Vol. 19, No. 2 - Winter 2003

College community

In memoriam

Mary McEvoy, professor of educational psychology, died Oct. 25 in a plane crash near Eveleth, Minn., while traveling with Sen. Paul Wellstone and six others, all of whom died in the crash. She was 49.

Known as a staunch advocate for young children, McEvoy joined the college in 1990 as an assistant professor of special education. During her career here, McEvoy served as associate professor of special education, 1992–95; coordinator of Early Intervention Services at ICI, 1990–99; CEED director, 1993–99; and chair of the Department of Educational Psychology. She was appointed last spring to serve as the Faculty Consultative Committee’s faculty legislative liaison.

McEvoy received a B.S. in special education in 1974, a master’s in child and family studies in 1980, and a doctorate in child and family studies in 1984, all from the University of Tennessee.

“She was a national leader in the education of young children. The University has lost one of our most creative scholars and educators in the field of children’s rights and development,” said Robert Bruininks, University president and close friend
and colleague.

Scott McConnell, professor of educational psychology and longtime professional partner and friend, said: “We will miss Mary for her many skills, but we will also miss her for her incredible energy, enthusiasm, and love. She was quick-witted, quick-tempered, adoring, committed, and devoted. She had an energy and style that was all her own, and that drew so many to her.”

McEvoy is survived by her husband, James (Jamie) Cloyd of St. Paul, and three children: daughters Claire, 16, and Becca, 14, and a son, Luke, 12.

Donations to a fund for the education of McEvoy’s children may be sent to Cloyd/McEvoy Education Fund, St. Anthony Park State Bank, 2265 Como Ave., St. Paul, MN, 55108.

Contributions to the college’s newly-created Mary McEvoy Fund, supporting research and outreach in early childhood development, can be made through the U of M Foundation at www.foundation.umn.edu, or through Lynn Slifer, 612-625-1310.

Appointed

Corinne Alfeld has been appointed deputy director of the National Research Center for Career and Technical Education (NRCCTE). Alfeld holds a Ph.D. in education and psychology from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Her research focuses on adolescent and young adult development in the context of education and work.

The NRCCTE is a federally funded research center focused on issues related to secondary and postsecondary career and technical education. Information on the center and its publications can be found at www.nccte.org.

Terrie Rose, Institute of Child Development, has been appointed associate director of the Irving B. Harris Training Center for Infant and Toddler Development. Rose directs Baby’s Space, a community program providing childcare and integrated family support services for pregnant and parenting women and their infants, toddlers, and families. Through support from the Harris Foundation, Baby’s Space has expanded to include doula/ childbirth services at five additional childcare centers in Hennepin County.

Initiatives

Julie Kalnin, assistant professor of curriculum and instruction, was lead writer for the
recently-funded Noyce Grant, Math/Science Matters in Urban Teacher Preparation, a collaboration between the University and Minneapolis Public Schools designed to prepare math and science teachers to teach successfully in high-need schools in Minneapolis. The Noyce Grant will provide scholarships to Partnership for Achieving Licensure Students (PALS), as well as other math and science postbaccalaureate students who agree to teach in Minneapolis.

Tom Post, professor of math education; Ed Anderson, math education lecturer; Arnie Cutler, math program coordinator; and Joyce Talen, an outside consultant, are principal investigators for the Minneapolis and St. Paul Area Merging to Achieve Standards Project (MASP2), which received two Eisenhower grants for its summer higher education workshops held at the University and Minnesota History Center. The sessions provided assistance to 180 area teachers and their schools in meeting the requirements of the Minnesota Grades 6–8 Preparation Standards and Grades 9–12 High Standards in Mathematics.

The Tucker Center for Research on Girls and Women in Sport has teamed up with the University’s Department of Epidemiology in Trial of Activity for Adolescent Girls, a nationwide study of community- and school-based intervention programs aimed at encouraging participation in physical activity for middle-school girls. The study is funded by National Institutes of Health in collaboration with the U and six other universities across the country.

Connie Walker, associate professor of second languages and cultures education, received a $1.3 million grant for the five-year ESEA Title III project, “TEAM UP: Teaching English-Language-Learners Action Model to Unite Professionals.” The project—a collaboration among the college, the Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition (CARLA), and the Minnesota Department of Children, Families & Learning—is designed to improve classroom instruction for limited-English- proficient students by facilitating professional development for educators.

Honors

The North American Federation of Adapted Physical Activity (NAFAPA), to which Allen Burton, professor of kinesiology, was to be installed as 2003 president before his death on Sept. 6, 2001, voted unanimously to make the Burton Lecture a permanent program associated with its annual conference.

Burton received two post-humous awards this past fall: the George Hanson award at the Minnesota Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance conference, accepted by Burton’s parents and his widow, Joanne, and a Minnesota Developmental and Adapted Physical Education award at its annual conference at Camp Courage, hereafter named the Allen Burton award.

Tara Fortune (Ph.D., ’01, second languages and cultures)—pictured at right, with her adviser, Diane Tedick, associate professor of second languages and cultures education—received the University of Minnesota Graduate School’s first annual Best Dissertation Award in the category Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education, for “Understanding Immersion Students‚ Oral Language Use as a Mediator of Social Interaction in the Classroom.” She works with faculty from the college as coordinator of immersion projects at CARLA.

Theodore Lewis, professor of work, community, and family education, became president of the American Vocational Education Research Association (AVERA) at its annual meeting in December, in Las Vegas, Nev.

Jan Merrell, University Child Care Center, is one of six early childhood educators in the nation to receive the Early Childhood Professional Award from Scholastic Early Childhood Today.

Charles Nelson, professor of child development, has been elected to a lifetime appointment as a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

College faculty and staff, high school students, and their families and art teachers celebrated at a reception for the college’s first annual diversity art contest Dec. 3 in the Burton Hall atrium. The winning art works will be displayed in college buildings to improve campus climate and promote diversity. Each student winner received a $100 gift certificate. The deadline for the 2003 diversity art contest, Diverse Reflections, is March 3 and the reception will be May 13. High school students in the Twin Cities metro area are asked to submit hangable art that reflects diversity and responds to the Henri Matisse quote, “But the moment I had this box of colors in my hands, I had the feeling that my life was there.” Three works will be selected for permanent display at the college. For more information about the contest see www.education.umn.edu/ArtContest or contact Rebecca Noran, 612-624-6564 or noran004@umn.edu.