Faculty Highlights

Dr. Lori Assaf  is facilitating a teacher inquiry group with K-12 grade teachers called Five and Five: Wondering Together.  The charge is to create, conduct, and evaluate individual classroom inquiry projects.  Participants are 5 novice teachers and 5 experienced teachers and the projects must be based on issues related to equity and student learning.  This project is being funded by the National Writing Project.

The Comal ISD honored Texas State students from Dr. Kathy Fite’s human growth and development course for their time spent mentoring children within the district through the Bobcat Buddies program.  Undergraduate students were paired with CISD students to gain real-world experience in the field of education.  Dr. Fite began the program in 1989 and has since overseen more than 2,000 children mentored by students from her classes.  The goal of the program is to ensure students  are in the right field of education and the program also provides an opportunity to get first-hand experience in the school district.

Texas State University School Psychology Program intern Maureen Hicks has been named Outstanding Graduate Student by the Texas Association of School Psychologists,

Dr. Gail Roaten has been selected as the Counselor Educator of the Year by the Texas School Counseling Association.  Dr. Roaten received her award at the TSCA luncheon at the Texas Counseling Association Conference in San Antonio in November 2006.

Dr. David Wiley represented the Centers for Disease Control (Division of Adolescent and School Health) at the HIV Prevention Education meeting in Washington, D.C.  last November.  Dr. Wiley met with staff members from Congressman Lloyd Doggett’s staff to discuss school health issues in Texas and Texas State University issues.

During the Spring 2007 semester, Dr. Bob Pankey will be working three days a week at the Human Performance Gait Lab with the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio.  The gait lab is located at the Veterans Hospital next to the UYHSCSA.  Dr. Pankey will be involved in research on gait analysis with veterans returning from the war and fitting them with proper prosthetic devices for ambulation and recreation use and will be studying the effects of stochastic resonance (mechanical vibration) to improve balance, circulation and flexibility.  Dr. Pankey plans to continue this research in the Jowers Biomechanics lab with representative faculty in the HPER and Physical Therapy Departments.

The Sigma Tau Sigma Chapter of Chi Sigma Iota has won the CSI Outstanding Web Page Award which will be presented at the ACA Convention Awards Ceremony in Detroit, March 23, 2007.  Congratulations to the president and officers, especially Kim Frueh, president elect, the webpage designer and manager, and her husband for the award.  Two years ago, the honor society won Most Outstanding Chapter.  Dr. Eric Schmidt is the faculty sponsor.

Mr. Dan Corbett, a Texas State post-baccalaureate certification student, has been named the 2006 Most Influential Teacher in San Antonio by the Scene in SA Monthly Magazine.   Mr. Corbett is a Social Studies teacher at Antonian High School in San Antonio.

Mr. Jerry C. Drake, a current Adult, Professional and Community Education doctoral student, has been appointed a Deputy Commissioner at the Texas General Land Office.  This is the highest classification a state employee may receive without being an elected official.  Jerry states that the Ph.D. program has really helped to shape his leadership and he is grateful for the experience.

The U. S. Track and Field Association, the national governing organization for track and field in the United States, has announced that Dr. Jack Ransone, Department of Health, Physical Education and Recreation, has been selected as the Head Athletic Trainer for the IAFF World Cross Country Championship.  Dr. Ransone has significant experience serving the USATF national team at the 2004 Olympic Games, 2003 Pan American Games and the 2001 World Indoor Championships.  The 35^th World Cross Country Championships will be celebrated in Mombasa, Kenya, on Saturday, March 24, 2007.