Faculty & Staff News
NSU’s Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice (FCE&SCJ) held a back-to-school drive to benefit the students at Dillard Elementary School.
FCE&SCJ worked in coordination with Ranger Good Works, a local nonprofit, to collect school supplies and food items for the elementary school’s pantry.
NSU’s Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice held its annual Summer Institute from July 12-14 and welcomed 350 domestic, Puerto Rican and international students to the Ft. Lauderdale Campus.
Summer Institute is an opportunity for doctoral students and faculty to engage in academic dialogue. The students are grouped into tracks based on where they are in the dissertation process. In addition to workshops with faculty, dissertation chairs, librarians, and writing consultants; the students attended boot camps, where they had dedicated time to work on their dissertation; interacted with alumni mentors; and engaged in networking opportunities during the signature scavenger hunt activity, meals, and at the receptions. The event concluded with a pin and stole ceremony on Sunday, July 14.
For more information about the Summer Institute, please visit: http://education.nova.edu/summer/.
Faculty Coordinators, graduate assistant coordinators, and professional consultants from NSU’s Write from the Start Writing and Communication Center (WCC) provided writing support for students attending the 2019 Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice (FCESCJ) Summer Institute, July 12-14, 2019. Faculty Coordinators Kelly Concannon and Janine Morris, from the Department of Writing and Communication (DWC) in the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences facilitated workshops for approximately 35 students each on writing literature reviews and time management and organizational tips to maximize writing.
On Saturday, July 13, Morris and WCC graduate assistant coordinators, Veronica Diaz and Noemi Nunez (graduate students in DWC’s Composition, Rhetoric, and Digital Media Master’s Program) hosted a writing bootcamp for Track 1 doctoral students. FCESCJ Summer Institute faculty were also present to support writers throughout the afternoon as they completed an assignment due the following day. The NSU Writing and Communication Center was used for the bootcamp and approximately thirty students spread out across the space to get their writing done.
Meanwhile, Concannon, Eric Mason (WCC faculty coordinator and DWC Assistant Professor), and Jose Macia (WCC Professional Consultant and DWC Adjunct Professor) held one-on-one consultations Saturday July 13 and Sunday July 14 with Institute students. “It was such a great opportunity to work with writers from across the university on different stages of their writing process from invention to locating outside research material pertinent to their work,” Concannon noted.
In total there were 350 students who attended the weekend-long Institute. NSU’s WCC offers writing and communication assistance to all NSU students.
Fischler Academy student, Eloise Nieto, is spending her summer developing a language acquisition program called Shark Speak. A true experiential learning internship, Shark Speak is a “learning by doing” program. Activities include preparing for job interviews, visiting state parks, and participating in service projects.
The goal of Shark Speak is to create a template that will allow Fischler Academy students to apply what they learn in TESOL (Teaching English as a Second Language) courses by helping people from the community learn a new language.
The inaugural Shark Speak includes ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) students from Miami Edison High School. In the picture provided, the team poses with the chef at the Life Net 4 Families Community Food Kitchen in Broward County where the team volunteered.
For more information on NSU’s Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice Fischler Academy, please visit: https://education.nova.edu/fischleracademy/index.html
On June 7th, Grace Telesco, Ph.D., Associate Professor, and the Sociodrama Club: Stage for Change, at NSU’s Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice provided the keynote presentation at the Children’s Services Council of Broward County Kinship Family Conference.
The sociodrama presentation of “Behind the Mask” focused on raising awareness of predator risk for children within the foster care community. The highly charged dramatic presentation by the Sociodrama Club and facilitated discussion by Telesco, was extremely well received by over 150 participants. Issues related to child suicide prevention, bullying, child predator awareness, and intervention strategies were addressed in an experiential style that held the audience captive.
Norlando Padilla (Club President), Michelle Rodriguez, David Troxell, and Joshua Enfinger were the sociodrama club members who participated. All are students within the criminal justice program.
Alvin Haywood, Ed.D.
Haywood was born in Vallejo, California, and attended public schools there from kindergarten through the community college level. Upon transferring to San Jose State University (CA), he later received undergraduate degrees in social work and psychology, a master’s degree in education, and both teaching and administrative credentials. After retirement from 34 years of elementary and middle school teaching and overcoming a bout with cancer, Haywood enrolled in FCE&SCJ’s doctorate program. He graduated in 2015.
