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All posts by Michael Purdy


The Department of Educational Psychology and Counseling wants to congratulate the graduates from nine of our programs who earned their degrees during the spring 2016 semester.

To see photos of our recent graduates, please go to the “EPC Graduates” album on our EPC Facebook page.

Jeffrey Beard
PhD in Educational Psychology and Research – Adult Learning

Laura Healy Betz
MS in Counseling – School Counseling

Lindsay Jo Bock
MS in Counseling – Clinical Mental Health Counseling

Douglas Canfield
PhD in Education – Learning Environments and Educational Studies

John Creighton Cummins
PhD in Education – Learning Environments and Educational Studies

Jamie Cyphers
MS in Education – Instructional Technology

Natalie Ann Fabino
MS in Educational Psychology – Applied Educational Psychology

Christine R. Hannon
PhD in Counselor Education

Hui Huang
PhD in Education – Learning Environments and Educational Studies

Madelyn Jackson
MS in Counseling – Clinical Mental Health Counseling

Sara Jean-Philippe
MS in Counseling – Clinical Mental Health Counseling

Sara Elizabeth Keller
MS in Educational Psychology – Adult Education

Hannah Olivia Kincaid
MS in Counseling – School Counseling

Wenshu Li
PhD in Educational Psychology and Research – Evaluation, Statistics & Measurement

Patricia Randall Long
PhD in Educational Psychology and Research – Adult Learning

Alejandra Maria Morales
MS in Counseling – School Counseling

Nicole Elyce Mullinax
MS in Counseling – School Counseling

Christine Kay Patti
MS in Education – Instructional Technology

Glen Robert Roberts
MS in Educational Psychology – Adult Education

Anne Leslie Skutnik
MS in Education – Instructional Technology

Rebecca Campbell Smeltzer
PhD in Educational Psychology and Research – Adult Learning

Brian Kelleher Sohn
PhD in Education – Learning Environments and Educational Studies

Mary Frances Street
MS in Counseling – School Counseling

Jian Su
PhD in Education – Learning Environments and Educational Studies

Nancy Elaine Thacker
MS in Counseling – Clinical Mental Health Counseling

Duren J. Thompson
MS in Education – Instructional Technology

Angela Kathlene Trunzo
MS in Education – Instructional Technology

Madison Danielle Williams
MS in Counseling – School Counseling

Natalie Diane Yancey
MS in Counseling – School Counseling

*If you are one of the graduates listed above and would like to have your photo added to our EPC Graduates Facebook album, then please email your picture to Synthia Clark sclark41@utk.edu.

**If you were an Educational Psychology and Counseling student who graduated during this time frame, yet have unintentionally been omitted from this list, please send your name, degree, and major/concentration to Synthia Clark sclark41@utk.edu. We will add you to the list after receiving this information from you and confirming your graduation status.


Alumni Spotlight: Susanne Käsbauer

Evaluation, Statistics & Measurement

Käsbauer earned a PhD with the Evaluation, Statistics, and Measurement program in 2012. Originally from Germany, she now lives and works in Oxford, England, United Kingdom. We asked her to reflect on past experiences with EPC and discuss where she’s at now. Read her responses below.

Current Occupation

Senior Research Associate
Picker Institute Europe in Oxford

Picker Institute Europe is a registered charity in England, Wales, and Scotland, which seeks to:
– Influence policy and practice so that health and social care systems are always centered around people’s needs and preferences
– Inspire the delivery of the highest quality care, developing tools and services which enable all experiences to be better understood
– Empower those working in health and social care to improve experiences by effectively measuring, and acting upon people’s feedback

Awards and Accomplishments Earned as a Student
  • Recognized with the certificate for Extraordinary Professional Promise by the Chancellor’s awards.
  • Held research assistant positions with the Institute for Assessment and Evaluation in the Educational Psychology and Counseling Department and the Safety, Environment, and Education Center within the Division of Student Life.
  • Presented with colleagues at national and regional conferences, including the American Evaluation Association and the Eastern Evaluation Research Society.
Accomplishments since Graduating

It was important for me to find a job where I can work directly with individuals and help them make sense of and use evaluation/research findings. Conducting evaluations is great but building time directly into each project to go out and work with doctors, nurses and healthcare staff to interpret and plan for the use of the evaluation data is much more rewarding. By stepping away from the desk and engaging more with front line healthcare staff, I can help improve the experiences of patients/service users and feel a great sense of accomplishment.

Personal Interests

I teach vinyasa yoga at a local studio, YogaVenue, and Oxford Brookes University. Yoga provided me with a space for relaxation and helped me strengthen my endurance in challenging situations during my studies. I now enjoy teaching and sharing these benefits with other students and the local community.

Kaesbauer graduation

What sold you on this program/department/university?

The small program, individual feedback from faculty, the mentorship and opportunities for multiple practicum/internships.

What would you tell an incoming/current student in the program/department?

Get to know your fellow students, co-workers, and professors as persons. You will spend a lot of time with them and they genuinely care about your success. It helps when you understand who is working towards what in their own career, and how you can both help and learn from them.

