FULBRIGHT AWARDS TO SUPPORT STUDENTS’ RESEARCH ABROAD

Three graduate students from the College of Education, Steve Backman, Aliah Carolan-Silva and Nils Kauffman, were awarded prestigious Fulbright-Hays scholarships in the spring to study in Africa, South America and Eastern Europe.

The Fulbright-Hays program, administered by the U.S. Department of Education, provides grants to colleges to fund doctoral students to conduct research in other countries in modern foreign languages and area studies for periods of six to 12 months.
This was the first time the college had three students receive the prestigious and highly competitive scholarships. In the previous year, for example, MSU had only one graduate student receive funding through the program.

“All three of us worked together on writing our applications and all of us submitted the applications together,” said Kauffman, who is a fourth-year doctoral student in educational policy. “So it’s very nice that all of us got the scholarships.”

Kauffman, a former elementary school teacher and Peace Corps volunteer in Moldova, is focusing his research on that eastern European nation near the Black Sea.

Kauffman left for Moldova in August and will conduct research in the country for 11 months. He said his focus will be to understand how teachers in Moldova have adjusted to roles as educators in post-Soviet environment, notably how they are dealing with the changes in economics, educational policies and expectations for schools and students.

Carolan-Silva is a fourth-year doctoral student in curriculum, teaching and educational policy. An anthropologist by training, with a bachelor’s degree in anthropology from the College of William and Mary, Carolan-Silva’s focus is on the Paraguayan primary school system. Her field research is geared at understanding how parents and teachers are involved in educational decision-making.

Carolan-Silva spent two years in Paraguay as a Peace Corp volunteer and will begin her 10 months of field research in March. “It’s an amazing opportunity because it is very difficult to find support to do work internationally,” she said. “I feel very fortunate to have this opportunity.”

Steve Backman, who is also in his fourth year as a doctoral student in the department of teacher education, will travel to the sub-Saharan country of Lesotho to conduct his research. His research focus is on language policy in education in Sub-Saharan African countries.

Backman, who is also pursuing a master’s degree in linguistics, speaks Sesotho, the national language of Lesotho, and Swahili. In the summer, he led an undergraduate study abroad course in South Africa and Lesotho.



 

STUDENT HONORS

Student Intern Earns MACTE Scholarship

Detta Wilson, a 2005 elementary education graduate and now a first-year classroom teacher in Arizona, was honored by the Michigan Association for Colleges of Teacher Education (MACTE) as one of the top interns in the state. Wilson, an urban education specialist who taught during her MSU internship year in a second-grade classroom at Lansing’s Riddle Elementary, received a $1,000 scholarship at the MACTE’s April 7 luncheon, held at the Michigan Education Association in East Lansing.


Two Doctoral Students Win McNamara Fellowships

Sakeena Ayoub Rasheed Elayad, an educational policy and administration doctoral student from Palestine, and Annah Molosiwa, a teaching, curriculum and education policy doctoral student from Botswana, received Margaret McNamara Fellowships at the World Bank. They were among only nine U.S. students to win the coveted awards.
Elayad, a teacher, principal and education manager and former Fulbright scholar said she returned to study at MSU for a stronger knowledge base.

“My vision for future fields of activity include the participation in building institutional and organizational competencies within the developing education sector,” she said. “The other area will be working with societal committees and legislative organizations to combat child employment and upgrade career opportunities and status of women.”
Molosiwa worked with the curriculum development unit in the ministry of education in Botswana and on a unicef-funded project to keep young girls from dropping out of school due to pregnancy. She also created content modules aimed at reproductive health, hiv/aids, childcare and the importance of education before motherhood.

“In this era of hiv/aids and other social ills such as passion killings that have become a national concern in Botswana recently, there is a need to educate young girls to make informed choices in their lives,” she said. “I also hope to contribute towards the improvement of language education as well as teacher education programs in Botswana institutions.”

The Margaret McNamara Memorial Fund was established in 1981 to honor its namesake’s commitment to the well-being of women and children in developing countries, and to encourage women who are similarly committed to improving the lives of those in their home nations.

Trustees Recognize Seniors for Academic Achievement

Allison Longton, an education major from Gross Ile, and Lucas VanEtten, a kinesiology major from Adrian, were among 19 students campus-wide honored for their academic achievements by the MSU Board of Trustees. Both achieved a 4.0 grade point average.

The Board of Trustees awards are granted at each commencement to students having the highest scholastic averages at the close of their last semester in attendance

Teacher Team Wins Campus Diversity Award

The Children’s Literature Team in the department of teacher education received an Emerging Progress Award at MSU’s 16th annual Excellence in Diversity Recognition and Awards ceremony.

The team, which included six doctoral students and was led by Laura Apol, associate professor of teacher education, developed new courses introducing diversity, equity and social justice in the college’s curriculum. Members held professional development workshops to help faculty and current classroom teachers learn ways to incorporate and responsibly use multicultural literature in the classroom to meet the needs of diverse learners. They received a cash stipend of $2,500.

The diversity awards honor individuals, teams, units and organizations at MSU for their innovative and outstanding efforts in promoting diversity.

Ph.D. Students Earn International Awards

Two doctoral students received the university’s Homer Higbee International Education Award. Nancy Lubeski, a doctoral student in educational administration and a special education teacher in the Lansing School District, and Rui Niu, a teacher education doctoral student from China, were honored for making significant contributions to the enhancement of international communication, understanding and cooperation at MSU through service activities.
 

Students Join Faculty Research in McNair/S.R.O.P Program

Ashley Banks

Yoel Joa

Stephen McClain

Three undergraduate students participated in the McNair Summer Research Opportunity Program (S.R.O.P.), collaborating with faculty on research projects.

Ashley J. Banks, an elementary education major from Grand Blanc, worked with counseling Professor Gloria Smith on “Genetic Awareness in the African-American Community.” Yoel Joa, a kinesiology major from Sturgis, partnered with kinesiology Professor Yevonne Smith on “Intersections of Socio-Cultural Factors on Physical Activity and Sports Participation.” Stephen J. McClain, an elementary education/language arts major from Grand Rapids, worked with University Distinguished Professor Geneva Smitherman from the department of English on “Freedom for Literacy and Literacy for Freedom: A Critical Analysis of Literacy as Intervention in the Lives of At-Risk Black Boys.”
 

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