August 24, 2009: Volume 2, Issue 1
Feature ArticleDear Curry Faculty and Staff: Here we are again! That exciting week of orientation, the Curry Kick-off gathering, and the first day of class. I trust that each of you had a wonderful summer and enjoyed an opportunity for some rest and relaxation. You each certainly deserved it. Our successes during the 2008-09 academic year were abundant! We are looking forward to what the coming year will bring. Please join me in welcoming five new faculty to Curry. In a year in which we were all hard-pressed to address budget cuts and hiring freezes, we managed to secure a combination of private funds, corporate giving, and endowment support that made this possible. Each of these scholars is noted for their interdisciplinarity – their work cuts across the intellectual and professional boundaries – and each makes contributions to both applied problems – in policy, in professional practice, and the preparation of professionals. Our intellectual community and its impact is enriched by this infusion of talent. • Daphna Bassok is an Assistant Professor in Leadership, Foundations and Policy. Bassok completed her Ph.D in the Economics of Education at Stanford University in 2009 and joining us with a broad set of interests in policy, teacher effectiveness, and early education. • Eric Dey is a Professor in Leadership, Foundations and Policy. He comes to the Curry School from the University of Michigan’s School of Education, where he was a Professor in the Center for the Study of Higher and Postsecondary Education, and Special Advisor to the Dean on Research on Undergraduate Teaching. Eric will be leading research efforts here on effective teaching in higher education. • David F. Feldon is an Assistant Professor of STEM Education in the department of Curriculum, Instruction & Special Education. His research examines the development of expertise in STEM disciplines: Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. David has broad interests in cognition and learning and teaching; both K-12 and in higher education settings. • Natalia Palacios is Assistant Professor in Leadership, Foundations and Policy. She defended her dissertation, Immigration, Child Development, and Early Education in the 21st Century, in June of 2009 to obtain her doctorate in Human Development and Social Policy at Northwestern University. She will join us later this year. • Patrick Tolan is a Professor in Human Services and will serve as Director of the newly-created Center for Positive Youth Development. He comes to UVA after serving for many years as the Director of the Institute for Juvenile research and Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Patrick has interests in prevention, mental health and well-being, policy, and program effectiveness. We received a lot of good news this summer. As just one example of your success, the Curry School secured $15 million in grants since June. Curry also spent this summer connecting with the local community. Faculty served on a panel for the City of Charlottesville School System to discuss effective teaching. The Curry School co-sponsored a national conference on education with the local school systems. The Charlottesville and Albemarle community, with significant support from Curry faculty, was awarded a $6 million grant from the U.S. departments of Education, Health and Human Services and Justice. The implementation process of this grant will include Curry graduate students working in the local schools. And another Curry faculty member connected with students through a tutoring program aimed at getting African-American boys more excited about math. The Curry School has a close and special relationship with the local school systems and the Charlottesville-Albemarle community. We will continue to strengthen and deepen these ties because they benefit everyone. This great work is sure to continue this fall. I always find this time of year to be full of optimism, excitement and hope. At the Curry school, these feelings are well-founded. This truly is going to be a wonderful year! --Bob Upcoming EventsSave these dates! More details on each will be coming.Monday, August 24: Curry School Orientation. Monday's orientation will conclude with the annual Kick-off Event at 4:00 pm. Click here for the full orientation schedule. Tuesday, August 25: Classes Begin Friday, August 28: Faculty Retreat at Glenmore Country Club The Curry Calendar is up-to-date. Bookmark it and visit it often! Curry’s Brown Bag Lunches have been revamped this year!Taking place EVERY Wednesday at noon in Ruffner Hall 200, the 2009-10 Brown Bag Lunch series has a wider focus than in previous years. Created with all Curry faculty and Curry doctoral students in mind, this series will rotate through a variety of topics from week to week. The first week of the month will focus on Curry’s curriculum. The second week of the month will focus on diversity and international topics. The third week will cover topics pertaining to research and faculty development, while the fourth week of each month will focus on technology. Each lunch session will vary in format. Some of them will be informal, consisting of perhaps a brainstorming session, a conversation, or a brief demonstration followed by Q and A. Other sessions may be a bit more structured, such as a presentation on research findings or a tutorial on some topic. September 2: Curriculum—Join us for more creative discussion about Curry’s curriculum News at Curry
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