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Auburn Education School Ranks in Top 25% Nationally
1. College of Education
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AuburnUniversityCollegeofEducation2010Keystone,volumeVii
Blueprint for success
Kochan helps college build bright future
Blueprint
for success
Kochan helps college
build bright future
Collaboration | National award-winning partnership, pg 3
Military | College contributes to soldiers’ health, pg 26
Precious cargo | Johns ’57 values education, pg 46
Blueprint for success
Kochan helps college
build bright future | Page 8
Volume VIi, 2010
The Auburn University College of Education Magazine
Find a link to all our social networking groups at
education.auburn.edu/alumni/groups
3. A Keystone in Building a Better Future for All 1
every
issue
departments
36-37 Curriculum
and Teaching
38-39 Educational
Foundations,
Leadership and
Technology
40-41 Kinesiology
42-43 Special Education,
Rehabilitation,
Counseling/School
Psychology
44 Truman Pierce Institute
45 Office of the Dean
2-6 Education Extra
7 Retired Faculty
and Staff
16 University
Highlights
16-23 Student Success
24-25 Scholarship and
Awards Ceremonies
26-35 Research and
Outreach
49 College Knowledge
50-51 National
Advisory Council
52-55 Alumni News
56-63 Development
64-72 Alumni Notes
in this issue
EDUCATION EXTRA
Setting the standard | page 3
Professional Development System
partnership earns national recognition
An educator to remember | page 8
Dr. Frances Kochan’s tenure as dean comes
to a close, and the college has been forever
transformed by her leadership
INTERNATIONAL
Spanning the globe | page 14
Partnerships with universities in Korea and
Egypt create exchange opportunities
RESEARCH AND OUTREACH
Serving those who serve us | page 26
Graduate athletic trainers keep Army infantry
recruits on their feet
A very busy year | page 33
Grant submissions, external funding
are on the rise
KEYSTONE LEADER
High achiever
on the high seas | page 46
Robert Kenneth Johns ’57 draws on successes
of his career as a container shipping pioneer
Alumni
Sunny side up | page 52
Egg entrepreneur Wayne McElrath ’52 earns
college’s outstanding alumnus award
On the Cover:
Christopher Arnold, an associate professor in Auburn’s College of
Architecture, Design and Construction’s Department of Industrial and
Graphic Design, helped illustrate Dean Frances Kochan’s role as architect
throughout her tenure by creating a blueline of the keystone for our cover.
Ben Farrow, an assistant professor in the College of Architecture, Design and
Construction’s McWhorter School of Building Science, arranged studio space.
You can own everything on
our cover, minus the blueprint
and drafting table. Shop
education.auburn.edu/edustore
4. Keystone Volume VII, 20102
Dear Alumni and Friends:
During a recent dinner with members
of the Patrons of the Keystone-
Dean’s Circle — my last as dean — I shared
with this group of committed Education sup-
porters my favorite book. And I shared with
them that this much-loved bedtime book,
Love You Forever, speaks quite succinctly to
my time as your dean of education.
When I joined the faculty in 1994, but
especially when I began serving in 2001 as
interim dean, I saw my role as a nurturing
one — much like the mother in the story. And I’m proud today of the programs
and efforts in which many participate that strive to nurture, mentor and further
the college, those students who study in it, those faculty and staff who establish
their careers in it, and those alumni and friends who give of their time and
resources to support it.
But, as I reflect on my time as dean, I’ve come to realize that I’ve been
nurtured by the college in much the same way the mother of the story is cared
for later in life by her son. I am sure that many of our faculty will agree that as
we strive to enrich the lives of our students, they end up giving back to us. I
see that every day, but am equally blessed to work with so many outstanding
colleagues and witness the unwavering commitment of our alumni and friends
who make our teaching, research and outreach mission possible.
Our college would not be what it is today, nor would I personally, without
the commitment of so many who are dedicated to improving our state, nation
and world through education.
This current academic year is among the most exciting our college has seen
this decade, and I’m happy to see a few of those endeavors highlighted in the
pages of this, our seventh, edition of the Keystone. In this edition, you will find
articles about school partnerships, research and innovation and student and
alumni achievements.
Thank you for your interest in and support of all our college does. As a new
dean joins the college in the coming months, I ask you to seek ways to nurture
our college’s efforts to prepare educators and professionals for the job of build-
ing better futures for all.
War Eagle!
Frances K. Kochan, Ph.D.
Dean and Wayne T. Smith Distinguished Professor
U.S.News ranks
Auburn education
school in top 25 percent
A Messagefrom the Dean
As part of its annual college rankings pro-
gram, U.S.News and World Report ranked Auburn
University’s College of Education No. 71 nation-
ally — and 50th among public institutions — in
its 2010 “Best Graduate Schools” publication.
U.S.News made the information available on its
Web site in April 2009.
The current rankings represent the third
consecutive year the college has been in the top
25 percent of schools surveyed. Auburn advanced
to its current standing from its No. 77 spot in the
2009 “Best Graduate Schools,” released in 2008.
Graduate programs at 278 schools of education
granting doctoral degrees in education were
surveyed in fall 2008 and early 2009.
“Our presence among the top quartile of
education schools speaks to the commitment our
faculty, staff and administrators show in creating
and implementing high-quality programs and
upholding our core values,’’ said Dr. Frances
Kochan, dean of the College of Education.
The college ranked higher than any school
of education — public or private — in Alabama.
The rankings are determined using a formula that
includes reputational surveys completed by edu-
cation school deans, education school academic
associate deans and randomly selected school
superintendents across the country. Other factors
that affect a school’s rank include its research
funding, faculty-to-doctoral student ratios, and
Graduate Record Examination scores and accep-
tance rates for incoming doctoral candidates.
“While these most recent rankings reflect
what has happened within our college in the last
year, I am particularly excited about our future,’’
Kochan said. “We have been able to expand exist-
ing and identify new forms of research support
while also strengthening our internal support of
faculty pursuing funding.
“We expect to build on our success by fol-
lowing a five-year strategic plan, which places
particular emphasis on school and community
partnerships, as well as research and innovation.’’
5. A Keystone in Building a Better Future for All 3
Education Extra
Dr. Shannon Brandt ’94, a fourth grade teacher at Wrights
Mill Road Elementary School, has examined the Profes-
sional Development System partnership between Auburn City
Schools and Auburn University’s College of Education from
every possible angle.
She experienced it from the perspective of an Auburn
University undergraduate student and a graduate student, a lab
student and an intern, an adjunct instructor and an elementary
school teacher. That constant contact, extended in her current
role as Auburn City Schools’ PDS liaison, has enabled her to
see the full range of the partnership’s benefits for administrators,
faculty and students at the university and K-12 levels.
“It’s a reciprocal effect,’’ said Brandt, a three-time College of
Education graduate. “They make us better and we make them bet-
ter. We feel like we have a resource that can help us professionally as
part of a larger professional learning
community.’’
The PDS collaboration now exists as
a standard-bearer for partnerships
between universities and local school
systems. The Holmes Partnership, a consortium of approximately
100 research universities, honored Auburn’s PDS nationally with its
2010 Nancy Zimpher Award for Best Partnership.
Representatives of ACS and the College of Education received
the award at the 14th Annual Holmes Partnership Conference, held
in January in Charleston, S.C. Auburn University is a charter mem-
ber of the Holmes Partnership, which seeks “to enhance the quality
of career professionals in teaching.’’
The partnership between Auburn University and ACS encour-
ages collaboration among educators, students, future classroom
teachers, parents and other community stakeholders. Currently,
Auburn University faculty and their ACS counterparts are engaged
in more than 20 ongoing initiatives that involve everything from
mathematics to physical education.
