News University of Northern Colorado

UNC Dean Invited to Present on Teacher Education in Seoul

Mon, 20 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT

The dean of the University of Northern Colorado's College of Education and Behavioral Sciences will deliver a keynote address at an international conference May 29 in Seoul, South Korea.

Eugene Sheehan will address quality in teacher preparation at the Seoul National University of Education (SNUE) conference titled "Teacher Education in the Global Era: Issues and Solutions."

Sheehan will join colleagues and fellow presenters from Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, and Boston.

Through the efforts of UNC professors, Hannah Kang and Youngjin Song, UNC and SNUE are in the process of developing a student exchange between the two universities, with students from the Korean school scheduled to attend UNC this summer. Spearheaded by Sheehan, the college also has longstanding exchange programs with Thailand's Burapha University and Kasetsart University.

Sheehan has served as the college's dean since 2000 and at UNC since 1986.

Thanksgiving on Campus

Wed, 21 Nov 2012 00:00:00 GMT

When you're a student at UNC and distance or a work schedule keep you from going home for Thanksgiving, you can still have your traditional meal of turkey with all the trimmings and enjoy holiday comradeship with your peers, thanks to the volunteer efforts of staff in the school's Housing and Residential Education department.

Although campus residence halls remain open during the short holiday break, dining facilities are closed, which was the impetus for the first HRE Thanksgiving meal a decade ago, according to HRE Director Brad Shade.

This year, the tradition of providing a Thanksgiving meal for residence hall students and staff who don't leave campus, is being ramped up to provide a full day of activities in North Residence Hall's main lounge.

According to co-organizer Nicole Stella, director of Lawrenson Residence Hall, the celebration will begin at 8 a.m. with hot chocolate and another tradition of the holiday - viewing the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade on TV.

The parade will be followed by appetizers at 11 a.m., the Thanksgiving meal at noon and an afternoon of leftovers and watching football on TV.

Stella said that the meal was catered the past two years, but because co-organizer Elias Quinonez, director of North Hall, is passionate about cooking, the two, with help from his wife and her roommate, will prepare the turkey, stuffing, several traditional side dishes and pumpkin pies themselves. That's no small feat given that they could be feeding as many as 40 or 50 people.

Students are being encouraged to bring their own side dish, Stella said, which could turn the meal into an impromptu potluck with an international flair since many of those attending will represent some of the 30-plus countries from which students come to UNC.

That's part of the attraction for Geoff Phillip, a Lawrenson Hall resident assistant whose family lives in Longmont but who has to man the hall's front desk on Thursday.

"The dishes that the international students bring are great," said Phillip, who attended the meal last year. "Plus, it's cool that they can be exposed to something that's so American."

- UNC News Service

UNC Expands Partnership to Offer Education Program for Thai Students

Fri, 01 Jun 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The University of Northern Colorado is expanding its partnership with a university in Thailand to jointly deliver an education program for undergraduates.

UNC and Burapha University will team up to offer the five-year program. Burapha students enrolled in the program will complete their liberal arts core requirements at Burapha and then transfer to UNC to complete an undergraduate degree, including some education courses. The students will then return to Thailand to complete their teaching license.

On May 30, UNC President Kay Norton and Burapha President Sompol Pongthai formalized the agreement during a ceremony at the University Center. The first 10 students to transfer to UNC also attended the ceremony.

Over the past two years, about 100 faculty and graduate students from the two universities have participated in an exchange program, spearheaded by College of Education and Behavioral Sciences Dean Eugene Sheehan. The participants have lectured in workshops, audited classes and attended seminars both at UNC and Burapha.

The partnership has continued to grow through the years and several UNC teacher candidates have now completed their student teaching at Burapha. Last October, Sheehan was awarded an honorary doctorate from Burapha in recognition for establishing the exchange program.

In the Summertime

Thu, 17 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

This summer, many University of Northern Colorado students will be applying what they've learned so far in their classes to real-world situations on international, national and local levels. Here are just a few examples.

A Peek into Politics
Conor McCabe, a senior Journalism major, is spending the summer as a press intern in U.S. Senator Mark Udall's Denver office. Although Udall still has two more years in office, McCabe says that with a general election just around the corner, his days are always busy, from beginning to end.

Each day for McCabe and 10 other interns begins with a briefing with Udall's communication director to discuss the day's objectives, which can include reaching out to various publications, following up on media advisories or press releases distributed to media, researching which outlets covered issues Udall's involved in and monitoring his Twitter and Facebook pages.

McCabe said he thinks the internship will help his future career plans by building his communication skills with the media, and seeing how a senator's office contributes to his relationships with both local and national media.

"I hope to gain experience interacting with the media, both face-to-face and over the phone," McCabe said. "I aim one day to work in politics, on the communication side, and I think this internship will help me reach that goal."

So far, McCabe has enjoyed the majority of his assignments, especially reaching out to news outlets, following up on press releases and brainstorming sessions with the other interns.

"At first, interacting with the press directly over the phone was difficult," he said. "I quickly realized writing down my talking points beforehand made the conversations much more comfortable."

McCabe will be working in Udall's office throughout the summer. He's currently working three days a week, but hopes to be offered a full-time internship sometime in the next few weeks.

More Than Just Numbers
Alison McBride, a senior Mathematics major with an emphasis in secondary education will spend June 10-15 working with and mentoring young women who want to build on their high school courses.

Las Chicas de Matemáticas, a weeklong, residential camp funded through UNC's Office of Enrollment Management and the Mathematical Association of America's Tensor Foundation, is free for the 30 young women who participate.

