Updates

2009-10 SOE Scholarship Recipients Named

The School of Education awarded scholarships to 14 graduate students this year. They are:

• Nathan Dana and Lesley Gray, both of Sunderland, MA., and Kathryn Richardson of Belchertown, MA., Meline Kasparian Scholarships;
• Vanessa Cramer of Shutesbury, MA., The Janice Camby Endowed Scholarship and The Helen Eaton Timson Scholarship;
• Joshua Nugent and Xiaoshu Jing, both of Amherst, MA., Camby Scholarships;
• Daryl Essensa of Greenfield, MA., C. Lynn Vendien Professional Prize Award;
• Congling April Zhang of New Bedford, MA., C. Lynn Vendien Endowed Scholarship;
• James Anthony Randall of Takomar Park, MD, Early Childhood Education Graduate Student Fund;
• Elizabeth Scheffey of Leverett, MA., The Grace Norton Carney Scholarship;
• Bethany Politylo of Sunderland, MA, and Melinda Eichhorn of Pickerington, OH., Joseph W. Keilty Memorial Scholarships;
• Shannon Doyle of Northampton, MA. and Jeremey Wright of Millers Falls, MA., Patricia Silver Awards.

"The decision to go back to school at this point in my life has a financial impact, so receiving this scholarship has been invaluable," said 2009 C. Lynn Vendien Professional Prize Award recipient Daryl Essensa. "I am so thankful to the donor for providing this financial assistance, as it will help me focus on my development as a scholar of education. My hope is that through my studies at UMassAmherst, I might become a professor who will inspire undergraduate students to create vibrant and meaningful classrooms for young people."

To learn more about the School’s scholarship programs, go to http://www.umass.edu/education/student/awards.shtml.

Photos of the recipient can be seen here.

Clark Atlanta University President Dr. Carlton E. Brown selected as first recipient of the UMass Amherst Dr. Norma Jean Anderson Award for Leadership for Diversity

	SOE Dean Christine B. McCormick with Dr. Carlton E. Brown

Carlton E. Brown, president of Clark Atlanta University, Atlanta, has been named the first recipient of the University of Massachusetts Amherst’s Norma Jean Anderson Award for Leadership for Diversity. Brown delivered a lecture, "In Search of a Transforming Education," prior to the award ceremony on Monday, May 4, in the Massachusetts Room of the Mullins Center.

Brown, a Georgia native, earned his doctorate in education from UMass Amherst in 1979, with emphases on multicultural education and educational change. He was named Clark Atlanta University’s third president in August 2008 after having served there as executive vice president and provost.

Dr. Brown and family

The award recognizes leadership in promoting diversity in education through research, practice or policy. “Diversity in education is the compass that has led Carlton Brown throughout his professional life,” said Christine B. McCormick, dean of the School of Education at UMass Amherst. “His selection as the first recipient of the Norma Jean Anderson award for leadership for diversity in education recognizes his constant and steadfast belief in and action towards accomplishing access and equity in education. This award is a tangible demonstration of the School of Education’s legacy and continuing commitment to diversity, excellence and equity in education.”

Among Brown’s appointments before his move to Clark Atlanta, he served nine years as president of Savannah State University, when the campus saw a 48-percent increase in enrollment, major grant and contract increases, improved student retention and more minorities pursuing graduate degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Brown also served as a faculty member and administrator at Old Dominion University and Hampton University, both in Virginia. He helped implement statewide education initiatives for the Georgia Board of Regents, as well.

	Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Esther Terry greets Dr. Carlton E. Brown, president Clark Atlanta University

The Norma Jean Anderson Award for Leadership for Diversity was established in 2004 when Anderson was honored with the first UMass Amherst Distinguished Achievement Award. Before her death in 2006 at age 74, she had served the School of Education for more than 30 years as a faculty member, administrator, mentor and volunteer. Anderson was known for her diligent work to eliminate barriers to education, build a more culturally, racially and educationally diverse campus community, raise awareness of institutional racism and instill social justice values among the students, colleagues and other communities she served.

The Norma Jean Anderson Lecture and Award for Leadership for Diversity was created to perpetuate UMass Amherst’s recognition of Anderson’s values and work.

Watch video of and listen to Dr. Brown's lecture "In Search of A Transforming Education."

Scholarship Recipients and Donors Meet

Some of the scholarship recipients and donors who attended a recent Reception include (l to r) Heidi Bohler, Marsha Bryant, Mrs. Alma Keilty, Catherine Lynch, Mrs. Grace Carney, Mary Beth Carney and Kathryn Stead. More photos ...

Recipients of six scholarships and some of the donors who made them possible met on Oct. 2 at a School of Education reception held at the University Club. It was an evening characterized by laughter and deeply-felt exchanges of appreciation.

“It means so much to me to meet the students who received the scholarships,” said donor Alma Keilty, who created the Joseph W. Keilty Scholarship in memory of her husband. “I’ve read their letters of thanks and it is wonderful to put a face to the name.”

Keilty Scholarship recipients Heidi Bohler, Marsha Bryant, and Catherine Lynch attended the reception. Lynch, a doctoral candidate, spoke about how the Keilty scholarship impacted her life.

“I saw a bumper sticker the other day when driving home on Route 2 that read, ‘Too bad the people who know how to run the government are too busy teaching school.’ My first thought was, ‘Where can I get that sticker?’ That statement speaks to the work I am doing in my doctoral program in educational policy and leadership,” Lynch said. “I'm interested in the ways education is political, and how we can and should educate students, particularly in higher education, how to be engaged, responsible, and active citizens, as opposed to just active participants in the workforce.”

“I had no idea that being a full-time graduate student was possible,” she continued. “I recently graduated from the Master's program in higher education here at UMass and realized that I don't want to stop. When I was considering the doctoral program, though, I thought, ‘I don't have any money,’ so I applied for the Keilty Scholarship. Then I forgot about it, really, and when I saw the letter from the Dean of the School of Education, I thought, ‘Uh-oh. What's happened?’ I had to read the letter several times before it sunk in.”

“I would like to thank Alma Keilty, and I'm so glad to have this opportunity to meet her in person and be here tonight,” Lynch said. “Mrs. Keilty has come here all the way from San Diego which I think is wonderful. So thank you, thank you for this
opportunity to make a difference.”

Kathryn Stead, a first year student in the Secondary Teacher Education Graduate Program and a recipient of the Grace Norton Carney Scholarship also spoke to the group. Stead said that while she was “thrilled” to have been accepted in the School of Education, “the financial reality of paying for Graduate School set in and I was uncertain how I could afford the cost of living while paying for more school at the same time.”

“When I opened the letter that told me I had been awarded the Grace Norton Carney Scholarship, I was shocked and had to read it five times to be sure this amazing gift was really for me! It gave me hope,” she continued. “I wish that someday I will be in the position to bring hope to future UMass Amherst School of Education students as the donors have brought to me. I am eternally grateful to them.”

Other scholarship recipients who attended the reception were Rachel Boit and Laurice Ann Guillory, Early Childhood Education Scholarship recipients; and Michelle Lee, recipient of the Meline Kasparian Scholarship.

Also attending the reception were Dean Christine B. McCormick, Associate Dean Linda Griffin, School of Education Department Chairs Rich Lapan and Jerri Willett, members of the Dean’s Leadership Council, representatives from the Massachusetts Teachers Association and the Massachusetts Society of Professors, and other guests.

See more photos