Dr. Terry Jenkins ’83, superintendent for Auburn City Schools,
said the research resources made available by Auburn University
have proven valuable in assessing strengths and opportunities for
improvement at the K-12 level.
“We have become very much a data-driven school district,’’ said
Jenkins, a College of Education graduate and member of its Na-
tional Advisory Council. “We’re able to analyze the data to improve
instruction delivered to our children on a regular basis.’’
Dean Frances Kochan said members of the PDS Council have
ensured the partnership adheres to the standards of excellence set
by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education.
“We got together with our partners and decided we would
take those standards of excellence and build our partnership up to
them,’’ she said.
According to Dr. Charles Eick, associate professor in the col-
lege’s Department of Curriculum and Teaching, a couple of specific
factors enable Auburn’s PDS to stand out.
“Most PDS arrangements are between a university and an indi-
vidual school,’’ said Eick, who helped initiate the Zimpher Award
application as the college’s former PDS liaison. “We have a lot of
discipline-specific professional development taking place.’’
This involvement takes many forms, including College of Educa-
tion students interning, and faculty teaching courses and working
with ACS to shape curriculum. ACS educators, from every level
of K-12, are encouraged to take advantage of such professional
development opportunities by conducting research with or receiv-
ing mentorship from university faculty, attending conferences and
pursuing advanced degrees or special training.
Both the College of Education and ACS derive benefits from the
relationship. Auburn students receive classroom experience that
will prepare them for
the workforce. ACS
educators and Auburn
faculty sharpen their
classroom teaching
and research skills.
And, ultimately,
ACS students reap the
rewards of the com-
mitment displayed by
both partners.
Auburn University, Auburn City Schools
Professional Development System
named best in nation
Representatives of Auburn City Schools and the college
attended the Holmes Partnership Conference in January.
The PDS collaboration includes more
than 20 ongoing initiatives.
6. Keystone Volume VII, 20104
Education Extra
The College of Education started 2010 by welcoming a new coor-
dinator of assessment and evaluation and appointing new personnel
to key roles involving diversity.
Dr. Leonard Lock joined the college in January
as its coordinator of assessment and evaluation.
A 20-year veteran of the field, Lock previously
served as a senior staff assistant of assessment/
data manager for the State University of New
York Plattsburgh’s Division of Education,
Health and Human Services. In that role, Lock
helped lead a successful effort to attain national accreditation for the
university’s Teacher Education Unit. Lock, who earned his doctorate
at Temple University, also served in a variety of assessment and ac-
countability roles for Maryland Public Schools and the Pennsylvania
State Department of Education.
While in Maryland, Lock worked to help schools meet No
Child Left Behind Act adequate yearly progress standards, as well as
school system benchmark assessment implementations and evalu-
ations. During his time in Pennsylvania, Lock managed the first
“Data Driven Decision Making’’ Governor’s Institute and supervised
the multimillion dollar Pennsylvania School Performance Account-
ability Incentive Program.
Dr. Paulette Patterson Dilworth, Auburn
University’s assistant vice president for access
and community initiatives, is working with the
college on a half-time basis as its diversity of-
ficer. A former associate professor in the School
of Education at Indiana University, Dilworth
has more than 30 years of experience in higher
education diversity consulting and training, recruitment, retention
and teaching.
Dr. Jared Russell, an associate professor in
the Department of Kinesiology, supports the
college’s diversity objectives by coordinating
minority graduate recruitment and retention on
a part-time basis.
Russell, who specializes in physical education
teacher education, works with the college’s four
departments to develop plans and strategies involving minority
graduate recruitment and retention.
College adds resources for
assessment and evaluation, diversity
The College of Education helped set the standard for giving
among other campus units during the 2009 Faculty Staff Campaign
by achieving a 100-percent participation rate for the first time since
the campaign’s inception.
“I cannot thank you enough for your willingness to come
together and contribute to this campaign,’’ Dean Frances Kochan
said to faculty and staff after learning of the achievement. “I am very
grateful to all of you.’’
The College of Education and School of Nursing led the 13
academic units with 100 percent participation rates. Among
the university’s non-academic units, the President’s Office,
and offices of Alumni Affairs, Student Affairs, Development,
and Communications and Marketing achieved 100 percent
participation in the campaign. As a whole, Auburn University
continued to outpace peer Southeastern Conference institu-
tions in campus support efforts with an unprecedented 70.33
percent participation level.
In 2008 the College of Education ranked second among
academic colleges and schools with an 82-percent participat-
ing level. Every year since 2006, the college’s participation
level has been higher than the overall university average. The
involvement of college faculty and staff has risen by double-digit
percentage points in each of the last four years.
The college’s 100 percent participation rate inspired 1968 gradu-
ate Wayne T. Smith to make an unprecedented gesture.
Smith and his wife, Cheryl, who is also a 1968 College of Educa-
tion graduate, surprised Kochan with a gift matching a portion of
the campaign contributions made by faculty and staff.
College achieves perfection in
2009 Faculty Staff Campaign
Learn more about the campaign at education.auburn.edu/100percent.
7. A Keystone in Building a Better Future for All 5
Education Extra
D
r. Kimberly Walls possesses vivid memories of bright
autumn Saturdays when she eagerly awaited the moment
to start the show and strike up the band.
As the drum major for the Auburn University Marching Band
during her undergraduate days, she was always out in front when
the first notes of “War Eagle’’ began whipping a crowded stadium
into full frenzy. By the time Walls reached midfield, the rhythm,
the melody and pageantry had created a harmonious cosmic swirl,
transforming a patch of grass and painted white lines into some-
thing far different.
“I felt as if the stadium was my oyster,’’ said Walls, who earned
her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music education at Auburn.
After teaching band in Alabama schools, she completed her doctor-
ate in music education at Florida State University.
And now, 13 years after returning to Auburn as a faculty mem-
ber in the Department of Curriculum and Teaching, Walls continues
to mold a pearl of a music education program. Her care in design-
ing and leading an innovative graduate distance learning program
for practicing music education professionals hasn’t gone unnoticed
by the university community.
Auburn University’s Graduate School named Walls as the Distin-
guished Graduate Faculty Lecturer for 2008-09. Walls delivered an
October lecture about her efforts to integrate technology into music
education. She was selected for the honor by a panel drawn from the
34 previous winners of the award, sponsored jointly by the Auburn
Alumni Association and the Auburn Graduate School. Recipients,
nominated by deans and department heads and chosen by the
Graduate Faculty Council on the basis of excellence in research,
receive a $2,000 award from the Alumni Association.
Walls earned the honor based on
her service as graduate program
officer for the Department of
Curriculum and Teaching (one of
the university’s largest graduate
programs) from 2004-08 and the
quality of her research. Her areas
of emphasis include the applica-
tion of technology in music class-
rooms, music perception, general music education and instrumental
music education.
Not that there was ever much doubt about what field Walls
would enter. Her Double Springs, Ala., home was filled with all
manner of songs. Walls’ mother sang in her high school choir, while
her father performed in his high school and college bands. She also
heard plenty of stories about her great-grandfather, who was a
band leader in England.
“It was in my blood,’’ Walls said.
It continues to course through her veins as she shares the joy
of teaching music with her undergraduate and graduate students.
Thus far, she has chaired the committees of 96 Auburn University
graduate students who have
completed their degrees.
Observing her courses
conjures up images of a former
drum major. With her distance
education students participat-
ing in classes equipped with
two-way video streaming, Walls
engages and informs them.
Walls said her marching band
roots help facilitate classroom interaction with students who are log-
ging in from as far away as Idaho and New Jersey.
