CEPS Pillars 2020
The University of South Alabama College of Education and Professional Studies releases an annual magazine to highlight the success of its alumni, students, faculty, staff and partners.
The University of South Alabama College of Education and Professional Studies releases an annual magazine to highlight the success of its alumni, students, faculty, staff and partners.
Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
VOLUME 12<br />
FALL <strong>2020</strong><br />
PILLARS
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Message from the Dean<br />
04 College of Education<br />
and Professional Studies<br />
Moving Forward<br />
Students<br />
06 Student Awards<br />
09 Advising Center<br />
and Student Services<br />
Community Engagement<br />
11 Grants and Contracts<br />
12 Diversity Council<br />
14 Noyce Scholars<br />
16 South Alabama Research<br />
and Inservice Center<br />
17 AMSTI-USA<br />
18 USA Literacy Center<br />
20 PASSAGE USA<br />
Academics<br />
22 Counseling and<br />
Instructional Sciences<br />
26 Health, Kinesiology, and Sport<br />
28 Hospitality and Tourism<br />
Management<br />
30 Integrative Studies<br />
32 Leadership and Teacher<br />
Education<br />
36 Field Services<br />
38 Office of Adult Learner<br />
Services<br />
40 Faculty and Staff<br />
Development<br />
42 Advisory Council<br />
46 Invest in the College<br />
47 College Scholarship Recipients<br />
48 Project 110 (On the Cover)<br />
52 Annual Report Data<br />
55 <strong>CEPS</strong> Alumni Society<br />
PILLARS<br />
VOLUME 12 | FALL <strong>2020</strong><br />
A publication of the University of South Alabama<br />
College of Education and Professional Studies<br />
Dean of the College of Education and<br />
Professional Studies<br />
Dr. Andi Kent<br />
Assistant Director of Marketing<br />
and Communications<br />
Amber Day<br />
Assistant Director of Creative Services<br />
Kim Lovvorn<br />
Photography<br />
Mike Kittrell, Elizabeth Gelineau<br />
Contributing Writers<br />
Thomas Becnel, Megan Layton,<br />
Joy Washington<br />
The mission of the University of South Alabama<br />
College of Education and Professional Studies<br />
is to transform our community and expand our<br />
outreach through a commitment to excellence<br />
in education and human services, advancement<br />
of innovative research, and supporting the<br />
dedicated service of our faculty, staff, students<br />
and alumni.<br />
36 South Student<br />
Teachers Get Creative to<br />
Complete Requirements<br />
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH ALABAMA 3
MESSAGE FROM THE DEAN<br />
This past year we opened the Office of Adult Learner<br />
Services, whose mission is to support nontraditional students<br />
seeking undergraduate degrees. The Literacy Center<br />
expanded both on campus and with virtual tutoring sessions.<br />
Our graduate programs are seeing substantial growth as<br />
our faculty continue to share the exceptional opportunities<br />
we provide. Throughout the college, we carefully realigned<br />
our curriculum to better meet the needs of our constituents.<br />
Our students participated in delivering virtual and televised<br />
lessons to children, and our faculty provided exceptional<br />
professional development to thousands of educators and<br />
professionals in our region. In every area, our programs<br />
provided a depth of internship opportunities so our students<br />
are better prepared for their careers.<br />
We celebrated our graduates in the Mitchell Center<br />
in December and virtually in May. We held a college<br />
awards ceremony, countless faculty meetings and student<br />
engagement opportunities, both in person and virtually,<br />
throughout the academic year. We learned the meaning<br />
of new terms, such as social distancing and COVID-19.<br />
I am truly constantly amazed by the dedication and<br />
resilience of our <strong>CEPS</strong> family to face the opportunities<br />
that present themselves.<br />
With a heart of humbleness and gratitude,<br />
I write this message on behalf of the USA<br />
College of Education and Professional<br />
Studies faculty, staff and students.<br />
Since the 2019 fall semester, we have experienced an<br />
unprecedented year. We faced unparalleled challenges<br />
and uncertainty. However, through it all, the strength and<br />
determination of our Jaguar family has been unwavering.<br />
We continue to support each other by expanding our<br />
knowledge and abilities and refining our craft. We look<br />
forward to expanding avenues of teaching, research<br />
and development.<br />
We celebrate collective milestones and the achievements of<br />
many individuals. Importantly, we are beginning to better<br />
understand the profound magnitude of diversity, equity and<br />
inclusion. We strive to develop a community of inclusivity,<br />
where all voices are heard, valued and respected. Ultimately,<br />
we embrace challenges as opportunities as our tenacity and<br />
resilience define our collective character.<br />
In all of the unexpected happenings in life, we are thankful<br />
for each of you. We are grateful for your support — knowing<br />
that you are present and that you continue to share the<br />
message of the great work happening in the College<br />
of Education and Professional Studies. We are so very<br />
appreciative for the difference you make each day, with<br />
our faculty, staff and students, and in the community.<br />
After all, together, WE ARE the College of Education and<br />
Professional Studies.<br />
As I conclude my message, I want to share with you that<br />
on September 1, I began serving the University as interim<br />
provost and senior vice president for Academic Affairs. In the<br />
interim, I have left the college in the very capable hands of<br />
Dr. John Kovaleski. Without a doubt, the future continues to<br />
be bright for the college, as the collective power of us makes<br />
us stronger. Yes, WE ARE FAMILY! WE ARE SOUTH!<br />
Dr. Andi Kent, Dean of the College of Education and<br />
Professional Studies and Interim Provost and Senior<br />
Vice President of Academic Affairs<br />
4<br />
PILLARS | FALL <strong>2020</strong>
Get to Know<br />
Dr. John Kovaleski<br />
Dr. John Kovaleski has served the University of South<br />
Alabama for 30 years. While in the College of Education<br />
and Professional Studies, Kovaleski served as professor<br />
and chair in the Department of Health, Kinesiology, and<br />
Sport. Most recently, he served as associate dean and<br />
director of graduate studies in the college. As Dr. Andi<br />
Kent moves to her role as interim provost and senior vice<br />
president for Academic Affairs for the University, Kovaleski<br />
will serve as interim dean of the College of Education and<br />
Professional Studies.<br />
“I am excited to help further the vision and goals created<br />
by Dr. Kent through our mission of teaching and learning,<br />
advancement of knowledge through research and<br />
scholarship, and leadership in service and outreach,”<br />
Kovaleski said. “The College of Education and Professional<br />
Studies remains focused on our vital goals: to empower our<br />
students to have fulfilling careers and meaningful lives and<br />
to enhance the vitality of the communities that we serve.<br />
We will provide a premier educational experience while we<br />
implement several protocols grounded in our paramount<br />
priority—the health and safety of our students, our faculty<br />
and staff, and our campus visitors. As we proceed with<br />
the academic year, we will honor our enduring values—<br />
especially innovation and courage—while embracing<br />
these unprecedented challenges with abiding optimism in<br />
a brighter future. Many students have told us that they value<br />
the personal educational experiences that we provide at<br />
USA, where faculty and students are learning partners,<br />
no matter the challenges!”<br />
To get involved and stay connected, follow us on social<br />
media and visit southalabama.edu/colleges/ceps.<br />
@usaceps @usaceps @usaceps<br />
“THE COLLEGE OF EDUCATION AND PROFESSIONAL STUDIES<br />
REMAINS FOCUSED ON OUR VITAL GOALS: TO EMPOWER OUR STUDENTS<br />
TO HAVE FULFILLING CAREERS AND MEANINGFUL LIVES AND TO<br />
ENHANCE THE VITALITY OF THE COMMUNITIES THAT WE SERVE.”<br />
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH ALABAMA 5
STUDENTS<br />
Spotlighting<br />
Outstanding<br />
Department Student<br />
Awardees<br />
The University of South Alabama College of<br />
Education and Professional Studies faculty, staff and<br />
students were honored at the <strong>2020</strong> Spring Virtual<br />
Awards Ceremony hosted via Zoom. More than 100<br />
students, faculty, staff, friends and family attended<br />
the ceremony during the pandemic.<br />
“We are so glad everyone was able to join us virtually<br />
during challenging times,” said Dr. Andi Kent, dean<br />
of the College of Education and Professional<br />
Studies. “We have countless outstanding students,<br />
phenomenal faculty and award-winning staff. We<br />
were so excited to honor those people in a special<br />
way. It's certainly a different way than we've ever<br />
honored them before, but we could not let the<br />
spring semester end without joining together to<br />
celebrate our outstanding faculty, staff and students.”<br />
To see a full list of all student awardees, visit page<br />
8 in the magazine. Faculty and staff awardees are<br />
featured on pages 40-41.<br />
Cindy Faith<br />
Outstanding Student in<br />
Secondary Education<br />
Cindy Faith was named the <strong>2020</strong><br />
Department of Leadership and<br />
Teacher Education Outstanding<br />
Student in Secondary Education.<br />
Faith earned an alternative<br />
master’s in secondary<br />
mathematics education from<br />
the University of South Alabama.<br />
During her time at South, Faith<br />
served as a member of Kappa<br />
Delta Pi and Phi Kappa Phi. She<br />
currently teaches AP calculus<br />
and precalculus at Satsuma High<br />
School.<br />
“Many students doubt their<br />
mathematical abilities or even<br />
believe they can’t do math. I<br />
believe all students can learn<br />
math if we teachers find a<br />
means of instruction that makes<br />
it relatable, approachable and<br />
clear to them. I am passionate<br />
about teaching math because<br />
math opens doors of opportunity<br />
for students, and I want every<br />
one of my students to realize their<br />
full potential so they are able to<br />
pursue those opportunities if they<br />
so choose.”<br />
Sherrelle Martin,<br />
Outstanding Educational Media<br />
and Technology Graduate Student<br />
Nicholas Fadoir<br />
Clinical and Counseling Psychology<br />
Doctoral Program<br />
Elise Labbe Coldsmith Clinical<br />
Services Award<br />
Nicholas Fadoir received the <strong>2020</strong><br />
Department of Counseling and<br />
Instructional Sciences Clinical<br />
and Counseling Psychology<br />
Doctoral Program Elise Labbe<br />
Coldsmith Clinical Services<br />
Award. Fadoir's Ph.D. in Clinical-<br />
Counseling Psychology will be<br />
conferred at South in December<br />
2022. His area of interest include<br />
trauma, crisis and suicide risk.<br />
Fadoir has spent the last year<br />
working at the local nonprofit<br />
Veterans Recovery Resources as<br />
a psychotherapist and advocate.<br />
Additionally, he is the community<br />
research assistant for Operation<br />
Deep Dive, a nationwide study<br />
of community factors in veteran<br />
suicide. His dissertation examines<br />
psychospiritual experiences of<br />
belonging in combat veterans.<br />
“I AM PASSIONATE<br />
ABOUT HELPING PEOPLE<br />
RECLAIM A LIFE OF<br />
MEANING AND PURPOSE.”<br />
—Nicholas Fadoir<br />
“I decided to attend South for<br />
my Ph.D. to study suicide with<br />
Dr. Phillip Smith. While here,<br />
our clinical faculty have been<br />
generous to put me in positions<br />
to broaden my skills and care<br />
for a broad range of people and<br />
problems. I am passionate about<br />
helping people reclaim a life of<br />
meaning and purpose.”<br />
6<br />
PILLARS | FALL <strong>2020</strong>
Dayla Gulledge<br />
Outstanding Health and Physical<br />
Education/Teacher Certification<br />
Undergraduate Student<br />
“THE THING THAT<br />
MAKES THE COLLEGE<br />
OF EDUCATION AND<br />
PROFESSIONAL STUDIES<br />
SO UNIQUE ARE THE<br />
PEOPLE THAT HELPED<br />
ME THROUGH MY<br />
CAREER. NO MATTER<br />
WHAT, I WAS ABLE TO<br />
GO TO ANY OF THE<br />
PROFESSORS AND ASK<br />
THEM FOR HELP. ”<br />
—Dayla Gulledge<br />
Dayla Gulledge was named<br />
the <strong>2020</strong> Department of<br />
Health, Kinesiology and Sport<br />
Outstanding Health and Physical<br />
Education/Teacher Certification<br />
Undergraduate Student.<br />
Gulledge recently earned a<br />
Bachelor of Science in Physical<br />
Education P-12 Teacher<br />
Certification. During her time at<br />
South, Gulledge was a South<br />
Alabama softball student-athlete.<br />
She is currently working at the<br />
Enterprise Early Education Center.<br />
“The thing that makes the College<br />
of Education and Professional<br />
Studies so unique are the people<br />
that helped me through my career.<br />
No matter what, I was able to go<br />
to any of the professors and ask<br />
them for help. They were always<br />
willing to answer any question I<br />
had whether it was big or small.<br />
Watching Dr. Holden teach each<br />
of her classes helped me to see<br />
that I not only wanted to teach,<br />
but I wanted to inspire and impact<br />
future generations just like her.”<br />
Destin Sims<br />
Hospitality and Tourism<br />
Management Outstanding<br />
Undergraduate Student<br />
Destin Sims was named the<br />
<strong>2020</strong> Department of Hospitality<br />
and Tourism Management<br />
Outstanding Undergraduate<br />
Student. Sims recently earned<br />
a bachelor's in hospitality and<br />
tourism management. During his<br />
time at South, Sims was a member<br />
of the USA HTM Club, HTM<br />
Ambassador Program, National<br />
Society of Collegiate Scholars and<br />
Golden Key International Honor<br />
Society, all while maintaining<br />
a 4.0 GPA. Sims is a recipient<br />
of the Alabama Travel Council<br />
Scholarship, which is awarded<br />
at the Governor's Conference on<br />
Tourism each summer. Sims plans<br />
to continue working at Wind Creek<br />
Casino in Atmore and was offered<br />
a job in the human resources<br />
department after graduation.<br />
“I decided to study at South<br />
because not only is it close to<br />
home, but it felt like home. It’s<br />
been an honor to have the ability<br />
to graduate from USA. Apart from<br />
classwork, Professor Donaldson<br />
pushed me past my limits in my<br />
work ethic and has always been<br />
able to give me advice through<br />
her experiences that have made a<br />
remarkable change in my life. She<br />
also inspired me through my class<br />
work as she is working towards<br />
her Ph.D. while still teaching."<br />
Molly Hare<br />
Outstanding PASSAGE<br />
USA Student<br />
Molly Hare was named the <strong>2020</strong><br />
Department of Leadership and<br />
Teacher Education Outstanding<br />
PASSAGE USA Student. Hare<br />
earned a certificate as a<br />
graduate of PASSAGE USA<br />
(Preparing All Students Socially<br />
and Academically for Gainful<br />
Employment), a two-year, nondegree,<br />
certificate program. This<br />
program is designed for students<br />
who need extra support to be<br />
successful in our community.<br />
During her time at South, Hare<br />
served as a member of the Civitan<br />
Club. She hopes to soon find a job<br />
working with kids or animals.<br />
“THE PASSAGE USA<br />
PROGRAM WAS<br />
CREATED TO MAKE<br />
PEOPLE LIKE ME WITH<br />
SPECIAL NEEDS BECOME<br />
AS INDEPENDENT<br />
AS POSSIBLE, TO<br />
HOPEFULLY LIVE<br />
INDEPENDENTLY, TO<br />
FIND A JOB I LOVE, OR<br />
IF NOT, THEN LOOK FOR<br />
ANOTHER, BECAUSE<br />
I AM CAPABLE.”<br />
—Molly Hare<br />
“The PASSAGE USA program<br />
was created to make people<br />
like me with special needs<br />
become as independent as<br />
possible, to hopefully live<br />
independently, to find a job I love,<br />
or if not, then look for another,<br />
because I am capable.”<br />
Victoria Reese<br />
Outstanding Educational<br />
Studies Student<br />
Victoria Reese was named the<br />
<strong>2020</strong> Department of Integrative<br />
Studies Outstanding Educational<br />
Studies Student. Reese is pursuing<br />
a bachelor's in educational<br />
studies with a concentration<br />
in teaching and learning and<br />
a minor in psychology. Reese<br />
hopes to become a doula,<br />
which is a professional who<br />
provides emotional, physical and<br />
educational support to a mother<br />
who is expecting, experiencing<br />
labor or recently given birth. She<br />
is also very interested in juvenile<br />
justice organizations. During her<br />
time at South, Reese has served<br />
as a member of USA Spectrum.<br />
“Studying at South allowed me<br />
to be close to family during<br />
college. I am passionate about<br />
educational studies because I<br />
believe children are our largest<br />
investment. Educating them to be<br />
well-rounded people gives them<br />
the best chance to live up to the<br />
greatest potential.”<br />
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH ALABAMA 7
<strong>2020</strong> Student Awardees<br />
COUNSELING AND<br />
INSTRUCTIONAL<br />
SCIENCES<br />
Outstanding Clinical<br />
and Counseling Psychology<br />
Doctoral Student<br />
Nicholas Borgogna<br />
Clinical and Counseling<br />
Psychology Doctoral Program<br />
Elise Labbe Coldsmith Clinical<br />
Services Award<br />
Nicholas Fadoir<br />
Clinical and Counseling<br />
Psychology Doctoral Program<br />
Jennnifer Langhinrichsen-<br />
Rohling Clinical Services Award<br />
Dawn Greathouse<br />
Dr. Chandru Hiremath<br />
Memorial Award Instructional<br />
Design and Development Ph.D.<br />
Student of the Year<br />
Shelitha McKissick<br />
Dr. John E. Morrow Sr.<br />
Memorial Award Instructional<br />
Design and Development<br />
Master’s Student of the Year<br />
Brandy Rhodes<br />
Outstanding Clinical Mental<br />
Health Counseling (M.S.)<br />
Graduate Student<br />
Laura Anderson<br />
Outstanding School Counseling<br />
(M.Ed.) Graduate Student<br />
Melissa Haddix<br />
Outstanding Educational<br />
Media - Library (M.Ed.)<br />
Graduate Student<br />
Aletha Schultze<br />
Outstanding Educational<br />
Media and Technology (M.S.)<br />
Graduate Student<br />
Sherrelle Martin<br />
HEALTH, KINESIOLOGY,<br />
AND SPORT<br />
Outstanding Exercise Science<br />
Graduate Student<br />
Alyssa Zediker<br />
Outstanding Exercise Science<br />
Undergraduate Students<br />
Caroline “Anna” Griffith<br />
Andrew Theodore<br />
Outstanding Health<br />
and Physical Education/<br />
Teacher Certification<br />
Undergraduate Student<br />
Dayla Gulledge<br />
Outstanding Sport and<br />
Recreation Management<br />
Undergraduate Student<br />
Jason Felts<br />
Outstanding Sports<br />
Management Graduate Student<br />
Ashlee James<br />
Outstanding Therapeutic<br />
Recreation Undergraduate<br />
Student<br />
Lilana Klinger<br />
HOSPITALITY AND<br />
TOURISM MANAGEMENT<br />
Outstanding Undergraduate<br />
Student<br />
Destin Sims<br />
Outstanding Intern of the Year<br />
Harrison Santini<br />
INTEGRATIVE STUDIES<br />
Outstanding Interdisciplinary<br />
Studies Student<br />
Judy Lynn Getty<br />
Outstanding Educational<br />
Studies Student<br />
Victoria Reese<br />
LEADERSHIP AND<br />
TEACHER EDUCATION<br />
Outstanding K-6 Teacher<br />
Education Student Teacher<br />
Dynae Orso<br />
Outstanding K-12 Leadership<br />
Master’s Student<br />
Lydia Edmonds<br />
Outstanding Graduate Student -<br />
Elementary Education<br />
Kayla Cooper<br />
Outstanding Graduate Student -<br />
Special Education (M.Ed.)<br />
Laura Taylor<br />
Outstanding Graduate Student -<br />
Special Education (Alt M.Ed.)<br />
Jonathan “Todd” Cross<br />
Outstanding Higher Education<br />
Leadership Master’s Student<br />
Heath Marker<br />
Outstanding PASSAGE<br />
USA Student<br />
Molly Hare<br />
Outstanding Secondary<br />
Education Student Teacher<br />
Raven McShan<br />
Outstanding Student -<br />
Secondary Education<br />
Cindy Faith<br />
Outstanding Undergraduate<br />
Student K-6 Teacher Education<br />
Gillianne Sharp<br />
Outstanding Undergraduate<br />
Student-Special Education 6-12<br />
Shawn Schlumpf<br />
Ashlee James, Outstanding Sports<br />
Management Graduate Student<br />
8<br />
PILLARS | FALL <strong>2020</strong>
Supporting Students as<br />
One Team in One Location<br />
Advising Center and<br />
Student Services<br />
Any question, big or small, the University of South Alabama<br />
College of Education and Professional Studies Office of<br />
Student Services and the Advising Center are here to help.<br />
Current, returning and prospective students can schedule<br />
appointments throughout the year.<br />
During the past summer, Student Services, which maintains<br />
student academic records, relocated to share the same<br />
office suite as the college’s Advising Center. The Office<br />
of Field Services, which administers the placements of<br />
clinical field experiences for graduate and undergraduate<br />
candidates, is now located in Student Services' old office, in<br />
the lobby at the main entrance of the college’s building.<br />
“No one likes having their call transferred from office to<br />
office or arriving at an office and then learning they are in<br />
the wrong place,” said Josh Wooden, who is now serving<br />
as executive director of Student Services for the College of<br />
Education and Professional Studies. “Having the Advising<br />
Center and Student Services in the same space makes the<br />
experience more efficient for our students. In addition, the<br />
staff in each of these offices brings a wealth of knowledge<br />
that will create a tremendous resource in one location, not<br />
