VSA Art Work on Display in CEHHS

Art work created by students during the 2015 VSA Festival

  The sounds of singing, drumming and laughter of children could be heard throughout the University Center, as the Very Special Arts (VSA) returned for their annual festival in early May of this year.

VSA Festival Chair, Jody Conrad Stark, states “Since 2013, UM-Dearborn staff and student volunteers have embraced our vision ‘to create an inclusive society where persons with disabilities participate in, learn through, excel in and enjoy the arts’ and have provided a welcoming environment for our 150 participants.”

 

Special Education instructors bring their students to the
VSA Festival for a day of arts experiences

Entering its 25th year, the VSA Festival is an annual event where “Special Education Instructors throughout Southeast Michigan (as far as Kalamazoo) bring their students for a day of arts experiences and performances” states Stark.    The festival, which was proudly supported by the Office of the Chancellor and the College of Education, Health, and Human Services, consisted of music, dance, theatre performances, as well as experiential art activities such as drumming, make and take artwork and mural painting.

Visitors to the College of Education, Health, and Human Services (CEHHS) will notice new art placed in the recently remodeled student study spaces (former phone booth areas).  The art work is the creation of students attending the 2015 VSA Festival and displays the beauty and imagination of the students.

Jonathan Larson, CEHHS Advisor, states “Being the VSA onsite liaison for the past 4 years has been a rewarding and highly motivational experience.  The artwork CEHHS displayed has created several exciting conversations with CEHHS students, faculty and staff regarding the festival and the creativity of the student participants.”

The art work displayed in CEHHS student study areas
showcases and highlights the artistic achievements
and talents of youth with disabilities

The College of Education, Health, and Human Services looks forward to supporting the 2017 Festival, being held on May 12, 2017 in the University Center.

Watch a video of the 2016 UM-Dearborn VSA Festival

CEHHS Faculty, Alumni and Students at the 2016 NCPEA Annual Summer Conference

Detroit, MI - The College of Education, Health, and Human Services (CEHHS) was well represented at the 70th Annual Summer Conference of the National Council of Professors of Educational Administration (NCPEA) held from July 30 to August 2, 2016 at the Marriott Renaissance Center in Detroit, MI.  The theme of the conference was Opportunities and Challenges of Urban Education.

Janine Janosky and Bonnie Beyer with
Barbara Klocko,MAPEA President and
Conference Coordinator

Dr. Bonnie Beyer, Professor of Educational Administration in CEHHS, was instrumental in conference development as part of the combined NCPEA/MAPEA Conference Planning Committee which was co-sponsored by the Michigan Association of Professors of Educational Administration (MAPEA). In addition to conference planning, Beyer made a presentation entitled, Every Student Succeeds Act: Implications for Urban Education.

Dean Janosky received an award from
James Berry, NCPEA Executive Director

Featured speaker was Dr. Janine Janosky, Dean of the College of Education, Health, and Human Services (CEHHS), who presented the 2016 Walter Cocking Lecture entitled Convergence of Education and Health for Urban Education. Dean Janosky shared her vision for building a fair and just society that focuses on helping all children tap into their full potential. Her lecture inspired others into identifying interdisciplinary approaches in pedagogy, practice and resource development, to achieve a collective mission.

 

Truman Hudson, Jr. and Janine Janosky

Two graduates of CEHHS, Dr. Truman Hudson, Jr. (Ed. D, 2013), LEO Lecturer of Multiculturalism in CEHHS, and Dr. Ricardo Martin (MAEL, 2009), Principal of Durfee Elementary Middle School in Detroit, participated as panelists in a plenary session entitled Challenges and Opportunities in Urban Education along with Romulus Durant, Superintendent of Toledo Public Schools.  They shared lessons from the field and highlighted the need for teacher training and professional development programs to provide educators with the tools and training necessary for ensuring student achievement. Hudson highlighted the importance to embed student-centered pedagogy that embraces diversity.

Another CEHHS LEO Lecturer, Lina Jawad, was also a participant in the conference presenting her paper titled Examining early college programs through the lens of college readiness, in which she talked about how students at one dual credit program perceive their college readiness.
 
Also, two currrent Doctor of Education students were involved in this event. Ismael Eltayuddin and Crystal Kassab Jabiro participated in the development of a series of videos available on You Tube which are part of a research project sponsored by NCPEA and UCEA to be addressed by the University Council of Educational Administration (UCEA) at their annual conference to be held in Detroit in Summer 2017.