“As a conductor, you’re always used to being in front of groups,’’
said Walls, who is also the 2008 recipient of the college’s Emily &
Gerald Leischuck Outstanding Graduate Teaching Award. “You’re
used to being on stage.’’
Walls contributes to the body of knowledge in her field through
research and service. Much like her days as a drum major, Walls
continues to lead. More importantly, she strives to keep her students
in step while helping them learn how to engage an audience as mu-
sicians/teachers who also conduct research.
“I really enjoy seeing them become familiar with the field of
research and wanting to contribute to it,’’ Walls said. “A lot of the
professional activity that I do I do because of my students.’’
Former AU drum major
leads parade of music
education researchers
Walls (center) with Graduate School
Dean George Flowers and Vice President
of Alumni Affairs Debbie Shaw ’84.
8. Keystone Volume VII, 20106
Education Extra
Strutchens and Kaminsky earn
endowed professorships
One works in a structured world defined by numbers, while the
other works in a field of applied philosophy.
In spite of the topical differences between mathematics and edu-
cational philosophy, however, Drs. Marilyn Strutchens and James
Kaminsky have demonstrated their talent for solving problems and
improving practices in their respective academic fields.
Both College of Education faculty members are 2009 recipients
of the Mildred Cheshire Fraley Distinguished Professorship.
Since their creation, the College of Education’s four endowed
professorships have honored 23 faculty — 16 of whom still remain
members today.
Strutchens, a professor of mathematics education and Math-
ematics Education program coordinator for the Department of
Curriculum and Teaching, joined the College of Education faculty
in 2000. Her work as co-director of Transform-
ing East Alabama Mathematics (TEAM-Math), a
partnership involving Auburn University’s College
of Education and College of Science and Mathe-
matics, along with Tuskegee University faculty and
local educators, has been instrumental in improv-
ing math education in regional school districts.
In the last year alone, TEAM-Math established
a pair of Teacher Leader academies to build the
professional knowledge of math educators in the
region. In 2008, Strutchens received the inaugural
Distinguished Diversity Researcher Award from
the Auburn University Research Initiative for the
Study of Diversity and Auburn’s Office of Diversity
and Multicultural Affairs. Her research focuses on factors that affect
students’ mathematics achievement, with particular attention to
African-American students. She studies such factors as socioeco-
nomic status, access to mathematics courses, teachers’ beliefs about
students, parental influence and students’ expectations and beliefs.
Kaminsky, a professor of social foundations in the Department
of Educational Foundations, Leadership and Technology, has been
a member of the college’s faculty since 1990. He was head of the
Department of Educational Foundations, Leadership and
Technology from 1992 to 2001, and was a past executive
editor of Education Philosophy and Theory.
His teaching interests include philosophy of education,
history of ideas and American pragmatism.
Kaminsky is actively involved in the Southeast Philosophy
of Education Society, an organization of academicians
from 10 different states who explore such topics as home
and charter schools, social justice, teaching methods,
qualitative research, teacher education and morality and
civics in classroom settings. Kaminsky served as the soci-
ety’s president from 1994 to 1995.
Kaminsky, whose honors include Auburn University’s
Authors Cup and the 2005 SGA Outstanding College of
Education Professor, has focused much of his research on
the history of educational philosophy, post-modern theory
in educational administration and neo-pragmatism in
educational thought.
A former faculty member and associate dean at the University
of New England in Australia, Kaminsky has actively encouraged
students to take advantage of international learning opportunities.
Wayne T. Smith
Professors
Dr. Joseph Buckhalt, 2003
Dr. Mark Fischman, 2004
Dr. Frances K. Kochan, 2005
Dr. Peter Hastie, 2008
Dr. E. Davis Martin, 2007
Dr. Randall McDaniel, 2002
Dr. Mary Rudisill, 2004
Humana-Germany-
Sherman Professors
Dr. Craig Darch, 1999
Dr. Bruce Gladden, 1999
Dr. David D. Pascoe, 2007
Dr. David M. Shannon, 2007
Dr. Bonnie White, 2002
Mildred Cheshire
Fraley Professors
Dr. James Kaminsky, 2010
Dr. Marie Kraska, 2003
Dr. Marilyn Strutchens, 2010
Emily R. and Gerald S.
Leischuck Professor
Dr. W. Gary Martin, 2008
Drs. Marilyn Strutchens and James Kaminsky are among 16 current faculty
who have earned endowed professorships.
Learn more about the college’s
endowed professorships at
education.auburn.edu/
facultystaff/professorships
9. A Keystone in Building a Better Future for All 7
The College of Education mourned the loss of two beloved
former professors in 2009 — Drs. Cayce Scarborough and Jone
Perryman Wright.
Scarborough, a professor emeritus of vocational and adult
education, passed away in September 2009. He was 97. Wright,
an associate professor emeritus in the Department of Curriculum
and Teaching, passed away in June 2009. She was 75.
Scarborough’s career began in 1935 as a high school agricul-
ture teacher. He earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in general
education and agricultural science, respectively, from Auburn,
and taught at the university from 1947-49 and again from 1973-
79. Scarborough was among the College of Education’s first
vocational education faculty members.
After retiring, Scarborough helped develop the Auburn Uni-
versity Academy of Lifelong Learners (now known as OLLI).
Wright, who retired from Auburn in 1991, taught at Auburn
and the University of Alabama for a combined 35 years after
serving as an elementary school teacher. Wright earned her
bachelor’s degree from Weslyan and her master’s degree from the
University of Georgia. Before completing her doctorate at the
University of Alabama, Wright lived in Europe for several years.
The College of Education bid a fond farewell five faculty
members, who served a combined 123 years with the university,
and three staff members.
Drs. Debra Cobia, Gerald Halpin, Glennelle Halpin and
Judith Lechner were recognized for their valuable contributions
to the college during May 2009 retirement celebrations. Each
was awarded emeritus faculty status as acknowledged by Auburn
University President Jay Gogue. Dr. Elizabeth Senger, who began
teaching mathematics education in the Department of Curricu-
lum and Teaching in 1996, retired in December 2009.
Cobia, professor and School Counseling program coordi-
nator in the Department of Special Education, Rehabilitation,
Counseling/School Psychology, had been a member of the
college’s faculty since 1990. Among her academic credentials is a
bachelor’s degree in early childhood education from Auburn.
Gerald Halpin, a professor of educational research and statis-
tics in the Department of Educational Foundations, Leadership
and Technology, served on the college’s faculty for 35 years. He
came to Auburn in 1974. Like her husband, Glennelle Halpin,
a professor of education psychology in EFLT, also served on
the college’s faculty for 35 years. A Mildred Cheshire Fraley
distinguished professor, she focused her research on program
evaluation, problem solving and motivation.
Lechner, a professor in EFLT’s School Library Media/Tech-
nology program, served on the college’s faculty for 21 years.
Senger specialized in mathematics education at the elemen-
tary and secondary levels.
Sharon Huey, an administrative support associate in the
Department of Kinesiology, retired in March 2010 after 25 years
of service. Patsy Dawson, a specialist in contracts and grants
in SERC, retired in December 2009 after 28 years of service to
Auburn University.
Sheila Wood, an administrative associate in the Department
of Curriculum and Teaching, also retired in December 2009.
College grieves loss of two
family members
College bids farewell
to seven retirees
Curriculum
and Teaching
Dr. Elizabeth Senger
Sheila Wood
Educational
Foundations,
Leadership and
Technology
Dr. Gerald Halpin
Dr. Glennelle Halpin
Dr. Judith Lechner
Kinesiology
Sharon Huey
Special Education,
Rehabilitation,
Counseling/School
Psychology
Dr. Debra Cobia
Patsy Dawson
The College of Education bid farewell to
eight of its own since the publication of
the last keystone. We wish them well in
their retirement.