only for our students, but also for other staff and faculty in<br />
our college.”<br />
The two offices now working as a team in one space<br />
will provide academic advising and serve as the hub<br />
for processing academic requests for the college. These<br />
requests include grade replacements, transient requests,<br />
change of major, graduation applications, credit<br />
modification/substitution, TEACH grants, VA benefits<br />
verification, candidacy applications and all requests related<br />
to teacher certification. In short, if a student has questions<br />
and does not know where to go, the staff can help.<br />
Wooden has worked at the College of Education and<br />
Professional Studies for more than nine years. Most recently,<br />
he served as supervisor of the Advising Center, and while in<br />
that position, became the certification officer for the college.<br />
Jamie Lett, Graduate Academic<br />
Records Specialist<br />
27 Years of Service<br />
Why are you passionate about<br />
serving students? I very much enjoy<br />
helping students reach their goals.<br />
What is your goal for this year?<br />
Admit more and more students each<br />
semester!<br />
For a new student at South, how<br />
would you explain what your area<br />
has to offer? If I do not know<br />
the answer, I can find the answer to<br />
any problem!<br />
Fun fact: I play tennis on several local<br />
teams and enjoy it very much.<br />
Josh Wooden,<br />
Executive Director<br />
of Student Services<br />
Kathy Beck,<br />
Academic Records Supervisor<br />
32 Years of Service<br />
Why are you passionate about<br />
serving students? It is exciting to<br />
work in a university setting and see<br />
students be educated to become the<br />
employee/employers of the future, who<br />
will serve productively for the benefit<br />
of their families, our community, our<br />
nation and globally.<br />
How would you explain what your<br />
office has to offer? A place where<br />
students can get answers, to help<br />
them navigate through their<br />
curriculum successfully, and where<br />
they can find out the “how tos” during<br />
their college years.<br />
Fun fact: I love any projects<br />
around the house, especially chalkpainting<br />
furniture.<br />
Stephanie Darst, Academic<br />
Records Specialist<br />
Seven Years of Service<br />
Why are you passionate about<br />
serving students?<br />
They are the future.<br />
Why are you excited about the<br />
advising center and student<br />
services working more closely as<br />
a team, and how will this benefit<br />
students? We are a one-stop office<br />
for student information. Students<br />
receive information from advisors<br />
at the front end of their academic<br />
career, and Student Services provides<br />
information about graduation and<br />
teacher certification at the end of their<br />
time here.<br />
Fun fact: I enjoy gardening and<br />
keeping chickens.<br />
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH ALABAMA 9
“Education is powerful and transformational for individuals<br />
and communities,” Wooden said. “Throughout my career<br />
in higher education, I have had the privilege of witnessing<br />
this firsthand. South is committed to helping our students<br />
succeed, and I am proud to contribute to that mission.”<br />
During Wooden’s time at South, the Advising Center shifted<br />
from operating as a reactionary unit to a proactive unit.<br />
“Before, the Advising Center waited for students to initiate<br />
contact, and now we conduct numerous outreach<br />
campaigns each semester,” Wooden said. “This is largely<br />
aided by the purchase of new technology by the University<br />
that allows for digital notes, online appointment scheduling<br />
and campaign coordination.”<br />
In addition to the changes in technology and outreach,<br />
the Advising Center also facilitated the creation of fouryear<br />
graduation plans for all <strong>CEPS</strong> majors. “In each<br />
appointment, students now work with their advisor to create<br />
an academic plan that outlines all remaining classes and<br />
in which semester they plan to take them,” Wooden said.<br />
“In correlation with these improvements, we have seen an<br />
increase in the number of students returning each semester<br />
and an increase in the number of students graduating.”<br />
The pandemic and subsequent shift to online operations<br />
caused the two offices to evaluate and revise many forms,<br />
applications and processes. Their goal will be to continue<br />
exploring how to provide services more efficiently and be<br />
more accessible for students.<br />
Jennifer Fillingim, Credentials<br />
and Degree Analyst I<br />
13 Years of Service<br />
Over the past several years, how<br />
have you seen your area evolve<br />
and improve? I’ve enjoyed working<br />
in Student Services mainly because<br />
of the great group of people I work<br />
with. We all seem to have a common<br />
goal to be effective in helping students<br />
succeed.<br />
Why are you excited about the<br />
advising center and student<br />
services working more closely<br />
as a team? I’m hopeful that in<br />
combining our two departments we<br />
will be able to continue to provide<br />
a place where students know they<br />
can come for accurate answers and<br />
information. If we don’t know the<br />
answer, we will point them in the right<br />
direction.<br />
Fun fact: I enjoy gardening, mostly<br />
flowers, and yard work, especially<br />
in these last few months. I also love<br />
to read, knit and sew. I have made<br />
over 100 masks and mailed them to<br />
family and friends in North and South<br />
Carolina, Texas and Louisiana.<br />
Sally Morris,<br />
Academic Advising Coordinator<br />
Nine Years of Service<br />
Advises: Exercise Science, Health<br />
Education, Health (Non-Teaching),<br />
Physical Education, Sport and<br />
Recreation Management, Therapeutic<br />
Recreation<br />
Why are you passionate about<br />
serving students? My positive<br />
experiences with staff at South as an<br />
undergraduate student ultimately<br />
led me to want to work in higher<br />
education, but it’s the students I serve<br />
now that keep me. I celebrate with my<br />
students when they pass a challenging<br />
class, work hard and raise their GPA,<br />
and ultimately when they cross the<br />
stage at graduation.<br />
For a new student at South, how<br />
would you explain what your area<br />
has to offer? The Advising Center<br />
is your liaison to the rest of campus.<br />
If a student doesn’t know when to<br />
register for classes, how to approach<br />
a professor, or why they are in a<br />
particular course, we are here to help.<br />
Fun fact: I enjoy traveling and<br />
spending time with my family.<br />
Pamela James, Academic Advisor<br />
23 Years of Service<br />
Advises: K-6 Teacher Education,<br />
Secondary Education, Special<br />
Education, Early Childhood Studies,<br />
Educational Studies<br />
Over the past several years,<br />
how have you seen your area<br />
evolve and improve?<br />
I’ve seen more recognition in<br />
the importance of how academic<br />
advising provides the required student<br />
support and how that support impacts<br />
students’ academic success.<br />
What is your goal for this year?<br />
The COVID-19 pandemic has definitely<br />
required adjustments to how academic<br />
advising is conducted. So, the goal<br />
for the future would have to include<br />
improving and utilizing more<br />
virtually technological approaches to<br />
academic advising to continue meeting<br />
the needs of our students.<br />
Fun fact: I enjoy vacationing with my<br />
family in the happiest place on earth.<br />
Diane Harvey, Academic Advisor<br />
12 Years of Service<br />
Advises: Department of Hospitality<br />
and Tourism Management,<br />
Interdisciplinary Studies<br />
Why are you passionate about<br />
serving students? I returned to<br />
school after many years not knowing<br />
if I could make it or not. But, I<br />
proved to myself I could! Earning my<br />
degrees gave me a sense of pride and<br />
confidence. This is what motivates me<br />
to give back to my students. I feel that I<br />
am my students’ cheerleader and guide.<br />
What is your goal for this year<br />
as we continue to look at the<br />
future? My goals this year are to<br />
learn how to listen and relate to my<br />
students more effectively and continue<br />
to improve my technology skills.<br />
Fun fact: I enjoy traveling, gardening<br />
and watching movies!<br />
10<br />
PILLARS | FALL <strong>2020</strong>
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT<br />
An Update from<br />
Dr. Andre Green<br />
Dr. Andre Green, who previously served as associate dean<br />
in the College of Education and Professional Studies, was<br />
recently promoted to the role of associate vice president for<br />
Academic Affairs at the University of South Alabama.<br />
“This opportunity represents a new challenge in my<br />
professional career,” Green said. “The College of Education<br />
and Professional Studies has been good to me, I have<br />
been good to it, and that will never change. I’ve had<br />
the opportunity to hold several leadership positions in<br />
the college, including chair of Leadership and Teacher<br />
Education and associate dean of the college. All of those<br />
experiences, both good and bad, have prepared me for my<br />
new role as associate vice president for Academic Affairs.<br />
The College of Education and Professional Studies will<br />
always be near and dear to me, as I grew up in the college<br />
and learned so much during my tenure.”<br />
Green began his career at South as an assistant professor.<br />
He was promoted to the rank of associate professor in 2012,<br />
to professor in 2015 and served as chair of the Department<br />
of Leadership and Teacher Education. Green is recognized<br />
in the field of STEM pedagogy, receiving more than $6<br />
million in grants and contracts during the most recent fiscal<br />
year and more than $35 million over the course of<br />
his career, including numerous awards from the National<br />
Science Foundation and the Alabama State Department<br />
of Education. While in his role as associate dean, the<br />
college enjoyed its most successful year, garnering more<br />
than $12.9 million.<br />
As associate vice president, Green will continue to<br />
oversee the development of the Center for Integrative<br />
Studies in Science, Technology, Engineering and<br />
Mathematics (CISSTEM), which facilitates interdisciplinary<br />
pedagogical research in STEM fields. CISSTEM is designed<br />
to be a University-based center for integrating research<br />
and innovation in the teaching and learning of science,<br />
technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).<br />
CISSTEM supports partnerships among higher education,<br />
local education agencies, the business community,<br />
local philanthropies, and government and human<br />
service agencies to align the unique expertise and<br />
capabilities of the partners to create an infrastructure that<br />
will foster innovative teaching and promote learning in the<br />
STEM disciplines.<br />
In his new role, Green also serves as liaison with the Office<br />
of Research and Economic Development to facilitate other<br />
research initiatives throughout the University. He also works<br />
with the Office of Grants and Contracts Accounting to<br />
facilitate timely and compliant post-award administration of<br />
Grants and Contracts<br />
funded research projects. Green has also taken over several<br />
duties previously assigned to Dr. Harold Pardue, dean of the<br />
Graduate School and associate vice president for Academic<br />
Affairs. These responsibilities include administration of<br />
special academic withdrawal requests, undergraduate<br />
student complaints, grade grievances, course fee proposal<br />
reviews, and University curriculum changes.<br />
The USA College of Education and Professional Studies is<br />
excited that Dr. James Stefurak, newly appointed interim<br />
associate dean, will provide leadership for the College of<br />
Education and Professional Studies' Office of Grants and<br />
Contracts. Stefurak has worked at South for more than 13<br />
years, most recently serving as chair of the Department of<br />
Counseling and Instructional Sciences.<br />
“Dr. Green’s efforts, in terms of his own grant-making and<br />
in service of helping College of Education and Professional<br />
Studies faculty develop and pursue grants, have been<br />
a historic achievement within the college,” Stefurak said.<br />
“The college has made significant progress on expanding<br />
its research, grantmaking and community partnership<br />
capacities under Dr. Green’s stewardship. I hope to maintain<br />
and increase the college’s achievements in this area in my<br />
new role as interim associate dean.”<br />
To learn more about Stefurak and his most recent<br />
community partnership, visit page 24.<br />
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH ALABAMA 11
Williamson Prep<br />
Academy Partnership<br />
When the College of Education and Professional Studies<br />
began a partnership with Williamson Preparatory Academy,<br />
Dr. Paige Vitulli had no idea it would lead to a personal<br />
connection with a Mobile middle-schooler.<br />
The college’s Diversity Council began with questions about<br />
how University of South Alabama educators could best<br />
collaborate with Williamson Prep teachers. Resources<br />
included community groups such as Big Brothers Big Sisters<br />
of South Alabama.<br />
“That was something that really got my attention,” Vitulli said.<br />
“I liked the idea of focusing on one child. I thought that was a<br />
natural fit for me.”<br />
<strong>CEPS</strong> Diversity Council<br />
Dr. Joél Lewis Billingsley, head of the Diversity Council,<br />
said the program started with the idea for a longterm<br />
partnership with a single school. South educators<br />
approached the Mobile County Public School System, which<br />
suggested Williamson Prep, a middle school located in the<br />
Maysville neighborhood south of Ladd-Peebles Stadium.<br />
Much of the first year was spent getting to know the school<br />
faculty. Professors were paired with teachers for regular<br />
visits. They brought goodie bags, professional support and<br />
plenty of questions.<br />
First priority was finding agreement on the most important<br />
needs of the school.<br />
“ONE OF THE THINGS SHE’LL TALK<br />
TO ME ABOUT IS THE VALUE OF HER<br />
EDUCATION,” VITULLI SAID.<br />
“SHE WOULD POINT OUT WHEN<br />
SHE THOUGHT SOMETHING WAS GOING<br />
RIGHT IN A CLASSROOM, AND WHEN<br />
SOMETHING WASN’T. SHE’S VERY<br />
INDEPENDENT, AND I THINK THAT’S<br />
ONE OF HER BEST QUALITIES.”<br />
Vitulli once taught elementary school and has two adult<br />
daughters. Big Brothers Big Sisters of South Alabama<br />
matched her with a sixth-grader named Andre’a. What<br />
started with weekly meetings at Williamson has become a<br />
bond with a ninth-grader getting ready to start high school.<br />
They share selfies and stories about their lives and family.<br />
Lighter topics include food and music. Vitulli went to some of<br />
her middle school basketball games. They worked through<br />
her frustration in math class.<br />
“One of the things she’ll talk to me about is the value of<br />
her education,” Vitulli said. “She would point out when she<br />
thought something was going right in a classroom, and<br />
when something wasn’t. She’s very independent, and I think<br />
that’s one of her best qualities. She’s very stubborn, and I<br />
love it when she’s stubborn about the right things.”<br />
“It’s really important to use the word collaboration,”<br />
said Lewis Billingsley. “We knew we wanted to learn<br />
from Williamson, too. We made sure that’s what we asked<br />
for when we approached the school.”<br />
Kirven Lang, principal of Williamson Prep, has worked with<br />
many different organizations and agencies in Mobile. Some<br />
of them came and went. He liked what he heard from South<br />
about a long-term commitment to his school.<br />
“A partnership is always a two-way street,” Lang said.<br />
“They were asking us what we needed and how we could<br />
be successful.”<br />
When it came to tutoring and one-on-one reading sessions,<br />
South educators had a specific request.<br />
12<br />
PILLARS | FALL <strong>2020</strong>
They wanted a classroom. A home for the program.<br />
Lang was happy to oblige. “It wasn’t the best-looking<br />
room,” he said, laughing, “but they came in and made it<br />
into something.”<br />
That space became the Jaguar-Lion Den, named for the<br />
mascots of South and Williamson. The walls got a fresh coat<br />
of paint. A sorority on campus donated rugs and furniture to<br />
make it cozy and welcoming. Students went in for extra work<br />
on subjects where they needed help.<br />
Christopher Lang, a former teacher at Williamson, thought<br />
the Den made a difference. It looked like an investment in<br />
the school. Something new, something different, something<br />
special.<br />
“They had a room designed just for the kids,” he said. “They<br />
could develop more personal relationships. It also gave the<br />
kids an incentive, something to look forward to, and more<br />
accountability as well.”<br />
Each year, South and Williamson educators met to reevaluate<br />
needs at the middle school. It became an ongoing<br />
conversation. They became more comfortable and<br />
confident in working together.<br />
“Being patient enough to emphasize the relationship was<br />
important,” said Lewis Billingsley. “You want to get in there<br />
and do something right away, but we needed to go in, listen<br />
to the teachers and learn what we wanted to do.”<br />
At Williamson, students and teachers got used to seeing<br />
professors from South. They were less like visitors and more<br />
like colleagues. They brought along college students who<br />
worked in the tutoring program. The partnership expanded.<br />
Professors from the College of Arts and Sciences went to<br />
Williamson with a Girls in Math program for middle school<br />
students. An engineering professor brought a working robot<br />
to school for a demonstration.<br />
Student leaders at Williamson, meanwhile, were invited<br />
to South for campus tours and meetings with students<br />
and faculty.<br />
Dr. Andi Kent, dean of the College of Education and<br />
Professional Studies, said she’s more than satisfied with the<br />
Williamson partnership. It’s a continuing investment in the<br />
community. She remains committed to working with the<br />
Mobile middle school.<br />
“We had to earn the trust of the faculty and students,” Kent<br />
said. “We had to show that we meant what we said and this<br />
was going to be a long-term project. It’s been very powerful,<br />
but it didn’t happen overnight. It’s been gradual.”<br />
While helping Williamson students and teachers, South<br />
professors are bringing back practical knowledge and<br />
experience. Lessons from middle school. They benefit, too,<br />
from this two-way street.<br />
“That’s the inside goal,” Kent said. “It helps us learn and<br />
understand how different communities work.”<br />
Vitulli, along with a few other South professors, has enjoyed<br />
her experience with Big Brothers Big Sisters. They’re working<br />
with the organization to continue their relationships with<br />
students after they leave middle school.<br />
The coronavirus pandemic has become a concern in recent<br />
months. This is true for the overall partnership, as well as<br />
individual relationships.<br />
Vitulli has written Andre’a a few letters, and they’ve met<br />
in person. The little sister is now taller than the big sister.<br />
They share ideas for her future. They talk about family and<br />
neighborhoods, music lyrics and social justice. College<br />
remains a goal. Schoolwork is important. Grades make a<br />
difference.<br />
“I’ve been so thrilled watching her grow,” Vitulli said. “In<br />
parallel with Lewis Billingsley’s goal for the South-Williamson<br />
partnership, my goal with Andre’a is to create a long-term<br />
relationship with a single student.” Each teaches the other<br />
much about life. The important part is to listen.<br />
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH ALABAMA 13
Program Promotes<br />
a Culture of Family<br />
The Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program,<br />
funded by the National Science Foundation in the USA<br />
College of Education and Professional Studies, seeks to<br />
encourage talented science, technology, engineering<br />
and mathematics (STEM) majors and professionals to<br />
become K-12 mathematics and science teachers. The<br />
program provides funds to institutions of higher education<br />
to support scholarships, stipends and academic programs<br />
for undergraduate STEM majors and post-baccalaureate<br />
students holding STEM degrees who commit to teaching in<br />
high-need K-12 school districts.<br />
“The U.S. continues to suffer a deficit of qualified teachers<br />
of mathematics and science,” said Dr. Susan Ferguson,<br />
Department of Leadership and Teacher Education<br />
secondary program coordinator and programs advisor who<br />
serves as the Noyce project director. "The Robert Noyce<br />
Pathway to Mathematics and Pathway to Science programs<br />
help undergraduate STEM majors decide whether a career<br />
in education is something they want to pursue by providing<br />
a pre-residency experience wherein they shadow mentor<br />
teachers to see what the classroom looks like from the<br />
educator perspective.”<br />
Those who complete the pre-residency experience interview<br />
before a panel to be selected to receive funding for their<br />
alternative master’s in education in mathematics or science.<br />
Noyce scholars become part of a cohort that completes<br />
