The People Column highlights recent accomplishments by Eastern Michigan University faculty, staff, administrators, students and alumni.
J. Sanford "Sandy" Dugan, professor of foreign language and bilingual studies, has been selected by the Michigan Foreign Language Association (MFLA) to receive the Barbara Ort-Smith Award. Dugan received his award Oct. 9 in Lansing.
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The award is given to a foreign language professional for life-long dedication to education, commitment and service to professional language associations in the state. Established in 1988, the award is named in honor of Barbara Ort-Smith, Michigan's first foreign language consultant.
"All foreign language teachers, including teachers from kindergarten through 12th grade, are eligible, so Dr. Dugan was chosen out of a pool of thousands," said MFLA President Colleen Meyer.
"The Michigan Foreign Language Association is an outstanding professional organization," Dugan said. "To be honored by them is very moving."
Dugan has been associated with the MFLA since coming to EMU in the 1970s. He served as president in 2001, and was a board member for the organization from 1998-2002. In addition to serving as chairman of the board in 2003, Dugan has been the technology support person for the annual MFLA conference.
Among his many accomplishments, Dugan is the author of three books: "Foreign Language Annals," "The French Review," and "Les Cahiers Pedagogiques." He has taught courses in French language and culture for students at various levels, as well as courses in English as a second language.
Eastern Michigan University's teacher preparation program was one of five highlighted in the "Ultimate Guide to Becoming a Teacher," written by Ben Wildavaky and the staff of U.S. News & World Report. Eastern Michigan's program for post-baccalaureate students is described in detail. The article includes comments from former College of Education Dean Jerry Robbins and professors Chris Lancaster and Ethan Lowenstein, along with a description of a role-playing activity in one of Lowenstein's classes. Eastern Michigan is described as providing both theoretical and "useful, practical assistance" for beginning teachers.
Veronica Grondona, assistant professor of linguistics, recently was awarded one of 14 Charles A. Ryskamp Research Fellowships from the American Council of
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Learned Societies (ACLS). These fellowships are designed to provide advanced assistant professors and untenured associate professors in the humanities and related social sciences with time and resources to pursue their research under optimal conditions. These fellowships particularly recognize those whose scholarly contributions have advanced their fields and who have well-designed and carefully developed plans for new research.
These fellowships are funded by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and are named for Ryskamp, a literary scholar, distinguished library and museum director, and long-serving trustee of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
The American Council of Learned Societies is a private, non-profit federation of 68 scholarly associations devoted to the advancement of humanistic studies in all fields of learning in the humanities and related social sciences.
Roger Manela, a lecturer in the department of teacher education, was recently named Michigan's School Social Worker of the Year. He will receive his award from Governor Granholm at a ceremony scheduled Oct. 21.
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Ken Stevens, professor of communications and theatre arts, is the recipient of the first E. Ray Scott Michigan Artist award. The award, presented through ArtServe Michigan and named to honor the first director of the Michigan Council for the Arts, is awarded to artists who have: demonstrated an enduring commitment to technical and creative ingenuity; produced a distinguished body of work; earned a reputation for excellence and expertise among their peers; and contributed significantly to cultural life in Michigan.
The award will be presented in a ceremony at the Detroit Athletic Club Oct. 20 with special recognition at the Governor's Arts Awards at The Henry Ford Nov. 19.
Stevens is director of theatre at Eastern Michigan University and, over the past three decades, has directed and produced at such theatres as the Cherry County Playhouse in Traverse City, the Red Barn Theatre in Saugatuck, Tibbit's Opera House in Coldwater, The Actor's Renaissance and Attic theatres in Detroit and the Actor's Repertory Theatre in Las Vegas. He is president of the Michigan Legacy Art Park, a wilderness sculpture in Thompsonville, Mich.
Quirico Samonte, professor emeritus of teacher education, has been invited to the Philippine Embassy in Washington, D.C., to participate in the introduction of his book, "At the Table with the Family," Oct. 15-16. Under the sponsorship of the Philippine Studies Group, Samonte also is scheduled for a book signing and presentation at the University of Michigan Oct. 23.