In addition to learning college-level math, the "campers" will experience college life by staying in a campus residence hall, eating in Holmes Dining Hall and hanging out with McBride and three other students working as camp leaders.

The math part of the camp Monday through Thursday includes morning sessions focusing on recreational math and how it relates to sports, taught by Professor Ricardo Diaz; and afternoon sessions highlighting complex functions and their relation to technology, taught by Hortensia Soto-Johnson, an associate professor of Mathematics and co-founder of the camp along with Assistant Professor Cathleen Craviotto.

On the last day of the camp, the girls will present their findings, and work together with a group to create a PowerPoint presentation for a banquet that evening. Friends, family and the teachers who wrote letters of recommendation for the girls' admission to the program are invited to the presentation and banquet.

Along with looking forward to mentoring the girls, McBride hopes they can see her and the other leaders as real-life models of what they have the potential to become by pursuing a math degree.

"I hope this camp shows the students how applicable math can be in a variety of fields, and how important it is to society," McBride said. "It's so nice to see these young women taking initiative and know they are already thinking about their goals for the future. I didn't realize I liked math until my senior year of high school. I'm glad these girls, especially the younger ones, are taking advantage of this unique opportunity."

Expedition Yucatan
Seventeen UNC students will spend the last two weeks of June in the Yucatan Peninsula with Michael Kimball, director of the Honors, Scholars and Leadership Center, and Gillian McNally, assistant professor of Theatre Education.

The trip is part of MIND Global, a new initiative in UNC's Life of the Mind interdisciplinary studies program that promotes MIND courses taught in international locations. MIND is the course prefix for interdisciplinary courses offered as part of the Life of the Mind program.

Expedition Yucatan is a hybrid online MIND course that incorporates international service learning experience. Unlike most study abroad opportunities, Expedition Yucatan is just two weeks long, instead of an entire semester or summer.

"One of the benefits of this program is it allows students to experience a different culture in a short period of time," Kimball said. "It's the best of both worlds; the trip is short, yet the students are immersed in the culture from the moment they arrive and begin to understand what community life is like for people in the Yucatan Peninsula almost right away."

Students in the course this summer will be involved in service learning projects in the Mayan village of Yunku. One of the projects will be joining McNally in helping the children in the village put together a play, which will be performed for everyone in the village to see.

Students will have time for some sightseeing outside of the village toward the end of their expedition.

Seth Morones, a senior Sociology major, said he's most looking forward to exploring global education with the village youth.

"I have always had a passion for working with at-risk youth and homeless students, which had stemmed from my own experiences in homelessness when I was younger," said Morones. "I'm hoping this trip will be like kindling the flame for me, and enhance my desire to learn about people and cultures - building connections with them and seeing what's out there."

In the International Spotlight
Students in UNC's Prima Voce Chamber Choir spent the first 10 days of their summer break performing concerts and competing in an international competition.

The ensemble was selected to compete at the International Choral Competition Ave Verum in Baden, Austria, May 10-13, and squeezed in concerts before and after.

Led by conductor Jill Burleson and assistant director Karen Lange, the choir toured Austria and the Czech Republic, performing at venues that included the Stephansdom and Stift Klosterneuberg in Vienna; Saint Vitus and St. George's Basilica in Prague; and Haydn Hall at Esterhazy Palace in Eisenstadt.

Prima Voce's repertoire is a cappella, and comprises an array of choral chamber literature ranging from Renaissance to 21st century.

Acceptance into the prestigious international competition was based on the submission of performance recordings, repertoire lists, and a proposed competition program.

Read about and view photos of the recently completed trip - and find out how the ensemble fared in the competition - on Burleson's blog.

- Katie Owston, senior Journalism major

Finding the Bigger Picture

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Five years ago, UNC Mathematical Sciences major Jeremy Garcia was a junior at Greeley Central High School and his grades were slipping fast. He'd quit attending classes and was considering dropping out of school.

Watch the video to see how his life turned around.

- Katie Owston, Junior Journalism Major

Destination: China

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT

You could say that for Nate Wambolt, a pianist with the UNC Wind Ensemble that performed in China over winter break, a concert tour there was simply his destiny.

"The night of the auditions I ate at Panda Express," the junior Music major explained. "The fortune cookie I got said, ‘You will enjoy a trip to Asia.'"

Wambolt, along with the 46 other students in the ensemble, visited China Dec. 21-Jan. 4, and played two concert venues in Beijing and in Qingquan.

Students in the ensemble, which is directed by Music Professor Ken Singleton, ranged from sophomores to doctoral students.

The students performed an "American Sampler" of 13 pieces in order "to bring the best of American music," Singleton said. "A lot of these pieces the audience had never heard before."

The students were accompanied Richard Mayne, UNC's associate director of bands, and Assistant Music Professor Lei Weng, who joined the group on piano for the concert's closing number, George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue.

Weng is a Chinese national, and the trip was organized through his Chinese agent's management group, which funded the majority of the trip's costs. Additional funding came from the students, the UNC School of Music and other campus organizations.

According to Singleton, the Wind Ensemble hadn't traveled out of the country in 27 years, so the trip was a unique experience for all of the students.

For Kelsie McCallum, a Music Education junior who plays the French horn, music was able to bring two cultures together, more than words.

"We stumbled on a community choir and to hear them singing was unlike anything I had heard before," McCallum said. "It was just raw and they were so happy to be singing."