We want to hear from you!
The College of Education wants to
maintain a strong connection with
retired faculty and staff. Help
us stay in touch with you by
providing updated contact
information to Keystone editor
Troy Johnson (334.844.4468
or ltj0001@auburn.edu)
Retired Faculty and Staff
Blasts from the past
The Department of Kinesiology welcomed retired faculty
members to campus for a special event with current faculty and
graduate students. Former faculty members like Herbert “Hub’’
Waldrop, Sandra Newkirk, Jane Moore and Mel Rosen regaled the
crowd with stories about their time on campus and the changes
they’ve observed in the academic field of kinesiology.
10. Keystone Volume VII, 20108
of excellence
College builds on strong reputation
under Kochan’s guidance
11. A Keystone in Building a Better Future for All 9
Each year since 2005, when she broke
through a glass ceiling and became the first female dean in
the history of Auburn’s College of Education, Dr. Frances K.
Kochan has provided leadership for more than 150 faculty
and staff and 2,600 students. While Kochan has thrived in
that role, there is no ambiguity as to who she is at her core.
“I started out as a teacher,’’ said Kochan, who will step
down as dean and return to the college’s faculty this sum-
mer. “I love that role and I will always be a teacher.’’
She has come a long way since her first job almost 47
years ago, when she taught English to adults while living on
the island of Yap, a tiny speck in the South Pacific, but she
has remained true to her roots. She still excels at connect-
ing with her audience, whether it consists of fifth-graders or
potential scholarship donors.
12. Keystone Volume VII, 201010
“The human side of her is so visible,’’ said Dr.
Susan Villaume, the college’s associate dean of
academic affairs and its certification
officer. “She has an amazing ability
to create relationships with people,
genuine relationships.’’
For most of the last decade, Kochan
has channeled her considerable
energy and relationship-building
talents into improving the College
of Education and positioning it for
future success. In many ways, the
lifelong teacher assumed that role as
principal architect while serving as
interim dean from 2001 to 2004 and
dean for the last five years.
“Fran’s vision has allowed us to
grow,’’ said Dr. James Witte, associate professor
and Adult and Higher Education program coor-
dinator.
That vision helped create an easily recognizable
identity for the college — the keystone graphic that
graces the cover of this magazine and serves as a
metaphorical representation of education as a cen-
tral, supporting stone within society — as well as a
clearly defined conceptual framework and strategic
plan.
Her attention to detail and ability to plan
long-range have proven instrumental in the college
increasing scholarships for students, improving
research capabilities of faculty, strengthening re-
lationships with alumni and local school partners,
and creating international exchange opportunities.
Kochan accomplished this and more as dean
while remaining committed to two other passions.
First, her commitment to students has been clearly
demonstrated through her continued efforts to
advise several doctoral candidates while also
fulfilling her dean’s duties. Second, she continued
to be world-renowned for her research and writing
on professional and student mentoring.
Soon after Kochan was appointed interim
dean, replacing Dr. Richard Kunkel in 2001, the
college conducted a study to assess strengths and
potential for improvement. Over the course of the
next two years, Kochan helped identify the col-
lege’s icon, the keystone, and ways to build on that
brand.
In addition to forming the Keystone Leader-in-
Residence program, which has brought a variety
of accomplished professionals to campus as guest
speakers, the college published its first magazine
and proclaimed its mission of developing “compe-
tent,’’ “committed’’ and “reflective’’ educators.
After becoming the fifth dean in the college’s
history in 2005, Kochan created a climate of shared
governance by establishing committees of faculty,
staff, students, alumni and partners for assessment,
Frances K. Kochan appointed
as interim dean after Richard
Kunkel leaves to become
dean of the College of
Education at Florida
State University
Study conducted to gauge
college’s strengths and areas
for improvement
College adopts “keystone’’
as its symbol
Mildred Cheshire Fraley
Distinguished Professorship
established
Keystone Leaders-in-
Residence program is
launched
College’s Conceptual
Framework, outlining mission
to build “competent,’’
“committed’’ and “reflective’’
educators, is developed
First Keystone magazine
is published; new Web site
launched
Bonnie White appointed
interim dean
2001 2002 2003 2004
Through the years
A look at the some of the College of Education’s milestones during Dr. Frances K. Kochan’s time as interim dean and dean
Architect of excellence continued
Kochan has excelled at building relationships
with alumni, including former long-time
National Advisory Council member
Dr. Joyce Reynolds Ringer ’59.
13. A Keystone in Building a Better Future for All 11
distance education and outreach technology, di-
versity, faculty and governance, field experiences,
graduate academic programs, scholarship and in-
novation and undergraduate academic programs.
“I’m very proud of our shared governance
committees, which give a voice to all constituen-
cies,’’ Kochan said. “That helps us make better
decisions about where we are and where we need
to go in the future.’’
Always a teacher
In order to fully appreciate where the College of
Education is at present, one must know the forma-
tive professional experiences of its leader.
Kochan, more commonly known as
“Fran’’ to her friends (of which there are
many), cultivated her direct but com-
passionate brand of leadership during a
career in K-12 education that included
a variety of roles.
Her time teaching English to non-native
speakers of the language in the Western Caroline
Islands and almost four additional years of teach-
ing in Guam provided countless examples of her
caring touch and her resourcefulness.
When she started teaching young students in
Guam, they were reading from books published
in and written about a wholly unfamiliar place —
New York City. As project director of an “English
as a Second Language’’ curriculum, she found
more effective ways to engage
those students.
“We received funds to
develop materials that were
culturally relevant to them
that would address reading
and language development,’’
Kochan said. “We encouraged parental and
community involvement. We went out into the
community and collected folklore and had a com-
munity advisory council that worked with us.
“That was where I developed my beliefs about
how you have to know the culture you’re in and
create environments in teaching and learning that
meet the children where they are. You bring the
parents and the community into that process.’’
Kochan demonstrated a value for and an abil-
ity to build those kinds of relationships on every
step of her professional journey, from elementary
school classrooms to her time as the first female
principal in the Wakulla County (Fla.) public
school system.
After working her way up to assistant super-
“Dr. Kochan has brought many diverse units in the College together under a
unified conceptual framework and mission. There have also been significant
increases in the research productivity within the college.”
Dr. Mark Fischman, Wayne T. Smith distinguished professor of motor behavior
Kochan named college’s first
female dean and fifth overall
College fosters spirit of
shared governance by
establishing committees
for assessment, distance
education and outreach
technology, diversity,
faculty and governance,
field experiences, graduate
academic programs,
scholarship and innovation
and undergraduate academic
programs
College celebrates 90th
anniversary during 2005-
2006 academic year
College re-emerges from
ranking hiatus at No. 82 in
U.S.News and World Report’s
survey of American’s top 100
graduate education programs
National Advisory Council
refines its terms of service
and committee structure,
expands national alumni
representation to more than
10 states
College begins developing
five-year strategic plan,
which focuses on high-
quality academic programs,
international and intercultural
engagement, financial
prosperity, research and
innovation, collaboration and
partnership engagement
College ranks 70th in
U.S.News and World Report
survey of 240 graduate
schools of education
Professional Development
System Council formed to
strengthen collaboration with
Auburn City Schools and
develop a template for similar
future PDS partnerships
2005 2006
College of Education students -- and
university icons like Aubie -- have always
found Kochan to be warm and approachable.
Kochan has always been willing to
serve others, just as she did at the college’s
90th anniversary tailgate in 2005.