the graduate program in four semesters with support from<br />
faculty, local educators and Noyce alumni.<br />
“The total package is around $30,000 to pay for a graduate<br />
program and provides a stipend for students to use toward<br />
living expenses and materials,” Ferguson said. “In return,<br />
scholars teach for three years in a high-needs school.<br />
Schools get to employ highly qualified teachers, while<br />
educators complete their program debt free.”<br />
Peyton Barlow (pictured over, top) is currently pursuing<br />
an alternative master’s in secondary education with a<br />
concentration in mathematics through the Noyce Scholars<br />
Program. She plans to graduate in May 2021. Barlow<br />
graduated with a bachelor’s in meteorology from South in<br />
May 2019.<br />
“I had reached out to one of my meteorology professors<br />
about potentially transitioning to education after<br />
graduating,” Barlow said. “He saw a listing in the USA Daily<br />
Digest about the Noyce program in April 2018 and sent it to<br />
me. I emailed Dr. Ferguson and the rest is history.”<br />
Barlow is originally from the Mobile area, and she<br />
encourages others to consider the Noyce program.<br />
Noyce Scholars Program<br />
“If you think your heart belongs in the classroom, but you<br />
do not have a traditional education background, I would<br />
encourage you to look into the Noyce program,” Barlow said.<br />
“You can participate in a pre-residency the semester before<br />
the program would be set to begin, without any major<br />
obligations after, to see if this is something you'd like<br />
to pursue.”<br />
Barlow is thankful for all the experiences the Noyce program<br />
has provided so far. “The Noyce Scholars program has<br />
provided me the opportunity to go back to school to receive<br />
an education without having to worry about finances,”<br />
Barlow said. “I was hesitant about going back to receive<br />
another degree, but the transition to my alternative master's<br />
program has been easy thanks to the Noyce program. The<br />
past Noyce students, math and science, are a family and<br />
are incredibly supportive of those currently going through<br />
the program.”<br />
“IF YOU THINK YOUR HEART<br />
BELONGS IN THE CLASSROOM,<br />
BUT YOU DO NOT HAVE A TRADITIONAL<br />
EDUCATION BACKGROUND, I WOULD<br />
ENCOURAGE YOU TO LOOK INTO<br />
THE NOYCE PROGRAM.”<br />
Pamela McPherson (pictured over, bottom) graduated in<br />
May <strong>2020</strong> as a Noyce Scholar and earned an alternative<br />
master’s in secondary education with a concentration in<br />
general science. Prior to going back to school in August 2018,<br />
McPherson owned a local swim school where she taught<br />
the Infant Swimming Resource program.<br />
“After deciding on a career change, I met with Dr. Susan<br />
Ferguson to decide if the education program at South was<br />
right for me,” McPherson said. “At that time, I knew that I<br />
was a teacher at heart, and I was pretty sure I wanted to be<br />
a secondary STEM educator. Dr. Ferguson explained that<br />
the Noyce scholarship would pay for my entire education.<br />
I loved the classroom experience, and I committed to the<br />
Noyce program the following semester.”<br />
McPherson returned to the chemistry classroom at South<br />
almost 20 years after she graduated the first time. She<br />
earned a bachelor’s in chemistry in 2001, and after<br />
graduation, she worked as an environmental consultant<br />
for nine years.<br />
14<br />
PILLARS | FALL <strong>2020</strong>
“It felt so surreal being in the classroom<br />
again,” McPherson said. “But, my<br />
chemistry professors made me feel at<br />
home, again, and they really helped<br />
me deepen my understanding of<br />
chemistry. The science content that<br />
I will be teaching in the classroom<br />
can be learned from a book, but the<br />
kindness and empathy that a teacher<br />
shows their students can only be<br />
learned from experience. Dr. Guffey<br />
showed me what it means to be a<br />
cheerleader and advocate for my<br />
students. She made me feel like my<br />
successes were hers too, and I want my<br />
future students to feel cared for and<br />
supported like I did while attending this<br />
program.”<br />
McPherson said Dr. Andre Green<br />
and Ferguson have created a “Noyce<br />
family” that she is proud and honored<br />
to be part of. “It is clear that they share<br />
a passion for educating teachers,<br />
particularly in the STEM field. And that<br />
passion is contagious.”<br />
“If any student is interested in becoming<br />
a Noyce Scholar, they should know that<br />
the education program is intense, but<br />
the support that you will receive makes<br />
it all worth it,” McPherson said. “I am<br />
thankful for the mentors and friends<br />
that I have come to know as part of<br />
this program. I now have a plethora<br />
of friends with big minds and even<br />
bigger hearts that I can call on if I need<br />
anything at all.” McPherson began her<br />
teaching career at Baker High School<br />
this fall.<br />
Anthony Thames (pictured middle)<br />
earned a master's in secondary<br />
education with a concentration in<br />
mathematics from USA in 2015 as<br />
part of the Noyce Scholars program.<br />
Thames graduated from South with a<br />
bachelor's degree in chemistry in 2013.<br />
“After I graduated, Dr. Forbes, who<br />
was the chemistry department chair<br />
at the time, saw me kind of struggling<br />
with what to do after I graduated with<br />
my chemistry degree,” Thames said.<br />
“He told me about a program that<br />
Dr. Andre Green was leading in the<br />
College of Education and Professional<br />
Studies. Dr. Forbes sent an introductory<br />
“IT FELT SO SURREAL<br />
BEING IN THE CLASSROOM<br />
AGAIN,” MCPHERSON SAID.<br />
“BUT, MY CHEMISTRY<br />
PROFESSORS MADE ME<br />
FEEL AT HOME, AGAIN.”<br />
For information on how to get<br />
started, contact Noyce Project<br />
Director Dr. Susan Ferguson at<br />
ferguson@southalabama.edu.<br />
email to Dr. Green, and from there,<br />
Dr. Green recruited me to the Noyce<br />
Scholars program.”<br />
Thames said he was called to teach.<br />
“It's funny because all while I was in<br />
undergrad, my grandfather used to<br />
tell me all of the time that ‘you love<br />
kids and you love math, why not get<br />
into teaching,’” Thames said. “And I<br />
would always reject the idea because<br />
‘teachers don't make a lot of money.’<br />
As I got older, I started to realize that<br />
I loved helping my fellow students.<br />
I loved teaching chemistry labs. I<br />
loved tutoring, and I loved working<br />
with young people. Then a light bulb<br />
just kind of came on, and I said ‘Why<br />
not get into teaching,’ just like my<br />
grandfather said.”<br />
Since graduating as a Noyce Scholar<br />
from South, Thames has taught<br />
at Baker High School (2015-2017);<br />
Hazelwood East High School in<br />
Spanish Lake, Mo. (2017-2018); and<br />
Webster Groves High School in Webster<br />
Groves, Mo. (2018-<strong>2020</strong>).<br />
“The Noyce program provided me with<br />
the teaching skills I needed," Thames<br />
said. "My undergraduate degree<br />
gave me the content knowledge that I<br />
needed for math. The Noyce program<br />
showed me how to take that content<br />
knowledge and become not just a<br />
teacher, but a great teacher.” Thames<br />
was mentored by several professors<br />
that he’s still in touch with today.<br />
“Dr. Andre Green and Dr. Susan<br />
Ferguson were definitely great<br />
mentors to me while I was in the<br />
program, and they both continue to<br />
be great resources for me to this day,”<br />
Thames said. “Dr. Green just has a way<br />
of having those difficult, very honest<br />
conversations with you, but he does<br />
it in a way that leaves you feeling<br />
empowered and encouraged, not<br />
defeated. Dr. Ferguson did a great<br />
job of bringing everyone together,<br />
and she made sure that we all<br />
fellowshipped together. You are not<br />
just applying for a program. You are<br />
applying to a family.”<br />
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH ALABAMA 15
SARIC Aids Teachers<br />
in Distance Learning<br />
At the South Alabama Research and Inservice Center, the<br />
coronavirus pandemic has brought new urgency to online<br />
support for teachers and distance learning for their students.<br />
“We were dipping our toes in online professional learning at<br />
the beginning,” said Dr. Stephanie Hulon, director of SARIC,<br />
“but COVID-19 is forcing us to say, ‘We just want to help.<br />
How can we help?’”<br />
SARIC, which was established by the state legislature in<br />
1984, is one of 11 regional centers in the state. It serves<br />
more 8,000 public school educators in southern Alabama<br />
and is funded through a grant from the Alabama State<br />
Department of Education.<br />
Across the state, kindergarten through high school teachers<br />
had to begin teaching classes online. Many turned for<br />
help to SARIC courses featuring faculty from the University<br />
of South Alabama College of Education and Professional<br />
Studies. For one April session, “Early Literacy and Online<br />
Learning,” 158 educators logged into a Zoom session. Dr.<br />
Lauren Brannan, a South assistant professor of leadership<br />
and teacher education, zipped through an hour-long survey<br />
of tips, programs and teaching techniques. On her computer<br />
screen, she shared ways to use interactive whiteboard apps<br />
such as ShowMe, Educreations and Google Classroom.<br />
“Some of you rock stars are creating all of your own online<br />
content,” she said. “That’s amazing. I’m hoping today you<br />
can add to your toolbox for teaching online.”<br />
Dr. Andre Green, the principal investigator for SARIC at<br />
South, can see the coronavirus pushing educators out of<br />
their comfort zones. Change can be challenging. In the long<br />
South Alabama<br />
Research and<br />
Inservice Center<br />
“I HATE THAT IT’S HAPPENED<br />
LIKE THIS, BUT YOU CAN SEE<br />
THE POSSIBILITIES.”<br />
run, that might be a good thing. “We wouldn’t be doing<br />
what we’re doing without the pandemic,” he said. “I hate<br />
that it’s happened like this, but you can see the possibilities.”<br />
Dr. Pamela Moore, an assistant professor of counseling and<br />
instructional sciences, worried that new technology and<br />
working from home will overwhelm some teachers.<br />
She preaches time management and self care. “When it<br />
gets to be 24/7, that’s not sustainable,” Moore said. “I catch<br />
myself doing it, working on an iPad around the house. I<br />
should not be sending emails at 11 o’clock at night. No.”<br />
Stan Stokley, principal at Saraland Elementary School,<br />
appreciates the convenience of online SARIC classes<br />
for his teachers. He participated in a Zoom training session<br />
with a South professor.<br />
“There’s no substitute for that one-on-one relationship with<br />
student and teacher,” Stokley said. “This has been hard for<br />
us. It’s hard to keep the attention of an 8-year-old in front of<br />
a computer screen at home.”<br />
National Board for Professional<br />
Teaching Standards Support<br />
The South Alabama Research and Inservice Center provides support for educators<br />
pursuing national board certification. Monthly sessions were held last school year in<br />
three areas within Region 10 including the North National Board Certified Teacher<br />
(NBCT) Cohort meeting at Jackson Intermediate School; the Central NBCT cohort<br />
meeting at Saraland City Schools Central Office and Chickasaw City Schools<br />
Central Office; and the South NBCT cohort meeting at the South Baldwin Center<br />
for Technology Culinary Arts building in Robertsdale. For more information about<br />
upcoming sessions, visit southalabama.edu/centers/saric.<br />
16<br />
PILLARS | FALL <strong>2020</strong>
AMSTI-USA<br />
Creating Opportunities<br />
for All Region 10 Educators<br />
The Alabama Math, Science, and<br />
Technology Initiative, commonly<br />
referred to as AMSTI, was created by<br />
the Alabama Department of Education<br />
to improve STEM (science, technology,<br />
engineering and mathematics)<br />
teaching statewide. The goals of<br />
AMSTI are focused on improving single<br />
subject STEM knowledge, but also<br />
to support Alabama’s educators and<br />
students, in learning STEM through<br />
doing STEM.<br />
AMSTI has three basic services:<br />
professional learning, resources and<br />
onsite support. Since the COVID-19<br />
pandemic began, the AMSTI site<br />
location at the University of South<br />
Alabama has shifted to utilizing<br />
innovation and new technology to<br />
support remote learning. In addition,<br />
“AMSTI 4 All” has created professional<br />
learning opportunities available to all<br />
schools and teachers in Region 10.<br />
“AMSTI offered remote learning<br />
opportunities this past summer for<br />
teachers to continue their development<br />
in the midst of the pandemic,” said<br />
Raphaella Archie, assistant director<br />
of the AMSTI Region 10 master site at<br />
USA. “AMSTI-USA Region 10 will offer<br />
an additional suite of virtual math and<br />
science training options tailored to the<br />
requests of districts in our region.”<br />
The Alabama State Department of<br />
Education issued a “Roadmap to<br />
Reopening Schools” in June <strong>2020</strong> and<br />
compiled various resources to assist<br />
districts with their reopening plans.<br />
AMSTI sites across the state helped<br />
compile resources for this document.<br />
Sites also joined efforts to create<br />
parent guides to be used as resources<br />
for the upcoming year.<br />
“The ‘T’ in AMSTI stands for<br />
Technology,” Archie said. “With the<br />
ongoing technological improvements,<br />
we were working towards making<br />
more opportunities virtually available<br />
prior to the pandemic. A large amount<br />
of the training we receive at AMSTI is<br />
done in that manner. So, the hardware<br />
was in place. Identifying what districts<br />
needed us to assist them with was<br />
our first priority. Then, we divided and<br />
conquered by making these requests<br />
adaptable to a virtual delivery quickly.”<br />
AMSTI-USA’s primary goal is to ensure<br />
teachers are provided the support and<br />
professional development needed to<br />
execute high quality instruction.<br />
With the abrupt transition to an online<br />
platform, teachers had to make critical<br />
decisions in the matter of minutes.<br />
“Balancing professional growth with<br />
professional duties could have become<br />
challenging,” Archie said. “Ensuring we<br />
were providing the support needed<br />
to ensure quality instruction in various<br />
platforms may have been the biggest<br />
hurdle. We quickly ascertained<br />
information and worked alongside<br />
teachers to address real life scenarios,<br />
as quickly as possible.”<br />
“AMSTI OFFERED<br />
REMOTE LEARNING<br />
OPPORTUNITIES THIS<br />
SUMMER FOR TEACHERS<br />
TO CONTINUE THEIR<br />
DEVELOPMENT IN THE<br />
MIDST OF THE PANDEMIC.”<br />
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH ALABAMA 17
USA Literacy<br />
Center<br />
Transition to Online<br />
Tutoring for Area K-12 Students<br />
“My favorite book is ‘Elephant and<br />
Piggy,’ because I like the funny things<br />
they say in it,” said Jackson Tucker<br />
(pictured above), a first-grade student<br />
at Eichold-Mertz Magnet School of<br />
Math, Science and Technology in<br />
Mobile. “Mrs. Joan helps me with my<br />
homework, and we get to do my sight<br />
words and read books.”<br />
Tucker started school in August 2019,<br />
and his mother wanted to be sure he<br />
had full support to be successful at the<br />
magnet elementary school.<br />
“Jackson went to a pre-K program, and<br />
I was not sure how he would adapt<br />
from going from that to a kindergarten<br />
program at a magnet school,”<br />
Kimberly Tucker said. “I was always<br />
told magnet schools are a little more<br />
challenging, and I did not want him<br />
to face that challenge without having<br />
some assistance. I asked some friends<br />
to recommend resources in<br />
the community.”<br />
Tucker is a South alumna and works<br />
as a nurse manager at USA Health<br />
University Hospital. She also serves<br />
as an adjunct instructor for the USA<br />
College of Nursing. She decided to<br />
enroll her son in tutoring sessions<br />
at the USA College of Education<br />
and Professional Studies Literacy<br />
Center, where program director Joan<br />
Holland works with K-12 students<br />
to individualize plans to improve<br />
reading and writing skills for students<br />
throughout the community.<br />
“JACKSON NOW LOVES<br />
TO LEARN, AND THAT<br />
HAS TO DO WITH<br />
THE PEOPLE AT THE<br />
LITERACY CENTER.”<br />
“USA is known for being a center of<br />
excellence in healthcare and education,<br />
and I feel that I see the same cuttingedge<br />
type of care that we try to<br />
provide at the hospital level here at the<br />
Literacy Center as well,” Tucker said.<br />
“Seeing how Mrs. Holland has taken<br />
the time to individualize Jackson’s care<br />
plan and focus toward the things he’s<br />
challenged with, has really improved<br />
his grades. I can really see the<br />
difference in my son.”<br />
USA’s Literacy Center, which opened in<br />
June 2016, also hosts a fun, interactive<br />
literacy and video production summer<br />
camp each June. Holland and Dr.<br />
Joe Gaston, assistant professor in<br />
the Department of Counseling and<br />
Instructional Sciences’ Educational<br />
Media and Technology program,<br />
coordinate and teach at the camp.<br />
“The establishment of the Literacy<br />
Center is the brainchild of Dean Andi<br />
Kent,” said Holland, who also serves<br />
as an instructor for the Department of<br />
Leadership and Teacher Education.<br />
“It is designed as a community<br />
outreach program to provide best<br />
practice literacy instruction and<br />
educational support to K-12 students<br />
and families seeking to acquire<br />
the skills necessary for success<br />
in academics. It is also a hub for<br />
advancing the teaching, research<br />
and service goals of the College of<br />
Education and Professional Studies.”<br />
18<br />
PILLARS | FALL <strong>2020</strong>
The center offers individual private<br />
and small group tutoring sessions<br />
throughout the year. Holland<br />
coordinates the program, which also<br />
provides opportunities for College of<br />
Education and Professional Studies<br />
students to gain hands-on experience<br />
outside the classroom. During the<br />
pandemic, the center continued to<br />
provide reading and writing tutoring<br />
sessions, but moved from in-person<br />
sessions to virtual sessions via Zoom.<br />
“After face-to-face tutoring ended<br />
March 17, we moved to online<br />
sessions with our clients,” Holland said.<br />
“Relatively little learning time was lost.”<br />
Holland is passionate about providing<br />
individualized support for her students.<br />
“I LOVE PLANNING FOR<br />
EACH CLIENT BASED ON<br />
HIS OR HER INDIVIDUAL<br />
NEEDS AND INTERESTS.”<br />
“I love planning for each client based<br />
on his or her individual needs and<br />
interests,” Holland said. “As clients<br />
come to the center, we have to learn<br />
about how they are taught in their<br />
regular classrooms as well so we are<br />
able to support school efforts, while<br />
adding to our clients’ literacy strategies<br />
tool belts. I would say working with<br />
parents to provide home support for<br />
their children is also at the top of my<br />
list of reasons I love tutoring. Parents<br />
are so busy these days, and they need<br />
specific efficient ideas to help build the<br />
love of literacy at home. We work to<br />
make real-life connections for parents<br />
and their children.”<br />
Jackson is excited to learn and read<br />
books like ‘Elephant and Piggy,’<br />
because of the individualized<br />
planning and work that the Literacy<br />
Center provided.<br />
“Jackson now loves to learn, and that<br />
has to do with the people at the<br />
Literacy Center,” Tucker said. “Now, all<br />
of a sudden, he really wants to do<br />
it. They are making it fun for him and<br />
teaching him at the same time. I can<br />
tell that his reading has improved<br />
tremendously.”<br />
Online Reading & Writing Tutoring<br />
Virtual sessions for K–12 students!*<br />
Fall session begins August 24, <strong>2020</strong>.<br />
Monday–Thursday<br />
8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.<br />
Assessment & Parent/Student Orientation: $50<br />
One-Hour Individual Session: $40<br />
Sessions are limited. Reserve a spot today!<br />
For more information or to register,<br />
visit www.SouthAlabama.edu/literacy<br />
*Contact us to see if in-person sessions are available.<br />
LITERACY CENTER: JOAN HOLLAND, DIRECTOR<br />
JMHOLLAND@SOUTHALABAMA.EDU | (251) 380-2891<br />
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH ALABAMA 19
Fulfilling<br />
the “Need for<br />
Independence”<br />
Many young adults want to attend<br />
college to prepare for a future career.<br />
Brian Davis Jr., 23, of Mobile, was<br />
no different. His dream of attending<br />
college became a reality. He was a<br />
member of the spring 2019 inaugural<br />
graduating class of the PASSAGE USA<br />
program, created by the USA College<br />
of Education and Professional Studies.<br />
PASSAGE USA stands for Preparing All<br />
Students Socially and Academically<br />
for Gainful Employment. The program<br />
started at South during the spring<br />
semester of 2017 and serves students<br />
ages 18-28 who have been diagnosed<br />
with an intellectual disability. PASSAGE<br />
USA is a two-year certificate program<br />
that helps these students become<br />
more independent.<br />
“The PASSAGE USA program didn’t<br />
limit me,” Davis said. “It gave me<br />
independence.”<br />