For Wambolt, the highlight of his trip was playing on the 12-foot-long Bosendorfer grand piano at the first concert. And McCallum's highlight was playing Stars and Stripes for a cheering audience.

In their free time, students were able to explore the cities and make amazing memories, whether it was climbing the Great Wall on Christmas Eve, or trying local cuisine at the night markets.

The memories made on the trip will not soon be forgotten, but the friendships made may last even longer. In normal ensembles, students only get to know a small group of students, but sharing this experience brought the group together as a whole.

"One thing that a lot of us agreed upon was that first concert just felt different, " Wambolt said. "By the time of the concerts everyone knew everyone else, so we played as a cohesive group."

- Elizabeth Same, Junior Public Relations Major

Of Note: The Wind Ensemble is comprised of the university's foremost musicians. Essentially an orchestral woodwind/brass/percussion section supplemented by saxophones and keyboards, the ensemble explores challenging one-player-per-part wind music by a variety of composers. Membership is determined by audition and is open to music and non-music majors.

Internationalizing Education

Fri, 13 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT

A unique exchange program with a university in Thailand is broadening the horizons of students and professors, not to mention those of the program's creator, who got to experience a very different commencement ceremony.

Eugene Sheehan, dean of UNC's College of Education and Behavioral Sciences, received an honorary doctorate last October from Thailand's Burapha University in recognition of the international exchange program he created for faculty and graduate students from both universities.

Several UNC alumni were already part of the faculty at Burapha when Sheehan approached the Thai university with his idea two years ago. That connection propelled him into the leadership position for a new exchange program between institutions; Burapha faculty and graduates lecture in workshops, audit classes and attend seminars at UNC, while UNC faculty and graduates travel to Thailand and do the same.

Sheehan received his honorary degree as part of a commencement ceremony at Burapha, one of Thailand's largest public universities. The atmosphere of the event was unlike any graduation Sheehan had experienced before.

"Our graduation ceremonies are outgoing and exuberant," Sheehan said "They celebrate a person's individuality and encourage excitement and enthusiasm."

Thai graduation ceremonies are much more serious, he said. The room where the ceremony took place was totally quiet. Students formed a perfect line to receive their diplomas, with just two seconds per student allowed to ensure that 30-34 diplomas were given per minute.

Sheehan said that Thailand greatly admires their royalty, even more so than the United Kingdom. Because Thailand's Princess Maha Chakri was presenting the diplomas, a specific set of choreographed steps and gestures was necessary as a sign of respect toward the princess.

Once on stage, the graduating students - and Sheehan - had to bow, walk halfway across the stage, bow to the princess, take three or four steps forward, then do a hand gesture showing they had no weapons and symbolizing peace. After receiving their diplomas, students took three steps backward and stepped off the stage.

"I was blown away at how intricate the ceremony was," Sheehan said. "And I was even more surprised when the ceremony ended and not a single person had tripped or skipped a beat."

Over the past two years, nearly 100 faculty and graduate students from Burapha have participated in Sheehan's program at UNC.

Last semester six doctoral students from Burapha audited courses in the educational leadership program at UNC.

Several teacher education students from UNC have been able to complete their student teaching at Burapha through the exchange program.

This summer another element of the exchange program will be implemented. Eighteen undergraduate teacher education students from Burapha University will transfer to UNC after receiving two years of liberal arts education in Thailand. They'll then continue their education and after two year graduate with a teaching degree from UNC.

In a world that is getting more and more global, an international education is highly beneficial for both undergraduate and graduate students.

"As a university we should afford our students the opportunity to internationalize their education," Sheehan said. "By doing so, students can learn to appreciate different cultures and see how many things our countries actually have in common."

- Katie Owston, Junior Journalism Major

UNC Music Students to Tour China during Winter Break

Mon, 19 Dec 2011 00:00:00 GMT

The University of Northern Colorado's Wind Ensemble will spend most of the school's winter break on a multi-city performance tour in China.

The 47-member group, under the direction of Music Professor Ken Singleton, leaves Dec. 21 for a two-week trip that will include performances in Shanghai, Beijing and Qingquan.

The ensemble, whose ranks include both undergraduate and graduate students, will be performing an "American sampler" consisting of 13 pieces, most of which the audiences will not have heard before.

They'll be accompanied by Richard Mayne, associate director of bands at UNC, and Assistant Professor of Music Lei Weng, who'll join the group on piano for the concert's closing number, George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue.

Weng is a Chinese national, and the trip was organized through his Chinese agent's management group, which is funding the majority of the trip's costs. Additional funding is coming from the students, the UNC School of Music and other campus organizations.

The Wind Ensemble is comprised of the university's foremost musicians. Essentially an orchestral woodwind/brass/percussion section supplemented by saxophones and keyboards, the ensemble explores challenging one-player-per-part wind music by a variety of composers. Membership is determined by audition and is open to music and non-music majors.

For more information, contact the UNC School of Music at 970-351-2993.

Cycling Saudi Student Seeks Return to Racing

Fri, 22 Jul 2011 00:00:00 GMT

University of Northern Colorado student Mohammed Al Awami has been watching the Tour De France on TV every day, and as the Super Bowl of bicycle racing winds down, he's gearing up to resume his racing career.

The 19-year-old moved to the United States from Aoqaesis, Saudi Arabia, last year, three weeks after graduating from high school. He recently transferred to UNC from Aims Community College with hopes of getting accepted into UNC's nursing program.

Being able to join the UNC cycling team, which competes as a club sport through Campus Recreation, made the move even sweeter.

