Faculty & Staff Spotlight

The Faculty & Staff Spotlight web page serves to highlight notable accomplishments by UNLV College of Education Faculty & Staff.

	Dr. Robert Ackerman, Educational Leadership The college would like to recognize Dr. Robert Ackerman for his twenty plus years of service to the College of Education and UNLV in general. Robert Ackerman joined the faculty as an associate professor in 2001. He served as an administrator of student services program at different types of institutions during his 29 year career as a practitioner, including a total of 25 years as the chief student affairs administrator at two campuses, 14 years of which were as vice president for student services at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. His extensive experience includes program development, planning, administration, politics, facility building, and student learning.

	Larry Ashley, Counselor Education Congratulations to Larry Ashley, Associate Faculty in Residence in Counselor Education, 2009 UNLV Distinguished Teaching Award. Larry will be honored at the Academic Recognition Ceremony and Reception on Thursday, April 23, 2009 at 3:30 PM in the Ham Concert Hall Lobby. The award carries a $5,000.00 stipend.

	Dr. Bea Babbitt, Special Education The college would like to recognize Dr. Bea Babbitt for her twenty plus years of service to the College of Education and UNLV in general. Dr. Babbitt is currently serving as the Director of Academic Assessment for the university.

	Dr. Jesse Brinson, Counselor Education Jesse is the author of several articles in the field of counselor education, including articles with a national and international focus. His work appears in several of the leading counselor education journals, including the Journal of Counseling and Development, Counselor Education and Supervision, and the Journal of Mental Health Counseling. He continues to maintain an active research agenda pertaining to multicultural issues in counseling. He is an active member of the American Counseling Association, and has served as Chair of the Community Counseling Interest Network, and Chair of the Awards Committee for the Association of Counselor Education & Supervision (ACES). He is currently working on a textbook entitled Resolving Intergroup Racism in the Schools.

	Dr. Pam Campbell, Special Education Congratulations to Dr. Pam Campbell, Department of Special Education, and Dr. Eva White, Assistant East Region Superintendent (CCSD), for their selection as Co-editors of School-University Partnerships-The Journal of the National Association of Professional Development Schools. Dr. Campbell has been at UNLV since 2001. She teaches courses in language instruction, collaboration, technology for special educators, as well as the Professional Seminar for doctoral students. She serves in the dual role of university professor and coordinator of the Paradise Professional Development School. Her research interests focus on linking the preparation of teacher candidates and sustained professional development of practicing teachers through technology. Her work has been published in TEACHING Exceptional Children, Remedial and Special Education, Record in Educational Leadership, the Professional Educator, and the Council for Administrators of Special Education. She is also the coauthor of Improving Social Competence: Techniques for Elementary Teachers (1994) and three books currently in progress for Corwin Press. She has served the field of special education through numerous local, state, regional, and national presentations and as field reviewer for Exceptional Children, the Journal of Special Education Technology, TEACHING Exceptional Children, Teacher Education and Special Education and The Journal of Curriculum and Instruction.

	Dr. Joe Crank, Educational Psychology Joe provides national level leadership for the National Association of School Psychologists on its Program Approval Committee. He was also nominated to serve on the NCATE Board of Examiners. Joe is the author or co-author of approximately 40 publications and professional reports, and presents his research yearly at psychology or disabilities conferences. His counseling skills manual has sold nearly 3000 copies and has been the resource for teacher inservice training throughout the US. Joe has provided effective continuity and leadership for the school psychology program through years of positive growth in student enrollment and program approval processes.

	Dr. William Cross, Counselor Education Dr. William Cross Jr. has recently been named recipient of the 6th Annual Social Justice Action Award. This honor was bestowed to him by the Teachers College, Columbia University. This award commemorates and celebrates his significant contributions as a scholar who exemplifies the integration of multicultural initiatives with social action in the fields of psychology and education. Undoubtedly Dr. Cross' work incorporating social justice issues of oppression, racism, and discrimination into theories about identity and psychological functioning have positively affected countless individuals. His work has played a profound role in aided many people across a variety of racial-cultural groups to truly understand the adverse effects of racism in others' lives and their own lives. Dr. Cross will be formally presented with this award at the Teachers College Winter Roundtable on Cultural Psychology and Education taking place on February 21st, 2009. In addition to the above mentioned award, Georgia Southern University is establishing a lecture series to honor Dr. William Cross Jr. of the College of Education Department of Counselor Education. On February 14, 2009 the Dr. William Cross Jr. Distinguished Lecture Series in Cross-Cultural Issues in Counseling and Education will be inaugurated as a part of the conference. Dr. James M. Jones will the first keynote speaker for the Series. On February 11, 2009, Dr. Crosspresented the 2009 W. W. Law Lecture as part of the 20th Black Heritage Festival of Savannah, GA. W. W. Law (1923-2002) was a crusader for justice and the civil rights of African Americans. He served as president of the Savannah National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) chapter from 1950 to 1976 and came to be widely known as "Mr. Civil Rights." Dr. Cross spoke on "Black Identity After Obama." His lecture was given on Feb. 11th 2009 at the Jepson Center Auditorium of the Telfair Museum of Art and Culture and was co-sponsored by Georgia Southern University and the Telfair Museum. On Feb. 21st, 2009 Dr. Cross traveled to NYC on February 21st to receive the prestigious 2009 Social Justice Education Award that is presented each year at the Annual Teachers College Winter Roundtable on Cultural Psychology and Education. Previous winners have included Jane Elliot, Ronald Takaki, and Michelle Fine.