Dr. Abigail Baxter, professor of<br />
education and principal investigator<br />
of the PASSAGE USA grant, said the<br />
program was created to provide a<br />
supportive academic environment<br />
along with internship and career<br />
opportunities.<br />
“The overall goal of this program is to<br />
help students like Brian strengthen<br />
independent living and social skills,”<br />
Baxter said. “Brian is a huge success<br />
story, and what he has achieved is<br />
exemplary.”<br />
Within one year of studying at South,<br />
Davis made a big transformation. He<br />
wanted to work in a service and retail<br />
industry, and PASSAGE USA was able<br />
to secure several different jobs for him.<br />
This strategy prepared Davis for his<br />
current job at the Sunset Pointe Publix<br />
location on the corner of Airport and<br />
PASSAGE USA<br />
20<br />
PILLARS | FALL <strong>2020</strong>
University in Mobile. Davis started at<br />
South as a basketball assistant for<br />
the Jags and also held a position at<br />
the USA Bookstore. Later, he worked<br />
with Spectrum Resorts at the Beach<br />
Club at Fort Morgan, Ala. These<br />
experiences gave Davis the confidence<br />
to apply for a job at Publix on his own.<br />
“HIS SELF-ESTEEM<br />
IMPROVED, AND HE WAS<br />
ABLE TO SET GOALS AT<br />
SOUTH AND ACHIEVE<br />
THEM. AND, NOW WITH HIS<br />
JOB AT PUBLIX,<br />
HE’S MOVING THROUGH<br />
LIFE ON A MISSION.”<br />
“I enjoy serving others,” Davis said. “At<br />
Publix, I started working with the carts<br />
and helping customers take their<br />
groceries and items to their vehicles.<br />
Now, I am a full-time cashier. I also<br />
wipe down the carts and keep them<br />
sanitized and ready for customer use.”<br />
Davis’ next goal is to become a<br />
manager at Publix. He is grateful to his<br />
managers, Patrick Goode and Sherita<br />
Williams, who have supported his<br />
growth as an employee.<br />
Davis’ parents, Monica and Brian<br />
Davis Sr., have been his biggest<br />
supporters. They were told by a doctor<br />
that their son would never be able to<br />
live an independent life and would rely<br />
on them. Davis now has his driver’s<br />
license, and he drives himself to and<br />
from work and other places.<br />
“His confidence level improved when<br />
he was a student in the PASSAGE USA<br />
program,” said mom, Monica Davis.<br />
“His self-esteem improved, and he was<br />
able to set goals at South and achieve<br />
them. And, now with his job at Publix,<br />
he’s moving through life on a mission.”<br />
Brian Davis Sr. is also grateful for the<br />
PASSAGE USA program affording his<br />
son an opportunity to attend college.<br />
“While in high school, he attended a<br />
program that had more of a medical<br />
focus,” Davis said. “But the PASSAGE<br />
USA program gave my son many<br />
options. And, PASSAGE USA has helped<br />
my son realize his dreams. We are so<br />
proud of him. Our son is on his way to<br />
fully being able to take care of himself.”<br />
Alexandra Chanto-Wetter is the<br />
assistant director of the PASSAGE<br />
USA program. She and the team at<br />
PASSAGE USA help students live their<br />
dreams of independence. In addition<br />
to the career skills training, Chanto-<br />
Wetter works with students to improve<br />
their time management skills.<br />
“We taught Brian how to make<br />
informed choices and helped him<br />
improve his time management skills,”<br />
Chanto-Wetter said. “He also learned<br />
how to order his mocha coffee from<br />
the nearby McDonalds. Brian’s growth<br />
along with his parents’ support is<br />
exponential. We hope his story will<br />
touch others.”<br />
PASSAGE USA students are now<br />
eligible for need-based federal<br />
financial aid as the University<br />
of South Alabama has been<br />
designated a comprehensive<br />
transition and postsecondary<br />
program for the first time by the<br />
U.S. Department of Education.<br />
Students enrolled in the program<br />
who are maintaining satisfactory<br />
academic progress may receive<br />
Federal Pell Grants, Federal<br />
Supplemental Educational<br />
Opportunity Grants and Federal<br />
Work Study programs.<br />
“This designation now makes<br />
our program accessible to more<br />
families, who might not have<br />
otherwise had the opportunity<br />
to attend college," said project<br />
director Dr. Abigail Baxter.<br />
PASSAGE USA has been successful<br />
helping its students experience the<br />
complete college experience and<br />
now paying for it can potentially<br />
be a much lower hurdle.<br />
“I think this gives credence to our<br />
program, as it has been reviewed<br />
nationally and approved,”<br />
Baxter added.<br />
To contribute to the PASSAGE USA<br />
scholarship fund, visit<br />
giving.southalabama.edu/passage.<br />
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH ALABAMA 21
ACADEMICS<br />
Innovation<br />
in Instruction,<br />
Technology<br />
and Service<br />
Counseling and<br />
Instructional<br />
Sciences<br />
Dr. Pamela Moore<br />
Helping people learn and grow is<br />
the mission of the USA College of<br />
Education and Professional Studies<br />
Department of Counseling and<br />
Instructional Sciences. Five faculty<br />
members have been creative and busy<br />
supporting students and educators on<br />
campus and in the local community.<br />
Assistant professors in the Department<br />
of Counseling and Instructional<br />
Sciences Dr. Pamela Moore and<br />
Dr. Joe Gaston recently added virtual<br />
reality technology into their training<br />
and courses.<br />
“Providing USA students with exposure<br />
and preliminary training in virtual<br />
reality now will help them be better<br />
prepared for this technology as it<br />
begins to appear in classrooms in the<br />
very near future,” said Moore, who<br />
serves as program coordinator for<br />
educational media and technology at<br />
South. “This exposure and training may<br />
also put our students in positions to be<br />
leaders in this field within their schools.”<br />
The department acquired two virtual<br />
reality headsets and hand controllers<br />
prior to the pandemic and installed<br />
software in the team-based learning<br />
Dr. Joe Gaston April Berry<br />
classroom that will allow students to<br />
view what someone is seeing inside<br />
the headset.<br />
“What is being seen inside the headset<br />
can now be projected onto all of the<br />
main screens in the room,” Gaston said.<br />
“This will allow our students to learn<br />
about virtual reality and see some of its<br />
capabilities without every person in the<br />
room having to wear the equipment.<br />
This experience will be incorporated<br />
into our fall classes that meet face to<br />
face. We also explored ways in which<br />
students could utilize the tools through<br />
remote learning.”<br />
The two professors hope to establish a<br />
virtual reality lab in the college that will<br />
be open to students and faculty from<br />
across the University, as well as K-12<br />
teachers and others in the community.<br />
Dr. Ryon C. McDermott is an associate<br />
professor in the Department of<br />
Jennifer Barinas<br />
Counseling and Instructional Sciences<br />
and associate director of the combined<br />
clinical and counseling psychology<br />
Ph.D. program accredited by the<br />
American Psychological Association.<br />
McDermott recently served as a<br />
mentor to two doctoral students,<br />
April Berry and Jennifer Barinas,<br />
who received the Southern Regional<br />
Educational Board (SREB) fellowship.<br />
The two students are the first and<br />
second students at South to ever<br />
receive this honor.<br />
“I have mentored April and Jennifer<br />
in their own respective areas of<br />
research in the context of our lab,<br />
the Cultural and Individual Differences<br />
Lab,” McDermott said. “More<br />
specifically, I have mentored them<br />
in study design, grant applications,<br />
preparing manuscripts for publication<br />
and advanced statistical techniques<br />
in an effort to help them develop the<br />
skills needed to become independent<br />
researchers.”<br />
The SREB doctoral scholars<br />
program aims to increase diversity<br />
among faculty by supporting<br />
underrepresented minority students as<br />
they pursue their doctorate degrees.<br />
22<br />
PILLARS | FALL <strong>2020</strong>
“I WANT TO BRING COMPUTATIONAL<br />
THINKING INTO MIDDLE SCHOOLS<br />
AND BROADEN STUDENTS’ VIEW OF<br />
POTENTIAL CAREER OPPORTUNITIES.”<br />
The program provides its doctoral fellows with career<br />
mentorship, networking opportunities, an annual training<br />
institute and financial support in the form of a $20,000<br />
annual stipend.<br />
“This experience will allow me to be able to find employment<br />
in the field of academia, given SREB’s networking<br />
opportunities,” said Berry, a fourth-year doctoral candidate<br />
in the combined clinical and counseling psychology<br />
Ph.D. program and graduate assistant at the University<br />
Counseling and Testing Center. “It will also allow me to give<br />
back and contribute funds in the future to an SREB scholar<br />
so they can have the chance that I had.”<br />
Barinas, a second-year doctoral student in the combined<br />
clinical and counseling psychology program, credits<br />
McDermott for his guidance and help as a mentor.<br />
“Dr. McDermott is a great professor and mentor,” Barinas<br />
said. “He always has your research interests and career<br />
goals in mind, and truly cares about your growth and<br />
success. I think that the SREB fellowship would not<br />
have been possible for me without his advice and<br />
encouragement.”<br />
Dr. Shenghua Zha, assistant professor in the Department<br />
of Counseling and Instructional Sciences, was involved in<br />
teaching students coding and computation reasoning at<br />
Williamson Prep Academy in Mobile earlier this year.<br />
“We engaged students in small group projects where they<br />
learned to code and generated visuals, music and made<br />
cars to move,” Zha said. “I taught students how to use BBC<br />
Micro:bit, a pocket-size computing system, to code. I also<br />
designed and facilitated the project work.”<br />
More than 50 students from two classes at Williamson Prep<br />
participated in this weekly project, which ran from January<br />
through March <strong>2020</strong>.<br />
“I want to bring computational thinking into middle<br />
schools and broaden students’ view of potential career<br />
opportunities,” Zha said. “Current computing tools, like the<br />
BBC Micro:bit, are ‘low threshold, high ceiling,’ meaning<br />
they do not require users to have prior knowledge. Yet when<br />
they have prior knowledge, they can do more. These tools<br />
enable us to do creative projects with students at young<br />
Dr. Shenghua Zha<br />
ages and help them experience the direct application of<br />
computational thinking skills.”<br />
The job market has shown a deficit of computing workforce,<br />
which is a reason many states, including Alabama, require<br />
computing education in K-12 schools.<br />
“A teacher education program in this subject area is under<br />
development,” Zha said. “As a technology educator in<br />
teacher education, K-12 school experience gives me the<br />
first-hand evidence that I can use to improve the relevant<br />
curricula in teacher education. That is why I choose the<br />
coding and computational thinking subjects to teach.”<br />
Dr. James Van Haneghan, professor and interim chair in the<br />
Department of Counseling and Instructional Sciences, also<br />
led a collaborative project to provide training in robotics<br />
to students at Williamson Prep Academy. Dr. Prakash<br />
Duraisamy, assistant professor in the School of Computing<br />
at South, has an interest in computer vision and robotics and<br />
served as the primary instructor.<br />
“Dr. Duraisamy and I have over the last year started to<br />
look at learning analytics by exploring how computer<br />
vision could be used to examine student engagement<br />
in the classroom,” Van Haneghan said. “The Williamson<br />
collaboration arose out of the need to help students<br />
recognize the power, and ethical implications, of computer<br />
vision that can be harnessed through robots to carry out a<br />
number of different tasks.”<br />
Duraisamy and Van Haneghan received a $10,000 grant<br />
from Wells Fargo that allowed them to purchase two<br />
Misty robots.<br />
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH ALABAMA 23
“THE GOAL IS TO HELP PREPARE<br />
THE STUDENTS FOR A FUTURE<br />
WHERE KNOWLEDGE OF ROBOTICS<br />
WILL BE UBIQUITOUS.”<br />
Dr. James Van Haneghan<br />
“The Misty robot is described by its originators as a<br />
developer's robot that can be programmed to do a variety<br />
of real world tasks,” Van Haneghan said. “For example, it can<br />
be trained in visual recognition of faces, voice recognition<br />
and wayfinding. Showing the power of this technology<br />
to high school students and helping them develop some<br />
competence with it could motivate the students to pursue<br />
robotics further after they graduate high school.”<br />
Van Haneghan and Duraisamy began work with 18<br />
students at Williamson Prep in February <strong>2020</strong>, but were<br />
unable to continue after COVID-19. They hope to return<br />
during the <strong>2020</strong>-2021 school year, and ultimately, help<br />
students learn the coding necessary to teach the Misty<br />
robots meaningful tasks.<br />
Dr. James Stefurak, interim associate dean in the College of<br />
Education and Professional Studies and associate professor<br />
in the Department of Counseling and Instructional Sciences,<br />
has been working with the Mobile Police Department<br />
Special Victims Unit to conduct data collection analysis as<br />
part of the Promise Initiative, a program established to<br />
address the police department’s Sexual Assault Kits (SAK)<br />
backlog. Beginning in 2015, the MPD applied for and<br />
received a series of grants from the Department of Justice to<br />
fund this initiative, which was named the Promise Initiative<br />
given its goal to fulfill the promise of justice for victims.<br />
Stefurak has led a research team for the initiative, which<br />
includes USA College of Arts and Sciences psychology<br />
professor Dr. Jennifer Langhinrichsen-Rohling and three<br />
USA clinical and counseling psychology doctoral students.<br />
As part of the ongoing grant project, the USA team collects<br />
data on the victims whose SAKs were never submitted and<br />
document the reasons the DNA evidence was never utilized,<br />
as well as study the attitudes, well-being and professional<br />
practices of police officers as it pertains to sexual assault<br />
crimes. The research team has presented 11 times at<br />
national conferences and is currently submitting scholarly<br />
manuscripts on their findings to journals for publication.<br />
The “SAK backlog,” as it is generally referred to, is a situation<br />
in many police departments where sexual assault victims’<br />
kits are never submitted for potential DNA matching.<br />
The Mobile Police Department began this effort to address<br />
their own SAK backlog in partnership with the University of<br />
South Alabama.<br />
“The Department of Justice grants for the Promise Initiative in<br />
Mobile have funded the process of cataloguing unsubmitted<br />
SAKs, submitting these kits for testing, putting in place new<br />
practices to prevent the backlog from reoccurring, and<br />
promoting trauma-informed investigation practices with<br />
sexual assault victims,” Stefurak said.<br />
Dr. James Stefurak<br />
24<br />
PILLARS | FALL <strong>2020</strong>
EDUCATOR EXCELLENCE SCHOLARSHIP<br />
Alabama Educators Qualify to<br />
Receive 20% Tuition Reduction<br />
Enroll in a graduate-level teacher education program today.<br />
Multiple online and in-person Master of Education and Ed.S. programs qualify.<br />
No GRE/MAT required. Increase your salary and expertise.<br />
ENROLL NOW | SPRING 2021<br />
UNIVERSITY UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH OF SOUTH ALABAMA ALABAMA 25 23
Health, Kinesiology,<br />
and Sport<br />
the Senior Bowl game were personally involved in an actual<br />
experience where they helped create a game-day questionnaire<br />
and administered surveys on-site. This bridged the gap toward<br />
and allowed for a more developed and deeper understanding<br />
of the way data may be used in real-life situations.”<br />
Keshock has worked hard over the last decade to research and<br />
form relationships with organizations to place students at an<br />
eclectic assortment of professional, amateur and leisure events.<br />
Service Learning<br />
and Externally Funded<br />
Research Projects<br />
The College of Education and Professional Studies<br />
Department of Health, Kinesiology, and Sport’s mission<br />
is to enhance theory and practice, scholarship and<br />
service about, in and through human movement, healthy<br />
living, physical activity and sport. Faculty in the department<br />
work hard to fulfill this mission by providing students with<br />
hands-on experiences through service learning<br />
and research opportunities.<br />
Dr. Christopher Keshock, pictured above, is an associate<br />
professor of sport management in the Department of<br />
Health, Kinesiology, and Sport. Keshock has worked during<br />
the past 18 years to place students in more than 200 service<br />
learning opportunities at sport and recreation events along<br />
the Gulf Coast.<br />
“Every year, we investigate the possibility of adding new<br />
opportunities for our students in the community through<br />
different sport associations, municipal governing bodies and<br />
sport commissions,” Keshock said. “We also have a nucleus<br />
of local partner organizations we continue to work with on<br />
an annual basis.”<br />
Keshock started the department’s service learning in 2005<br />
when graduate students assisted in the collection of survey<br />
data at the Senior Bowl college all-star football game.<br />
“I soon realized the reciprocal benefits of this experience in<br />
our classroom discussions, which took place afterwards,”<br />
Keshock said. “As part of the course learning objectives to<br />
recognize different types of research methodologies and<br />
understand database management, students working<br />
“One year, we had students assist with the timing and scoring of<br />
the Air Race Classic, a 4-day cross country female-only airplane<br />
race, which ended at the local Brookley Field,” Keshock said.<br />
“Over the last few years, we have formed recurring placement<br />
of students at events such as the NCAA Sand Volleyball<br />
Championship, Tri-the-Gulf Triathlon, numerous road races<br />
organized by Little Red Hen Production, Mobile Storm Sports<br />
Club and of course our University of South Alabama NCAA<br />
athletic events.”<br />
Keshock gained sport management experiences and corporate<br />
business employment both internationally and domestically<br />
with IBM, Panalpina World Transportation and Soundcom. He<br />
has athletic administration experience from working for the<br />
Dutch Baseball and Softball Federation, World Boys Baseball<br />
Tournament, various intercollegiate athletic departments and<br />
youth sport clubs. Keshock started work in the sport industry<br />
playing professional minor league baseball in the Atlanta Braves<br />
system and winter baseball in Australia.<br />
“I have always found it necessary to work while attending school<br />
and competing in sports to develop the knowledge, skills and<br />
abilities to become more marketable when the time came to<br />
stop being an athlete,” Keshock said. “As a child, my brother and<br />
I would tag along with my father, Dr. John D. Keshock, former<br />
athletic director at John Carroll University, to assist with the<br />
school’s many intercollegiate sport event preparations and postevent<br />
tasks, which when I look back on it triggered my interest in<br />
the field.”<br />
During the pandemic, the department hopes to provide students<br />
with new exposure to conflict resolution, risk management,<br />
operational adjustments and the important practice of event<br />
policy making and associated procedures. If students are not<br />
permitted to be on-site at events, Keshock has discussed the<br />
possibility of event directors participating in Zoom meetings with<br />
students and for event directors to assign remote responsibilities<br />
such as event registration, sponsorship packaging and other<br />
pre-event planning tasks.<br />
26<br />
PILLARS | FALL <strong>2020</strong>
Dr. Neil Schwarz, pictured below, is<br />
an associate professor of exercise<br />
science. Schwarz has three active<br />
externally funded, industrysponsored<br />
projects in which he is<br />
serving as the principal investigator.<br />
Two of the projects are studying<br />
the efficacy of dietary supplements<br />
to attenuate exercise-induced<br />
skeletal muscle damage and<br />
inflammation. The first of these<br />
projects, sponsored by DolCas-Tenshi<br />
Bioceuticals Inc., in the amount<br />
of $38,000, is to determine the<br />
effectiveness of a highly bioavailable,<br />
patented curcumin supplement.<br />
The second project, sponsored<br />
by Horphag Research Inc., in the<br />
amount of $56,000, is to determine<br />
the effectiveness of a patented<br />
French maritime pine bark extract,<br />
Pycnogenol®.<br />
“Both studies require participants<br />
to undergo an exercise protocol<br />
to induce muscle damage and<br />
inflammation followed by serial<br />
assessments of blood markers of<br />
muscle damage and inflammation,<br />
soreness, edema and muscle function<br />
over several days,” Schwarz said.<br />
The third project is studying<br />
the effects of eight weeks of<br />
supplementation with a patented<br />
form of butyrate, called CoreBiome®,<br />