And although nursing is something that Al Awami is sure he'll enjoy, his passion right now is cycling.

When he was 13, a friend took him to a small cycling club in Aoqaesis. He was tentative about joining at first, but the club's coach convinced him to try it.

"I trained for five or six months, and then I loved it," Al Awami said.

In 2006 he placed third in his first race, and the coach of the Saudi national cycling team recruited him so he could compete internationally. Since then, he has been in countless races, and earned some prestigious victories.

In both 2008 and 2009, Al Awami won Saudi Arabia's cycling championship. In 2010 he placed second in the international Arab Gulf Cycling Championships, with hundreds of racers from Persian Gulf nations competing.

He plans to start racing again once he's officially a part of the UNC cycling club. Until then, his coach back in Saudi Arabia is sending him training schedules, and he's still getting used to cycling at higher altitudes.

"If I feel bored, I go biking," Al Awami said. "I feel that if I don't train, it feels like I lost something."

But he knows that his passion for cycling will someday have to give way to a nursing career, an obvious choice since his sister is a nurse and his mother wants him to become one too.

Al Awami plans to ultimately earn a master's degree, and then work in the U.S. to gain experience before returning to Saudi Arabia.

For more information about the UNC cycling club, visit http://unccycling.org/default.aspx

- Elizabeth Same, UNC journalism major

Crossing Cultures Through Language

Fri, 08 Jul 2011 00:00:00 GMT

It's difficult to learn and retain a second language without practicing it regularly. That's where Greeley's Tad and Jane Gilmore, who volunteer their time holding conversation groups for international students at UNC, come in.

Some international students who arrive at UNC with English as their second language haven't had opportunities to practice their English in academic or social settings. As the saying goes, "If you don't use it, you lose it."

The Gilmores speak multiple languages and have lived in Nepal for eight years and Swaziland for two. They've both experienced first-hand the communication challenges that come with living abroad and having language limitations. It's what inspired them to lend a helping hand.

The Gilmores believe that language is primarily about relationships and is the main prerequisite to being able to immerse into a different culture.

"My husband and I have learned two languages as adults...one of them after we were 50 years old," Jane said. "It was incredibly difficult for us but we learned. Crossing cultures, especially into Nepal and Africa where we were so incredibly different in every way, and the adaptations we had to make to be at home there, made us keenly aware of what international students go through to be here.

"It's our hearts' desire to give them as many tools as we can for them to be successful. One tool is language and the gift of conversation in a safe environment."

Besides holding conversation groups, the Gilmores also help welcome many of UNC's international students at Denver International Airport, drive them to Greeley and provide them with an introduction to the campus and American culture.

They also host social events at their home for the students, including a night of games, desserts and fireworks viewing on the Fourth of July.

The Gilmores work with UNC's Center for International Education, which in addition to providing a variety of services and activities for international students, provides study abroad and student exchange opportunities for American students and organizes events such as International Week to promote international education.

International and American students alike benefit from the center's International Ambassador program, which teams an international student with an American student. The American student learns about a different culture while showing an international student how to thrive at UNC and in Greeley.

According to Mathes Paulus, an exchange student from Germany, having a command of English is important in today's world.

"I think it's a great thing to be able to speak more than just one language because it makes international communication so much easier," Paulus said. "English is the language of the world that's spoken right now because it's so popular. I am able to speak with people all over the world."

UNC celebrates diversity by welcoming students from all around the world. Approximately 300 students representing nearly 50 countries will attend UNC during the 2011-12 academic year, and they'll enrich the campus and community by sharing their cultures through a variety of languages, including English, thanks to people like the Gilmores.

- Fiza Johari

Related Content: Video excerpts of interviews with the Gilmores and German exchange student Mathes Paulus.

More about UNC's Center for International Education

Two UNC Students Receive State Department Scholarships to Study Abroad

Tue, 28 Jun 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Two University of Northern Colorado students are among 14 students from Colorado colleges selected to receive highly coveted U.S. Department of State scholarships to study abroad during the upcoming fall semester.

Ryan Ballard, a senior Interdisciplinary Studies - International Studies major, will receive $4,500 to study in Taiwan for the semester. Grant Thoresen, a junior International Affairs major, will receive a $5,000 award to study in Kazakhstan.

The funding is through the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program, which is sponsored by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State.

According to officials at UNC's Center for International Education, Ballard and Thoresen are the first UNC students to receive Gilman scholarships since 2003, when the first UNC student received one.

The program, established by Congress in 2000, provides awards for U.S. undergraduate students who are receiving Federal Pell Grant funding at a two-year or four-year college or university to participate in study abroad programs worldwide.

Approximately 2,300 scholarships are awarded annually.

Coping when Disaster Strikes

Fri, 20 May 2011 00:00:00 GMT

UNC faculty will travel to Italy this summer as part of an ongoing research project that aims to document how victims of natural disasters cope with the psychological trauma afterward.

Professors Sherilyn Marrow (Communication Studies), Nancy Karlin, (Psychological Sciences) and Joyce Weil (Gerontology) are investigating psychosocial factors (self-confidence, mood, perceived social support and the extent to which individuals believe that they can control events) that affect natural-disaster survivors' resilience - their ability to bounce back mentally in the wake of a hurricane, earthquake or similar event.

The team and 12 students' in Karlin's Community Psychology course will be in Italy May 25-June 5 to interview and collect data from survivors of a 2009 earthquake in the city of L'Aquila. They'll also talk to elderly citizens in Rome, where a rumor of an impending cataclysmic earthquake incorrectly created city-wide panic earlier this month.

