抖阴app

Preaching the power of eco-ministry

鈥淗umanity has to reorient itself toward nature, and many indigenous ceremonies occur in a natural setting,鈥� declares , director of Union Theological Seminary鈥檚 , at TC鈥檚 Spirituality Mind Body Institute Winter Intensive. Gore, daughter of former Vice President Al Gore, calls for an interfaith dialogue reaching beyond Christianity, Judaism and Islam: 鈥淵ou value what you鈥檙e taught to relate to. People had been taught to greet the sunrise at a river. In the Middle Ages, that鈥檚 called satanic. The relationship to nature is broken.鈥�

Education Leadership鈥檚 All-Star Advisory Board

抖阴app鈥檚 Education Leadership Program convenes an external advisory board that includes former TC Cahn Fellow Melessa Avery, Principal, P.S. 273, Brooklyn; alumni Martin Brooks, Executive Director, ; Christopher Clouet (Ed.D. 鈥�96), Superintendent of Schools in Shelton, Connecticut; Kristy DelaCruz (Ed.D. 鈥�17, M.Ed. 鈥�06), Deputy Superintendent, New York City Department of Education; John B. King, Jr. (Ed.D. 鈥�08), President and CEO of  and former U.S. Secretary of Education; and Amani Reed (M.A. 鈥�07), Head of The School at Columbia.  

A new VP for Finance & Administration

JoAnne Williams becomes TC鈥檚 new Vice President for Finance & Administration. Most recently Vice Dean for Administration at Rutgers University鈥檚 School of Arts & Sciences in New Brunswick, New Jersey, Williams previously worked in private industry handling issues related to product development and research, intellectual property rights, initial public offerings, computer-aided engineering design and business ventures worldwide. 鈥溾�樁兑鮝pp鈥� is a bit of a misnomer, because there is so much other wonderful stuff going on here,鈥� Williams says, adding that the common thread is 鈥渁 real desire to do intentional things to improve the world.鈥� 

Mourning Pearl Rock Kane

In February , TC lost one of its most beloved figures 鈥� pearl Rock Kane, former Director of TC's Klingenstein Center for Independent School Leadership. Kane, who served in that role for 37 years and received TC's President's Medal of Excellence in 2018, was hailed by President Thomas Bailey for "her humanity, decency, vision and love."

A Chemistry Nobel Laureate Credits His Success to Failure

Columbia University Nobel Laureate  delivers the inaugural Yu Panglin Lecture of TC鈥檚 Education for Persistence and Innovation Center (). Founded by Xiaodong-Lin Siegler, Professor of Cognitive Studies, EPIC studies failure as a catalyst for innovation and success. Chalfie, who produced a biological marker for gene expression that revolutionized biological, medical and pharmaceutical research, calls failure 鈥減art of the process of discovering nature and the world around us.鈥� Chalfie鈥檚 lecture follows a ceremony in which TC President Thomas Bailey and Dennis Pang, Chairman of the China-based Yu Panglin Charitable Trust, expanded the Trust鈥檚 partnership with EPIC. 

A Week of Thank-Yous to TC鈥檚 Faculty

TC鈥檚 first-ever Faculty Appreciation Week yields more than 140 online testimonials in which students and alumni thank professors for everything from setting high expectations to hand-holding during the dissertation process. 鈥淵ou once asked us, 鈥榃hat is your superpower?鈥欌�� writes one student to her faculty mentor. 鈥淭hank you for sharing your superpower, and challenging us to find the power within ourselves.鈥�

"Creating Pathways for All to Flourish": Academic Festival 2019

抖阴app screens the documentary  about Brooklyn high school students who served as college guidance counselors, at TC鈥檚 11^th Academic Festival, 鈥淐reating Pathways for All to Flourish.鈥� After the screening, the film鈥檚 director, Juliane Dressner, and two of the featured students, Enoch Jemmott and Christine Rodriguez, speak as part of a panel discussion. Academic Festival also includes a panel on newer Americans鈥� self-advocacy, student technology and research poster competitions, and TC鈥檚 first Minority Postdoctoral Fellow Lecture.