on gastrointestinal symptoms,<br />
microbiota composition and blood<br />
markers of systemic inflammation<br />
and gastrointestinal function. The<br />
project is funded by Compound<br />
Solutions, Inc., in the amount of<br />
$196,000.<br />
“Butyrate is a short-chain fatty acid<br />
formed from dietary soluble fiber by<br />
the bacteria that live in our colon,”<br />
Schwarz said. “Butyrate is purported<br />
as beneficial for the health of our<br />
gut by acting as a fuel source for<br />
our intestinal cells. Butyrate is also<br />
implicated in the regulation of<br />
systemic inflammation and oxidation<br />
among other functions, including<br />
skeletal muscle metabolism.”<br />
“A MAJOR PROBLEM<br />
WITH THE NUTRITION<br />
AND EXERCISE SCIENCE<br />
INDUSTRY IS THE WAY<br />
DIETARY SUPPLEMENTS<br />
ARE PORTRAYED AS A<br />
MAGIC PILL OR PANACEA.”<br />
The project sponsored by DolCas-Tenshi<br />
Bioceutical is currently in the data analysis<br />
phase. Blood samples from this study<br />
were analyzed in the biochemical and<br />
molecular biology lab in the Health,<br />
Kinesiology, and Sport building on<br />
campus at South earlier this year.<br />
“During the blood analysis process,<br />
I served as the directed studies faculty<br />
mentor for Sri Prahadeeswaran, a<br />
biomedical sciences graduate from South<br />
who is now a student at the UAB School of<br />
Medicine,” Schwarz said. “The opportunity<br />
to help with blood analyses allowed Sri to<br />
apply laboratory techniques learned in<br />
his biochemistry laboratory course at<br />
USA to generate real-world data to be<br />
used for publication in a peer-reviewed<br />
research journal.”<br />
Recruitment of participants and data<br />
collection for the projects sponsored<br />
by Horphag Research and Compound<br />
Solutions are expected to begin during<br />
the fall semester.<br />
Schwarz has worked at the University<br />
for more than six years. His passion<br />
for research and exercise science has<br />
driven his involvement in more than five<br />
externally funded grant projects and<br />
many more internally funded and nonfunded<br />
projects.<br />
“I became interested in exercise,<br />
particularly resistance exercise, during<br />
high school,” Schwarz said. “My earliest<br />
experiences with structured exercise<br />
were as part of training for basketball.<br />
During this time, I found myself becoming<br />
increasingly interested in how exercise<br />
can cause physiological and structural<br />
changes in the human body.” Schwarz<br />
received his undergraduate degree in<br />
nutritional sciences, which helped him<br />
appreciate the intimate link between diet<br />
and exercise.<br />
“A major problem with the nutrition and<br />
exercise science industry is the way<br />
dietary supplements are portrayed as<br />
a magic pill or panacea,” Schwarz said.<br />
“Many times, the claims made to support<br />
the use of certain dietary supplements<br />
or nutritional strategies are based on<br />
plausible theoretical constructs for how<br />
they may augment health or exercise<br />
performance. However, our bodies consist<br />
of complex physiological processes that<br />
don’t always respond in accordance with<br />
these theories. It is crucial that dietary<br />
supplements and nutritional strategies<br />
are empirically tested for effectiveness<br />
and safety.”<br />
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH ALABAMA 27
Hospitality<br />
and Tourism<br />
Management<br />
Bringing Southern<br />
Hospitality to Saudi Arabia<br />
Raed Alsulami (pictured right) is one<br />
of the first two graduates to receive<br />
a degree in hospitality and tourism<br />
management at the University of South<br />
Alabama. Alsulami was promoted to<br />
assistant manager earlier this year<br />
for the main restaurant at the Ritz-<br />
Carlton Hotel in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia,<br />
called the Al Orjouan, the top-ranked<br />
restaurant by TripAdvisor in the city<br />
capital of Saudi Arabia.<br />
Alsulami always dreamed of being a<br />
leader in the hospitality and tourism<br />
industry. He credits a friend who<br />
suggested the University of South<br />
Alabama when the hospitality and<br />
tourism management degree program<br />
was first announced. Even though<br />
home was Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, the<br />
weather in Mobile was familiar and<br />
Alsulami was up for the challenge.<br />
He moved to Alabama in August<br />
2012 and began his journey as a<br />
student at South.<br />
While at the University, Alsulami<br />
knew he needed to gain handson<br />
experience early on and took<br />
advantage of the department’s<br />
internship program by working at<br />
The Grand Marriott Hotel & Resorts in<br />
Point Clear.<br />
“The USA hospitality and tourism<br />
management department always<br />
recognizes and offers students unique<br />
and wonderful experiences,” Alsulami<br />
said, recognizing the director of the<br />
Hospitality and Tourism Workforce<br />
Innovation Alliance. “Dr. Evelyn<br />
Green invested so much time in<br />
my development as a student and<br />
professional. I remember one day,<br />
Dr. Green extended her office hours<br />
just to give me more energy about<br />
the field and tell me how amazing I<br />
would do. Also, I cannot forget when<br />
I saw Dr. Robert Thompson’s proud<br />
look on his face at graduation as I<br />
represented one of the first of two HTM<br />
graduates. I try to stay in touch with my<br />
USA professors, and I always receive<br />
positive career mentoring through my<br />
LinkedIn platform with Dr. Thompson,<br />
even to this day.”<br />
More than 70 students have graduated<br />
from the University with a bachelor’s in<br />
hospitality and tourism management<br />
since the department’s creation in fall<br />
of 2015.<br />
“Hospitality and tourism is one of the<br />
largest and fastest-growing sectors<br />
in the world, and as a result, there is<br />
incredible workforce demand for our<br />
industry regionally, nationally and<br />
globally,” said Thompson, chair of<br />
hospitality and tourism management.<br />
“Our scholar-practitioner faculty are<br />
focused on imparting workforce<br />
readiness education for successful<br />
workplace immersion of our students<br />
wherever they reside. As a result,<br />
our department is one of the fastest<br />
growing on campus.”<br />
Alsulami has set an example for current<br />
and future hospitality and tourism<br />
management students, and it is his<br />
passion to encourage others to study<br />
hard as he did to become leading<br />
professionals across the world.<br />
“HOSPITALITY AND<br />
TOURISM IS ONE OF THE<br />
LARGEST AND FASTEST-<br />
GROWING SECTORS<br />
IN THE WORLD.”<br />
“The future of leading the hospitality<br />
segment globally is on your way down<br />
the road,” Alsulami said. “Get ready to<br />
accept challenges, and do not forget to<br />
have fun.”<br />
Alsulami’s short-term goals include<br />
launching a new software called<br />
Taskeen, which provides property<br />
management capabilities that help<br />
reach all operational needs of hotel<br />
service. His long-term goals include<br />
writing his first book that explains<br />
how Arabian hospitality-based<br />
concepts dramatically enhance<br />
international standards with a<br />
unique flavor of service.<br />
28<br />
PILLARS | FALL <strong>2020</strong>
Mobile Strong in<br />
Hospitality and<br />
Tourism Certification<br />
The city of Mobile is known for<br />
Southern hospitality, where every<br />
visitor is treated like family and the<br />
spirit of service embodies the phrase<br />
‘neighbors helping neighbors.’<br />
“It was in this spirit that Mobile Mayor<br />
Sandy Stimpson reached out to his<br />
partners, the University of South<br />
Alabama and Visit Mobile, to create<br />
uplifting and upskilling training<br />
opportunities for our ‘neighbors’ in<br />
the hospitality and tourism industry<br />
who were gravely impacted by the<br />
COVID-19 pandemic,” said Dr. Robert<br />
Thompson, chair in the Department of<br />
Hospitality and Tourism Management.<br />
Hospitality and Tourism<br />
Workforce Summit<br />
Leaders of the Gulf Coast’s hospitality<br />
and tourism industry discussed ways<br />
to increase and train the area’s<br />
workforce during the University of<br />
South Alabama’s 4th Annual Hospitality<br />
and Tourism Workforce Summit held<br />
March <strong>2020</strong> at the Mississippi Gulf<br />
Coast Community College (MGCCC)<br />
Jefferson Davis campus in Gulfport.<br />
The workforce summit was organized<br />
by the USA Hospitality and Tourism<br />
Workforce Innovation Alliance, a unit<br />
of the USA Office of Research and<br />
Economic Development supported<br />
by the College of Education and<br />
Professional Studies. MGCCC, an<br />
educational partner for USA’s<br />
Hospitality and Tourism Management<br />
program and Pathway USA, co-hosted<br />
the event. Themed “Through the<br />
Looking Glass: A Futuristic Outlook on<br />
Hospitality and Tourism Workforce,” the<br />
summit focused on industry trends and<br />
technologies that will affect change<br />
in workforce competencies, talent<br />
recruitment, training and development,<br />
and workforce retention and<br />
sustainability in the Gulf Coast region.<br />
More than 200 hospitality executives<br />
and professionals attended the event,<br />
which included a Serving Southern<br />
Hospitality: A Customer Service<br />
Excellence certification through USA;<br />
an opening keynote address by<br />
Laura Lee, senior vice president of<br />
human resources for MGC Resorts<br />
International, Las Vegas; a closing<br />
keynote address by Ben Koff, president<br />
and owner of Hidden Upside, Las<br />
Vegas; and various panel and<br />
breakout sessions. In addition,<br />
industry chefs worked with culinary<br />
students from Mississippi and Alabama<br />
coastal high schools and community<br />
colleges to mentor and showcase<br />
future culinary talents.<br />
The USA Hospitality and Tourism<br />
Workforce Innovation Alliance<br />
designed the Mobile Strong in<br />
Hospitality and Tourism Certification<br />
to help workers who had either been<br />
furloughed or laid off due to the<br />
pandemic to take advantage of the<br />
down-time to reflect on their career<br />
goals. The certification provided<br />
free-of-charge learning opportunities<br />
to more than 100 participants who<br />
were able to earn a certificate of<br />
completion from South by completing<br />
five online courses. Courses included<br />
information on topics such as talent<br />
risk and good fit assessment, new<br />
career paths, hospitality and tourism<br />
job offerings, tourism knowledge<br />
about Mobile, and self-care to<br />
financial wellness. In addition,<br />
participants who took the “Culture<br />
and Tourism in Mobile” course<br />
earned a Mobile Strong Ambassador<br />
certificate of recognition from<br />
Visit Mobile.<br />
A virtual job, education information<br />
and networking fair was held<br />
at the conclusion of the Mobile<br />
Strong certification training. The<br />
event showcased Mobile industry<br />
partners, highlighted employment<br />
opportunities, shared information<br />
about organizations and what they<br />
are looking for in regard to employees<br />
in the post-COVID-19 world.<br />
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH ALABAMA 29
Integrative<br />
Studies<br />
Internship Capstone<br />
Students Excel During<br />
Pandemic<br />
The USA College of Education and Professional Studies<br />
Department of Integrative Studies offers an internship<br />
capstone course for students in the interdisciplinary studies<br />
and educational studies bachelor’s programs. The internship<br />
course offers a unique, real-world opportunity for students<br />
to develop managerial and interpersonal skills, balanced<br />
between theory and practice.<br />
“The purpose of the internship experience is to allow for<br />
the application of these concepts and give the student<br />
supervised practical experience in a setting related to<br />
the student's professional and personal goals and<br />
ambitions,” said Dr. Eric Moody, assistant professor of<br />
interdisciplinary studies.<br />
Interns in the integrative studies program gain experiences<br />
through a variety of organizations. Recently approved<br />
internships have been with non-profits, local government<br />
agencies and local and regional businesses. The flexibility<br />
inherent in the program allows students to explore and<br />
secure a wide-range of internship site possibilities.<br />
Sheldonna Chappell (pictured above) is an educational<br />
studies August <strong>2020</strong> graduate and recently completed an<br />
internship at the Waterfront Rescue Mission in Mobile.<br />
“Moving from Fort Payne, Ala., to Mobile was a very<br />
interesting experience because I came down here knowing<br />
absolutely no one,” said Chappell, who played basketball,<br />
volleyball and ran track at Fort Payne High School. “I knew<br />
of people on the track team at South, but I didn’t actually<br />
have a friendship. To me, it is the best thing that I have ever<br />
done. I got to experience and make friends that I didn’t<br />
know I would.”<br />
While in high school, Chappell was MVP three years in<br />
track, state champ in the 100 meter dash and played on<br />
the all-conference winning basketball team. While at South,<br />
Chappell ran on the track team for two years and served as<br />
a student coach for two years.<br />
“Being a student-athlete at South was so liberating,”<br />
Chappelll said. “Just being able to wear the uniform and to<br />
continue the sport that I love so much was so much fun.”<br />
“BOTH OF MY AUTOIMMUNE DISEASES<br />
HAVE AFFECTED ME IN A LOT OF<br />
DIFFERENT WAYS PHYSICALLY AND<br />
MENTALLY. I’VE HAD TO WORK THROUGH<br />
A LOT TO BE WHERE I AM TODAY.”<br />
Chappell was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease in<br />
2014 called Sjogren’s. Last year, she battled with her health<br />
and had an abdominal wall that required major surgery.<br />
“I didn’t really get many results, but the one thing I found<br />
out is I also have an autoimmune disease called lupus,”<br />
Chappell said. “Both of my autoimmune diseases have<br />
affected me in a lot of different ways physically and<br />
mentally. I’ve had to work through a lot to be where I am<br />
today. Last year, I had to go home because I had so many<br />
surgeries, and it helped my mind refocus on my grades and<br />
what I wanted to do after I got out of college.”<br />
Chappell started her internship at the Waterfront Rescue<br />
Mission earlier this summer, and completed her experience<br />
virtually through the pandemic.<br />
30<br />
PILLARS | FALL <strong>2020</strong>
“I was able to help with financial<br />
literacy, job literacy and some<br />
regular literacy,” Chappell said.<br />
“I made videos to help the men at<br />
the facility learn how to balance a<br />
checkbook and how to use Indeed<br />
in a proper way to find jobs. Even<br />
though I want to be a K-6 teacher,<br />
I also learned the diligence of how<br />
to speak to and teach adults.”<br />
Chappell hopes to start graduate<br />
school at South in the fall and wants<br />
to be involved in athletics as a coach<br />
in the future. “I think coaches have a<br />
special place in many of their athletes'<br />
lives and they help children more than<br />
they realize. Coaching is a way to<br />
teach but to also help and guide<br />
young people.”<br />
Katy Holt (pictured below) graduated<br />
August <strong>2020</strong> with a bachelor’s degree<br />
in interdisciplinary studies and<br />
completed an internship with the<br />
City of Gulf Shores SPARC program.<br />
The SPARC concept is designed for<br />
Strengthening Potential through<br />
Arts, Recreation and Culture by<br />
providing youth a safe and supportive<br />
environment. Staff members are<br />
devoted to carrying out the SPARC<br />
mission while delivering fun, hands-on<br />
experiences for youth in the community.<br />
The beginning of Holt’s internship<br />
was filled with painting, organizing<br />
chairs, desks and supplies. However,<br />
the pandemic brought challenges for<br />
the experience.<br />
“On June 17, we got the news that<br />
SPARC would not happen this summer,”<br />
Holt said. “I was so bummed and<br />
concerned that I would not be able to<br />
continue with the internship. Amanda,<br />
the director of the program, was<br />
amazing. She kept me busy within the<br />
same department working on afterschool<br />
programs for the upcoming<br />
school year and planning for next<br />
summer's camp field trips<br />
and activities.”<br />
Holt began her college journey in 2001<br />
at Troy and moved back to Gulf Shores.<br />
Years later, she decided to attend<br />
South Alabama to finish her degree.<br />
“My internship taught me to ‘roll with<br />
the punches,’” Holt said. “I learned<br />
that scheduling for children's summer<br />
camps and education is extremely<br />
time consuming and important. I have<br />
learned that teamwork is vital when<br />
coming up with new and exciting<br />
activities for youth programs.”<br />
Holt plans to be a business<br />
development manager with a rental<br />
management company.<br />
“I was not a traditional college student,”<br />
Holt said. “I am 36 years old, with two<br />
children and a loving husband.<br />
My free time is active to say the least.”<br />
Holt said COVID-19 has changed<br />
everything in her life, both<br />
professionally and educationally.<br />
“The pandemic has taught us that we<br />
are all a lot stronger than we were<br />
before this all started. The uncertainty<br />
has been extremely challenging and<br />
has made me appreciate things that I<br />
did not think about before. I appreciate<br />
the director of my internship site. She<br />
was amazing in finding daily tasks to<br />
help me fill my hours. I know that it<br />
was all worth it and feel excited for<br />
the future.”<br />
“IT HAS TAUGHT US<br />
THAT WE ARE ALL A<br />
LOT STRONGER THAN<br />
WE WERE BEFORE<br />
THIS ALL STARTED.<br />
THE UNCERTAINTY<br />
HAS BEEN EXTREMELY<br />
CHALLENGING AND HAS<br />
MADE ME APPRECIATE<br />
THINGS THAT I DID NOT<br />
THINK ABOUT BEFORE.”<br />
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT<br />
THE INTEGRATIVE STUDIES<br />
INTERNSHIP CAPSTONE<br />
COURSE, VISIT<br />
SOUTHALABAMA.EDU/IST<br />
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH ALABAMA 31
COVID-19 Challenges<br />
Educators to be Innovative<br />
in Hard Times<br />
The COVID-19 pandemic has challenged educators throughout the<br />
world. The College of Education and Professional Studies reached out<br />
to Department of Leadership and Teacher Education alumni to share<br />
their experiences and words of encouragement.<br />
Courteney Thompson (pictured right) graduated in 2017 from the<br />
College of Education and Professional Studies with a bachelor’s in<br />
elementary education (K-6) and collaborative teacher education.<br />
Thompson is currently a graduate student at South in the elementary<br />
education program. She has taught kindergarten at Griggs Elementary<br />
for three years.<br />
“THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE WAS NOT<br />
ONLY TAKING CARE OF MY STUDENTS,<br />
BUT PREPARING WELL PLANNED<br />
LESSONS TO BROADCAST ONLINE AND<br />
ON TELEVISION FOR KINDERGARTEN<br />
STUDENTS IN MOBILE COUNTY.”<br />
Thompson shared that her school adjusted during the pandemic<br />
according to their students' specific needs. “We know our students and<br />
parents very well, and we knew that we needed more than one way to<br />
provide them with instruction and resources during this pandemic. Along<br />
with blended learning instruction, we also offered a weekly STAR TV that<br />
provided updates and information for parents during this time. We also<br />
utilized great tech apps such as Google Classroom and SeeSaw.”<br />
During the spring semester, Thompson taught on mcpssTV, an<br />
opportunity for local students in grades Pre-K through 11 to watch<br />
lessons taught by master teachers online and on TV. Thirty of<br />
Thompson’s lessons were broadcast on Comcast (channel 15), AT&T<br />
U-verse (on-demand channel 99), Mediacom (channel 81), Roku boxes,<br />
Fox 10’s channel 10.6, WJTC’s UTV 44, and MCPSS Facebook Live.<br />
“The biggest challenge was not only taking care of my students, but<br />
preparing well-planned lessons to broadcast online and on television<br />
for kindergarten students in Mobile County,” Thompson said. “Shortly<br />
after broadcasting started, we received emails from parents who were<br />
watching in Baldwin County and even in neighboring states. It was<br />
critical to make sure every lesson was purposeful and provided an<br />
attainable learning target.”<br />
LEADERSHIP AND<br />
TEACHER EDUCATION<br />
32<br />
PILLARS | FALL <strong>2020</strong>
Photo courtesy of Mobile County Public Schools<br />
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH ALABAMA 33
South alumnus Eddie Tyler has served as superintendent<br />
for Baldwin County Public Schools since 2015. Tyler is<br />
a veteran of Baldwin County Public Schools, having<br />
served 25 years in the school system before he became<br />
superintendent of the Eufaula City School System in<br />
February 2012. In his tenure as an educator, Tyler has served<br />
as a teacher, bus driver, assistant coach, athletic director,<br />
and head football, baseball, soccer, tennis and track coach.<br />
He has also served as an assistant principal for seven years,<br />
a high school principal for five years, and for four years,<br />
prior to Eufaula, as assistant superintendent of the Baldwin<br />
County School System.<br />
Tyler worked at the end of the 2019-<strong>2020</strong> school year as an<br />
