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.