The study started in 2005 when the researchers decided to collect data from a group of 38 elderly survivors after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans.

"My initial inspiration for the research came from a lecture on the topic of resilience in my Family Communication course in fall 2005," Marrow said, explaining that the class was watching TV coverage of families that were affected by the disaster. "We wondered how these families would ever have a chance to rebound."

The second opportunity for research and data collection came in 2010, following the earthquake that affected residents of Vina Vieja, Peru.

Survivors from both Hurricane Katrina and the earthquake in Peru provided the team an opportunity to observe and better understand what victims experience during times of crisis. The different cultures that the survivors came from were also taken into consideration when added to the model of resilience being developed.

Data collected from the Katrina survivors suggested a relationship between resiliency and overall positive mood states after a natural disaster. However, the Peruvian earthquake survivors, who came from a lower socioeconomic status, demonstrated a greater level of mood disturbance and weaker feelings of being able to bounce back.

"The most important variable in resilience is that of emotional support," Marrow said. "The next phase of our data analyses from both (Italian) sites will be to consider the overall findings and create a system for classifying resilience."

Ultimately, the team's published research and presentations will include development of a pamphlet to facilitate the coping process for natural-disaster survivors and aging populations experiencing adversity.

- Fiza Johari

Examples of Other Faculty Endeavors this Summer

Barb Hawthorne (Cultural Anthropology) will spend her summer in New Mexico researching, interviewing and photographing women artists who reside there. "We often see books about male artists or male and female artists, however, hardly any are dedicated to women," Hawthorne said. Her research will look at both well-known artists and up-and-comers. She hopes to include women from all walks of life.
Bob Brunswig, professor of Anthropology, is coordinating an archaeology field school with community volunteers participating in excavations at Dearfield, the once-flourishing Black agricultural community east of Greeley. The multidisciplinary research program will conduct new field, laboratory, archival and historical document and photographic studies to generate new knowledge and assemble a master archival database on Dearfield's social, economic, political and environmental history.
Bil Hoyt, professor of Oceanography, is continuing work with the Poudre Learning Center. He's part of a study using ground-penetrating radar to survey subsurface layers on 45 acres at the Greeley site. "We want to know the variability of depth to bedrock and the nature of the materials so that we can intelligently site about three wells that we plan to dig for educational purposes and research on the site," Hoyt said.
Stephen Mackessy, professor of Biological Sciences, will continue investigating snake venoms as a source of anti-cancer compounds. Several graduate and undergraduate students will participate on his research team over the summer. More information
Kevin Pugh, associate professor of Educational Psychology, will research how to make learning transformative by using teaching methods that help students see and experience the world in new and exciting ways. He'll examine the research on the effect a subject matter has on a student's everyday experience outside the classroom.
Flo Guido, associate professor of Higher Education and Student Affairs Leadership, will participate as an artist-in-residence (photographer) at a three-day conference in Luxembourg for student affairs professionals from Europe and the United States. She will be living in medieval abbey for a week and is considering turning her photography into an exhibit upon her return.
James Gall, professor of Educational Technology, will be in Taiwan conducting the research project, "Examining the relationships of videogame preference/experience, personality trait, and attitude toward educational technologies in Taiwanese college students." The project is funded by the Cultural Division of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office.
Mary Sean O'Halloran, professor of Counseling Psychology, will travel to Thailand in August to conduct two workshops for mental health professionals on eating disorders. One workshop will be for counselors at the International School of Bangkok and the other one at Assumption University will be for area psychologists.
Russell Guyver (Music), Director of UNC's Orchestras will return to work with the Orquestra de Cordas da Grota in Niteroi, as well as other orchestral groups in Tatui and Barra Mansa, Brazil. Guyver has been a visiting performing guest artist since the last decade, at a large music festival in Rio de Janeiro.

- Compiled by Brittany Sarconi

Journeys to Graduation

Fri, 06 May 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Students’ paths to earn their UNC degree take many different twists and turns. Four students walking in UNC’s spring 2011 undergraduate commencement ceremonies share their unique journeys.

Whitney Henry: Driven to Get Her Life Back
Whitney Henry’s life was rolling along at 15 years old. She was ahead on credits and on track for early graduation. She made the cheerleading team, even though she didn’t expect to. And she was close to getting her driver’s license.

Then came a July day at Fossil Ridge High School cheerleading camp in Fort Collins. A freshman girl launched into the air and Henry was among the girls in spotting formation. Continue reading

Nicole Vincelette: Fighting through Cancer, Twice
Nicole Vincelette has worked really hard the past four years, but she says it’s been worth it. With a Biological Sciences degree in hand from UNC, she’s headed next to Rochester, Minn., to begin research in the Molecular Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics track of the Mayo Clinic’s graduate program, one of the best programs in the country.

The road that led Vincelette to where she is today is one she never expected. She was diagnosed with and recovered from Hodgkin’s lymphoma when she was 5. When she was 17, her father was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and a series of successive moves to six different states with her four younger siblings and her mother resulted.

They ended up in California, where after earning her associates degree, Vincelette worked as a firefighter for several years. She then spent 45 days hitchhiking throughout Alaska before deciding she wanted to and earn a bachelor’s degree.

Vincelette moved to Greeley in time to start school in the spring of 2007, but then was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. Determined to finish her education, Vincelette took only one semester to complete treatment and was back in school in spring 2008, despite the autoimmune disorder she developed from the cancer treatments.

She is proud to have finally accomplished what she set out to do four years ago.