Also at Academic Festival:

Thomas James, concluding 12 years as the College鈥檚 Provost, Dean and Vice President for Academic Affairs, receives a special proclamation of gratitude from the 抖阴app Alumni Council. James, who remains at TC as Professor of History & Education and co-director (with Ansley Erickson) of the Center on History and Education, is cited for his 鈥渢imeless and invaluable contributions to the intellectual and community life of 抖阴app.鈥�

TC presents Distinguished Alumni Awards to Bruce Ballard (Ed.D. 鈥�94), teacher and World Parkinson Congress blogger; Fanshen Cox (M.A. 鈥�97), whose one-woman show, One Drop of Love, explores her family鈥檚 search for identity and justice; and Denny Taylor (Ed.D. 鈥�81), creator of the field of family literacy. Early Career Awards go to Tony Alleyne (M.A. 鈥�10), founding director of Delaware College Scholars, which supports promising underserved students; Kim Baranowski (Ph.D. 鈥�14), Associate Director of the Mount Sinai Human Rights Program, which conducts forensic psychological evaluations for U.S. asylum seekers; and Hakim Mohandas Amani Williams (Ed.D. 鈥�12), Gettysburg College鈥檚 Director of Peace & Justice Studies and shaper of a new critical peace education.  (Ed.D. 鈥�18), a Barnard lecturer, receives TC鈥檚 Shirley Chisholm Dissertation Award. Joohee Son (Ed.D. 鈥�13), TC Korean Alumni Association President, receives the College鈥檚 inaugural Alumni Award for Outstanding Service. And prison abolitionist  and TC doctoral candidate Ahram Park (M.Ed. 鈥�19) are honored by TC鈥檚 Morton Deutsch International Center for Cooperation and Conflict Resolution.

Promoting Survival of the Fittest 鈥� and of the Not-so

The College formally opens its new EXerT Clinic & Applied Physiology Lab in 528 West 121st St.. Directed by Carol Ewing Garber, Professor of Movement Sciences, EXerT boasts stethoscopes, blood pressure sleeves, digital scales, treadmills and an advanced Body Composition Analyzer (mBCA), which measures Body Mass Index via electrical impulses transmitted through the feet. A venue for cutting-edge research that has evaluated Olympic-caliber men鈥檚 and women鈥檚 rowing teams, EXerT also welcomes the TC community each week for health screenings and counseling.

Beyond the Basics: Sex Ed that Explores Parenting Choices

Thanks to additional funding from donor Mary Edlow (M.A. 鈥�67), the 抖阴app Sex Education Initiative refines its curriculum and trains its second cohort of sex educators in New York City schools. The initiative, headed by clinical psychology faculty member Aur茅lie Athan (Ph.D. 鈥�11), takes sex education beyond teaching biology and safe practices to addressing subtle psychological factors such as how different families and cultures influence the issue of becoming a parent.

Convocation 2019

President Thomas Bailey tells TC鈥檚 2019 graduates that 鈥測ou 鈥� more than any other group of professionals 鈥� will guide the next generation onto the path toward mutual understanding and mutual respect.鈥�

At the first master鈥檚 degree ceremony,  (Ph.D. 鈥�80, M.Phil. 鈥�79, M.A. 鈥�78), Distinguished Professor at the CUNY Graduate Center, urges graduates of the Departments of Arts & Humanities, Curriculum & Teaching, and Mathematics, Science & Technology to 鈥渟peak, act, disrupt, challenge, critique and help curate and birth images of what could be, to plant a seed of radical possibility.鈥�  

Alexander I. Wojcik, receiving his M.Ed. in Philosophy & Education, offers a vision of educators as facilitators rather than miracle workers: 鈥淥ur purpose is to ensure that our students are the super heroes.鈥�  

At the second master鈥檚 degree ceremony, , President of the  and Professor of Counseling Psychology at the University of Memphis, challenges graduates of the Departments of Biobehavioral Sciences, Counseling & Clinical Psychology, Education Policy & Social Analysis and Health & Behavior Studies to 鈥渁sk yourself if what you鈥檙e doing will make a difference to the poor people in the world.鈥� Alluding to TC鈥檚 founder, Davis, the daughter of sharecroppers, asserts that 鈥渢he world does really need a lot of you to be rich 鈥� we need a few more Grace Dodges who use their money for good.鈥�  