14. Keystone Volume VII, 201012
intendent of Wakulla County Schools, she crossed
into higher education in 1987. Kochan started as
a research associate at Florida State University’s
Center for Instructional Development and Ser-
vices, but eventually moved into the role of princi-
pal/associate professor at Florida State University
School, a K-12 school system that doubles as a
teacher education lab for FSU’s College of Educa-
tion. She became the school system’s first female
director/superintendent in 1991, but left in 1994 to
become an associate professor in Auburn’s Depart-
ment of Educational Foundations, Leadership and
Technology. She served as director of the Truman
Pierce Institute for four years before becoming an
associate dean and then interim dean all within the
span of a month in 2001.
Her professional development path prepared
her well for the challenges and opportunities of-
fered by the deanship.
“I have an absolute belief that [education]
is a pre-K through 20 process and it involves all
aspects — the health sciences, the human sciences
and the educational sciences,’’ Kochan said. “They
are part of a whole and I think that’s why our col-
lege is a very powerful one. We can build a better
future for all and we are doing it every single day.’’
Reaching milestones
As for the future of the college itself, recent ac-
complishments paint a promising picture. As
the Keystone went to press, a national search for
Kochan’s successor had yielded finalists who were
preparing for campus interviews. Whoever lands
the job will find faculty and students well equipped
to carry out the college’s mission of building better
futures for the state, nation and world.
“The college has grown in many important
ways under Fran’s leadership,’’ said Dr. Cynthia
Reed, professor of educational leadership and
Kochan’s successor as director of the Truman
Pierce Institute. “Two areas that particularly stand
out for me are her emphasis on innovation and her
work on relationship building, both internally and
externally.’’
The two components are inextricably linked.
Kochan’s ability to connect with the college’s
alumni and stakeholders proved essential in
developing important resources. A $1 million gift
in 2006 from 1968 graduates Wayne T. and Cheryl
Glass Smith led to the creation of the college’s
Office of Research and Innovation in 2008. As a
result, faculty sought more than $20.3 million in
first-year external project funding from various
sources from July 2008 to July 2009.
Contrast that with the college’s previous seven-
year average of $3.04 million in first-year external
funding requested annually.
The college has also demonstrated a commit-
ment to building international research relation-
College achieves continuing
accreditation under
performance-oriented
standards of the National
Council for Accreditation of
Teacher Education (NCATE)
College ranks 62nd in
U.S.News and World Report
survey of top education
graduate schools
Academic and research
partnerships are formed with
the National University of
Costa Rica
Emily R. and Gerald S.
Leischuck Endowed
Professorship for Critical
Needs in Education
established
College establishes
Outstanding Faculty Early
Career Award
College develops and adopts
core values of ethics and
dignity, diversity, student
focus and collaboration and
public engagement
Office of Research and
Innovation created through
$1 million gift — the largest
single contribution in the
college’s history — from 1968
graduates Wayne T. and
Cheryl Glass Smith
More than 150 scholarships
awarded for the first time in
college’s history
College ranks 77th out of 250
graduate education programs
surveyed by U.S.News and
World Report
College ends Auburn’s seven-
year, $500 million “It Begins
at Auburn’’ campaign 246
percent above its original
campaign goal
2007 2008
Architect of excellence continued
Kochan celebrates the success of the “It Begins
at Auburn’’ campaign with (from left) Wayne
T. Smith ’68, Auburn President Jay Gogue and
Gordon Sherman ’57. Smith and Sherman were
the college’s first two Keystone Leaders-in-
Residence and both currently serve on the
Auburn University Foundation Board. Smith
chaired the college’s $500 million “It Begins at
Auburn’’ Campaign Committee and Sherman
served on the committee.
Kochan visits with Dean’s Circle and
National Advisory Council member
Hedy White Manry ’71.
15. A Keystone in Building a Better Future for All 13
ships with universities in Costa Rica, Korea and
Egypt and to helping partners closer to home.
In 2010, the Professional Development System
partnership between the College of Education and
Auburn City Schools was recognized as the best of
its kind in the nation by the Holmes Partnership.
“Fran has been really essential in the kinds of
professional development partnerships we have
because she has invested a lot of personal time in
them,’’ said Dr. John Saye, alumni professor and
program coordinator of Secondary Social Science
education. “Fran has been a very visible presence
and advocate for our partnerships with schools
and has worked to provide faculty with the re-
sources they need to do research and outreach.’’
The college’s successes in those capacities have
drawn attention well beyond Samford Hall. The
college has been ranked among the best education
graduate programs ranked by U.S.News and World
Report each year since 2005.
A lasting legacy
As impressive as the rankings and rewards may
be, Kochan’s lasting legacy will also be remem-
bered for the “human touch’’ described in The Au-
burn Creed. The college’s Professional Education
Services staff witnessed one of those quintessen-
tial Kochan moments when the dean came to the
aid of a student who had lost her wallet and ID in
Haley Center. Kochan comforted the crying stu-
dent, provided a phone and
a fistful of money unsolicit-
ed. “To me, that story really
captures what Fran is all about,’’ Villaume said.
Bill Langley ’63, who serves as chair of the
college National Advisory Council’s External
Relations Committee, said Kochan meets the defi-
nition of an effective leader because she inspires
others.
“She is a very special person,’’ he said. “She’s
not heavy-handed or overbearing at all, but she
gets things done and motivates people because she
touches people.’’
As Kochan pointed out earlier, though, she
is and always will be a teacher first. So it’s fitting
that, after taking a break to decompress and spend
quality time with her husband, Bill, her children
and grandchildren, she will return to a faculty po-
sition in the Department of Educational Founda-
tions, Leadership and Technology.
Kochan can retire from the deanship know-
ing that she helped design a brighter future for
the College of Education. Best of all, she can step
away from the job feeling the same way about it as
she did of her time teaching English on that tiny
island in the South Pacific.
“I’ve loved every single job I’ve ever had,’’ she
said.
College ranks 71st out of 278
graduate schools of education
in U.S.News and World Report
survey
College achieves 100 percent
participation rate in Faculty
Staff Campaign for first time
On 10th anniversary of the
establishment of the Dean’s
Circle, seven new members
are welcomed into the group
Student and faculty
exchange partnership formed
with Korea University
Kochan announces decision
to step down from deanship
in summer 2010
College awards 168
scholarships worth more
than $329,000 — both
unprecedented amounts
College establishes award
to recognize faculty and staff
outstanding commitment to
diversity
College’s Professional
Development System
collaboration with Auburn
City Schools receives 2010
Nancy Zimpher Award for
Best Partnership in the nation
Academic and research
partnership formed with
Egypt’s Suez Canal University
New Auburn MRI Research
Center planned to open in
fall, creating lab space for
Kinesiology
2009 2010
Kochan welcomes National Advisory Council
chair Jim Manley ’60, his wife Harriett, and
National Advisory Council academic affairs
committee chair Dr. Thomas Taylor ’60 to
the college’s annual holiday party.
Kochan helped the college pursue a number
of international partnerships, including one
with Egypt’s Suez Canal University.
Kochan celebrates the addition of two new
endowed professorships with (from left)
Drs. Gary Martin, Mary Rudisill, Terry Ley,
Bonnie White, Randall McDaniel, Marilyn
Strutchens, David Pascoe, James Kaminsky
and Mark Fischman in 2010.
“The College of Education has become a kinder, gentler
place under the leadership of Dr. Kochan.’’
Dr. Randall McDaniel
Wayne T. Smith distinguished
professor of rehabilitation
16. Keystone Volume VII, 201014
Having lived in Auburn for more than a year,
Mohamed Sywelem has formed equally strong
connections with the university’s faculty and the
local community.
“I have a deep appreciation for Auburn Uni-
versity,’’ said Sywelem, a visiting research scholar
from Egypt assigned to the College of Education’s
Department of Educational Foundations, Leader-
ship and Technology. “Auburn really has a good
environment to succeed.’’
