|
|
KU Special Education marks 50 years
Following are highlights of the past year's celebration. Event synopses and links will give readers a good sense of the depth and breadth of the events. Finally readers may preview a copy of the faculty co-authored book, Taking Stock of Special Education Policy & Practice: A Retrospective Commentary. Royalties from book sales will be used to fund student scholarships. Alumni and friends are invited to contribute to the Department's 50th anniversary. Please contact the University Endowment Association to see how you can be a part of advancing the Department's impact during the next 50 years. Edward L. Meyen Distinguished Lecture The 50th celebration began with the inaugural Edward L. Meyen Distinguished Lecture. This exciting new lecture series has been made possible by a gift from the Denver-based Love Publishing Company. Stan Love, the company’s founder and a leader in special education publishing, wanted to recognize the enormous leadership contributions that Dr. Meyen has made to the field of special education as a scholar, teacher and mentor.
The lecture series namesake, Edward L. Meyen, is a KU professor of special education and director of the e-Learning Design Lab. He has served in teaching and leadership roles including associate vice chancellor for research and graduate studies, dean of the School of Education, chair of the Department and executive vice chancellor of the Lawrence campus. Meyen has published extensively on special education topics related to curriculum development, instruction and e-learning with a focus on design, production, content management, and assessment related to large-scale implementation. His current work is in the area of blending assessment with standards-based instruction and instructional technology. Since 1997, he has served as co-director of the e-Learning Design Lab and was awarded the Gene A. Budig Teaching Professorship of Special Education in 2003. Chriss Walther-Thomas, chair of the Department of Special Education, said the lecture series is a fitting tribute to Meyen. "Ed is truly a visionary collaborator and creative force few can resist. For example, over the past decade he has brought together the talents of KU faculty from engineering, education and related disciplines into a collaborative effort to develop new instructional designs, learning environments and online instructional programs. He is a wonderful colleague and generous mentor. Students and alumni appreciate his cutting-edge thinking, boundless enthusiasm and generous mentoring," she said. The inaugural Edward L. Meyen Distinguished Lecture was presented on Sept. 24, 2007, by Dr. Russ Whitehurst, director of the Institute of Education Sciences with the U.S. Department of Education. Whitehurst discussed steps the Institute has taken to create a market for research needed by educators and policymakers. A video of Whitehurst’s presentation can be accessed on the Department’s 50th Anniversary Web page. Invited lectures
As education is the foundation of the university, the anniversary celebrations were planned with an interdisciplinary intent. Two invited lectures by KU distinguished professors set the stage for the future by addressing issues and challenges impacting special education. Our first invited lecturer, Dr. H. George Frederickson, the Edwin O. Stene Distinguished Professor of Public Administration, presented on Nov. 29 on "Accountability and Performance: When Educational Quality Speaks, Educational Equality Answers." In February, Dr. C. Russell Middaugh, the Takeru and Aya Higuchi Distinguished Professor of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, delivered the second 50th Anniversary invited lecture, "Pharmaceutical Biotechnology: Drugs, Genes and Vaccines." Special Education faculty offered brief responses following each lecture reflecting on the presenter's content and its implications for special education and people with disabilities. Videos and/or hard copies of the presentations are available on the Department’s 50th Anniversary Web page. Student-sponsored events
The University of Kansas Professionals for Disabilities (KUPD), the Department’s graduate student organization, hosted a series of lectures on information pertinent to early career professionals. The fall event focused on starting a career as a professor and featured three Department graduates: Dr. Yvonne Bui, University of San Francisco; Dr. Michael Faggella-Luby, University of Connecticut; and Dr. Karrie Shogren, University of Texas. The video for "Getting Started and Staying on Track: Insights and Experiences on Becoming a New Professor" is available on the Department’s 50th Anniversary Web page along with hard copy handouts provided by the presenters.
In March, KUPD hosted the 4th annual “Research to Practice” student conference. Keynote speaker Dr. Steve Graham, a KU graduate and professor and Currey Ingram Chair in Special Education at Award receptions
Alumni and friends of the Department met at the Council for Exceptional Children convention in Boston for a 50th Anniversary reception on April 4th. At the reception, the Department honored Dr. Richard Whelan, University of Kansas Distinguished Professor Emeritus. Dr. Whelan was selected as the 2008 recipient of the University of Kansas Department of Special Education Field Leadership Award for his career achievements and ongoing efforts on behalf of Kansas students with disabilities and their teachers. (Award Announcement Letter). Full article>>
On May 2, the Department hosted a 50th Anniversary Panel Discussion and Awards afternoon reception on the KU campus. The panel consisted of Professors Dick Whelan, Gary Clark, and Nancy Peterson, reflecting on the Department's past and forecasting the Department's future. A video clip of the panel presentation is posted on the Department's 50th Anniversary Web page. Honored at the reception were retiring faculty Drs. Jerry Chaffin and Gary Clark; Dr. Brenda Myles, who will be leaving the University with plans to continue her work with teachers and families in autism spectrum disorders; Dr. Dick Whelan, 2008 recipient of the Department's Field Leadership Award; and the 2008 winners of the Department's three prestigous student awards: Mary Dunbar, The Dahlke Community Inclusion Award; Pam Epley, Judy Tate Oustanding Doctoral Student Award; and Susanne James, Gordon R. Alley Family Scholarship Award
On May 10, as the final culminating event of the Department's 50th Anniversary celebration, the Department hosted a special professional development day for practicing professionals. Titled "Day-by-day: Making Research Based Practice Make Sense by Collaboration," the day brought together about 150 Other commemorative activities
In conjunction with the above efforts, the Department is encouraging alumni and current students to submit anecdotes and personal stories from their time in the Department. On a related note, Professors Jerry Chaffin and Gary Clark have just retired from KU. Students of Jerry and Gary, in particular, may want to take advantage of this opportunity. The following exciting 50th Anniversary related projects are still in progress and expected to be available this fall: a) an oral history of the Department, a DVD chronicling the 50th year celebration, and a special collection of all major introductory special education textbooks published in the United States before 2000. If you would like to contribute a book to the special education textbook collection, please contact Professor Ed Meyen at meyen@ku.edu. |
Tools  Email Page Print Page
Contact Special Education Joseph R. Pearson Hall, Rm. 521 1122 West Campus Rd. University of Kansas Lawrence, KS 66045 3101 phone: (785) 864-0556 Related Info Inaugural class completes early childhood program with high marks Student-led group promotes student involvement and leadership Technology opens door for advancing research, teaching and public service |
|||||||||||||||
| Click here to return to this issue. Click here to go to the Special Education Connection homepage. Copyright © 2008 by the University of Kansas |
||||||||||||||||
