertation Fellowship
PhD candidate Vanessa Segundo has
been awarded a Ford Foundation Dissertation Fellowship for the
upcoming academic year. One of 38 recipients nationwide, Segundo
is only the fourth student in UC Davis history and the first
student from the School of Education to be honored with this
fellowship. Prof. Danny
Martinez and Prof. Cati de los
Ríos are also former Ford Foundation Fellows.
Through its Fellowship Programs, the Ford Foundation seeks to increase the diversity of the nation’s college and university faculties, maximize the educational benefits of diversity, and increase the number of professors who value diversity as a resource for enriching the education of all students. “I am grateful for this fellowship,” said Segundo. “It reinforces my commitment to produce research that contributes to both the academy and to the communities I center in my work.” Learn more about Segundo and her research.
Resident Teachers Honored with School of Education Awards
School of Education teaching
credential candidates split their days between taking classes on
campus and receiving hands-on teaching experience in K-12 public
school classrooms under the invaluable mentorship of resident
teachers. This year the School presented the Resident Teacher
Mentorship Award to two teachers: Miranda Will and Socorro
Lizarraga (shown with her student teacher Gustavo Nava). We are
grateful for their dedication to mentoring, which benefits not
only our teaching credential candidates, but the hundreds of
students they will teach over the course of their careers. Learn
more about the student teaching experience in this
video.
Alumna Judy B. Davis Establishes
New Teaching Credential Scholarship
Judy B. Davis (‘71, Cred. ‘72) has generously pledged a gift of $25,000 over five years to create the new Judy B. Davis Scholarship at the School of Education. Davis, a beloved retired educator who served as Principal of North Davis Elementary School from 1993-2008, established this fund to support multiple subject teaching credential candidates at the School, with a preference for helping former foster youth. This scholarship will help future elementary school educators achieve their dreams to become teachers and change the futures of many students to come. For more information about how you can support student scholarships at the School of Education, visit our donation page or contact Quentin Graeber at qgraeber@ucdavis.edu.
Faculty News
Prof. Heidi Ballard has been promoted to full Professor in the School of Education. Ballard is a UC Davis Chancellor’s Fellow and a scholar in the area of environmental education, focused uniquely on public participation in scientific research. Her interdisciplinary scholarship has received national and international recognition, and she has made outstanding contributions to our School as the Founder and Faculty Director of the Center for Community and Citizen Science.
Prof.
Nancy Erbstein, who joined the School of Education faculty in
Spring 2019 as an
Associate Professor in Residence, has been named the new
Associate Vice Provost of Global Education for All in Global
Affairs. Over the past two years, Erbstein has launched and
directed the campus-wide Global Education for
All initiative. With a Global Learning Hub set to open
this fall, she will continue to lead this initiative that strives
to provide 100 percent of UC Davis students—undergraduate,
graduate and professional—with meaningful international or
intercultural learning experiences before graduation.
Prof. Cati de los Ríos has
been honored with the 2019 Janet Emig Award from the National
Council of Teachers of English (NCTE). The Emig Award is given
annually to an exemplary article published in NCTE’s journal
English Education. de los Ríos and her co-author Dr. Kate Seltzer
are being recognized for their article, “Translating
Theory to Practice: Exploring Teachers’ Raciolinguistic
Literacies in Secondary English Classrooms,” published
in English Education in October 2018. It’s a testament
to the groundbreaking research being done within the School of
Education that Prof. Danny
Martinez also received this national award last
year.
Prof. Michal
Kurlaender and Prof. Elizabeth Montaño
have been chosen to attend the UC Davis Faculty Leadership
Academy next year. The Faculty Leadership Academy is a
selective workshop series where a cohort of approximately 20
future campus leaders come together to explore what it takes to
lead a diverse, inclusive academic unit. We’re excited to see our
School faculty involved in this exciting group!
Alumni and Community News
CANDEL alumnus Dr. Artemio “Art”
Pimentel (EdD ‘18) has been appointed the
new President of Woodland Community College. He will assume
the office on July 1. “A community college should be the center
of a community, an institution that supports lifelong learning,
civic engagement and a place where students can grow and thrive,”
he said to The Daily Democrat. “I look forward to working
with the college campus and community to build upon the energy
and commitment to continue this vision.” Congratulations, Dr.
Pimentel!
Congratulations to
alumnus George
Sellu (MA ’05, PhD ’14) on being named a 2019
USDA E. Kika De La Garza Education Fellow! Sellu, a faculty
member at Santa Rosa Junior College, is one of 18 faculty
and staff from Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) across the
nation who will participate in this summer fellowship program. He
will attend a two-week program in Washington, D.C. in June to
meet with representatives from the USDA and other federal
agencies, including the Department of Education, NASA and the
National Science Foundation.
Friends of the School of Education
John and Lois Crowe have received the Chancellor’s
Lifetime Achievement Award for Innovation, which recognizes
researchers whose career accomplishments include innovations that
have led to a long-term positive impact on the lives of others
and who are an inspiring influence for other innovators. Their
research findings have led to widespread innovations in
pharmaceuticals, medicine and agriculture and have been the
basis for numerous products as well as companies geared towards
saving and improving lives.