Sywelem’s favorable accounts resonated with
administrators and faculty at Suez Canal Uni-
versity, where he will teach after completing his
doctorate. Faculty from the Ismalia, Egypt-based
university visited Auburn in February 2010 to
explore partnerships the College of Education and
other campus units. Dr. James Witte hopes that
their visit will lead to research partnerships and
student internships.
“There’s a wonderful opportunity for student exchange, for
faculty exchange and for cross fertilizing in a different culture,’’ said
Witte, associate professor and Adult and Higher Education program
coordinator in EFLT.
The college has succeeded in building partnerships stretching
from Central America to Asia. In July 2009, the college welcomed
professors and graduate students from Korea University to campus
as an entrée to creating student and faculty exchange opportunities
and opening up various practicum, internship, research and service
learning opportunities.
“These partnerships are so important to us,’’ said Dean Frances
Kochan. “In this world with so many struggles, it’s a joy when we
can come together and be one.’’
Drs. Suyhun Suh and John Dagley, associate professors in the
Department of Special Education, Rehabilitation, Counseling/
School Psychology, ignited the college’s interest in building a rela-
tionship with Korea University. The two faculty members explored
outreach initiatives that would mesh with the demographic changes
undergone in West Georgia and East Alabama as the result of Kia
and Hyundai entering the economic scene. Billboards written in
Korean, touting everything from realtors to church services, are now
a common sight along the I-85 corridor in East Alabama.
“We need to help the students and the community members,
especially the professionals who are in education, have better
knowledge about the Korean people,’’ Suh said. “They can go
beyond what they already know and they can be outside of
their own boxes. They can interact with people who are differ-
ent than them.’’
Those interactions often reveal that educators from America
to Asia are attempting to reach the same goals. For instance,
the visitors from Suez Canal University expressed a keen
interest in the College of Education’s distance education initia-
tives and its capacity to prepare teachers for pre-K and special
education classrooms.
“As we live in this world, it becomes smaller every day,’’
Auburn Provost Mary Ellen Mazey said. “What can be more
important than building these partnerships? We all have
much to learn from each other.’’
College builds partnerships with
Egyptian, Korean universities
INTERNATIONAL
Provost Mary Ellen Mazey (first row, second from left) visits with a contingent from
Suez Canal University in February 2010.
Korea University faculty and students visit with Auburn administrators and faculty in July 2009.
17. A Keystone in Building a Better Future for All 15
International
Having studied a foreign
language for five years,
Holleigh Patterson figured
she would be well suited to
serve as a volunteer instruc-
tor at the Auburn Universi-
ty Summer English School,
a College of Education
outreach initiative aimed at
improving the proficiency
of adult non-native speakers
and students in grades K-12.
There was one potential ob-
stacle that briefly surprised Patterson on
the first day of class at Richland Elemen-
tary School. Patterson, a junior English
education major from Vestavia Hills,
Ala., possesses a strong grasp of Spanish.
Upon walking into her classroom for the
first time, however, Patterson couldn’t
help but notice all of her students hap-
pened to be Korean.
“I had no idea,’’ Patterson said during
a break at the camp, held in June 2009 in
partnership with Auburn and Opelika
City Schools. Of course, Patterson rec-
ognized certain fundamentals apply to
teaching students any new language.
“I know how hard it is to want to
say something and to not be able to spit
it out,’’ Patterson said, drawing on her
own experience in learning a foreign
language. “It helped me to have more
of an understanding and to be more
sympathetic toward them while they’re
learning English.’’
Having completed its second year,
the Auburn University Summer English
School represents a valuable educa-
tional resource for international students
making the transition to a new culture.
The region’s economic growth has been
spurred, in part, by the opening of a Kia
automobile plant in West Point, Ga.
Dr. Jung Won Hur, camp director
and assistant professor of educational
media in the Department of Educational
Foundations, Leadership and Technol-
ogy and camp director, said the vast
majority of the students who attended
the 2009 camp had already studied Eng-
lish. Hur and Dr. Suhyun Suh, associate
professor in the Department of Special
Education, Rehabilitation, Counsel-
ing/School Psychology, are focused on
improving students’ reading and writing
proficiencies. Of the 100 students en-
rolled last summer, 98 were Korean and
two were Chinese.
“The general classroom environ-
ments might be overwhelming to some
newcomers,’’ Hur said, “and they might
be afraid of speaking in front of many
native speakers. But, this environment
is much more comfortable in that most
people can understand the difficulties
but they all share the same goal — im-
proving English proficiency.’’
In order to make English less in-
timidating to the students, Hur and the
summer school volunteers integrated
songs and games into the curriculum.
Hur expressed hope that the summer
English school would succeed in build-
ing relationships with more students in
the future.
Summer English School ensures
students don’t get ‘lost in translation’
Education students gain experience working
with non-native English speakers.
From Central America to East Africa,
faculty members have collected their fair
share of passport stamps while adding to the
college’s portfolio of international scholarship
and outreach. Here are a few examples:
In July 2009, Dr. Sue
Barry, coordinator of
the Foreign Language
Education program,
accompanied four Span-
ish teachers to Heredia,
Costa Rica, to gain
insight into school and
family life. Dr. John Saye,
alumni professor of sec-
ondary social sciences,
visited Heredia during
the second week of the
group’s stay in order to
explore the possibilities of a new course in
comparative culture study.
Dr. Lisa Kasmer,
assistant professor of
elementary math educa-
tion traveled to Arusha,
Tanzania, in 2009 to
explore the development
of a Study Abroad and
outreach/service learn-
ing program.
In April 2009, Dr. Brian
Parr visited St. Isztvan
University in Hungary to
develop an agricultural
education partnership
that would open the door for faculty and
student exchanges.
In May, music education
faculty members Drs.
Kim Walls and Bill Walls
visited the Hungar-
ian cities of Godollo,
Budapest, Szarvas and
Kecskemet to explore
potential exchange opportunities.
Faculty serious
about college’s
international
commitment
18. Keystone Volume VII, 201016
Dear Auburn Alumni and Supporters,
A
s the College of Education continues the
search for its new dean, I want to take a mo-
ment to recognize the contributions of Fran
Kochan, who came to Auburn in 1994 as an associate
professor and has been at the college’s helm for almost
a decade. During her time here, she has held the titles
of associate professor, distinguished professor, Truman
Pierce Institute director, associate dean for administra-
tion and interim dean.
As director of the Truman Pierce Institute, she established and coordi-
nated university, community and private partnerships for teacher training and
curriculum improvement in local schools — most notably in Alabama’s Black
Belt region. Dr. Kochan’s professional background includes experience as a
classroom teacher, principal, and assistant superintendent prior to her faculty
experiences at Auburn and Florida State University.
Internationally known for her expertise in mentoring, Kochan has written
articles about teachers as researchers and has published book chapters on family
and school relationships and middle school organizational change. Her major
research focus has been on barriers to organizational change and school and
university collaboration.
Under Dean Kochan’s leadership:
• The college improved its standing to No. 71 in U.S.News & World Report’s
“Best Graduate Schools’’ survey of 2010.
• The college’s Professional Development System collaboration with Auburn
City Schools was recognized by the Holmes Partnership as the nation’s best
partnership of its kind for 2010.
• Education faculty demonstrated its commitment to research by raising its
grant submissions and funding requests. Research expenditures in 2008-09
totaled more than $8.1 million, nearly doubling the total from the preceding
academic year.
• New research and exchange partnerships with Korea University and Egypt’s
Suez Canal University were established.
I’m sure I speak for all the Auburn family in thanking Dean Kochan for her
contributions to the university and wishing her every continued success in and
out of the classroom.