	Dr. Hasan Deniz, Curriculum & Instruction Dr. Hasan Deniz awarded $79,283 from the 2009 Nevada Collaborative Teaching Improvement Program grant for his proposal Integrating Science, Language Arts, and Mathematics at the Elementary Level. Dr. Hasan Deniz is an Assistant Professor of Science Education, currently teaching masters level science methods courses. His background includes secondary teaching in Turkey and introductory college science and methods courses at Indiana University. Dr. Deniz is an active researcher in the areas of students' epistemological beliefs in science and teaching evolution.

	Dr. John Filler, Special Education Before joining the faculty at UNLV John served as a Senior Research Scientist at the Illinois Institute on Developmental Disabilities and Adjunct Assistant Professor of Psychology at the University of Illinois at Chicago; Assistant Professor and Coordinator of Early Childhood Special Education at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Va.; Assistant to Associate Professor of Special Education at California State University, Hayward and while there also as Assistant Chair of the Department of Educational Psychology and as the first Assistant Vice President for Research; and, finally, as Professor and Chair of the Department of Counseling and Special Education at the University of Idaho. He has published 27 referred journal articles, co-edited 2 books and successfully competed for over 5 million dollars in grant funds. Since his arrival at UNLV he has twice been elected UNLV Faculty Senate Chairperson, and served as Faculty Associate to the NSHE Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and as Senior Advisor to former UNLV President Carol Harter. Currently his research interests are focused upon the identification of variables that influence the development of pro-social skills in very young children with multiple disabilities.

	Dr. Jeff Gelfer, Special Education Jeff serves as the coordinator of early childhood programs. He teaches courses in early childhood education, literacy and parent education. Jeff serves as the program editor for the Early Childhood Education Journal and has published over 30 articles, co-authored one textbook and has received over 28 million dollars in grant awards. His research interests are in program development, portfolio assessment and evaluation, inclusion, child development and family education.

	Dr. Cyndi Giorgis, Curriculum & Instruction Dr. Cyndi Giorgis awarded $91,000 from the 2009 Nevada Collaborative Teaching Improvement Program grant for her proposal Creating Mathematical and Literate Communities. Dr. Giorgis is a professor of literature education. She joined the UNLV faculty in 1995. Her research interests include Children's and Young Adult literature, reader response theories, multi-literacies, and literature discussion in the elementary and secondary classrooms. Dr. Giorgis has published articles in journals such as Journal of Literacy Research, The Reading Teacher, Middle School Journal, Language Arts and Social Studies and the Young Learner. Her recent books include The Wonder of It All: When Literature and Literacy Intersect, Literature for Young Children: Supporting Emergent Literacy Ages 0-8 and Reading Aloud and Beyond. Her current and previous professional activities include co-editor of the Journal of Children's Literature, board member of the IRA Special Interest Group in Children's Literature, NCTE Standing Committee on Censorship, membership on the 1992 Newbery Award Committee and 2002 Caldecott Award Committee, member of the Notable Books in a Global Society, Chair of the 2001 notable Books in the Language Arts, co-editor of The New Advocate, board member of the Children's Literature Assembly of the National Council of Teachers of English, Teacher's Choices regional coordinator for the International Reading Association and membership in numerous organizations.

	Dr. Jerry Hughes, Sports Education Leadership The College of Education would like to congratulate Dr. Jerry Hughes who received recognition from USA Track and Field for his leadership and support of the education, training, and development of athletes and coaches in women's pole vaulting in the state of Nevada. Dr. Hughes has 17 years of experience as the Executive Director of the Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association, a non-profit organization which promotes and regulates high school athletics in the State of Nevada. Because he serves on several National Federation of State High School Association's committees, he has unique insight into accreditation and governance issues concerning interscholastic sports professionals. In his past year at UNLV, Dr. Hughes has developed graduate programming, including courses, in the area of interscholastic athletics administration to meet certification requirements of interscholastic athletic administrators, he has organized, and supervised graduate student internships in athletic administration and supervised masters student projects, as well as provided service to the profession through contributions at the local, state, and national level in addition to participation in service activities in the department, college, and university.