Damonta D. Morgan, receiving his master鈥檚 degree in Education Policy, declares that 鈥渘ow it鈥檚 time to act. Now, because there are children and families in cages whose only mistake was to be born at the wrong intersection of longitude and latitude.鈥�

At the third master鈥檚 degree ceremony, , Co-Founding Director of , which advocates for LatinX young people in higher education and the job market, urges graduates of the Departments of Human Development, Organization & Leadership and International & Transcultural Studies to 鈥渕ake it count,鈥� adding that 鈥渨hat each of you does right now matters. It always has. But right now, it feels like it matters more.鈥�

Jacquada A. Gray II (M.A., Higher & Postsecondary Education), a first-generation graduate, declares that 鈥渨e are our ancestors鈥� wildest dreams. Many of us were told that we were not good enough, smart enough, or even composed enough to be successful in such a space. But all past obstacles and naysayers make this moment that much more meaningful.鈥�

And , who in 2007 became the first U.S. teacher in space, tells doctoral graduates that 鈥渢he sky will be no limit鈥� for all the communities who will be touched by their work. In the wake of the 1986 Challenger space shuttle disaster, she recalls, NASA identified what went wrong, including its own mistakes. 鈥淭hen, we fixed it. We made it better and we kept the future open. Doctoral candidates, that鈥檚 what you are all going to be doing 鈥� keeping the future open.鈥�

Celebrating 30 Years of Jaffe Peace Corps Fellows

At a celebration of 30 years of support by TC Trustee Emeritus Elliot Jaffe and his wife, Roslyn, for the College鈥檚 Peace Corps Fellows Program 鈥� a master鈥檚 degree program that prepares Returned Peace Corps Volunteers to teach in under-resourced New York City public schools 鈥� national Peace Corps Director Jody Olsen presents a ceremonial bell, which now hangs in Zankel lobby. The Jaffes have generously supported more than 750 Jaffe Peace Corps Fellows, and their total giving to TC stands at $5.4 million. Their daughter-in-law, Helen Jaffe, who joined TC鈥檚 Board in 2017, has also become involved in the Peace Corps Fellows.

A New Academic Leader

Stephanie J. Rowley, a prominent educational psychologist and multidisciplinary research administrator, becomes the College鈥檚 Provost, Dean and Vice President for Academic Affairs. TC President Thomas Bailey calls Rowley, who most recently served as Associate Vice President for Research at the University of Michigan (U-M), 鈥渁 consummate institution builder with a record of success in uniting great minds to develop innovative approaches and solutions to society鈥檚 pressing challenges.鈥� Rowley says she was drawn to TC by 鈥渢he possibilities for combining multidisciplinary strengths,鈥� and because 鈥淭C has so many visible and highly engaged scholars.鈥�  

Tracing the Roots of Inequity

American public education is failing black and brown children because 鈥渄isparity is baked into our society,鈥� declares the pedagogical theorist and teacher educator  in delivering TC鈥檚 annual Edmund W. Gordon Lecture. Furthermore, northern states have been as complicit as their southern counterparts in maintaining racial inequity, argues Ladson-Billings, Professor Emerita and former Kellner Family Distinguished Professor in Urban Education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. 鈥淎lthough there were no laws on the books mandating separate schools, Northern states took advantage of restrictive covenants and proliferation of community-destroying interstates to create geographic barriers between whites and blacks.鈥�

A Portrait of a TC Icon

TC honors Edmund W. Gordon, the College鈥檚 98-year-old Richard March Hoe Professor Emeritus of Psychology and Education and founder of its Institute for Urban & Minority Education (), with a formal unveiling of his portrait. Gordon鈥檚 career stretches from his contributions to the first Elementary and Secondary Education Act in the 1960s to his continuing efforts today to promote educational testing that actually aids learning. President Thomas Bailey calls the portrait, by Columbia University photographer Bruce Gilbert, 鈥渁 formal, permanent affirmation鈥� that Gordon鈥檚 鈥渂eliefs, ideas, methods and monumental accomplishments . . . are fundamental鈥� to TC鈥檚 鈥渉ighest ideals of what it aspires to be.鈥� 