War Eagle!
Jay Gogue
President
A Messagefrom the President
Auburn University hired
Ainsley Carry as vice presi-
dent for student affairs in
April 2009. Carry previously
served as associate vice presi-
dent for student affairs and
dean of students at Temple
University. While there, he supervised 10 depart-
ments within the division of student affairs.
In his current role at Auburn, Carry is respon-
sible for the formulation, development, manage-
ment and delivery of services and programs to
enhance the academic, physical and social welfare
of students.
He oversees the Office of the Dean of Stu-
dents, student government, student media, Ca-
reer Development Services, Campus Recreation,
student organizations, Greek Life, International
Student Life, Judicial Affairs, Student Residence
Life, Student Orientation and Retention, the
parents’ association, student community services,
the Student Recreation Center, the University
Student Center, the university medical clinic and
the Student Leadership Institute.
Auburn University will institute a Common
Book program this fall to promote a shared aca-
demic experience among incoming freshman and
other students.
The program will begin with the reading of
“Three Cups of Tea: One Man’s Mission to Promote
Peace … One School at a Time’’ by Greg Morten-
son and David Oliver Relin.
A new book will be chosen each year, and
there are plans to bring some of those authors
to campus or others who are connected to the
selected works. Many freshman-level classes will
integrate the book into coursework.
For more information about the “Auburn
Connects!’’ Common Book program, visit
www.auburn.edu/auburnconnects.
Auburn welcomes
Carry as VP for
student affairs
Book program
brimming with
possibilities
19. A Keystone in Building a Better Future for All 17
Student Success
Demetriss Locke, a doctoral candidate
in higher education administration, said it’s
important for College of Education students
to seek mentorship from faculty for a variety
of reasons.
“That may be the person who will write
them a letter of recommendation for gradu-
ate school or to provide a recommendation
for a job,’’ Locke said. Locke and LaTosha
Ramsey, also a doctoral candidate in higher
education and administration, are do-
ing their part to help link undergraduate
students to established leaders through the
MARS (Minority Achievement, Retention &
Success) Program.
The MARS Program supports underrepresented minority
students in the College of Education by pairing them with fac-
ulty members and graduate students in mentoring relationships.
The mentor volunteers provide guidance for students who
are adjusting to a university setting or choosing a career path.
MARS Program provides
valuable mentorship
Auburn President Jay Gogue has set the strategic goal of
elevating the university’s undergraduate educational programs
and enriching students’ undergraduate experiences.
In order to help the university meet these
goals and raise its position in academic
rankings, the College of Education has
added to its efforts to recruit and retain top-
notch students. The college has instituted a
strategic plan for retention and enlisted the
help of Marcus Johnson, a graduate student
in school psychology, to serve as an academic coach.
Johnson will work alongside Becca Grace,
the college’s coordinator of student services,
to provide general advising, academic sup-
port resources and to develop success strate-
gies to targeted groups within the college.
As part of its continual efforts to recruit the
best and brightest, the college has reached
out to historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) to
cultivate potential graduate students while also cultivating high
school students who envision a future in education.
Strategic plan focuses on
recruitment, retention
From dipping a toe in the cold Indian Ocean to exploring
the Irish countryside to assisting Olympic athletes, Auburn Lyle,
Matthew Goula and Kimberly Wasserburger have enjoyed some
amazing experiences during their spring 2010 internships.
Best of all, they’ve been willing to share them through the
online journals they’ve been keeping. You can read more about
their adventures at education.auburn.edu/blogs.
Lyle, a collaborative special education major,
turned her first overseas trip into a profes-
sional development opportunity by teaching
special education students in Grahamstown,
South Africa.
Goula, a social science education graduate
student, followed up an internship at Ope-
lika High School by teaching geography, his-
tory and social science to seventh-graders in
Kenmare, Ireland.
Wasserburger, a College of Education Stu-
dent Ambassador and rehabilitation services
major, earned an internship opportunity
with the U.S. Olympic Committee in Colo-
rado Springs. Wasserburger, who plans to
complete a master’s degree in occupational
therapy at UAB, split time between the
USOC’s Sports Medical Clinic and its recovery center and spa.
Student bloggers share
internship experiences
20. Keystone Volume VII, 201018
Courtney Glass, a senior English lan-
guage arts education major, earned a $500
Alabama Alpha Delta Kappa Scholarship
during the 2009 academic year.
The scholarship is available to juniors and
seniors-to-be.
Founded in 1947, Alpha Delta Kappa is a
worldwide international honorary organization of women dedi-
cated to educational excellence, altruism and world understand-
ing. There are more than 1,500 chapters worldwide.
Glass receives
Alpha Delta Kappa
Scholarship
Student Success
Holly Brigman, a doctoral candidate in
the Department of Special Education, Re-
habilitation, Counseling/School Psychology,
received one of the four Graduate Dean’s
Fellowships for the College of Education.
The other designees will be named later.
Brigman, who is working toward a doctorate
in rehabilitation and special education, began serving her term
in fall 2009.
Brigman, an Asheville, N.C. native, hopes her degree will
lead to a career in policy development or as a university profes-
sor or administrator. Her research interests include employment
outcomes for consumers served by the state vocational rehabili-
tation system and post-secondary outcomes for persons who
have disabilities.
Brigman earned a master’s degree in rehabilitation counsel-
ing from Auburn in 2009 and a bachelor’s degree in education of
deaf children from the University of North Carolina at Greens-
boro. Before enrolled in graduate courses at Auburn, she worked
as assistant director for UNC-Greensboro’s Office for Students
with Disabilities and as a rehabilitation counselor in North
Carolina’s Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Services.
Brigman selected for
Graduate Dean’s Fellowship
Phi Kappa Phi honor society
welcomed 59 College of Education
students to its ranks in 2009.
Founded in 1897, Phi Kappa Phi is
the nation’s oldest, largest and most
selective multi-disciplinary honor
society. Memberships are extended
by invitation-only to the top 10 percent of seniors and gradu-
ate students and the top 7.5 percent of juniors. Faculty, staff and
alumni who have achieved scholarly distinction may also qualify.
The Auburn University chapter was established in 1914 and
initiates more than 400 students annually.
Phi Kappa Phi promotes the pursuit of excellence in all fields
of higher education, recognizes outstanding achievement by
students, faculty and others through various awards and engages
the community of scholars in service to others.
Phi Kappa Phi recognizes
59 students for excellence
Lindsay Bailey
Pamela Bailey
Kalli Black
Bonnie Burns
Bridgette Burton
Jessica Carter
Jennifer Canfield
Courtney Chaulker
Lisa Collins
Virginia Collins
Jamie Crowe
Lauren Culp
Anna Curl
Courtney Davis
Katherine Dean
Sarah Dowling
Alicia Ellis
Cameron Flowers
Sherry Francis
Richard Freda
Ashlyn Freeman
Erika Gam
Nicole Giordano
Amanda Gluckman
Kayla Gordon
Elizabeth Gore
Laura Groves
Amanda Guthrie
Tracy Hall
Katherine Harris
Maribeth Hasse
Brittney Herring
Amy Holley
Tanika Jones
Lauren Long
Elizabeth McFarling
Kylie Miller
Laura Mott
Laura Nevins
Courtney Nims
Justin Norton
Michelle Parker
Hannah Paxton
Jeannie Pearman
Megan Peoples
Marilyn Player
Mary Quinn
Cabray
Rauschenberg
Susan Reynolds
Clay Ritenbaugh
Kathleen Sacco
Amanda Shankles
Brittney Spillman
Katie Stringfellow
Morgan Taylor
Thomas Traylor
Milton Williams
Colleen Wise
Amber Wright
Courtney Nicole Davis, a senior early childhood education
major, earned the Alabama PTA’s $500 Elizabeth Baldwin Hill
Scholarship for 2008-09.
