Staff members Synthia Clark and Christine Tidwell attended the Employee and Organizational Development (EOD) Certificate Celebration on Monday, February 1st. Clark received certificates in Communication and Customer Service. Tidwell received a certificate in Customer Satisfaction.

“I love learning and I’m so thankful to be working in a department that values and supports employees who want to improve themselves.”

Clark has been employed at UT since 2013 and has worked with EPC since 2014. She serves as program secretary for six programs –  Adult Education, Applied Educational Psychology, Adult Learning, Evaluation, Statistics, and Measurement, and School Psychology. She also works in the main office, has taken over as webmaster for the departmental website, runs the EPC Facebook page, and does some photography and marketing for the department.

“I’m just glad to work for a department and college whose leaders believe in continuing education opportunities.”

Tidwell has been employed at UT since 2003 and worked with EPC since 2007. During this time she has also earned certificates in Communication and UT Leaders: Lighting the Way – Part 1 Supervisory Certification.  Tidwell serves as departmental support for three programs – Cultural Studies of Educational Foundation, Instructional Technology, and Learning Environments and Educational Studies. She also serves as the department’s textbook and timetable coordinator and provides support for the curriculum review council coordinator.

The Department of Educational Psychology and Counseling wants to congratulate the graduates from eleven of our programs who earned their degrees during the summer and fall semesters of 2015.

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

Carrie Ann Bailey
PhD in Educational Psychology and Research – Adult Learning

Nicholaus TJ Barajas
MS in Counseling – Clinical Mental Health Counseling

Tiffany Paige Brooks
PhD in Counselor Education

Allison Enders Hunt Buck
PhD in School Psychology

Lauren Elizabeth Bussey
PhD in Counselor Education

Brittany Ann Carstens
PhD in School Psychology

Carly Ann Chwat
MS in Educational Psychology – Applied Educational Psychology

Corey Alan DeHart
MS in Education – Instructional Technology

Kevin Lee Fowler
MS in Education – Instructional Technology

Linda K. Gehron
MS in Educational Psychology – Adult Education

Melanie Carol Hamilton
MS in Counseling – Rehabilitation Counseling

Martha Lynn Henry
MS in Educational Psychology – Applied Educational Psychology

Amy Carol Howell
MS in Counseling – Rehabilitation Counseling

Caroline Marie Jacquett
MS in Educational Psychology – Applied Educational Psychology

Chandra Ann Johnson
MS in Educational Psychology – Adult Education

Kayla Chelsea Knoll
MS in Counseling – Clinical Mental Health Counseling

Debra Suzette Lee
MS in Education – Instructional Technology

Susan Lynn Long
MS in Educational Psychology – Adult Education

Stephanie Leanne Moskal
MS in Education – Instructional Technology

Judith S. Norton
MS in Educational Psychology – Adult Education

Niranji Anuradha Pathirage Dopa Pathirage
PhD in Educational Psychology and Research – Evaluation, Statistics & Measurement

Cynthia Noblin Perry
MS in Educational Psychology – Applied Educational Psychology

Brittany Lynn Pollard
PhD in Counselor Education

Colin Christopher Quillivan
MS in Educational Psychology – Applied Educational Psychology

Alessandra Joy Rhinehart
PhD in Counselor Education

Stracee Evette Robinson
MS in Educational Psychology – Applied Educational Psychology

Hailey Keegan Sands
MS in Counseling – Clinical Mental Health Counseling

Jessica Schilling
MS in Counseling – Rehabilitation Counseling

Janel Marie Seeley
PhD in Educational Psychology and Research – Adult Learning

Sultana Aaliuah Shabazz
PhD in Education – Learning Environments & Educational Studies

Tiffany Leigh Shaw
MS in Educational Psychology – Applied Educational Psychology

Lisa A. Shipley
MS in Education – Instructional Technology

Heather Anne Stewart
PhD in Educational Psychology and Research – Collaborative Learning

Kelly Michelle Strickland (posthumous)
MS in Education – Cultural Studies of Educational Foundations

Mary Elizabeth Swiatek
MS in Educational Psychology – Applied Educational Psychology

Kellee Renee Vess
PhD in Educational Psychology and Research – Adult Learning

Lauren Ashley Wade Walsh
MS in Education – Instructional Technology

*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.