“My goal was to finish my education,” Vincelette said. “That goal never changed; the route that got me here, although unexpected, has made me realize just how much I have to offer to the scientific community.”

Janelle Johnson: A Global Path to an International Job
Janelle Johnson, who’s receiving a bachelor’s degree in Interdisciplinary Studies – Elementary Education, was born in Turkey and grew up like any other Turkish child. Her family moved back to the United States when she was in fourth grade, and the bilingual Johnson finished her K-12 education in Longmont. She never lost the language, though, and traveled to Turkey almost every summer to visit old friends.

She became an English as a Second Language tutor during her sophomore year at UNC, and has continued tutoring through her senior year. She studied abroad during her junior year, the same year her parents moved back to Turkey. Although unplanned, she wouldn’t have had it any other way; re-visiting Turkey gave her the opportunity to experience the culture as an adult. She noticed little pieces of everyday life In Turkey that, as a child, she had been oblivious to.

For example, Middle Eastern traditions in how people greet and get to know each other are different than in the U.S. Everything has meaning. For example, in Middle East it isn’t uncommon to invite someone newly met over for a cup of tea. The first cup of tea serves as an act of hospitality; all guests receive this offering. A second cup of tea symbolizes growing friendship; by the third cup of tea, a person has practically become part of the family.

Johnson’s life experiences will give her the opportunity to use her language skills for international work after graduation. She’ll work for an international student recruitment program recruiting Turkish students to UNC’s Center for International Education programs.

Tracey Lancaster: Monkeying Around in the Yucatan
Tracey Lancaster chose to attend UNC to pursue an interest in theater, but after graduating with a bachelor’s degree in Anthropology, she’ll travel to Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula for a five-month study on spider monkeys.

Lancaster didn’t take any theater classes her freshman year and before she knew it, an introductory physical anthropology class had her interested in paleoanthropology. During a three-week visit to a paleoanthropology research program in the Yucatan last summer, she met the head researcher and arranged an internship that will begin in January.

The internship in Punta Laguna, a small Mayan village in a government-established nature reserve along the Gulf Coast, will involve studying the social networks of spider monkeys and how they differ from those of other primates.

Lancaster is looking forward to gaining field experience in an area that is different from her undergraduate emphasis and that will benefit her when she begins graduate school to study biological anthropology.

Jessica Rice: More Volunteerism in Her Future
Jessica Rice, who’ll receive a Theatre Arts - Design Technology degree, will spend a month in Thailand this summer volunteering in rural communities

Rice will be part of International Student Volunteers, a non-profit organization that sends students around the world through a unique volunteer and adventure program. Half of the trip is spent volunteering; the other half is spent traveling around the country.

Student volunteers have a variety of projects to complete within two weeks. Projects vary from country to country. Volunteers in Thailand will work on preserving wildlife through the care and rehabilitation of rescued monkeys and elephants.

They’ll also help develop eco-tourism practices within communities, teach English to orphaned or underprivileged children and build playgrounds and schools in underdeveloped communities.

Rice has previously done volunteer work in Mexico, where she helped build three houses for families previously living in cardboard shacks. She says the physical labor will most likely be the same as her previous projects, but is looking forward to working in a completely different country and culture.

- Katie Owston

More information about commencment and the spring 2011 graduating class

Miracle Worker: Update

Fri, 18 Mar 2011 00:00:00 GMT

In a March 16 Skype interview with The Pulse Network, UNC student Rachel Rose Jackson, the subject of a Feb. 4 Spotlight feature and runner-up in the national Students in Service Awards, provides details of how during a 2009 study abroad trip to Ghana, she co-founded a nonprofit organization that provides ongoing relief and support to women and children living on the streets of the city of Accra.
View the 10-minute video.

Read the Feb. 4 Spotlight.

UNC Student Who Founded Ghana Nonprofit Earns National Service Award

Fri, 18 Mar 2011 00:00:00 GMT

University of Northern Colorado junior Honors student Rachel Rose Jackson has been awarded a $2,500 scholarship as one of three winners among hundreds who applied for the 2011 Students In Service Awards, which recognize college students for their commitment in addressing social and environmental challenges.

Jackson will be honored for her work, establishing a nonprofit organization that serves women and children living on the streets in Ghana, at a national conference on service and civic engagement April 28 in San Diego.

In addition to the scholarship, the Students in Service Awards program will award the university a $2,500 grant to support civic engagement programs for students.

The three winners were chosen by a national selection committee of civic leaders and more than 714,000 online votes for projects up for the awards, sponsored by Washington Campus Compact and Inspireum. Stories, videos and photos of the winners are available at www.serviceawards.org

As a sophomore studying abroad in Ghana, Jackson co-founded the nonprofit organization Kayalei Association, which provides assistance to women and children living on the streets of Accra. To date, the association has helped educate more than 500 Ghanaian women and children, and more than 150 have received medical treatment that they wouldn't have otherwise. Many of the women have received vocational training that allowed them to leave their former lives working on the streets. Others have been provided housing in the underdeveloped country.

For more about Jackson, read her Spotlight.

International Week at UNC to Feature Award-Winning Author, Activist

Fri, 04 Mar 2011 00:00:00 GMT

The University of Northern Colorado will celebrate International Week March 7-11 with a variety of events highlighting diverse cultures, including a presentation by award-winning author and social activist Kari Grady Grossman.

