Power in Community: MLK Day of Service 2016

DEARBORN, MI - For the 23rd year, UM-Dearborn celebrated the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by hosting the MLK Day of Service on January 18, 2016.

UM-Dearborn Chancellor Daniel Little; Jonathan Larson,
Chair of Committee and Cassandra Fluker, Director
of Student Activities at Henry Ford College welcome
volunteers to MLK Day of Service.

This is one of the biggest and more cherished campus traditions in which faculty, staff, students and alumni from UM-Dearborn in partnership with Henry Ford College, get together to spend a morning of work to lend a helping hand to more than 20 community service organizations throughout Metro Detroit.

Jonathan Larson, Academic Advisor of the College of Education, Health, and Human Services (CEHHS) has been part of the MLK Day of Service Committee since 2008, serving as Chair of the Committee for the last four years. He lead the planning of this day that usually begins in April and continues through the Day of Service in January.

Larson mentioned that "This year we worked with 20 different community agencies including Fish and Loaves, Cass Community Services, Michigan Urban Farming Initiative and Priest Elementary School".

Donation from CEHHS community and MLK
volunteers to Priest Elementary School

CEHHS community and MLK volunteers donated socks to Priest Elementary School in Detroit as part of the planning for this event.

"I'm proud to honor Dr. King's legacy by coordinating a large scale service event which impacts the entire region and highlights the service culture of UM-Dearborn", Larson said.

Jonathan Larson,
Chair of MLK Day of
Service Committee

Chancellor Daniel Little welcomed volunteers to campus before they embarked on their service activities such as packing food for Kids Against Hunger; cleaning areas at Blight Busters; working with Michigan Urban Farming Initiative; organize donations at South Oakland Shelter; painting buildings at Franklin Wright Settlement or sorting food at Fish & Loaves.

"It fills my heart with pride every time I see young people… give a day of service to contribute to the betterment of our region", Little said.

There were nearly 500 volunteers this year who despite the frigid temperatures decided to honor Dr. King's words: "If I cannot do great things, I can do small things in a great way."

Volunteers helping at Blight Busters

UMD Collaborates with Beaumont Health on Autism Center

By Courtney Morrison

1 in 68 American children have been
identified with Autism Spectrum Disorder

The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that one-in-68 American children have been identified with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Statistics like this one and the growing need for specialized care is what prompted the University of Michigan-Dearborn to utilize its already-existing partnership with Beaumont Health to create the new autism center.

Two professors of the College of Education, Health, and Human Services (CEHHS) are

Professor David Hill

closely involved in the development of this center which is expected to be open in the Fall of 2016.

 Professor David Hill, Phd in Special Education, plays an important role in the educational aspects of the new center. He explains that there are two sides to the center.

“The first one is the medical side,” Hill said. “They [medical personnel] diagnose and treat disorders. The second side is the educational side. We in education do not diagnosis children with autism. Medical personnel are the only ones allowed to diagnose.”

Professor LaShorage Shaffer, Phd in Special Education, is currently

Professor LaShorage Shaffer

serving as a Special Education Consultant to the Early Childhood Education Center (ECEC) where the new center will be located. She explains that, “The center will start with three classrooms. Each classroom will hold approximately thirty children and each child will have one RBT (registered behavior technician) assigned to them”.

The cost to families utilizing the center’s programs will be relatively low. Any medical aspects will be billed towards the appropriate medical insurances. Once patients become eligible for K-12 schooling, they can move into the classroom depending on need, for free.

Read the full article at The Michigan Journal

Dean Janosky announces release of new, innovative White Paper on Improving Education and Health of Future Generations

DEARBORN, MI - Dr Janine Janosky, Dean of the University of Michigan-Dearborn College of Education, Health, and Human Services (CEHHS), is pleased to announce the 

Former Congressman John Dingell, Dean Janine Janosky
and Congresswoman Debbie Dingell during the conference.

release of the White Paper:

 "A Call for Convergence to Improve the Education, Health, Wellness, and Economic Security of Future Generations: Recommendations from a Multi-Sectoral Convening"

The paper is the product resulting from the conference "Preparing for Inclusive Learning and Practice Environments" hosted by CEHHS in March of 2015.

The conference, which included important keynote speakers such as former congressman John Dingell and congresswoman Debbie Dingell as well as eight national thought-leaders, gathered more than 100 attendees to discuss best practices for the convergence and integration of health and health services with learning environments as well as implementation of inclusive learning and practice environments for enhanced quality of life. 

Dean Janine Janosky, Congresswoman Debbie Dingell
and Provost and Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs,
Catherine Davy

 Dean Janosky states that this White Paper "captures the conference focus, discussion,

and dialogue regarding the convergence in learning environments, practice environments, policy formation and recommendations and implications of those elements locally, regionally, and nationally."

Contained within the White Paper are programmatic, policy, environment, and system recommendations.

To learn more about these recommendations please click on the image below for access to this important document.

CEHHS Professor publishes a new book about STEM learning

Dr. Mesut Duran

DEARBORN, MI - Dr. Mesut Duran, Professor of Technology at the College of Education, Health, and Human Services, University of Michigan-Dearborn is the leading author of the recently released book, "STEM Learning: IT Integration and Collaborative Strategies".

 Springer publishing house, a leading global scientific, technical and medical publisher, made available the first edition of this book in both digital and printed format in December of 2015.

This book reports the results of a three-year research program funded by the National Science Foundation which targeted students and teachers from four Detroit high schools in order for them to learn, experience, and use IT within the context of STEM (IT/STEM), and explore 21st century career and educational pathways.

The book discusses the accomplishment of these goals through the creation of a Community of Designers-- an environment in which high school students and teachers, undergraduate/graduate student assistants, and STEM area faculty and industry experts worked together as a cohesive team. The program created four project-based design teams, one for each STEM area. Each team had access to two year-round IT/STEM enrichment experiences to create high-quality learning projects, strategies, and curriculum models. These strategies were applied in after school, weekend, and summer settings through hands-on, inquiry-based activities with a strong emphasis on non-traditional approaches to learning and understanding. The book represents the first comprehensive description and analysis of the research program and suggests a plan for future development and refinement.

Dr. Duran collaborated with Dr. Margret Hoft, UM-Dearborn's Professor emerita of Mathematics; Dr. Brahim Medjahed, Associate Professor at the UM-Dearborn's Department of Computer and Information Science; Dr. Daniel Lawson, Associate Professor at the UM-Dearborn's Department of Natural Science and Dr. Elsayed A. Orady, Professor of Manufacturing at the UM-Dearborn's Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Systems. They all came together to make this multidisciplinary book a reality. Dr. Tony England, Dean of College of Engineering and Computer Science wrote the book's Foreword.

To learn more about the authors and get a copy of the book, please click here.