Nineteen members of EPC were commended at the College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences Faculty and Staff Recognition Ceremony on April 27, 2016.

To see photos from the event, please go to the “CEHHS Faculty & Staff Recognition Ceremony 4.27.16” album on our EPC Facebook page.

Awards

College Senate Departmental Staff Award
Recognizes a departmental-level non-exempt staff person who has provided exceptional contributions to his/her department (going above & beyond job expectations to accomodate students and faculty, contributing to a positive and supportive work culture and environment.

Synthia Clark
Administrative Specialist I

“I am so lucky to work in a department with such caring, supportive, and appreciative individuals!”

The Helen B. Watson Faculty/Student Award for Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation
Awarded to a student and the faculty member who directed the outstanding doctoral dissertation within the departments of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies; Educational Psychology and Counseling; Kinesiology, Recreation, and Sport Studies; or Theory and Practice in Teacher Education.

CEHHS Board of Advisors Faculty Support Award
Awarded to recognize current/past accomplishments or future projects of one outstanding faculty member for teaching/research/service efforts in any area within CEHHS.

R. Steve McCallum
Professor in School Psychology

“I want to take this opportunity to thank the CEHHS Board of Advisors for their recognition and support of my work. Over the years I have worked closely with board members and know firsthand of their many contributions to the college!”

Recognition

 Casey A. Barrio Minton
Associate Professor in Counselor Education

– Recognized under Editors/Co-Editors of Peer Reviewed Publications for being Editor of Journal of Counselor Leadership & Advocacy
– Recognized under Authors/Editors of Books and Assessments for Evaluating Student Learning Outcomes in Counselor Education. Alexandria, VA: American Counseling Association
– Recognized under Recipients of National/International Professional Awards for Outstanding Research Award from Chi Sigma Iota International

Bonnie Bull
Administrative Support Assistant III

– Recognized under University of Tennessee Support Staff Service Awards for five years of service

Stephanie Cowherd
Associate Director of Corporate Connections for Center for Literacy, Education & Employment

– Recognized under Grants and Contracts Recipients for the Tennessee DHS/Division of Rehabilitation Services/UT CLEE from the Tennessee Department of Human Services, $788,443

Joel F. Diambra
Associate Department Head & Director of Graduate Studies

– Recognized under Recipients of National/International Professional Awards for Outstanding Counselor Educator of the Year from the Tennessee Association for Counselor Education and Supervision

Patrick L. Dunn
Program Co-Coordinator for Rehabilitation Counseling

– Recognized under Grants and Contracts Recipients for the Long-Term Training: Rehabilitation Counselors for the Deaf from the US Department of Education – Office of Special Education & Rehabilitative Services, $148,492

Sandra Fugate
Center for Literacy, Education & Employment

– Recognized under 2014-15 Faculty & Staff Retirements (2000-2015)

Melinda Gibbons
Program Coordinator for Counselor Education/School Counseling

– Recognized under Editors/Co-Editors of Peer Reviewed Publications for being Associate Editor of Professional School Counseling Journal
– Recognized under Grants and Contracts Recipients for the PIPES: Possibilities in Postsecondary Education and Science among Rural Appalachian Youth from the Office of Research Infrastructure Program, $209,136

Aaron Kohring
Director for Center for Literacy, Education & Employment

– Recognized under Grants and Contracts Recipients for the LINCS Regional Professional Development Centers Program from the US Department of Education, $284,750 and the Transition & Self Determination Support from the Tennessee Department of Education, $549,105

Robert Kronick
Professor for School Counseling & Cultural Studies of Educational Foundations

– Recognized under Chancellor’s Honors Awards for the Alumni Public Service Award
– Recognized under Grants and Contracts Recipients for the University-Assisted Community School from the Catholic Charities of East Tennessee, Inc., $100,000