encouraging leader to move instruction fully online. “First,<br />
Baldwin County Public Schools have been blessed to have<br />
a school board that understands the importance of oneon-one<br />
technology. If all students had not had a device to<br />
use at home, our job would have been much more difficult.<br />
Additionally, our teachers went above and beyond. They<br />
scheduled ‘office time’ for parents and called all students<br />
once a week to provide instructional help. It has definitely<br />
been a team effort from all levels within our system.”<br />
Managing WiFi access for students was the greatest<br />
challenge for Tyler during the last school year. “To<br />
make sure every child had the same opportunity, my<br />
curriculum team prepared paper packets for middle and<br />
high school students. That way, if a child did not have the<br />
internet access or if they simply felt more comfortable with<br />
the paper option, it was available. We also purchased<br />
workbooks for K-6 students.”<br />
Stephanie Moye is a South alumna and Noyce Scholar who<br />
currently serves as a math teacher and assistant volleyball<br />
coach at Saraland High School. Moye shared her<br />
experiences and the challenges she overcame during the<br />
quick switch to online learning in March <strong>2020</strong>.<br />
“It was an interesting adjustment trying to teach my students<br />
solely through online resources,” Moye said. “We were asked<br />
to personally contact each student to check on them and<br />
discuss the remainder of the year. We were asked to attempt<br />
this contact multiple times. While this was a big job to tackle,<br />
I am so thankful we did this. I was able to know how each<br />
student was doing personally and explain expectations and<br />
resources for the remainder of the year. We also mailed<br />
everything to each student.”<br />
Moye teaches “Algebra 2 with Trigonometry” and “Dual<br />
Enrollment Elementary Statistics,” which can be challenging<br />
courses for students. She was creative in finding tools to<br />
teach students math online via Zoom. “I was able to help<br />
them in real time and answer specific questions, not just<br />
record a lesson and hope it made sense. Then, I learned<br />
about screensharing. I was able to teach my students<br />
through a shared screen with a document camera.<br />
“I ALWAYS TELL MY STUDENTS<br />
THAT MY TEACHING MANTRA IS<br />
‘BE FLEXIBLE,’ BUT I TRULY SEE<br />
HOW FLEXIBLE OUR FACULTY<br />
AND STUDENTS CAN BE AND THE<br />
EXTENT TO WHICH FACULTY HAVE<br />
GONE TO ENSURE THAT QUALITY<br />
INSTRUCTION CONTINUES.”<br />
I would be talking to them, working a problem, and looking<br />
at their faces on small screens. They would be able to hear<br />
me, watch what I was doing at that moment, and ask<br />
questions. It was as close to a real classroom experience<br />
as we could get. ”<br />
Dr. Jeremiah Newell, a South alumnus who serves as<br />
superintendent of Mobile Area Education Foundation<br />
Public Charter Schools, said his team at Acceleration<br />
(ACCEL) Day and Evening Academy also worked creatively<br />
to overcome challenges during the pandemic. ACCEL Day<br />
and Evening Academy is a school that utilizes blended<br />
learning to help students move at their own pace. While the<br />
pandemic came as an unexpected disruption to normal<br />
operations, the faculty and staff quickly redeployed laptops<br />
and designed virtual learning courses.<br />
“Over the course of just a few days, we were able to<br />
reconnect with 100 percent of our scholars,” Newell said.<br />
“We tracked engagement weekly and found that 83<br />
percent of our students were completing work on time.<br />
I am proud to say that our course passage did not drop<br />
during the pandemic, and we saw a record graduation<br />
rate for the school year. This happened because our team of<br />
educators were dedicated to student success, and we had<br />
clear systems of communication to keep everyone on the<br />
same page.”<br />
ACCEL is Alabama’s first tuition-free public charter<br />
school that serves high school students in grades 9-12<br />
from Mobile, Baldwin and Washington counties. Many<br />
of the students at ACCEL have struggled to be engaged in<br />
the traditional school environment, and the staff works<br />
hard to keep students motivated by creating a warm,<br />
supportive atmosphere.<br />
34<br />
PILLARS | FALL <strong>2020</strong>
Byrd said the transition to fully online<br />
courses brought new challenges of<br />
engaging students in constructivist<br />
mathematical learning.<br />
“We know every student,” Newell<br />
said. “We know their goals and their<br />
challenges, and we take a personal<br />
interest in seeing each child find<br />
success. Translating this school<br />
environment to the virtual setting was<br />
the biggest challenge. Our teachers<br />
and counselors were constantly calling,<br />
emailing, text messaging and hosting<br />
live class sessions and one-on-one<br />
counseling sessions to keep that warm<br />
environment present for students<br />
during these stressful times.”<br />
Leadership and Teacher<br />
Education Courses<br />
Move Fully Online<br />
During Pandemic<br />
Many courses in the USA College<br />
of Education and Professional<br />
Studies were offered online prior to<br />
the pandemic. However, courses<br />
like “Teaching Mathematics,” require<br />
hands-on, inquiry-based learning<br />
experiences and are typically taught<br />
in person.<br />
“Most of our faculty do not teach<br />
exclusively online, and we have<br />
multiple sections of many courses,”<br />
said Dr. Susan Santoli, chair of the<br />
Department of Leadership and<br />
Teacher Education. “A total of 97<br />
sections of courses were moved<br />
online during the spring <strong>2020</strong> semester,<br />
which involved 558 students. This past<br />
summer, 47 sections of courses were<br />
offered fully online.”<br />
Transitioning courses online so quickly<br />
was a challenge for the department,<br />
and faculty worked hard to provide<br />
quality instruction.<br />
“Courses in the art and music education<br />
programs were moved online, and<br />
there are really exceptional challenges<br />
in doing that,” Santoli said. “The USA<br />
Innovation in Learning Center was just<br />
remarkable in the quick response in<br />
assisting faculty to online instruction<br />
and to the new course management<br />
system, and we had tremendous<br />
support from our dean.”<br />
“Teaching Mathematics” focuses on<br />
research-based, effective methods<br />
of teaching mathematics to K-6<br />
students. Throughout the course,<br />
teacher candidates apply principles<br />
and theories of teaching mathematics<br />
to design and implement mathematics<br />
lessons and integrated STEM lessons in<br />
the elementary classroom.<br />
“The central focus of these lessons is<br />
to develop conceptual understanding,<br />
procedural fluency, and mathematical<br />
reasoning through the use of handson,<br />
inquiry-based learning,” said Dr.<br />
Kelly Byrd, assistant professor in the<br />
Department of Leadership and<br />
Teacher Education. “This is modeled<br />
during class meetings with the use<br />
of concrete and virtual mathematics<br />
manipulatives and tools to solve reallife<br />
problems working collaboratively in<br />
small groups.”<br />
“Every class meeting that was<br />
scheduled for the remainder of the<br />
semester included the modeling of<br />
and engaging students in lessons<br />
focused on mathematical problemsolving<br />
using concrete manipulatives<br />
like base-10 blocks, fraction strips,<br />
geoboards, etc., analyzing student<br />
work to plan for instruction, and<br />
each class working collaboratively<br />
in small groups. I transitioned class<br />
PowerPoints to interactive Google<br />
Slides for each class presentation,<br />
allowing individuals and groups to<br />
share their work. I brought home each<br />
type of concrete manipulative that we<br />
were planning to use in the classroom.<br />
I modeled concepts using the concrete<br />
manipulatives, added pictures to<br />
my Google Slides, then used virtual<br />
manipulatives during the synchronous<br />
Zoom class meetings.”<br />
Since this transition to fully online,<br />
Byrd has participated in numerous<br />
online professional development<br />
opportunities focused on digital<br />
learning tools such as Nearpod, Pear<br />
Deck, FlipGrid and Google Classroom.<br />
She worked to integrate new tools<br />
into her online ‘Instructional Planning’<br />
course this past summer, and said she’s<br />
realizing how much more engaging<br />
fully online classes can be.<br />
“I always tell my students that my<br />
teaching mantra is ‘be flexible,’ but I<br />
truly see how flexible our faculty and<br />
students can be and the extent to<br />
which faculty have gone to ensure that<br />
quality instruction continues,” Santoli<br />
said. “I read an article that discussed<br />
developing ‘agile’ instruction, which<br />
can occur in different modes and<br />
mediums to adjust to life circumstances,<br />
and I believe that our agility is<br />
extraordinary. I cannot thank our<br />
faculty enough for their commitment<br />
during this time.”<br />
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH ALABAMA 35
FIELD SERVICES<br />
South Student<br />
Teachers Get<br />
Creative to<br />
Complete<br />
Requirements<br />
COVID-19 presented a challenge for<br />
University of South Alabama College<br />
of Education and Professional Studies<br />
spring <strong>2020</strong> graduating students<br />
who typically partner with local K-12<br />
teachers to complete hands-on<br />
teaching experiences in person as part<br />
of their degree requirements.<br />
“The students at South maintained<br />
composure and focus during this time,”<br />
said Jennifer Simpson, director of the<br />
USA Office of Field Services. “Though<br />
there were challenges early on while<br />
determining the best course of action<br />
for continuing and completing their<br />
pre-service training, our students<br />
worked diligently to prepare and<br />
present lessons in tandem with their<br />
cooperating teachers.”<br />
USA student teachers learned<br />
to incorporate varied student<br />
engagement platforms such as<br />
Nearpod and Pear Deck into their<br />
online lesson design and worked to<br />
gain familiarity with Google<br />
Classroom, Freckle and other<br />
organizational tools with which they<br />
could assist cooperating teachers and<br />
their students.<br />
“USA student teachers developed<br />
lessons through recorded and<br />
live presentations that could be<br />
shared with classroom teachers for<br />
dissemination to larger audiences<br />
or even to diverse small groups of<br />
children,” Simpson said. “To replicate<br />
the classroom setting, pre-service<br />
teachers hung anchor charts<br />
around their apartments, collected<br />
manipulatives from items around<br />
their homes and utilized the toys and<br />
collectibles of their own children as<br />
teaching tools.”<br />
36<br />
PILLARS | FALL <strong>2020</strong>
Mobile County Public Schools partnered with the College<br />
of Education and Professional Studies to provide an<br />
opportunity for four South student teachers to co-teach<br />
lessons on live television with cooperating teachers from<br />
local schools. Adriana Gregory (K-6 Teacher Education),<br />
Gilliane Sharpe (K-6 Teacher Education), Jimmerlee<br />
Williams (K-6 Teacher Education) and Kelsea Kyser<br />
(Secondary Education) were selected to participate through<br />
nominations from USA faculty and field supervisors. These<br />
students earned their bachelor’s degrees in May <strong>2020</strong>.<br />
“We are excited about this partnership between Mobile<br />
County Public School System and the University of South<br />
Alabama,” said MCPSS Superintendent Chresal D. Threadgill.<br />
“We feel this opportunity allowed USA teacher interns to have<br />
real-life experience during this unprecedented time<br />
in education.”<br />
The four South students taught lessons on mcpssTV, and<br />
the lessons were broadcast on Comcast (channel 15), AT&T<br />
U-verse (on-demand channel 99), Mediacom (channel 81),<br />
Roku boxes, Fox 10’s channel 10.6, WJTC’s UTV 44 and MCPSS<br />
Facebook Live.<br />
“I am thankful for this experience because, even though it<br />
was not under the best circumstances, it shows the county's<br />
willingness to reach as many students as possible by<br />
televising the lessons for students who may not be getting<br />
them otherwise,” said Gregory, who worked Kristin Mahtani,<br />
a curriculum specialist with MCPSS.<br />
Gregory prepared for her presentation by virtually meeting<br />
and planning with Mahtani the week prior to going live.<br />
Gregory presented a math lesson to fifth graders based on<br />
adding and subtracting fractions with unlike denominators.<br />
“Mrs. Mahtani suggested that I show two different strategies<br />
to solve these problems,” Gregory said. “For this reason,<br />
I included both the number line strategy as well as the<br />
standard algorithm for solving addition or subtraction<br />
equations with unlike denominators. I started with a little<br />
brain teaser to help refresh and challenge the students'<br />
minds. Although they have done fraction work in the past,<br />
I'm sure it has been a while since they've done what we did<br />
during our lesson.”<br />
Sharpe worked with Ashley Nolan, a South alumna that<br />
serves as a second grade teacher at Griggs Elementary.<br />
The two taught a second grade reading lesson, which<br />
included reading the book “Peanut Butter and Cupcake"<br />
(pictured left).<br />
“I enjoyed having the opportunity to collaborate with Gilliane<br />
Sharpe on a second grade reading lesson,” Nolan said.<br />
“There is nothing like being thrown in front of a camera to<br />
make you step outside of your comfort zone as an educator,<br />
and Gilliane did a phenomenal job.”<br />
“I AM THANKFUL FOR THIS<br />
EXPERIENCE BECAUSE, EVEN<br />
THOUGH IT WAS NOT UNDER<br />
THE BEST CIRCUMSTANCES,<br />
IT SHOWS THE COUNTY'S<br />
WILLINGNESS TO REACH<br />
AS MANY STUDENTS AS<br />
POSSIBLE BY TELEVISING<br />
THE LESSONS FOR STUDENTS<br />
WHO MAY NOT BE GETTING<br />
THEM OTHERWISE.”<br />
“Mrs. Nolan and I talked about friendship to launch our<br />
lesson,” Sharpe said. “Next, we read the book, questioning<br />
students in order to prepare them for the ‘game’ following<br />
the book. Upon completing the book, we focused our<br />
attention to the board where we had a Candyland board set<br />
up. As we took turns moving through the game, each stop<br />
had a comprehension question. These questions allowed us<br />
to recount the story and finally, determine the lesson of the<br />
book. After the lesson, Mrs. Nolan and I did cupcake cheers<br />
to friendship. This was the lesson that Peanut Butter, the<br />
main character in the book, learned in the story.”<br />
The future of online and virtual learning is unknown,<br />
but South graduates are prepared for many situations.<br />
“The potential of online and virtual presentations is limitless,”<br />
Simpson said. “Our students can feel confident streaming<br />
lessons to groups of students who may be unable to<br />
physically attend school, supporting the education of those<br />
homebound or hospitalized through cooperative efforts<br />
with a homebound educator. Certainly, nothing can take<br />
the place of face-to-face connections with students, but our<br />
students were able to see teachers who make students feel<br />
as if they are right there with them, all while maintaining<br />
relationships and encountering classroom activities with the<br />
praise and affirmation needed to ensure students succeed.”<br />
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH ALABAMA 37
Office of Adult<br />
Learner Services<br />
University-Wide<br />
Support for<br />
Adult Learners<br />
The University of South Alabama<br />
created the Office of Adult Learner<br />
Services (OALS) in 2018 to serve<br />
non-traditional, adult learners in<br />
applying for admission and financial<br />
aid, making University community<br />
connections, selecting a major,<br />
locating advisors, navigating online<br />
learning and completing the process<br />
for graduation. OALS, although<br />
housed in the College of Education<br />
and Professional Studies, serves as<br />
a University-wide initiative to reach<br />
adults pursuing any degree program<br />
at South.<br />
“WE WANT TO HELP<br />
EVERY STUDENT<br />
IDENTIFY THE<br />
EDUCATIONAL<br />
EXPERIENCE THAT WILL<br />
FIT WITH THEIR LIFE<br />
AND WORK FOR THEM<br />
TO BE SUCCESSFUL.”<br />
“We had so much interest in the<br />
office’s services and have supported<br />
many students since 2018,” said Dr.<br />
Paige Vitulli, chair of the Department<br />
of Integrative Studies who served as<br />
interim director of OALS until October<br />
2019. ”I’m so happy to have a<br />
full-time director in place to reach<br />
more students.”<br />
According to Bob Charlebois (pictured<br />
above), the current director of OALS,<br />
the office serves a diverse student<br />
body providing guidance and support<br />
that is tailored to each student. “We<br />
provide adult and non-traditional<br />
students with a supportive entry or reentry<br />
point into higher education.<br />
Two major reasons that adults do<br />
not return to school are either a bad<br />
previous experience with higher<br />
education or just general fear of<br />
being unprepared or out of place.”<br />
Charlebois said he works to provide<br />
concierge services to meet the<br />
individual needs of each student.<br />
“A retiree deciding to complete his or<br />
her bachelor’s degree for personal<br />
enrichment needs different support<br />
than a 23-year-old who has children,<br />
works full time and seeks a bachelor’s<br />
degree in order to get ahead at work<br />
or to get a higher paying job. We want<br />
to help every student identify<br />
the educational experience that will<br />
fit with their life and work for them to<br />
be successful.”<br />
OALS has adopted the motto of<br />
‘Navigate, educate, graduate.’<br />
Their goal is to support adult and<br />
non-traditional students with the<br />
answers and resources they need<br />
from initial contact until they walk<br />
across the stage at graduation.<br />
Alpha Sigma Lambda<br />
Honor Society<br />
The USA Chapter of Alpha Sigma<br />
Lambda is not only the oldest,<br />
but also the largest, chapter-based<br />
honor society for full and part-time<br />
students. Its purpose is to recognize<br />
academically outstanding adult<br />
and non-traditional students in<br />
higher education.<br />
Rosie Rogers (over, left) graduated<br />
May <strong>2020</strong> as a member of Alpha<br />
Sigma Lambda and earned a<br />
bachelor’s degree in hospitality and<br />
tourism management. When Rogers<br />
found out that her previous college<br />
credits would be transferable and<br />
that South had created a hospitality<br />
program, she jumped at<br />
the opportunity.<br />
“Even at my age, I have an insane<br />
desire to have my parents be proud<br />
of me,” Rogers said. “My only regret<br />
is that my father did not live to see<br />
me graduate. Words cannot describe<br />
the joy and pride of my 89-year-old<br />
mother when she saw me in my cap<br />
and gown. Plus, I wanted to show my<br />
children what the value of a college<br />
degree can do for you.”<br />
38<br />
PILLARS | FALL <strong>2020</strong>
Rogers said she never felt like the<br />
odd person out. “I always blended right<br />
in. But I never received any special<br />
treatment because of my age.<br />
I was required to complete<br />
assignments just like everyone else.<br />
I spent many late nights yawning,<br />
drinking coffee and getting papers<br />
typed and ready for submission.”<br />
Rogers is a word processing<br />
specialist in the Department of<br />
Radiology at USA Health and works<br />
as a part-time concierge in the Club<br />
Lounge at the Renaissance Riverview<br />
Plaza Hotel in downtown Mobile. “This<br />
degree will show my employer that<br />
I am a determined person. It takes<br />
dedication, determination and guts<br />
to decide to go back to college after<br />
more than 30 years. It shows that I am<br />
willing to put in the work necessary to<br />
get the job done.”<br />
Michael House (below, middle) earned<br />
a bachelor’s degree in marketing<br />
with a concentration in supply chain<br />
management from South in May <strong>2020</strong><br />
as a member of Alpha Sigma Lambda.<br />
House had previous work experience<br />
in truck dispatching and transportation<br />
and felt a supply chain management<br />
degree would help further advance his<br />
career in logistics.<br />
“I chose South because of the great<br />
reputation they have in the northern<br />
Gulf Coast region, flexibility in class<br />
schedules and affordability,”<br />
House said.<br />
“IT TAKES DEDICATION,<br />
DETERMINATION AND<br />
GUTS TO DECIDE TO<br />
GO BACK TO COLLEGE<br />
AFTER MORE THAN 30<br />
YEARS. IT SHOWS THAT<br />
I AM WILLING TO PUT IN<br />
THE WORK NECESSARY<br />
TO GET THE JOB DONE.”<br />
House encourages others who are<br />
considering a bachelor's degree.<br />
“Go for it. South has some of the most<br />
knowledgeable and caring instructors.”<br />
House is from Mobile and currently<br />
works as the yard supervisor at<br />
European Metal Recycling. He<br />
hopes his degree leads to career<br />
advancement in either industrial<br />
management or logistics.<br />
House credits his instructors for<br />
being encouraging and helpful<br />
along the way. “I had three classes<br />
with Dr. Zach Finney. He always had<br />
the best analogies and examples that<br />
made concepts easy to understand<br />
and remember.”<br />
Emmalee Winston (below, right)<br />