His second book is currently in publication–Students Loving Math: What’s Reading Got to do With It?
This summer Haywood will travel to Barcelona, Spain, to participate in the annual international conference of the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management (APPAM). The theme of this year’s conference is: Public Policy in an Era of Rapid Change.
For more information on Cultivating Early Reading Development: Reaping the Benefits of School Success, please visit: https://www.amazon.com/author/dralvinhaywoodedd
On May 28, NSU’s Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal (FCE&SCJ) attended the 17th Annual Un Maestro Especial 2019 Awards Luncheon at the Miami Lakes Educational Center.
The luncheon honored 10 teachers from Miami-Dade and Broward County Public Schools who were nominated by students, parents or a fellow colleague. FCE&SCJ was proud to sponsor the event, and provided each of the 10 teachers with a $3,500 tuition voucher should they enroll in a graduate degree with the college. Additionally, the other two sponsors, Univision and Palmetto 57 Volkswagen and Nissan Car dealerships, awarded $1,000 cash to each teacher. Associate Dean, Jamie Manburg, Ed.D., and Executive Director, Jorge Blanco, Ed.D., represented FCE&SCJ at the event.
To view a video from the vent please visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqmoQg9vAl0
Otis Smallwood, Ed.D.
Otis Smallwood, Ed.D., graduate of NSU’s Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice, has been chosen as the new Superintendent for Bertie County Schools in Bertie County, North Carolina.
Smallwood has over twenty-five years of experience in education. Most recently, he has spent the past 11 years as Assistant Superintendent of Jones County Public Schools (North Carolina) in charge of Human Resources. Through his work with the Jones County State Employees Credit Union, Smallwood helped a family ravaged by Hurricane Florence in 2018 receive a new home through Habitat for Humanity; even being on hand to present the keys to the Hill family when they moved in earlier in the spring.
He will take over Bertie County Schools on July 22; his first priorities are school security and teacher retention.
Smallwood earned his doctorate of education with FCE&SCJ in 2015.
NSU’s Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice (FCE&SCJ) has been named Jewish Family Services (JFS) Community Partner of the Year!
Maribel Del Rio-Roberts,Psy.D., was in attendance at the JFS 57th Annual Meeting on May 15th to receive the award on behalf of FCE&SCJ for Community Partner of the Year. She has worked in collaboration with Jewish Family Services (JFS) this year to connect students in the MS in Developmental Disabilities program to employment opportunities within JFS’s newly established “BOOST” program. The BOOST program is aimed at improving vocational and functional life skills, socialization and community integration for adults with developmental disabilities. The program addresses a high need area in the community, while also providing an exciting real-world, paid employment opportunity for NSU students in the field of developmental disabilities. The partnership resulted in employment for 3 MS in Developmental Disabilities students Alyda Inoa, Danielle Figg, and Nikol Rodriguez, as Skills Coaches within the program. The program is currently running for 24 weeks as a pilot for six young adults (currently ranging in age from 23-31, all on the autism spectrum), and will run another 24-week cycle for another six young adults upon completion of the first cycle.
Sylvia Mader, Ed.D., a 1979 graduate of NSU’s Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice, has announced the publication of her novel, AWater Lily Blooms. The title of the book refers to a water lily pond on Martha’s Vineyard, where the novel is partially set. The main character, Andie, goes to college off-island with the stated desire to be a physician. Andie’s college years turn out to be very challenging. Will the release of her pent-up sexuality, the lure of New York high society, the possibility of a stage career, and severe tragedy prevent her from achieving her goal?
Mader is a former Biology professor and textbook author. Her first textbook called Inquiry into Life, now in its 16th edition, has a human emphasis while Biology in its 13th ed is more traditional. Human Biology and Essentials of Biology are suitable for one-semester courses.
She currently resides in Florida with her husband. She also has a close relationship with her three children and eight grandchildren. Her granddaughter, Sylvia Kansfield, is a professional artist who designed the cover for A Water Lily Blooms.
To learn more about A Water Lily Blooms, please visit: https://www.amazon.com/Water-Lily-Blooms-Sylvia-Mader/dp/1949756262#customerReviews