Melinda Gibbons, associate professor, has been selected to serve on the inaugural School Counseling Advisory Council.

“I am excited to learn from other school counseling leaders in our state and to offer ideas on transforming the school counseling profession.”

The School Counseling Advisory Council is led by Leigh Bagwell, coordinator of School Counseling for TN. The first meeting of the council is April 7, 2016.

The purpose of the council is to effectively engage stakeholders with leaders at the department, as we work together to increase the capacity of Tennessee school counselors to provide counseling programs that successfully support our students.

Council members will regularly share feedback on local implementation of state school counseling initiatives. Additionally, council members will serve as advocates for comprehensive school counseling in their communities.

Erin Garty, PhD student in Learning Environments and Educational Studies, was given an Outstanding Graduate Student Award for Graduate Research and Service at the Second Annual Kickoff Breakfast for Graduate and Professional Student Appreciation Week.

“This award was unexpected but much appreciated, and I would like to thank Lisa Yamagata-Lynch and Kelly Ellenburg for giving me the opportunity to work with them on a Smart Communities Initiative service learning project.” – Garty

Garty was nominated by associate professor, Lisa Yamagata-Lynch, who highlighted her efforts with the Smart Communities Initiative (SCI). Garty and classmates worked to determine how to ethically obtain electronic and non-electronic citizen input for the city of Cleveland to use for planning purposes. Garty compiled individual team reports from peers and then spent many hours after the course was over to prepare and design the report for publication. For more information about this experience, please refer to the story “SCI Ethical Needs Report Published.”

Wenshu Li, PhD Candidate in Evaluation, Statistics, and Measurement, won a two-year Evaluation Fellowship with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in August, 2015.

It was a rigorous process involving an application (including an essay, transcripts, and resume), a survey, and three different interviews. At the end, she was matched with her first choice of available programs and started work with the Division of Global Health Protection in Atlanta, GA. There, she’s been utilizing quantitative and qualitative evaluation methods, preparing logic models, identifying and developing indicators and data sources, and coordinating activities to advance implementation of the Global Health Security Agenda.

We asked her some questions about her experience so far. Read her responses below.

What interested you in the Fellowship?
There are several reasons. First of all, CDC is a perfect place for me to gain program evaluation experience. I could work together with experienced evaluators in a team to conduct cross-national evaluation studies. I would have opportunities to learn how to collaborate with different stakeholders (such as Ministry of Health staff in different countries, CDC officers in other countries, leadership within division/center, etc.) and conduct large scale evaluation. Secondly, the fellowship provided great benefits. In addition to decent stipend, fellows have $5,000 each year to spend on professional trainings (workshop, conferences, books, etc), and a health insurance supplement. Finally, location. I really needed a job in the Atlanta area because my husband and his whole family live there. I wanted to stay with my family.

What has this experience been like?
It’s hard to describe the experience in several sentences. But overall I would say it is really a good experience for a new graduate like me. First of all, you have a great opportunity to apply what you’ve learned in graduate school into practice and make an impact on the public (domestically and internationally). Secondly, you get to know a lot of great people who are working on the field as experts and learn from them. Thirdly, I really enjoy the experience to collaborate with people from all over the world. My fellowship program is nested in the center of global health within the CDC. To conduct global health evaluation, we have to collaborate within CDC with other centers/subject matter experts, with other US agencies, such as USAID and DOD, and with international partners, such as Ministries of Health in other countries.

How has it enhanced your professional development?
The best part and uniqueness of the fellowship is its nature of providing the fellows with plenty of experiences and professional development opportunities. In addition to stay in the host program, fellows can reach out to work on other small projects through the fellowship program by using 20% of their time during a 2-3 month periods. The fellowship program also hosted a lot of workshops such as scientific writing and public speaking as well as provided $5000 professional development funding for each fellow. Fellows can make use of the funding to purchase books, attend conferences or workshops, and even take courses.

What impact did the Evaluation, Statistics, and Measurement program have on obtaining this fellowship and the work you are completing as a Fellow?
Close mentorship and the curriculum of the program; the great opportunities to collaborate with faculty and students on diverse research projects and gain various field experiences. I was focused on evaluation of STEM programs. But, I’ve engaged in several public health evaluation field practice, which helped me to get my CDC Fellowship.

Do you enjoy living in Atlanta?
Yes, most of the time. I can stay with my husband and his family. I enjoy a lot of family time with them. There is also delicious food (from Asia) and interesting social events in Atlanta area. But, the traffic in Atlanta really is the reason I am afraid of living in big cities. I have to drive an hour one way from my home to work because of the traffic.

Is there anything else you would like to say?
I really want to express my deepest gratitude to my advisor, associate professor Gary J. Skolits, and other ESM faculty and students. Millions of thanks for your expertise, constructive comments, support, and time in my graduate study and life at ESM program. I could not get the fellowship without your endless support.

Counselor Education

Casey A. Barrio Minton joined the University of Tennessee and the Department of Educational Psychology and Counseling as an associate professor for Counselor Education in August of 2015. We asked her to reflect on her first semester here. Read her responses below.

What sold you on UT?
I had the opportunity to serve on professional boards with several counselor education faculty members and students over the years, so I already knew a bit about the program and program values.  When preparing for my campus visit, I found myself intrigued with just how well the counselor education program seemed to fit with my professional values.  Finally, when visiting campus, I found myself both impressed with faculty accomplishments and at home with faculty, staff, and students.  It just felt right.

What do you think was most rewarding or challenging about being a new faculty member?
I have been a faculty member before, so I am quite used to roles and responsibilities.  Although learning new people, places, and procedures takes time and energy, doing so also opens the door for new opportunities.  I have very much enjoyed developing relationships with colleagues and students, discovering mutual interests, and finding ways to grow together.

What has been your most memorable experience this semester?
I am serving as co-faculty advisor for our program’s chapter of Chi Sigma Iota, the honor society for professional counselors.  Recently, we had an opportunity to induct new members into the society.  Our initiates brought friends and family to celebrate, all faculty members attended, and we had a chance to just be together while sharing in the occasion.

What’s your favorite activity outside of work.
I have a toddler, and we love exploring new places together.  She loved exploring the mountains in the fall — and I can’t wait to help her discover waterfalls this spring.