Grossman, a former writer for Discovery Channel Online who now lives in Fort Collins, will be the keynote speaker at the International Achievement Awards banquet 4:30-6 p.m. Tuesday, March 8, in the Panorama Room in the University Center, intersection of 11th Avenue and 20th Street. The banquet recognizes the achievements of UNC's international students, who represent more than 40 countries. Tickets are $5 for students and $10 for non-students and are available by calling 351-4849 or at http://www.unco.edu/tickets.

Grossman earned a gold medal in the 2008 Independent Publisher Book Awards for "Bones That Float: A Story of Adopting Cambodia," which details her and her husband's experience with the process in 2000, the social injustices they encountered and their success establishing a school near the country's highest mountain that today serves 485 students and has a waiting list.

The week's other events open to the public, all of which are free, are:

Monday, March 7
Salsa Night: Free salsa dance lessons with salsa instructor Amy McCullough. 6-8 p.m., University Center Columbine rooms

Wednesday, March 9
World Expo: Booths and performances featuring international students; UNC cultural centers, programs and clubs; and community organizations. 3-6 p.m., University Center ballrooms

Thursday, March 10
UNC International Soccer Cup Tournament: Intramural teams that include international students will compete in UNC's version of the World Cup. 4:30-10:30 p.m., Campus Recreation Center (east of Butler-Hancock Sports Pavilion, free parking in lot M)

Math Major Heads to Moscow

Fri, 11 Feb 2011 00:00:00 GMT

UNC senior Ethan Twisdale, who’ll graduate magna cum laude May 7, won’t be able to walk the stage at commencement. He’ll be 6,000 miles away finishing an advanced course of study in mathematics offered at an elite Russian university for future research mathematicians.

Twisdale, a Mathematical Sciences major, is one of 12 students from North America selected for the spring semester of the Independent University of Moscow’s prestigious Math in Moscow program. The 15-week program of graduate-level math courses, taught in English by some of Russia’s leading mathematics educators and researchers, runs Feb. 3-May 20.

Twisdale is joining undergraduate and graduate students from schools like Swarthmore College; the University of California, Berkeley; University of Texas, Austin; Virginia Commonwealth University; and the University of British Columbia.

At 25, he’s the oldest student in the program, the result of a four-year break from education he took after attending Colorado State University from 2003-2005.

“I enrolled at CSU as a math education major, didn’t like the large class sizes in the general ed courses and decided to take some time off,” Twisdale explained. “I worked odd jobs while I tried to decide if teaching and/or math were going to be part of my future.”

He finally realized that given his aptitude for the subject – math has always come easy for him – he decided he owed it to himself to continue pursuing his education, but in a different environment.

So he checked out UNC, and impressed with the smaller classes, enrolled in as a Mathematical Sciences major in the 2009 spring semester. He has no regrets.

“UNC has been a great experience,” Twisdale said. “The math department is just great; you get a lot of attention.”

In addition to his coursework, Twisdale has served as president of the UNC Math Club the past year, which has included organizing student trips to various national meetings such as MathFest and local club events.

According to Anton Dzhamay, one of Twisdale’s professors and Math Club faculty advisor, Twisdale is a good choice for the Russian program.

“Ethan is one of our strongest math majors,” Dzhamay said. “He has excellent problem-solving and communication skills. The small and stimulating atmosphere of the program should suit him very well”.

Twisdale said he’ll use his trip to Russia to “find out how the rest of the world runs,” as well as for preparation for graduate school and a final reality check to make sure that math is the right path for him to continue on.

Of Note
Twisdale is the second UNC student to attend Math in Moscow. Brian Shourd, who attended in spring 2009, is now in his second year in the doctoral math program at the University of Notre Dame, one of the top programs in the country, and according to Dzhamay, is doing very well.

- Gary Dutmers

Miracle Worker

Fri, 04 Feb 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Update March 4: Rachel Rose Jackson has been selected as one of 15 finalists for the national Students In Service Awards. Voting is open through March 16. Vote for Jackson here.

As a sophomore, UNC student Rachel Rose Jackson co-founded a nonprofit organization that provides ongoing relief and support to women and children living on the streets of Accra, Ghana.

Studying abroad in the country in fall 2009, Jackson planned on volunteering in some capacity.

“I wasn’t really planning on rearing an entire organization,” said the junior Honors student. “It all just unfolded that way.”

And, thus, the Kayayei Association was born out of an unmet need (“Kayayei is the tribal Twi language word that describes women who live and work the Ghanaian streets,” Jackson said).

Since 2009, the association has provided more than 500 women and children with education and lifetime healthcare coverage. More than 150 have received medical treatment that they wouldn’t have otherwise.

Jackson established the curriculum used for the Kayayei children’s education program and obtained medical supplies, donations and equipment for the health care clinic — contributors include upper class Ghanaian citizens.

Many Ghanaian women have received vocational training that allowed them to leave their former lives in prostitution. Others have been provided housing in the underdeveloped country.

“The Kayayei Association aims to aid in any way possible,” Jackson said.

It is currently a self-sustaining organizational model in which those that have been helped come back and help others in their own communities.

Now that she is back in the U.S., she uses Skype to communicate with her Ghanaian partner and co-founder of the association. Jackson continues fundraising and planning until she can go back go Ghana — she hopes this summer.

At UNC, she majors in Nursing and plans to pursue a career in the field.

Jackson said a nursing degree will fit well with her passion for international affairs and her desire to heal in a physical and emotional capacity.

Nominated for National Award
For her outstanding demonstration of scholarship and community service, Jackson has been nominated for a national award recognizing college students for their outstanding service to address social and environmental challenges.