Michael McGuire, professor and director of music therapy at EMU, chaired the Board of Directors meeting of the Certification Board for Music Therapists (CBMT) at their biannual meeting, scheduled in Ypsilanti Oct. 14-16. The CBMT is a non-profit, tax-exempt certifying agency whose mission is to define the body of knowledge that represents competent practice in the profession of music therapy. The CBMT is a member of the National Organization for Competency Assurance (NOCA), a leader in setting quality standards for credentialing organizations.
Larry Newhouse, director of Ford Gallery and an adjunct professor of metalsmithing and jewelry making, was inducted into the Willow Run High School Hall of Fame Oct. 9.
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Newhouse, a 1961 graduate of Willow Run, is owner of L.W. Newhouse & Associates, Jewelry Design. He serves on the Whittaker Road Ypsilanti District Library's Art Selection Committee and for the Ypsilanti Public Library's Park Place Plaza Renovation Project. Newhouse also is a board member for Riverside Arts Center in Ypsilanti.
"The induction ceremony was amazing," Newhouse said. "It was a special honor to be recognized along with my fellow inductees.
Gilbert Steifel,
assistant professor of special education, recently was featured in the Ann Arbor News for using his woodworking talents to recycle a walnut tree from the Nichols Arboretum. The tree was cut down to make way for the Gateway Garden about two years ago. Stiefel acquired the wood courtesy of his son, Barry, a caretaker at the Arboretum. Thanks to Stiefel's vision, persistence and talent, the wood was dried, milled and transformed into an arts and crafts style cabinet that now graces the Arboretum offices.
Christine Hume, an EMU creative writing instructor, has had her second collection of poems, entitled, "Alaskaphrenia," released by New Issues Press.
Jon Margerum-Leys, assistant professor of teacher education, along with colleagues Barry Fishman and Deborah Peek-Brown, recently published "Lab Partners: Research University and Urban District Join Forces To Promote Standards-Based Student Learning In Science" in the Journal of Staff Development.
Senior Ryan Coleman and junior Nikki Knapp, members of Eastern Michigan University's women's basketball team, have been named to the pre-season All-Mid-American Conference Basketball Team. Last year, Coleman led the
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Eagles to its first-ever MAC Tournament championship. She was named the Kraft MVP after averaging 16.3 points and 7.3 rebounds during the tournament. During the regular season, Coleman averaged 13.3 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 2 steals per game. During conference play, Coleman placed in the top 15 in scoring (13.8) and rebounding (6.9).
As a sophomore, Knapp was named second team All-MAC last year. During conference play, Knapp averaged 13.1 points per game, 7.1 rebounds per game and shot 51 percent from the floor. Overall, she averaged 12.0 points per game and 6.8 rebounds.
The pre-season team was announced Oct. 7 and named by the MAC News Media Association.
EMU junior forward John Bowler, was chosen for the 2004-05 preseason All Mid-American Conference Basketball Team for the West Division. As a sophomore, Bowler tied for the MAC lead in double doubles with 10. He averaged 13.2 points per game and finished second in the league in rebounds at 8.2 per game. Bowler also ranked seventh in the league in field goal accuracy (49.8 percent) and tied for eighth in blocked shots at 1.0 per game.
Nathan Bomey,
news editor at the Eastern Echo, recently won two honors in
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the Michigan Press Association Better Newspaper Contest awards. Bomey took first place in the Weekly Class C Division for a sports story he wrote for the Milan News-Leader . Bomey also placed third in the division for a sports feature story he wrote for the Saline Reporter.
Jerry Robbins, former dean of the College of Education, was commended with a resolution adopted by the Michigan State Board of Education Sept. 14. The resolution, for service to EMU and professional education in the state, was presented to Robbins during the MACTE Fall Conference at the University of Michigan-Dearborn Oct. 11.