Adult Learning

Robert is currently seeking his PhD in educational psychology and research with a concentration in adult learning. Originally from Tullahoma, Tennessee he received his MS in public service management at Cumberland University and his BA in anthropology  at Vanderbilt University and came to the University of Tennessee, Knoxville in 2011. We asked him to reflect on some of his past and current experiences. Read his responses below.

Accomplishments

Presentations

• Cox, R. C. & Overton, D. (2014). Identifying crosscurrents in the assessment of self-directed learning. Poster session presented at the annual conference for the International Self-Directed Learning Symposium, Cocoa Beach, FL.
• Cox, R. C. & Ziegler, M. (2013). Assessing transformative learning: Challenges and ideas. Presentation at the annual conference for the American Association for Adult and Continuing Learning, Lexington, KY.
• Cox, R. C. (2012). Hope, fear, and motivation in adult learning. Roundtable presentation at the annual conference for the American Association for Adult and Continuing Learning, Las Vegas, NV.

Refer to Curriculum Vita for more details

Current Occupation

Children’s Welfare and Benefits Unit
Department of Children’s Services
Lebanon, TN

Nearly eight years ago, I sat by our family’s fireplace and recognized I had been called to work in public service here in Tennessee. With good fortune, I interviewed to work in the Department of Children’s Services, where every day I utilize in-depth policy knowledge of public assistance programs to help meet the broader goal of helping preserve families.

Personal Interests

Whether we squint our eyes and look at the broadest outlines or look into a microscope to see the faintest of details, there is much to learn and wonder about in the world around us. With our interest in experiencing such a sense of wonder, my wife Sara and I like to pack up our car and head out into the world, whether out to the parks of Tennessee, the gardens at Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello, or to libraries and archives where a deep sense of family and local history emerges. We also like to garden, read, and try new hobbies. Whatever the specific pursuit, the common element is a persistent desire to learn and also have fun in the process.

Future/Vocational Goals

I look forward to continuing to pursue research and to serving as an educator in the community. As an educator, it is important to be aware of how research can help improve lives and understanding. Furthermore, I enjoy engaging in systematic research, teaching, and program design/administration, and I look forward to where these interests lead.

What would you tell an incoming student who joins the program/department?

First, the UT Knoxville library system is amazing. Second, there is a lot of wisdom among the faculty. While we can locate information and calculate faster than ever before, there is no substitute for forming a well thought out question, and the faculty do not let you lose sight of this. In thinking on lessons learned at UT Knoxville, most of the difficult questions we face as a society are not ones to be solved by calculators, but by people utilizing good judgment, asking good questions, and following through a clear plan.

What do you think has been the most rewarding/challenging about this program?

Our Adult Learning program focuses on fostering and sustaining inquiring minds among students, faculty, and communities. Within our program, we drive such development through identifying what we think we know about teaching and learning—then, we challenge these beliefs, take a step back, examine them for what they are, and then refine our beliefs together. As a result, we leave the program transformed and more ready to face the challenges of furthering inquiry in a changing world.

Congratulations to the 2015-16 fellowship/scholarship recipients from the Educational Psychology and Counseling Department!

Emily Brown  Counselor Education
– Stephen Lee Alderton Graduate Fellowship

Alyssa Heise  School Counseling
– Eugene and Mary Sue Akins Graduate Fellowship

Alexandra Ingram  Learning Environments and Educational Studies
– Travis Hawk Fellowship

Baileigh Kirkpatrick School Psychology
– Chancellor’s Fellowship

Stephanie Krider School Psychology
– Chancellor’s Fellowship

Sondra LoRe  Evaluation, Statistics, and Measurement
– Graduate School Fellowship

James Michel  School Counseling
– Graduate School Fellowship

Rachael Marshall  Counselor Education
– Graduate School Fellowship

Sara Nasrollahian  Adult Learning
– Travis Hawk Fellowship

Lauren Ridley  School Counseling
– Helen Carter Murray Scholarship

Kyle Ryan  School Psychology
– Chancellor’s Fellowship
– Graduate School Fellowship

Teresa Saunders  School Counseling
– Eugene and Mary Sue Akins Graduate Fellowship

Stephanie Teague  Learning Environments and Educational Studies
– Chancellor’s Fellowship

Kelly McCullough Thompson  School Psychology
– Richard Yoakley Fellowship

Nancy Truett  Counselor Education
– Graduate School Fellowship

Elizabeth Zeller  Clinical Mental Health Counseling
– Charles Lowell Thompson Fellowship