You can vote for Jackson at http://www.serviceawards.org/applicant/153/Rachel_Rose_Jackson.aspx.

- Brittany Sarconi

UNC Criminal Justice Professor to Present in China

Tue, 12 Oct 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Philip Reichel, professor of Criminal Justice at the University of Northern Colorado, is one of four U.S. professors selected to participate in a symposium on Transnational Crime Prevention and Policing Strategies Oct. 12-13 in Hangzhou, China.

Reichel will cover "Combating Transnational Crime: The Human Trafficking Example" and "Research Methodologies for Comparative Criminal Justice." The symposium is co-sponsored by China's Ministry of Public Security and Zhejiang Police College.

Specifically, Reichel will use research from the United Nations as well as research he conducted in Europe to explain the importance of countries working together to help prevent crimes such as human trafficking. Reichel will propose strategies such as information sharing and mutual legal assistance agreements as part of the solution.

Reichel has participated in several U.N. initiatives to internationalize criminal justice education, presented a paper on the rule of law at last spring's U.N. Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice in Salvador, Brazil, and served as a panelist at the U.N. Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice last year in Vienna, Austria.

A former counselor at the Nebraska Correctional Complex in Lincoln, he has taught at UNC since 1983. He's the author of two textbooks, "Comparative Criminal Justice Systems: A Topical Approach," and "Introduction to Corrections." He is also editor of the Handbook of Transnational Crime & Justice and recently served as the International Section Chair in the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences. He earned his M.A. and Ph.D. in Sociology from Kansas State University.

A Story of Hope

Fri, 01 Oct 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Growing up in Bosnia amid war, genocide and poverty in the early 1990s, Vanja Pejic at times wondered if she’d finish elementary school, let alone ever attend college. Today, she’s in her first year of UNC’s doctoral program in School Psychology.

That she’s come as far as she has since she and her family fled their home as war broke out in May 1992 is a tribute to their indomitable spirit, the value they place on education, some good fortune and the kindness of strangers.

Strangers like the soldier at a heavily armed military checkpoint who pretended to know 5-year-old Vanja and her Serb family as they tried to flee their hometown of Zavidovici, north of Sarajevo. The soldier convinced his commanding officer to let the family leave.

The next day they learned that their recently completed home on land the family had owned for generations had been burned to the ground. All they had with them were the few changes of clothes needed for what they thought would be a two-week absence.

Vanja, her parents, her brother and a grandmother and an aunt ended up in the city of Banja Luka, about an hour northwest of Sarajevo. A relative’s friends offered to let them stay with another family of six in a one-room, 14-foot by 20-foot apartment. The apartment felt like a palace when the other family found other housing after a year.

"The entire country was in chaos," Pejic said. "There were no jobs, no electricity, no phones, few places to live and very little food. The Red Cross became our best friends."

"My brother and I would make a candy bar last a month," Pijic said. "Fresh fruit of any kind was a special treat. It would take three hours to eat a banana because you would savor every bite."

Pejic attended a nearby elementary school, where weekly "bomb trainings" taught students what to do when shelling became dangerous. The school would frequently close for a week or longer when fighting made it unsafe to attend.

"To this day I can’t attend a parade because the fire engine sirens bring me right back," Pejic said in reference to the sirens that signaled the need to take shelter from artillery shells or bombs. And I hate listening to fireworks because in my head I hear the sounds of shelling."

After five years, even though their living conditions were improving and hostilities were winding down, Pejic’s parents decided to seek a better life – and better education for their children.

Someone they didn’t know would again help the Pejics. Sponsored by a church of complete strangers, the family was granted political asylum and in November 1997 moved to York, Pa. Vanja was 10.

Pejic said she struggled with adapting to her new life. She didn’t speak English and was from a foreign country few of her classmates had heard of. She felt like an outsider and had no close friends. She learned English, but she rarely talked in school. She spoke to her parents about the possibility of returning to Bosnia.

Then in a seventh-grade social studies class, she gave a report about Bosnia and her life there that opened her peers’ eyes. Word quickly spread throughout the school about her story, and the principal asked her to serve as the keynote speaker at the school’s end-of-the-year awards assembly – a role normally filled by a paid motivational speaker.

"I told my story, but I turned it into a lesson on how we have so much more in life than we realize and that we take for granted," Pejic said. "When I finished, you could hear a pin drop in that gymnasium, except for people crying softly."

But something more profound took place later that day.

"A girl came up to me crying hysterically," Pejic said. "She told me that she had been planning to kill herself that night because of her terrible situation at home and in life but after hearing me speak she realized that her life wasn’t really that bad and that she actually had a lot to live for."

Pejic decided that she had to stop feeling sorry for herself and wishing she could have had a better childhood.

"Hearing her say that made me realize that I was there for the right reason and the right time in Bosnia," Peijic said. "I knew that I needed to take this story and take this experience and its impact and try to help others as much as I possibly could."

Pejic has since told her story of perseverance and not taking what you have for granted during dozens of motivational speeches she’s given at schools and churches, including some in South Africa during a study-abroad experience while earning her bachelor’s degree from Temple University.

Along the way, she realized that becoming a school psychologist would put her in a position to continue to help students, especially those who might feel like outsiders who don’t belong or feel they have much to live for.

- Gary Dutmers

Editor’s Note
Pejic is enjoying yet another "new" life at UNC, where in addition to starting her five-year doctoral program, she’s a graduate assistant in the Center for International Education, where her duties include using her many experiences to organize cross-cultural events for members of the university community.