earned a bachelor’s degree in exercise<br />
science from South in May <strong>2020</strong> as<br />
a member of Alpha Sigma Lambda.<br />
Winston chose exercise science to learn<br />
more about her current field of work.<br />
“As a massage therapist, I am very<br />
interested in human movement,<br />
specifically the mechanics and<br />
physiology behind it,” Winston said.<br />
“I chose South because of its stellar<br />
programs, small class sizes, and<br />
proximity to my home.”<br />
Winston is from Biloxi and works as the<br />
lead massage therapist at Senses Spa<br />
at IP Casino.<br />
“South is a great university with<br />
wonderful, caring professors and not<br />
too far from lovely beaches,” Winston<br />
said. “This degree gives me a strong<br />
base of knowledge and greater<br />
understanding in my current career<br />
field, with greater opportunities to<br />
expand upon said knowledge.”<br />
Winston has several memorable<br />
experiences from her time at South,<br />
and one day stands out to her the most.<br />
“My most memorable experience at<br />
South was when Dr. Gurchiek brought<br />
his basset hound named Magdalene<br />
to class on an exam day. It really made<br />
my day.”<br />
To learn how to become a member of the<br />
USA Chapter of Alpha Sigma Lambda Honor<br />
Society, contact advisor Bob Charlebois at<br />
rjcharlebois@southalabama.edu.<br />
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH ALABAMA 39
Faculty and Staff<br />
Welcoming<br />
New Faculty<br />
DR. JOSHUA KELLER<br />
Health, Kinesiology,<br />
and Sport<br />
DR. DANNY MCCARTY<br />
Counseling and<br />
Instructional Sciences<br />
Meet the College’s <strong>2020</strong><br />
Faculty and Staff Awardees<br />
Vicky Burtt received the USA College of<br />
Education and Professional Studies <strong>2020</strong><br />
Gerry Jean Clark Exemplary Staff Award.<br />
Burtt has worked at South for 19 years<br />
and in the College of Education and<br />
Professional Studies for the last 13 years.<br />
She is dedicated and committed, always<br />
having a smile on her face.<br />
“Vicky offers valuable input and has<br />
exceptional interpersonal skills with<br />
students, faculty and staff,” said Jennifer<br />
Simpson, Burtt's supervisor in the Office<br />
of Field Services. “She is always willing<br />
to assist faculty and staff beyond her<br />
own duties. She maintains the utmost<br />
professional standards in the Office of<br />
Field Services and has helped our office<br />
run efficiently and smoothly as we process<br />
between 350 and 450 placements each<br />
semester. Vicky is, without a doubt, one of<br />
the most capable assistants with whom<br />
I’ve worked.”<br />
Dr. Abigail Baxter received the USA<br />
College of Education and Professional<br />
Studies <strong>2020</strong> Faculty of Excellence Award.<br />
Baxter joined the college in 1998. She is<br />
a professor of special education in the<br />
Department Leadership and Teacher<br />
Education. Along with serving as program<br />
coordinator and engaging in on-going<br />
teaching, research and service, Baxter<br />
made yet another significant contribution<br />
to the college and University as creator<br />
and administrator of PASSAGE USA. The<br />
more than $2 million grant was the first of<br />
its kind in Alabama to offer an opportunity<br />
for students with intellectual disabilities to<br />
attend college.<br />
“Baxter works tirelessly to promote and<br />
oversee the grant and program logistics,”<br />
said Dr. Linda Reeves, assistant professor<br />
in the Department of Leadership and<br />
Teacher Education. “The PASSAGE USA<br />
program has made a positive impact,<br />
not only in the lives of the students who<br />
have completed the two-year certificate<br />
program, but also in the peer mentors,<br />
parents of PASSAGE students and<br />
members of the community.”<br />
Dr. Caitlyn Hauff received the USA<br />
College of Education and Professional<br />
Studies <strong>2020</strong> Faculty of Excellence Award.<br />
Hauff joined the college in 2017 and<br />
currently serves as an assistant professor<br />
in the Department of Health, Kinesiology,<br />
and Sport. In addition to her teaching,<br />
she has been intensely involved in<br />
curriculum development and has been<br />
very productive in her research activity<br />
on body imagery, resulting in numerous<br />
publications, research presentations<br />
locally and around the globe, and in<br />
external funding.<br />
Hauff is collaborative, working with<br />
colleagues both in her department and<br />
across the University. She is engaged on<br />
a national level with scholars in her field<br />
as she serves as the editor of the Journal<br />
of Sport Behavior and associate editor for<br />
the Performance Enhancement Health<br />
Journal. In addition, she is a leader in the<br />
University's wellness initiatives, including<br />
Jag Fit.<br />
“The diversity and content of Dr. Hauff's<br />
academic and research record are amply<br />
meritorious for this award,” said Dr. Shelly<br />
Holden, chair of the Department of Health,<br />
Kinesiology, and Sport.<br />
40<br />
PILLARS | FALL <strong>2020</strong>
Honoring Recent<br />
College Retirees<br />
ALEX BARTER<br />
Health, Kinesiology, and Sport<br />
16 years of service<br />
ANITA PERRETTE<br />
Advising Center<br />
20 years of service<br />
DR. KARYN TUNKS<br />
Leadership and<br />
Teacher Education<br />
16 years of service<br />
DR. RON STYRON<br />
Leadership and<br />
Teacher Education<br />
Eight years of service<br />
“On behalf of the faculty, staff, and students, thank you for your selfless contributions<br />
to the college. Your years of service are valued and appreciated by many. You will be<br />
missed, but we wish you the best in this next chapter of your life.”<br />
—Dr. Andi Kent, Dean of the College of Education and Professional Studies<br />
Dr. Peggy Delmas received the USA<br />
College of Education and Professional<br />
Studies <strong>2020</strong> Lisa Mitchell Buckstein<br />
Faculty Development Award. The<br />
purpose of this award is to foster the<br />
development of innovative projects or<br />
research of interdisciplinary character<br />
that demonstrate a positive impact on<br />
the academic community with a notable<br />
contribution to their field.<br />
Delmas serves as an assistant professor<br />
in the Department of Leadership and<br />
Teacher Education. Her research that<br />
received recognition is titled "The<br />
Impact of Gender and Religion on the<br />
Experiences of Catholic Sister Scholars in<br />
U.S. Public Higher Education." The purpose<br />
of this qualitative phenomenological<br />
study is to understand how gender and<br />
religion are experienced by Catholic sister<br />
scholars in U.S. public higher education.<br />
“This research documents the experiences<br />
of Catholic sisters who teach or administer<br />
in public universities and colleges, a<br />
perspective that is currently missing<br />
from the literature of lived experiences of<br />
women faculty in the U.S.,” Delmas said.<br />
“Using in-depth interviews and archival<br />
data, this study seeks to explore the role<br />
that gender and religious identity have<br />
in the academic careers of 30 Catholic<br />
sisters employed in institutions of public<br />
higher education. Findings suggest that<br />
religious identity negatively affected the<br />
experiences of Catholic sisters who were<br />
employed in public higher education from<br />
the 1960s to the 1980s. These findings<br />
have implications for the campus climate<br />
of today’s public universities and colleges<br />
with regard to religious diversity.”<br />
Dr. Kelly Byrd (above) and Dr. Susan<br />
Ferguson (right) received the USA<br />
College of Education and Professional<br />
Studies <strong>2020</strong> Lisa Mitchell Buckstein<br />
Faculty Development Award for their<br />
project titled "Mending Math and<br />
Science Potholes to Pave the Road to<br />
Middle School STEM Success through a<br />
Culturally Relevant Teacher Development<br />
Framework."<br />
Byrd is an assistant professor of<br />
Elementary Math Education in the<br />
Department of Leadership and Teacher<br />
Education. Ferguson is an associate<br />
professor of English for Speakers of Other<br />
Languages (ESOL) and English<br />
Education in the Department of<br />
Leadership and Teacher Education and<br />
serves as the director of the Robert Noyce<br />
Pathway to Science and Pathway to<br />
Mathematics programs.<br />
Their project intends to support teachers<br />
in academic areas within the STEM<br />
disciplines in elementary education at<br />
a local Title I school, where there is a<br />
deficit of content knowledge, through<br />
an informal, extracurricular approach<br />
to learning that can be replicated with<br />
students in the context of the typical<br />
classroom setting.<br />
“We are working in the coming months<br />
with the partner teachers at Prichard<br />
Prep to establish the best professional<br />
development timeline to meet their<br />
needs based on the current COVID<br />
crisis,” Ferguson said. “We are ecstatic<br />
about working with them because<br />
of our passion for mathematics and<br />
science and identified need to expand<br />
STEM education at the elementary<br />
level. The outcome will be evident in<br />
the foundational readiness and STEM<br />
mindedness of elementary grades<br />
students as they advance to middle<br />
school, with a longitudinal goal for those<br />
involved educators to promote STEM<br />
through both classroom and communitybased<br />
activities for the advancement of<br />
STEM learning throughout the region.”<br />
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH ALABAMA 41
DEVELOPMENT<br />
42<br />
PILLARS | FALL <strong>2020</strong>
A Story of Love and<br />
Passion for Giving<br />
Pam Patterson has worked in public education for more than 45 years.<br />
She graduated from high school in Birmingham and always knew she<br />
wanted to be a teacher. She attended the University of Alabama at<br />
Birmingham for her undergraduate degree, the University of Alabama<br />
for graduate school and earned additional certifications in education at<br />
the University of South Alabama. She has worked in the USA College of<br />
Education and Professional Studies for the past 14 years.<br />
“WE HAD SEASON TICKETS TO SOUTH<br />
BASKETBALL GAMES WHILE THEY<br />
WERE GROWING UP, AND WE’VE<br />
IMMERSED OURSELVES IN THE<br />
COMMUNITY EVER SINCE.”<br />
ADVISORY<br />
COUNCIL<br />
“We moved to Mobile about 30 years ago, and we had two boys,” Patterson<br />
said. “We had season tickets to South basketball games while they were<br />
growing up, and we’ve immersed ourselves in the community ever since.”<br />
The Pattersons have been married for more than 45 years.<br />
“We kind of hit it off on a Friday night, had a little Fourth of July at the lake<br />
on the following Monday and began dating,” said Eric Patterson, Pam’s<br />
husband. “Pam was in a hurry to get married and get through school. She<br />
finished high school at Briarwood, earned her degree from UAB, and at the<br />
age of 19, she was back at Briarwood teaching.”<br />
“I figured I better hurry so I could grab him,” Pam said.<br />
The Patterson family has a true passion for giving back to their community,<br />
wherever they may be. Eric worked for Alabama Power Company in<br />
Birmingham for four years, transferred to northwest Alabama, then moved<br />
to Tuscaloosa and lived there for a number of years before moving to<br />
Mobile in 1989.<br />
“I have been blessed by a great company,” said Eric, who served as a<br />
division manager. “Alabama Power is involved in the community, period.<br />
It’s been a blessing that I've had a company that encouraged us to be<br />
engaged and involved in the community. And as I say, it's because of<br />
Alabama Power that we do and get engaged in so many ways.”<br />
Pam’s career was not dependent on staying in one particular place,<br />
and she was able to move to continue her passion for teaching, while<br />
supporting her husband’s career.<br />
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH ALABAMA 43
“I tell my students, ‘I was made to be a kindergarten teacher,’”<br />
Pam said. “I feel just as strongly as people are called to the<br />
ministry that I was called to teaching. And that path just<br />
worked because I could move with Eric very easily when he<br />
moved and fall back into teaching.”<br />
When the Pattersons moved to Mobile, Pam started working<br />
at Morningside Elementary, which served a very diverse<br />
population of students, as most of her career has been in<br />
diverse schools.<br />
“I taught there for 15 years, and during that time of teaching,<br />
I also was on various committees,” Pam said. “I worked with<br />
our school in developing our Title I project and did training<br />
for Mobile County school teachers. I retired in 2004 and<br />
started working with the New Teacher Academy with Mobile<br />
County Public Schools. In 2006, I accepted a position at<br />
South supervising student teachers, and in 2012, I started<br />
working in the Office of Field Services.”<br />
Eric has served on the USA College of Education and<br />
Professional Studies Advisory Council since 2016 and<br />
currently serves as the advisory chair. In 2018, he made a<br />
donation to South to create the “Pamela Lynne Patterson<br />
Endowed Scholarship in Education.”<br />
“Being part of the advisory council has deepened that<br />
appreciation and love for giving,” Eric said. “Everything we're<br />
talking about right now starts with Mr. Abe Mitchell and his<br />
willingness to help match giving toward undergraduate<br />
scholarships for the University. Everything that we're talking<br />
about centers around Mr. Mitchell, and I just can't say<br />
enough to thank him for what he's done to make things like<br />
we were able to do possible because of his generosity.”<br />
Eric surprised his wife with the creation of the scholarship.<br />
He hopes the scholarship will honor Pam’s work and<br />
dedication to the field of education.<br />
“Pam knew nothing about it, and I didn’t want her to be<br />
involved in it at all,” Eric said. “I wanted to find some way<br />
to honor this lady. I mean, as I said before, she could have<br />
made millions of dollars doing other things. She's absolutely<br />
brilliant. She was valedictorian at Briarwood High School.”<br />
“When I told her about it, the first thing she did was start<br />
crying and crying. That was reward enough right then and<br />
there to know that it meant a lot to her, and it did because<br />
of all that she's invested in her life. It was a way to honor<br />
her and honor all the things she's done. As I say, if she could<br />
have, she would have been extremely successful in anything<br />
else in the world and made a whole lot more money. But,<br />
this is something that she loved and it was important to her.”<br />
The Pattersons know how difficult it is financially for<br />
undergraduate education students in their last semester of<br />
college. While completing student teaching in schools, it’s<br />
difficult for students to work.<br />
“I TELL MY STUDENTS, ‘I WAS MADE TO<br />
BE A KINDERGARTEN TEACHER.'<br />
I FEEL JUST AS STRONGLY AS PEOPLE<br />
ARE CALLED TO THE MINISTRY THAT<br />
I WAS CALLED TO TEACHING."<br />
“And we do have a number of back-to-school students and<br />
a lot of them need to work because they have families, so<br />
I wanted our scholarship to be able to help students with<br />
tuition in their last semester,” Pam said. “I'm just so thrilled<br />
that someone can benefit from this, because I was on<br />
an academic scholarship in college and I know. We were<br />
married while I was in college, and it was a godsend for us.<br />
I'm just thrilled that we can do that for someone else. Again,<br />
paying it forward.”<br />
Eric’s involvement in education has not only stemmed from<br />
his wife's involvement with education, but also his time with<br />
Alabama Power. While working with the company in Mobile,<br />
Eric also worked with the Mobile Area Education Foundation.<br />
“We have supported schools throughout my career in various<br />
places throughout the state,” Patterson said. “So, as I've<br />
moved around, I have been involved with school systems<br />
because of Alabama Power’s encouragement and our<br />
personal belief in being involved with schools.”<br />
The Pattersons have also supported Distinguished Young<br />
Women. Eric served as president of the board for two years<br />
and Pam served as executive director of the organization for<br />
three years.<br />
“The primary focus of Distinguished Young Women is<br />
to provide scholarships for young women to attend<br />
colleges and universities across the country,” Pam said.<br />
“Distinguished Young Women is such a beneficiary of<br />
University of South Alabama scholarships. More than 25<br />
young women from various states have attended South on<br />
scholarships received through this program.”<br />
“We've been very heavily involved with that organization and<br />
just again, another one of those benefits of education and<br />
another of those things that I love about South Alabama,<br />
because Eric and I love Distinguished Young Women. South’s<br />
involvement has just been a model for many universities in<br />
the state.”<br />
44<br />
PILLARS | FALL <strong>2020</strong>
Eric is still involved in fundraising for Distinguished Young<br />
Women and serves as the chairman of the scholarship<br />
foundation. The two are very active members at their<br />
church, and Eric coached and served on the board<br />
for Cottage Hill Little League. He also helped with the<br />
establishment of the first senior center in Mobile, previously<br />
named Mary Abbie Berg Senior Center, with Arlene<br />
Mitchell in 1990.<br />
USA College of<br />
Education and<br />
Professional Studies<br />
Advisory Council<br />
“Our boys and their children have learned some things also<br />
about passing it on,” Eric said. “And everything about me<br />
is centered around my faith and the Lord has blessed me<br />
way beyond anything I could have ever imagined with<br />
family and everything else. And so here's another way to<br />
try to help somebody else along the way, to pass along<br />
some of the good things that we've been blessed with.”<br />
The Patterson family has truly embraced the University of<br />
South Alabama during their time in Mobile.<br />
“The University has been good to us,” Eric said. “We enjoy<br />
the time we spend with folks from the University and,<br />
you know, we're just very grateful for what the University<br />
means to Alabama as well as the Mobile area. And, I can't<br />
wait for football season!”<br />
Mobile County Public Schools Superintendent<br />
Chresal Threadgill was named the District 1<br />
Superintendent of the Year by the School<br />
Superintendents of Alabama.<br />
Carolyn Akers<br />
Executive Director<br />
Mobile Area Education<br />
Foundation<br />
Gigi Armbrecht<br />
AT&T (Retired)<br />
Frank Barrow<br />
Director of Army Instruction<br />
Mobile County Public Schools<br />
Travis Bedsole Jr.<br />
Attorney (Retired)<br />
David Clark<br />
President/ CEO<br />
Visit Mobile<br />
Rufus Hudson<br />
Vice President-Commercial<br />
Banking<br />
Regions Financial<br />
Betty Huff<br />
Senior Consultant<br />
AACRAO Consulting<br />
Dr. Aaron Milner<br />
Superintendent<br />
Saraland City Schools<br />
Eric Patterson<br />
Advisory Council Chair<br />
Alabama Power (Retired)<br />
Martha Peek<br />
Superintendent<br />
Mobile County Public Schools<br />
(Retired)<br />
Paige Plash<br />
Co-Owner<br />
Encore Rehabilitation, Inc.<br />
Jeanne Sanderford<br />
School Counselor (Retired)<br />
Terrance Smith<br />
Director<br />
Mobile Innovation Team<br />
Mark Spivey<br />
Vice President-Commercial<br />
Banking<br />
Truist Bank<br />
Chresal Threadgill<br />
Superintendent<br />
Mobile County Public Schools<br />
Eddie Tyler<br />
Superintendent<br />
Baldwin County Public Schools<br />
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH ALABAMA 45
Scholarship<br />
Recipient Spotlight<br />
Laura Anderson<br />
Clinical Mental Health Counseling<br />
Class of <strong>2020</strong><br />
INVEST IN THE COLLEGE<br />
"The Dr. Vaughn Millner Endowed Scholarship in<br />
Counseling has allowed me to pursue my studies<br />
in clinical mental health counseling with less<br />
stress about finances and the ability to focus on<br />
my coursework and internship. I am very thankful<br />
for Dr. Millner's generosity. The experiences at<br />
South have been wonderful and I feel that I am<br />
prepared to step into my field with the education<br />
and expertise necessary to truly make a difference<br />
with my clients. In the future, I hope to continue<br />
growing my knowledge and understanding of the<br />
field through pursuing LPC licensure, as well as<br />
additional training and certifications. I am excited<br />
to be starting my career locally as a therapist with<br />
Lifelines Counseling Services."<br />
Giving Priorities<br />
Financial support dramatically impacts the lives<br />
of students in the College of Education and<br />
Professional Studies. Your support allows us to<br />
transform our community and expand our outreach<br />
through a commitment to excellence in education<br />
and human services.<br />
Three areas of priority for<br />
the college include:<br />
Student Scholarships<br />
The enrollment, education and graduation of<br />
outstanding students is of paramount importance to<br />
the College of Education and Professional Studies.<br />
Employers and other external constituents benefit from<br />
inspired graduates entering the workforce. In order<br />
to attract these students, the College of Education<br />
and Professional Studies must offer competitive<br />
scholarships. The Mitchell-Moulton Scholarship<br />
Initiative matches any endowed undergraduate<br />