	Dr. Gerald Kops, Educational Leadership Jerry's vast legal experience includes legal counsel for school districts, corporate counsel, appearances before state and federal administrative bodies as well as all levels of the state and federal judiciary. He appeared on behalf of the Madison Metropolitan School District before the United States Supreme Court. Jerry has also represented educational institutions in collective bargaining, mediation, grievance arbitration and interest arbitration. He graduated in 1987 from the University of Wisconsin Madison Educational Administration Ph.D. program and joined us at UNLV two years later. Jerry currently serves as Mediator for the State of Nevada Department of Education in IDEA proceedings. The fifth edition of his text entitled Nevada School Law Cases and Materials was released fall 2001. His current teaching responsibilities include graduate courses and seminars in education law and the ethical dimensions of higher education leadership.

	Dr. Monica Lounsbery, Sports Education Leadership Dr. Lounsbery is an Full Professor and serves as Chair of the Department of Sports Education Leadership. Dr. Lounsbery's area of expertise is in physical education teacher education. Her research is concerned with the health and physical activity of school age children. Recent research efforts have examined physical activity opportunities for Nevada K-12 students during the school day. She is a nationally recognized scholar on school policy change in the areas of health and physical activity. Dr. Monica Lounsbery was featured in a Nevada Money Matters discussion on the current state of athletics in Clark County School District schools. Dr. Monica Lounsbery has also been invited to co-lead a roundtable discussion on School Research and Policy Change at the 2009 Active Living Research Annual Conference in San Diego, CA (Feb 19). Dr. Monica Lounsbery was also named a Fellow of the Research Consortium of the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance (AAHPERD). Attainment of Fellow status demonstrates an ongoing commitment to research and a high level of achievement in the field -- and is one of the most prestigious honors the Research Consortium can bestow on a member. Fellows are selected based on evidence of scholarship, including research presentations, and publications. The induction ceremony will occur April 2nd in Tampa, FL.

	Dr. Dale-Elizabeth Pehrsson, Counselor Education Winner of the 2008 Gold Circle Award. Each year the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) recognizes excellence in communication campaigns produced by associations with The Gold Circle Award. Not only is The Gold Circle Award a tremendous honor and achievement, but also an opportunity to showcase the organizations achievements.

	Dr. Maria Ramirez, Curriculum & Instruction Maria has served on numerous boards, provided reports to governmental agencies and school districts, delivered papers at professional meetings, served as the primary investigator of numerous state and federally funded grants, contributed to journals, and co-authored several books, but the establishment of a Bilingual Education endorsement in Nevada remains the accomplishment that best characterizes her lifelong commitment to the education of second language students. Maria’s teaching and administrative experience spans the K-16 levels as a teacher and administrator. Additionally, she has directed several undergraduate and graduate programs at various universities. Her primary commitment, acknowledged through teaching awards she has received, continues to be focused on teaching and students. She is, first and foremost, a teacher.

	Dr. Virginia Usnick, Curriculum & Instruction Dr. Virginia Usnick awarded $132,000 from the 2009 Nevada Collaborative Teaching Improvement Program grant for her proposal CAPSULeS2: Communication and Problem Solving Using Lesson Studies. Dr. Usnick is an associate professor of mathematics education. She joined the UNLV faculty in 1990. Her research interests include diagnostic procedures, teachers' mathematical content knowledge, and connections between mathematics and the arts.

	Dr. Neal Strudler, Curriculum & Instruction Neal has served as a member of the Board of Directors of the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), president of ISTE's Teacher Education Special Interest Group, and is currently serving as Research Paper Chair for NECC and the Past President of AERA's SIG group on Technology as an Agent of Change in Teaching and Learning. From 1999-2004 he served as director of Project THREAD, UNLV's PT3 grant that contributed to national awards to the College of Education from the American Association of Colleges of Education (AACTE) and ISTE. Neal was identified as an Outstanding Faculty Member by the Nevada Board of Regents. Neal's research focuses on strategies for effectively integrating technology in both teacher education and K-12 schools.

Archived Faculty & Staff Spotlights:

Faculty & Staff Spotlight 2008

Note: If you would like to submit information on faculty/staff to be considered for publication on this page, please email Assistant Dean Dr. Greg Levitt (levitt@unlv.nevada.edu).