Belated Honors for a Pioneering Black Educator

Vicksburg, Mississippi, celebrates the late  (Ph.D. 鈥�29), whose graduation from 抖阴app made her the first black woman in the United States to receive a doctorate in Education. McAllister subsequently wrote widely on teacher education, taught and mentored generations of students, and launched innovative programs at several southern colleges and universities. At the unveiling of a Mississippi state Historical Marker in front of her former home, Vicksburg Mayor George Flaggs reads aloud a proclamation signed by TC President Thomas Bailey that declares McAllister 鈥渁 抖阴app hero who embodied the College鈥檚 values, beliefs and aspirations.鈥�

In July, TC's Edward D. Mysak Clinic for Communication Disorders hosted the Justine Joan Sheppard Memorial Conference, devoted to dysphagia in pediatric  patients  and adults with intellectual disabilities.  Afterward, a memorial was held for Sheppard, a longtime TC faculty member who was a pioneer in the study and treatment of swallowing disorders.

The Doctor Is Still In

In June, TC screened the new Hulu documentary about the life of alumna Dr. Ruth Westheimer (Ed.D. '70), in which she recalls her escape from Nazi Germany as a child and revisits the children's home in Switzerland where she spent her teen years. Afterward, the pioneering sex therapist, who at 91 continues to enjoy a huge following, spoke on stage with her TC mentor and longtime friend, Hope Leichter, Elbenwood Professor of Education, and answered questions from the audience. Westheimer said that her father taught her that "nobody can take education from you" 鈥� and that, she said "is what 抖阴app is all about."

Talking in Class

On Constitution Day, University of Pennsylvania political scientist  explores factors that are endangering the status of freedom of speech in American classrooms. Ben-Porath, author of Free Speech on Campus, cites the growing diversity of society and group norms; the emergence of 鈥渓andslide districts鈥� with little ideological diversity; and movement by the major parties鈥� cores toward the outer extremes. Her takeaway: 鈥淲e have to operate within the law鈥檚 boundaries, but our institutional norms are actually more limited than the law. We need to expand that understanding.鈥�

A Topic that Pushes Buttons

Is artificial intelligence (AI) education鈥檚 next 鈥渒iller app鈥� or simply overhyped? Will it close the achievement gap or deepen inequities? And what if, as Columbia University roboticist  predicts, AI develops free will and emotions? At a TC conference co-supported by the Qatar Foundation鈥檚 World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE), Lipson extolls a field that is enabling self-driving cars. Paulo Blikstein, TC Associate Professor of Communication, Media & Learning Technologies Design, decries 鈥渢he mythology that Silicon Valley has created about technology being intrinsically benign.鈥� And Sandra Okita, Associate Professor of Technology & Education, reflects that 鈥渢ools are just objects, unless used purposefully. The key is what relationship you develop with them.鈥� 

Translating Comparative Education

Gathering at TC for a 鈥淪outh-North Dialogue,鈥� experts on Latin American education policy challenge the prevailing analytical frameworks employed by comparative education scholars 鈥� including 鈥淭he World鈥檚 Best Performing Education Systems,鈥� an annual ranking that regularly excludes major regions of the world. Organizer Regina Cortina, Professor of Education, calls for policy makers and education leaders to question 鈥渢he initial knowledge system upon which educational systems were built.鈥� 

Allies in Learning

抖阴app and the U.S. Military Academy at West Point celebrate the 15^th anniversary of the Eisenhower Leader Development Program (ELDP), through which nearly 300 of West Point鈥檚 Tactical Officers, who supervise cadets and integrate their education and training, have earned TC master鈥檚 degrees. The Benavidez Leader Development Program, a sister program launched in 2015, equips non-commissioned TAC officers with the key theories taught in ELDP. 鈥淲est Point and TC share a mission to maximize learning,鈥� asserts President Thomas Bailey, 鈥渂oth of individuals and organizations, in the pursuit of a better world.鈥�

Recalling the Unspeakable to Prevent Its Recurrence

Amra Sabic-El-Rayess, Associate Professor of Practice in the Department of Education Policy & Social Analysis, delivers TC鈥檚 inaugural Charo Uceda Women鈥檚 Empowerment Lecture. In recalling her experiences as a Bosnian Muslim who fled the former Yugoslavia as a teenager, Sabic-El-Rayess says she not only honors friends, classmates and relatives who were raped, killed and tortured, but seeks to illuminate the current plight of others worldwide: 鈥淚 hope that you will no longer see 鈥楳exican migrants鈥� or 鈥楳uslim refugees,鈥� but human beings with courage and resilience.鈥� The Uceda Women鈥檚 Empowerment Lecture series is endowed by TC alumna Charo Uceda (M.A. 鈥�08).