R. Steve McCallum
Professor for School Psychology

– Recognized under Editors/Co-Editors of Peer Reviewed Publications for being Co-Founder & Consulting Editor of Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment
– Recognized under Authors/Editors of Books and Assessments for Handbook of Reading Assessment: A One-Stop Resource for Prospective and Practicing Educators. Routledge: Taylor and Francis
– Recognized under Authors/Editors of Books and Assessments for Universal Nonverbal Intelligence Test 2. Austin, TX: Pro-Ed Publishing Company
– Recognized under Chancellor’s Honors Awards for the Research & Creative Achievement Award

Merilee McCurdy
Program Coordinator for School Psychology

– Recognized under Presidents of National/International Professional Organizations for being Chair of Council for Directors of School Psychology Programs

Jennifer Ann Morrow
Program Coordinator for Evaluation, Statistics & Measurement

– Recognized under Chancellor’s Honors Awards for the Excellence in Teaching Award

Roma Powis
Center for Literacy, Education & Employment

– Recognized under 2014-15 Faculty & Staff Retirements (2004-2015)

Stephanie Robinson
Institute for Assessment & Evaluation

– Recognized under 2014-15 Faculty & Staff Retirements (1994-2015)

Connie Settle
Institute for Assessment & Evaluation

– Recognized under 2014-15 Faculty & Staff Retirements (1993-2015)

Barbara Thayer-Bacon
Program Coordinator for Learning Environments & Educational Studies/Cultural Studies of Educational Foundations

– Recognized under Editors/Co-Editors of Peer Reviewed Publications for being Editor-in-Chief of Studies in Philosophy and Education

Connie White
Associate Director of School & Family Programs for Center for Literacy, Education & Employment

– Recognized under Grants and Contracts Recipients for the Tennessee Teachers’ Professional Development Event Support from the Tennessee Department of Education, $2,214,746 and the Tennessee Teachers’ Professional Development Event Support from the Tennessee Department of Education, $877,092

Marianne R. Woodside, professor emerita in Counselor Education, was inducted into the CEHHS Educators Hall of Honor on March 31, 2016.

She said, “I feel incredibly fortunate to have my academic home in the Department of Educational Psychology and Counseling and in the unit of Counselor Education. Where one works influences the quality of work, the motivation to contribute, and, most important, the help one may provide students. My research, teaching, and service has always involved collaboration both within Counselor Education and the larger department. I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their support during my years as a teacher, researcher, and scholar. I am fortunate to have received this award and humbled by the honor. Although it is presented as an individual honor, it reflects the positive contributions we all make as a department and as a program.”

Joel F. Diambra, associate department head and director of graduate studies, nominated her for this honor and said, “Marianne Woodside is an exemplary educator with a long-standing and distinguished record.

She is an outstanding scholar and prolific writer and presenter – it is impossible to determine the vast number of additional lives she’s influenced through her publications and presentations.”

The Educators Hall of Honor was founded in 2002 by late College of Education Dean Rowell. It recognizes the impact of professionals established in the field of education, while supplementing the education of future students. Nominations are made with a minimum contribution of $1,000.

Associate Department Head &
Director of Graduate Studies

Joel F. Diambra joined the University of Tennessee in 1999 in the Counseling, Deafness, and Human Services Department. Diambra has been part of the Department of Educational Psychology and Counseling since 2003. He currently serves as associate department head and director of graduate studies in EPC and is an associate professor in the Clinical Mental Health Counseling, Counselor Education, and School Counseling programs. We asked him to reflect on his experiences. Read his responses below.

What are some different roles you’ve served at UT and/or within EPC?
At UT, I was an assistant professor and now associate professor. I currently serve as a member of the Graduate School Student Diversity Enhancement Committee. I’ve also served on the Faculty Senate and Athletic Committee for a 3-year term. I’ve enjoyed being a Ronald McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program Mentor for a number of years, Office of Disability Services Admissions Appeals Committee member, visited incoming freshmen via House Calls, facilitated Life of the Mind to incoming freshmen, and teach two ongoing FYS 129 courses.