Also, find something outside of work and studies that you are really passionate about. It will help you unwind and put your experiences as a student into a bigger perspective.

How did your experiences as a student help you in your professional/personal life after graduation?

Over the course of my studies, I worked on over 50 different evaluation projects. This was a huge asset, as I had already experienced so may different personalities and agendas that can affect the work of an evaluator. Also, through the advanced courses offered in the ESM program, I walked away with a great set of skills that allowed me to successfully lead and manage my own evaluation projects.

“The Evaluation, Statistics, and Measurement program prepared me well for a career in the field of evaluation. The combination of mentorship and many practical evaluation field experiences helped me feel confident in my job after graduation. The small program also made it easy to connect with other students and create networks.

Thank you to all my mentors, professors and fellow students for your continued support.

Finally, the kindness of the supporting staff at the University of Tennessee still stands out to me today.”


Barbara Thayer-BaconBarbara Thayer-Bacon, professor, was interviewed on PiPEline – a monthly program focused on Profiles in Philosophy and Education of contemporary scholars.

Host, Winston C. Thompson, asked her about her scholarly and personal path leading to the philosophy of education field. Thayer-Bacon expressed her thoughts on Maria Montessori and the Montessori method, explaining how this helped her “trust children’s desire to learn.” She connected early personal experiences in a Montessori school with how she operates in higher education, such as valuing diverse approaches to learning. Finally, she ended the interview with her thoughts on the future of philosophy of education – how it can be utilized regarding matters such as policy, social justice, critical service learning, non-profits, political philosophy, feminist scholarship, etc.

Her interview can be found on PiPEline.


Student Spotlight: Amanda Dascomb

Learning Environments &
Educational Studies

Amanda is currently seeking her PhD in education with a concentration in the Learning Environments and Educational Studies program. Originally from Everett, WA, she received her MA in French and francophone studies from the University of Florida and joined EPC in 2013. We asked her to reflect on some past and current experiences. Read her responses below.

Awards
  • McClure Scholarship for Independent International Research Project: Multilingual Montessori Primary Instruction in Guadeloupe, France, Summer 2015
  • MSERA Graduate Student Research Award, 2014
  • ESPN Graduate Student Fellowship Award, 2013
Accomplishments

“Public Montessori Effectiveness at Instructing ESL Students.” Paper presented at the Mid-South Educational Research Association regional conference, November 4-6, 2014, Knoxville, TN.

“The Imperialist Vision of Human Rights in West Africa: The Battle for Literacy.” Paper presented at the American Educational Research Association annual conference, October 29-November 2, 2014, Toronto, Ontario.

“Nothing to Sing About: Societal Discourse in Regards to the Further Degradation of Substitute Teachers in the United States.” Paper presented at the American Educational Research Association annual conference, October 29-November 2, 2014, Toronto, Ontario (with Melissa Harness).

Refer to CV for more details.

Current Occupation

Graduate Research Assistant
Department of Educational Psychology and Counseling
University of Tennessee, Knoxville

French Teacher
Hardin Valley Academy
Knox County Schools

Personal Interests

Outside of research, teaching and grading papers, I enjoy spending time camping, hiking and traveling with my husband and our two-year old golden retriever, Walden. We all spend a lot of time indoors during the work week, so the weekend is reserved for as much time outdoors as daylight allows.

Future/Vocational Goals

Teaching is what I enjoy most. While I love my high school (administration and colleagues), I am working towards a switch to the tertiary level. My goal is to finish my dissertation by the end of this upcoming fiscal year.

What sold you on this program?

A PhD is a very long and arduous process. I knew that in order to complete such a degree (which I wished to do), I would need an advisor that I worked well with. Upon reading about the cultural studies program, I knew that my educational philosophy was well aligned with my current advisor’s, Barbara Thayer-Bacon. This support system, combined with the opportunity to teach CSE 200 (which I did for two years), sold me on entering this program.

What is the best tidbit you have about Knoxville?

Knoxville is very accessible to travel. The hiking/camping in the Big South Fork, GSMNP and just over the mountains Pisgah NF, is spectacular and amazing. I can also travel to see family (and for conferences/research projects) with relatively cheap flights via TYS.

Amanda Dascomb and husband


Terri Durbin, PhD student in Learning Environments and Educational Studies, was awarded the Regional Cooperative for Professional Nurses Week (RCPNW) Clinical Excellence Award.

Durbin is a clinical assistant professor and associate program director of the Nurse Anesthesia concentration in the College of Nursing. The Clinical Excellence Award is given to a nominee selected by the Nursing Recognition Committee based on their dedication, exceptional clinical practice, and distinguished contributions to the nursing profession. Durbin has been with the College of Nursing for five years and was nominated for this award by her peers.

“Everyone in the College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences (CEHHS) has been friendly and helpful, and I have learned so much from all of you in the past year. I’m really looking forward to next year and I’d love to foster more collaborative efforts between CEHHS and the College of Nursing. We have a lot in common!”

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