Sounding a Call of 鈥淓xcellence for All鈥�

鈥淭alent, entrepreneurship and the desire and drive to do great things are givens in our community,鈥� declares President Thomas Bailey in his first State of the College Address, and 鈥渋ndividual innovation and creativity are in the DNA of 抖阴app.鈥� But to an excessive degree, 鈥渙ur excellence relies on the initiative of individual faculty, staff and students鈥� 鈥� a barrier that must be overcome 鈥渋f we want to reach the potential of our ability to contribute significantly to building a better world.鈥�

To that end, Bailey announces plans to:

• Consolidate departments and regroup programs in order to enhance collaboration and reduce administrative burdens on faculty.
• Bolster outside funding for faculty research.
• Create 鈥渃learer and better-supported career pathways for students.鈥�
• Enhance professional development for TC staff.
• Transform the College鈥檚 Gottesman Libraries into a 鈥渄ynamic center for digital pedagogy and research.鈥�
• Enhance diversity and the working climate at TC 鈥� an initiative that includes the establishment of a 抖阴app Diversity Scholarship to attract and support low-income and historically underrepresented students.

Teaching to Children鈥檚 Spiritual Core

At the TC-hosted conference 鈥淭he Next Wave in K鈥�12 Education: The Spiritual Core of the Whole Child,鈥� heads of independent schools gather to address what Lisa Miller, Professor of Psychology & Education and founding president of the 抖阴app-based , calls 鈥渁 culture where often enormous amounts of money, empty fame and cynicism have become toxic dominant values鈥� and 鈥渙ur children need us to support their quest for a spiritually grounded life.鈥� The speakers include philanthropist and academic Stephen C. Rockefeller, who coordinated the drafting of the Earth Charter for the Earth Charter Commission and Earth Council; Timothy Shriver, co-founder and Chair of the Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL) and Chair of the International Board of Directors of Special Olympics; and John (Jack) Miller, University of Toronto education professor and co-editor of the International Handbook of Holistic Education.

Still Fighting to Make 鈥淎ssessment鈥� Synonymous with 鈥淟earning鈥�

TC psychology professor emeritus Edmund W. Gordon, 98, chairs a major conference on shifting the function of assessment from measurement and ranking to improving teaching and learning. The speakers include contributors to Gordon鈥檚 newest book, Human Variance and Assessment for Learning. The event is co-sponsored by the National Science Foundation, the National Urban League, 抖阴app鈥檚 Institute for Urban and Minority Education (), which Gordon founded in 1973, and the , a cultural, educational and research foundation founded by Gordon and his late wife, the physician Susan Gordon. 

How Hate is Backfiring in the Heartlands

In a talk at 抖阴app, , author of , argues that racial animus explains the overwhelming support of whites in heartland states for legislation that has contributed to the increase in suicides involving guns; burgeoning obesity, diabetes and heart disease; and plummeting student test scores 鈥� trends that have particularly hurt whites themselves. Metzl, the Frederick B. Rentschler II Professor of Sociology & Psychiatry and Director of the Center for Medicine, Health & Society at Vanderbilt University, believes that 鈥渢here are a lot of white people who don鈥檛 ascribe鈥� to racist views but lack the language to articulate their feelings or a better way.

Accelerating Efforts to Get Community College Students Up to Speed

The  (co-led by TC鈥檚 ) hosts Reimagining Developmental Education 鈥� a summit on the state of efforts to integrate underprepared students into college-level courses and see them successfully through their studies. Keynote speaker Thomas Bailey, TC鈥檚 President, traces the evolution of developmental education 鈥� including growing awareness that its tools have often been counter-productive 鈥� and frames a need for coordinated approaches to change. He urges supplementing current improvements with financial incentives, extra academic assistance and structured advising on courses and careers.