Within EPC I’ve served as a Human Services Field Experience Coordinator, Peer Mentoring Coordinator, School and Clinical Mental Health Program Committee Faculty Member, Counselor Education PhD Program Coordinator, and most recently Associate Department Head and Director of Graduate Studies. I have served as committee member and currently serve as a search chair for a faculty position search.

What are a few of your most recent accomplishments?
I recently won a state award and had three very recent efforts that led to students presenting and publishing for the first time.

1. In November 2015, the Tennessee Association for Counselor Education and Supervision Chapter honored me with the Charles Thompson Counselor Educator of the Year Award.
2. Brittany Pollard, Rose Gamble, Bre Banks and I just had Teaching a Human Sexuality Course: What are Students Thinking? accepted for publication in the American Journal of Sexuality Education.
3. Eric Heidel, John Breckner, Jeannine Studer and I just received notification that Psychometric Properties of the School Counselor National Model® Activity Scale (SCNMAS) will be published in the upcoming Tennessee Counseling Association Journal.
4. In December 2015, Brooke Bagley (CMHC alumnus and current clinical supervisee) and I had our ACA presentation and subsequent manuscript focused on her work as a Sexual Assault Crisis Counselor accepted for publication in Counseling Today. I believe this is Brooke’s first publication. She was also accepted to present a workshop on this topic at the Tennessee Counseling Association and Smoky Mountain Counseling Association.
5. I have been providing supervision to 3 current doctoral students with a focus on diversity/multiculturalism: Jennifer Moralejo, Derrick Shepard, and Nathan West. With their leadership, we submitted a newsletter manuscript outlining our efforts and it was accepted for publication in the Southern Association for Counselor Education and Supervision (SACES) Newsletter. We also submitted proposals regarding our efforts to conduct a Tennessee Counseling Association workshop and American Counseling Association poster session, coming spring 2016 in Montreal, Canada. Both were accepted. I find great satisfaction in assisting current and former students achieve accomplishments for the first time.

In an attempt to help others first coming to UT, complete the following statement: If I knew then what I know now about UT, I would…

1. Buy a bicycle or hover board as my work transportation. You can park a whole lot easier and closer without a car.
2. Start boasting about UT sports. Over time, I’ve been amazed at a how well UT does nationally in various athletic venues: women’s basketball, women’s softball, track and field, swimming/diving, tennis, men’s basketball, and men’s football. “It’s great… to be… a Tennessee Vol.”

What do you think you would be doing if you weren’t in academia?
I can think of three things I’d likely be doing:

1. Buying low and selling high. 🙂 One of my hobbies is purchasing cars and motorcycles (and just about anything if the price is right), repairing them, enjoying them for a period of time and selling them for a profit.
2. I would likely be building a counseling practice too. Before entering academia, I had already established my own private practice and considered expanding the practice to include a host of other therapists to provide comprehensive therapeutic services.
3. I would likely be living overseas or traveling/living for long stretches of time in foreign lands. I back packed around the world for one year when I was 23 and could easily see myself moving to, settling-in, and working in different countries for about 1-3 year stints.

What sold you on UT?
The faculty. When I interviewed I was impressed with the faculty. They were bright, energetic, warm, genuine, challenging, and supportive. I had applied for a position in Australia and was one of three finalists. Australia was my 1st choice; however, I ended up being their 2^nd choice. I remember being so disappointed until I received an amazing follow-up email after my interview from Sky Huck. I cried when I read his email, realizing UT Knoxville was really the right place for me. I still have that email.

What do you think has been the most rewarding about your work in EPC?
In my role as a professor, it is most rewarding to assist students in achieving new accomplishments (e.g., presenting or publishing). As an administrator, realizing overall just how amazing and strong (i.e., students, staff, and faculty) we are as a department!

Name one fact about yourself that most people don’t know.
I lived in Brazil as a child, married in Japan during my world-wide backpacking trip, and minored in Japanese and Southeast Asian Studies. Okay, that’s 3 facts. I’m also very good at not following directions. Oops, 4 facts.