scholarship gift dollar-for-dollar.<br />
Community Engagement<br />
Studies have shown that community engagement<br />
improves learning outcomes, improves critical thinking<br />
and increases ability to apply classroom knowledge<br />
of real-world problems. The College of Education and<br />
Professional Studies provides community engagement<br />
opportunities for our students, faculty and staff like the<br />
Literacy Center, Williamson Prep and court systems<br />
among other opportunities. Support from our donors<br />
would allow for the college to continue to provide<br />
service and engagement to our community.<br />
Study Abroad<br />
Students and faculty in the College of Education and<br />
Professional Studies have had the opportunity to<br />
participate in a variety of study abroad programs over<br />
the years. The experience gained through studying<br />
abroad by appreciating other cultures, overcoming<br />
challenges of living in other countries and gaining a<br />
valuable understanding of our world can enhance<br />
lives. Although we may not be able to travel to other<br />
countries currently during the pandemic, your gifts will<br />
allow us to provide students and faculty with virtual<br />
opportunities. Funding for our virtual opportunities<br />
will allow more students to participate and gain<br />
invaluable experiences with our world partners.<br />
To give to the listed priorities, please visit giving.<br />
southalabama.edu or contact College of Education and<br />
Professional Studies Development Officer Aimee Meyers at<br />
ameyers@southalabama.edu.<br />
46<br />
PILLARS | FALL <strong>2020</strong>
2019-<strong>2020</strong> College of Education and<br />
Professional Studies Scholarships<br />
Akridge-DeVan Family Endowed<br />
Scholarship in Education<br />
Kelsea Kyser<br />
Akridge-DeVan Family Endowed<br />
Scholarship in Education<br />
Macey Spencer<br />
Alane and Mark Hoffman Special<br />
Education Certification Scholarship<br />
Caitlin Robison<br />
Alfred F. Delchamps Sr.<br />
Memorial Scholarship<br />
Anthony Jackson<br />
Barbara Phillips Endowed Award for<br />
Special Education Teachers<br />
Gillian Eighmy<br />
Betty and Richard Wold Education<br />
Administration Endowed Scholarship<br />
Aaron Rowbotham<br />
Burette S. Tillinghast Jr. Graduate<br />
Scholarship in School Counseling<br />
Melissa Haddix<br />
Captain Allen U. Graham<br />
Memorial Scholarship<br />
Janna Vise<br />
Captain George A. Manders Endowed<br />
Fund in Interdisciplinary Studies<br />
Lacey Watson<br />
Carol and Jim Statter Endowed<br />
Scholarship for Literacy Education<br />
Madison Green<br />
Charles and Virginia Thompson<br />
Endowed Scholarship in Hospitality<br />
Marley Page<br />
College of Education Scholarship<br />
Joshua Crowley<br />
Don Winterton Endowed Scholarship<br />
for Science Education<br />
Robert Coke<br />
Dr. Elizabeth F. Martin and Dr. Wilma<br />
M. Scrivner Scholarship<br />
Kashama Miller<br />
Dr. Evelyn Kwan Green Endowed<br />
Scholarship in Hospitality and Tourism<br />
Marley Page<br />
Dr. Vaughn Millner Endowed<br />
Scholarship in Counseling<br />
Laura Anderson<br />
Dr. Richard L. Hayes Endowed<br />
Scholarship in School Counseling<br />
Kaylen Cruse<br />
Ed Bunnell Adult Degree<br />
Program Scholarship<br />
Cameron Shaw<br />
Gaillard-Neville Reynolds Scholarship<br />
for PASSAGE USA<br />
Grace Green<br />
Gaillard-Neville Reynolds Scholarship<br />
for PASSAGE USA<br />
Travis Weekley<br />
Gaillard-Neville Reynolds Scholarship<br />
for PASSAGE USA<br />
Timberly Beckham<br />
Gaillard-Neville Reynolds Scholarship<br />
for PASSAGE USA<br />
Georgia Davis<br />
Harold Bickel Memorial Scholarship<br />
in Education<br />
Harrison Santini<br />
Harvel A. Owens Endowed Scholarship<br />
in Education<br />
Allison Pickett<br />
Helping Hands Development Award<br />
Alaysia Davis<br />
Hospitality Advisory Board Leadership<br />
Endowed Scholarship<br />
Macey Spencer<br />
J. Howe and Annie Bell Hadley<br />
Memorial Scholarship<br />
Kashama Miller<br />
Jeanne M. Sanderford Scholarship<br />
Madison Ernest<br />
Jim and Liz Connors Hospitality<br />
Management Scholarship<br />
Destin Sims<br />
Joycelyn Franklin Finley<br />
Trailblazer Scholarship<br />
Cameron Shaw<br />
John Hadley Strange Scholarship<br />
Brheannon Horton<br />
Josephine Wood Tillinghast Endowed<br />
Scholarship in Education<br />
Mandy Antwine<br />
Keasler/Spillers Scholarships<br />
Mandy Antwine<br />
Lavonne Simon Endowed Book Award<br />
Corey Broughton<br />
Lavord and Doris Crook Endowed<br />
Scholarship<br />
Lane Sims<br />
Linda Reaves Endowment for<br />
Educators in Science and Mathematics<br />
Hannah Naylor<br />
Lisa Mitchell Bukstein Developing<br />
Students Scholarship<br />
Caitlin Robison<br />
Malcolm R. Howell Endowed<br />
Scholarship in Education<br />
Corey Broughton<br />
Mobile Area Lodging Association<br />
Scholarship<br />
Nicole Russell<br />
Mobile County Foundation for<br />
Public Higher Education Scholarship<br />
for Excellence<br />
Georgia Howell<br />
Pamela Lynne Patterson Endowed<br />
Scholarship in Education<br />
Hollie Thomas<br />
Patricia Kelly Lofton Endowed<br />
Scholarship for Teachers<br />
Morgan Walden<br />
Paula Lawkis-Bruton Memorial<br />
Endowed Scholarship<br />
Tara Cooke<br />
PNC Bank Endowed Scholarship in<br />
Early Childhood Education<br />
Devaughn Hardrick<br />
Ralph Jones Memorial Scholarship<br />
Kaitlyn Moody<br />
Robert Hopkins Memorial Endowed<br />
Scholarship in Education<br />
Martine Alger<br />
Ronald A. Styron Sr. Memorial<br />
Endowed Scholarship<br />
Paul Agnew<br />
Rotary Club of Mobile Scholarship<br />
Jennifer Lazarus<br />
Ruth M. Gwinn-Heitman Endowed<br />
Scholarship<br />
Adrienne McSwain<br />
Spectrum Resorts Scholarship<br />
Harrison Santini<br />
Student Leaders in Education<br />
Scholarship<br />
Jacob Green<br />
The Daniel Foundation of Alabama<br />
Endowed Scholarship for Teachers<br />
Katherine Lesley<br />
The Daniel Foundation of Alabama<br />
Endowed Scholarship for Teachers<br />
Savannah Zbinden<br />
The Nancy Gaillard Love of Teaching<br />
Scholarship<br />
Lauren Bunn<br />
Thomas Corcoran Scholarship in<br />
Interdisciplinary Studies<br />
Cameron Shaw<br />
Tiffany K. Whitfield Book Scholarship<br />
for Education Students<br />
Morgan Walden<br />
Tom Wood Tillinghast Endowed<br />
Scholarship in Education<br />
Rachel Cargill<br />
Travis M. Bedsole Jr. and Susan<br />
D. Bedsole Endowed Scholarship<br />
in Education<br />
Laurie Graves<br />
Valerie R. Morgan Memorial<br />
Scholarship in Graduate Education<br />
Eric James<br />
White-Spunner Endowment<br />
Scholarship in Education<br />
Amiriam Watson<br />
William Chamberlain Technology<br />
Teaching Award<br />
Gillian Eighmy<br />
Williams Charitable Foundation<br />
Book Award<br />
Anna Griffith<br />
Wind Creek Hospitality Endowed<br />
Scholarship in Hospitality and<br />
Tourism<br />
Destin Sims<br />
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH ALABAMA 47
South Professor Shares<br />
Legacy of Strength and<br />
Perseverance in Africatown<br />
Documentary<br />
Dr. Joél Lewis Billingsley, according to oral history, is a sixth-generation<br />
descendant of Cudjo Lewis, one of the last survivors of the slave ship<br />
Clotilda. Lewis Billingsley grew up listening to stories about the former<br />
enslaved Africans who started a community called Africatown.<br />
This was not the history she learned in school.<br />
“I’VE BEEN DOING RACE WORK,<br />
DIVERSITY WORK, FOR SOME TIME.<br />
IT’S BECOME PART OF WHO I AM. AND<br />
THIS HAS BECOME AN OPPORTUNITY<br />
FOR US TO ENGAGE IN WAYS WE HAVEN’T<br />
BEEN ABLE TO BEFORE.”<br />
These were more like inspirational accounts of heroic people who survived<br />
incredible hardship, then found a way to preserve their West African<br />
identity along Mobile Bay.<br />
“When I look back, I think about how much that shaped who I am,” said<br />
Lewis Billingsley, an associate professor in the College of Education and<br />
Professional Studies. “I was learning about who these people were, how<br />
strong they were, how they survived being captured by another tribe,<br />
and the journey all the way over to America. I was taught about their<br />
strength, their perseverance, their ability to function in a community with<br />
white people, and what it meant to be African, to look different and speak<br />
different, and still be able to build a community of their own.”<br />
PROJECT 110<br />
Three years ago, she began work on a documentary,<br />
“110: The Last Enslaved Africans Brought to America,” with<br />
director Ryan Noble, a professor at Spring Hill College. The project<br />
is funded by the Alabama Humanities Foundation, Mobile County<br />
Commissioner Merceria Ludgood and many other generous donors.<br />
The Clotilda, which landed at Mobile in 1860, was the last known slave<br />
ship to illegally transport Africans to the United States. Lewis, who died<br />
in 1935, was a founder of the Africatown community north of downtown<br />
Mobile on the Mobile River.<br />
What began as a historical documentary became more of a personal<br />
journey for Lewis Billingsley, a native of Mobile. The documentary led her<br />
to trace her ancestry and consider how she would like to serve the efforts<br />
48<br />
PILLARS | FALL <strong>2020</strong>
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH ALABAMA 49
of the community and descendants. Recalling the uplifting<br />
stories she heard as a child meant confronting the horrific<br />
realities of slavery. It was difficult work during a difficult time.<br />
“It’s important to see this through the right lens of everpresent<br />
history,” she said. “It’s hard to see a reflection of<br />
who you are being mistreated. For me, it is traumatic.<br />
Watching the news is traumatic. Being on social media<br />
sometimes is traumatic.”<br />
Dr. Angelia Bendolph, a friend and former colleague at<br />
South, worked with Lewis Billingsley on a school curriculum<br />
to go along with the documentary. They share an interest in<br />
the power of language used to describe Africans who were<br />
kidnapped and transported to America.<br />
For example, they avoid referring to people as “slaves.” They<br />
prefer “enslaved persons,” which describes their experience,<br />
what happened to them, rather than reducing them to<br />
objects or property.<br />
“It’s important for her to capture the humanity of her<br />
ancestors,” Bendolph said. “This is not history from a clinical<br />
background. When you’re talking about people from your<br />
family, it’s different. It does something to you. It takes on a<br />
different meaning.”<br />
Reluctant historian<br />
Noble met Lewis Billingsley just after she had done a<br />
film series of race dialogues called “Mobile in Black and<br />
White.” As soon as he learned she was a descendant of<br />
Cudjo Lewis, he wanted to make a film with her about<br />
Africatown history. She said no. He knew the importance<br />
of the story and continued to ask. She finally agreed to help<br />
produce a documentary.<br />
“She told me later that at first she wasn’t ready to go<br />
there,” Noble said in June. “She wasn’t ready for the pain<br />
and trauma that she would have to put herself through to<br />
research the story, reinterpret the story, tell the story. I think<br />
she struggled with it a lot. We had a big interview with her<br />
just two weeks ago.”<br />
Getting her to appear on camera in the documentary<br />
required more convincing. Again, she was adamantly<br />
against the idea. Again, she relented.<br />
The experience of Lewis Billingsley offers a contemporary<br />
filter for the historical life of Cudjo Lewis. “Being able to<br />
tell his experience through her experience,” Noble said. “It<br />
became super-obvious that this was the story.”<br />
The director still marvels at the remarkable life and<br />
times of Cudjo Lewis. He is reminded of the Kunta Kinte<br />
character from “Roots,” the famous Alex Haley novel and<br />
television miniseries, but with a lifespan that is even more<br />
all-encompassing.<br />
“He went through the entire experience,” Noble said. “Being<br />
captured, being sold, coming across the Atlantic, being a<br />
slave in the United States, being emancipated, and then<br />
going through Reconstruction, going through Jim Crow. He<br />
went through basically every aspect of the African-American<br />
experience as one single human being, from being in Africa<br />
to dying in 1935, which is kind of close to modern America.”<br />
There are plenty of historical photographs of Lewis, along<br />
with a 15-second snippet of film of him in Africatown. He was<br />
a leader of an unusual community where former enslaved<br />
persons shared property, language and customs. People<br />
were curious about him.<br />
In 1914, a Mobile writer named Emma Langdon Roche wrote<br />
about Lewis in her book, “Sketches of the South.” In 1927,<br />
Lewis was interviewed by Zora Neale Hurston, the African-<br />
American novelist and folklorist. She wrote a book about him,<br />
“Barracoon: The Story of the Last ‘Black Cargo,’ that was only<br />
published in 2018.<br />
“THIS IS NOT HISTORY FROM A<br />
CLINICAL BACKGROUND. WHEN<br />
YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT PEOPLE<br />
FROM YOUR FAMILY, IT’S DIFFERENT.<br />
IT DOES SOMETHING TO YOU. IT<br />
TAKES ON A DIFFERENT MEANING.”<br />
Noble and Lewis Billingsley hope a new film will spark<br />
interest and lead to more research about Cudjo Lewis<br />
and Africatown. Post-production work on the 90-minute<br />
documentary, now known as “Project 110,” includes editing,<br />
fundraising and negotiations with distributors such as<br />
public television.<br />
“We have this ongoing joke about when this film is going to<br />
be done,” Noble said, laughing. “It’s shifted so many times.”<br />
Family history in Mobile<br />
Lewis Billingsley grew up in Mobile near Dauphin Island<br />
Parkway. After her family moved to West Mobile, she<br />
graduated from Davidson High School in 1993. As a little girl,<br />
she visited Africatown for annual festivals.<br />
“It was like a different world, a different experience,” she said.<br />
“The women were always outside on the front porch, cooking<br />
or doing crafts. I was like, ‘Who are these people? What’s<br />
happening? These are our cousins?’”<br />
50<br />
PILLARS | FALL <strong>2020</strong>
At birthdays and family gatherings, she went to her<br />
grandparents’ house. “All the children would sit on the floor<br />
in a circle,” she said. “Together we would make music with<br />
wooden sticks, draw African art and listen to Uncle Israel tell<br />
stories about Cudjo Lewis.”<br />
Her education continued at the University of South Alabama,<br />
where Lewis Billingsley earned a bachelor’s degree in<br />
human resources management in 1997. She received an<br />
associate degree from Bishop State Community College in<br />
culinary arts in 2000. In 2002, she returned to South to earn<br />
a master’s degree and Ph.D. in instructional design and<br />
development. In 2006, she began teaching at South.<br />
Along the way, she earned a Bukstein Foundation<br />
Scholarship for Developing Faculty in Education and won<br />
a Top Professor Award from the National College Senior<br />
Honor Society. She participated in the Leadership Alabama<br />
program and was featured in Mobile Bay Magazine’s 40<br />
Under 40 issue. She was a fellow at the Gulf Coast Center for<br />
Law & Policy and has been named a Young Professionals<br />
Alabama Social Justice Champion of Mobile.<br />
Her community outreach efforts on race in Mobile with<br />
“Mobile in Black and White,” were revisited this summer<br />
through a panel series. This work has included partnerships<br />
with Mobile United and the City of Mobile.<br />
The recent history of racial injustice in America pivoted in<br />
May with the death of George Floyd after a Minneapolis<br />
policeman kneeled on his neck for nearly nine minutes.<br />
Protests spread across the nation and around the world.<br />
Lewis Billingsley, like so many others, saw public opinion shift.<br />
Confederate monuments came down and racial awareness<br />
went up. The political mood changed.<br />
“We only get these opportunities every now and then,” she<br />
said. “I’ve been doing race work, diversity work, for some<br />
time. It’s become part of who I am. And this has become an<br />
opportunity for us to engage in ways we haven’t been able<br />
to before, and had to really fight for. I’m hopeful that this<br />
door stays open.”<br />
Two years ago, when “Barracoon,” was finally published,<br />
she welcomed the attention for Cudjo Lewis and Africatown.<br />
Then, last year, it was confirmed that the wreckage of the<br />
slave ship Clotilda had been discovered in the Mobile-<br />
Tensaw Delta. For Lewis Billingsley, this piece of news was<br />
both a confirmation of history and an emotional trigger.<br />
“When they found the ship, I had mixed feelings,” she said.<br />
“On one hand, it was like, wow, this is real. On the other hand,<br />
it was like this really is real, meaning that the story was true<br />
and these horrific things did happen to people. That was a<br />
stark realization at the time.”<br />
TO GIVE TO PROJECT 110, CONTACT COLLEGE<br />
OF EDUCATION AND PROFESSIONAL STUDIES<br />
DEVELOPMENT OFFICER AIMEE MEYERS AT<br />
AMEYERS@SOUTHALABAMA.EDU OR VISIT<br />
GIVING.SOUTHALABAMA.EDU/PROJECT110.<br />
Cudjo Lewis is pictured above. Photo courtesy of the Erik<br />
Overbey Collection, The Doy Leale McCall Rare Book and<br />
Manuscript Library, University of South Alabama.<br />
Years of work on “Project 110” has given her a different<br />
perspective. Reckoning with history, especially the history<br />
of slavery, can be a painful process. She prays about<br />
forgiveness to continue doing her work.<br />
“I think I’ve grown,” Lewis Billingsley said. “I’ve learned a<br />
lot more about vicarious, secondary trauma, when you<br />
experience something through the lives of other people.<br />
I had no idea what that was, so I’m excited to be on the<br />
other side of it, or at least knowing how to move through<br />
it. I had no idea about the impact of learning history when<br />
it’s horrible. If nothing else, I’ve learned the importance of<br />
thinking of others as they are learning.”<br />
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH ALABAMA 51
CINS<br />
Chi Sigma Iota<br />
Counseling Honor Society,<br />
Instructional Design &<br />
Developmental Graduate<br />
Student Organization,<br />
Clinical & Counseling<br />
Psychology Graduate<br />
Student Organization<br />
HTM<br />
Eta Sigma Delta -<br />
International Hospitality<br />
Management Honor Society<br />
HKS<br />
Therapeutic Recreation Club,<br />
Sport Management Club<br />
INGS<br />
Alpha Sigma Lambda<br />
Honor Society<br />
LTE<br />
Kappa Delta Pi<br />
Honor Society<br />
Know the<br />
Lingo<br />
<strong>CEPS</strong> ACRONYMS<br />
<strong>CEPS</strong><br />
College of Education<br />
and Professional Studies<br />
CINS<br />
Counseling and<br />
Instructional Sciences<br />
HKS<br />
Health, Kinesiology, and Sport<br />
1,077<br />
SUMMER 2019<br />
2,000<br />
FALL 2019<br />
1,909<br />
SPRING <strong>2020</strong><br />
1,088<br />
SUMMER <strong>2020</strong><br />
HTM<br />
Hospitality and Tourism Management<br />
INGS<br />
Integrative Studies<br />
5,054<br />
K-12 Area<br />
Educators Served<br />
660<br />
Hours of<br />
Professional<br />
Learning<br />
155<br />
Professional<br />
Development<br />
Sessions<br />
LTE<br />
Leadership and<br />
Teacher Education<br />
SARIC<br />
South Alabama Research<br />
and Inservice Center<br />
*2019-<strong>2020</strong> academic year as of July <strong>2020</strong><br />
AMSTI-USA<br />
Alabama Math, Science, and<br />
Technology Initiative at USA<br />
FAST FACTS<br />
12 SPONSORED<br />
GRANT PROJECTS<br />
(FY19 $6,814,729)<br />
59 FULL-TIME FACULTY<br />
29 STAFF<br />
484<br />
SCHOLARSHIPS<br />
(AY 19-20 $364,953)<br />
50,000 +<br />
ALUMNI<br />
146 GIFTS<br />
matched by the Mitchell-<br />
Moulton Scholarship Initiative<br />
(As of May 31, <strong>2020</strong>)<br />
PASSAGE<br />
USA<br />
Preparing All Students Socially and<br />
Academically for Gainful Employment<br />
52<br />
PILLARS | FALL <strong>2020</strong>
ENROLLMENT BY HOME STATE<br />
3<br />
1<br />
1<br />
1<br />
1<br />
1<br />
1<br />
2<br />
17<br />
2<br />
1<br />
4<br />
1<br />
1<br />
1<br />
4<br />
1<br />
3<br />
1<br />
3<br />
4<br />
9<br />
8<br />
5<br />
1<br />
1<br />
4<br />
2<br />
14<br />
162<br />
19<br />
13 2,016<br />
109<br />
Summer 2019 - Spring <strong>2020</strong><br />
SINCE THE COLLEGE’S INCEPTION IN 1967, OUR GRADUATES<br />
HAVE MADE A DIFFERENCE IN OUR COMMUNITY.<br />
WE ARE THE LARGEST TEACHER PREPARATION PROGRAM ON<br />
THE GULF COAST WITH MORE THAN 85% OF EDUCATORS IN<br />
THE GREATER MOBILE AREA HAVING AT LEAST ONE DEGREE OR<br />
TEACHING CREDENTIAL FROM THE COLLEGE.<br />
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH ALABAMA 53
54<br />
PILLARS | FALL <strong>2020</strong>
Pictured left to right: Lori Williams from Griggs Elementary School,<br />
Jackie Edwards from Williamson High School, President of <strong>CEPS</strong> Alumni Society<br />
Laura Sergeant and USA College of Education and Professional Studies Dean Dr. Andi Kent.<br />
We are committed to connecting more than 50,000 University of<br />
South Alabama College of Education and Professional Studies<br />
alumni who provide service in their communities across the world.<br />
JOIN THE SOCIETY TODAY | FREE MEMBERSHIP<br />
southalabama.edu/ceps/alumni<br />
Stay connected.<br />
#WeAreSouth #WeAre<strong>CEPS</strong><br />
@usaceps @usaceps @usaceps<br />
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH ALABAMA 55
UNIVERSITY COMMONS 3360 | MOBILE, AL 36688<br />
(251) 380-2889 | <strong>CEPS</strong>@SOUTHALABAMA.EDU<br />
WWW.SOUTHALABAMA.EDU/<strong>CEPS</strong>