The African Diaspora on the Silver Screen

The 27^th annual African Diaspora International Film Festival (), featuring 59 films from around the world, opens in New York City, with 抖阴app again hosting many screenings. This year鈥檚 offerings include Ali鈥檚 Comeback: The Untold Story, about boxing鈥檚 blacklist against the late champion; Marighella, about the Afro-Brazilian poet and politician Carlos Marighella; and Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool, a documentary about the great horn player and bandleader. ADIFF is co-sponsored by TC鈥檚 Office of the Vice President for Diversity & Community Affairs.

The Civic Education Lawsuit: Round One in Rhode Island

Attorneys for the state of Rhode Island concede in Federal Court that, under some 鈥渆xtreme鈥� circumstances, the federal constitution may provide students a right to education. The concession comes under questioning from the federal judge overseeing an important education rights lawsuit filed in November 2018 on behalf of students and their parents by Michael Rebell, Professor of Law & Educational Practice and Executive Director of TC鈥檚 . The suit asserts that American students have a right under the U.S. Constitution to an education that prepares them to be capable citizens. Rebell says that ultimately the matter may be appealed to the Supreme Court.

A Scholarship for Displaced Students

Columbia University announces a  that will annually provide tuition, housing and living assistance for up to 30 students 鈥� including one at 抖阴app 鈥� who are pursuing undergraduate or graduate degrees across all 18 Columbia schools and affiliate institutions. At TC, the scholarship will be offered to a student pursuing a Master of Arts degree in the International & Comparative Education program. This University-wide scholarship is unprecedented in Columbia鈥檚 history and is the first such initiative in the world.

A Public Health Agenda to Address Slavery鈥檚 Legacy

At an 鈥渁cknowledgement event鈥� of 1619 鈥� the year Africans were first kidnapped and brought to the new world as slaves 鈥� and its 400-year aftermath, organizer Barbara Wallace, Professor of Health Education and Director of TC鈥檚 Center for Health Equity & Urban Science Education, speaks on 鈥淭he U.S. Culture of Violence and Racial Cultural Skill Acquisition for Coping with the Stress of Racism.鈥� Everyone, Wallace argues, from youth to police officers, needs training in 鈥渃ultural humility,鈥� or how to act with feelings of respect and empathy toward others from all backgrounds. Those enduring racism must also find a way to let go of feelings of anger, helplessness and paranoia, 鈥渂ecause we enter into chronic states of psychological and physical arousal, and that affects our health.鈥�

Randi Weingarten Speaks 鈥淚n Defense of Education鈥�

, President of the 1.7 million-member American Federation of Teachers (AFL-CIO), headlines 鈥渁n evening of provocative conversation鈥� hosted by TC鈥檚 Center for the Professional Education of Teachers (). Interviewed onstage in Cowin Auditorium by Zak Ringelstein, a TC doctoral student in Politics & Education who was the Democratic nominee for Senate in Maine in 2018, Weingarten accuses President Donald Trump and his education secretary, Betsy DeVos, of not caring about public education. Weingarten argues that local communities are realizing that 鈥渢eachers want what students need鈥� and says that while teacher strikes have been effective, 鈥渋f we don鈥檛 win elections, we go back to fighting just to stand still 鈥� and I鈥檓 really tired of standing still.鈥� 

Celebrating Harold Noah

TC celebrates the life and work of Harold Noah (Ph.D. 鈥�64), the late Professor Emeritus of Comparative Education and Economics & Education, and former TC dean. Speakers at the gathering organized by Gita Steiner-Khamsi, Professor of Education, include TC President Thomas Bailey; former President Susan Fuhrman; education historian Diane Ravitch (Ph.D. 鈥�75); Professor Emeritus Robbie McClintock; and W. Warner Burke, E.L. Thorndike Professor of Psychology & Education; as well Noah鈥檚 two sons, David and Adam. Noah is credited with shifting the field of comparative education toward quantitative methodologies drawn from political science, economics and sociology.