The Alabama PTA honored Davis and other award recipi-
ents during the 91st Annual Alabama PTA Convention, held in
April 2009.
Davis’ honor was publicized in Alabama PTA Bulletin, the
organization’s quarterly newsletter.
Davis earns Elizabeth
Baldwin Hill Scholarship
21. A Keystone in Building a Better Future for All 19
Seven College of Education students contributed to the success
experienced by Auburn University’s Collegiate FFA chapter at the
82nd National FFA Convention.
In all, 14 Auburn University Collegiate FFA members attended
the convention in Indianapolis and competed in national competi-
tions. The College of Education students who participated in the
event were agriscience education graduate student John Wilson,
senior Ben Johnson, senior Jay Gibson, senior Richard Dorman,
junior Bruce Davis, junior Andrew Talley and sophomore Bradley
Cox. Johnson, Gibson, Dorman, Davis, Talley and Cox are all agri-
science education majors.
Johnson helped Auburn’s chapter capture first place in the par-
liamentary procedure competition. Wilson, Cox and Talley helped
lead the debate team to a second place finish. Davis and Gibson
contributed to the Quiz Bowl team’s fourth place finish. Auburn’s
FFA chapter received the A.W. Nolan Leadership Award at the
“gold’’ level, acknowledging its ascent to the level of national leaders
in the last two years.
Dr. Brian Parr, assistant professor of agriscience education in
the Department of Curriculum and Teaching, also attended the
convention and used the occasion as an opportunity for student
recruitment. Parr and the Collegiate FFA members set up an agri-
science education booth in an effort to advertise Auburn’s program
to prospective undergraduate students and to recruit agriculture
teachers for the graduate level distance learning program.
The National FFA Convention, held in October 2009, drew more
than 55,000 attendees. Founded as the Future Farmers of America,
the organization changed its name in 1988 to better reflect the
scientific, business and technological aspects of agriculture.
The organization strives to increase awareness of the global and
technological importance of agriculture and its contributions to
society. It also encourages excellence in scholarship and acquaints
students with the many career possibilities that exist within
agriculture-related fields.
Agriscience education majors contribute to
Auburn FFA chapter’s success
John Murray, a doctoral candidate in the
Department of Educational Foundations,
Leadership and Technology, was one of 40
students invited to the 2010 David L. Clark
National Graduate Student Research Semi-
nar in Educational Leadership and Policy.
The University Council for Educational Ad-
ministration received a record number of student nominations
from universities in the U.S. and abroad.
The seminar, which was held April 29-30 in conjunction
with the American Educational Research Association Annual
Conference, brings together emerging educational leadership
and policy scholars and researchers for presentations, discussion
and professional growth.
Murray among select
few chosen for national
research seminar Molly Plueger and Brook Jackson, both
graduate students in the Department of
Kinesiology, earned a $1,250 grant from the
Southeast Athletic Trainers’ Association in
2009 to fund research focusing on aspects of
ankle rehabilitation.
Their six-week study examined ankle insta-
bility with and without the application of
an ankle brace. Plueger and Jackson gained
insight into why ankle braces are not incor-
porated into ankle rehabilitation protocols.
The SEATA grant was used for equipment,
supplies and participant reimbursement.
“With the support from the Department of Kinesiology and
the funding from the SEATA research grant, our project will be
completed successfully and add to the current athletic training
body of knowledge,” said Plueger, a member of Auburn’s gradu-
ate athletic training program.
Kinesiology grad students
share in research grant
Student Success
23. A Keystone in Building a Better Future for All 21
Student Leaders
Learn more about the
Student Council by visiting
education.auburn.edu/studentcouncil
Learn more about the
Graduate Student Ambassadors
by visiting grad.auburn.edu
Amanda Gluckman
President
Senior
Elementary Education
Allison Pendleton
Secretary
Sophomore
Pre-Early
Childhood Education
Lauren Leach
Vice President
Senior
Elementary Education
Dori Dobbs
Activities Chair
Sophomore
English Language
Arts Education
Abby Sibley
Service Project Chair
Junior
Early Childhood
Education
Barbara Jane Hall
Publicity Chair
Junior
Elementary Education
Blakely Barnett
Assistant Service
Project Chair
Junior
Elementary Education
Emily Duke
Camp War Eagle
Liaison
Junior
Elementary Education
Christen Holmes
War on Hunger
Representative
Senior
English Language
Arts Education
Maysaa Barakat
Administration of
Supervision and
Curriculum
Evelyn Cage
Counseling Psychology
Holly Brigman
Rehabilitation and
Special Education
Brittney Herring
Elementary Education
Christy Lock
Administration of
Higher Education
John Murray
Administration of
Supervision and
Curriculum
Elisha Martin
Administration of
Elementary and
Secondary Education
Danielle Smith
Administration of
Higher Education
Eight College of Education students have been named
Graduate Student Ambassadors for 2009-2010.
The group actively recruits new students for Auburn
University’s Graduate School. In order to become a
Graduate Student Ambassador, a candidate must possess
a 3.5 grade point average or better and excellent com-
munication skills. Ambassadors participate in at least one
recruiting event per year and serve as a point of contact
for prospective graduate students.
The College of Education Student Council promotes camaraderie
between students in the College of Education and develops outreach and
service projects.
The group works closely with Dr. Peggy Dagley, director of Professional
Education Services.
The Student Council has recently funded several projects on behalf
of the Auburn VOICES program (see article, page 42), which mobilizes
College of Education student organizations for advocacy and outreach.
The council has supported Auburn VOICES’ efforts to donate educational
resources for school children in Notasulga (Ala.) Schools.
College well represented
among Graduate
Student Ambassadors
2009-2010 Student Council
Student Organizations
The College of Education features more than
15 student organizations devoted to the
development of professional expertise and
leadership skills and the pursuit of academic
excellence. In addition to bringing students with similar
academic and career interests together, these groups
often participate in service learning activities.
To learn more about these groups, visit the “Students’’
section of education.auburn.edu.
24. Keystone Volume VII, 201022
While folks may have a hard time pointing out Oneonta,
Ala., on a map, pointing out Rachel Anderson might be much
easier to do.
She’s one of the students walking backwards around campus
with an expectant group of prospective freshmen and their
parents following her.
Anderson, a 2007 graduate of
Oneonta High School and a current
junior in elementary education, has
served as president of the college’s
Student Ambassadors since spring
2009. While appointments to the post
of president are typically for an aca-
demic year, she helped fill the term
of the previous president who began her full-time internship
during that semester.
“One of my favorite things about ambassadors is getting to
meet all of the amazing and influential people that affect our
college,’’ Anderson said. “Being an ambassador has given me
the opportunity to meet and get to know past educators, which
allows me to grow from their experiences and learn information
to help me in my future career as an educator.’’
Her work with Student Ambassadors is just one of the du-
ties on campus that keeps her occupied when she’s not in class
or completing her pre-teaching responsibilities at Dean Road
Elementary School. Anderson has, for the past two years, also
provided campus tours as one of 60 Auburn University student
recruiters in the Office of Undergraduate Recruitment. Rain or
shine, Rachel has been among the first Auburn faces many pro-
spective students see. She has also served as assistant director for
a freshman SGA program that emphasizes community service
and has been a part of two honor societies.
“I have loved having the opportunity to share my love of
Auburn with others,’’ she said. “I hope that my love of Auburn
shines through in my tours and attracts other students to come
to the Plains.’’
Anderson comes from an Auburn family, which includes her
mother, Beverly Bains Anderson ’80, who earned a bachelor’s
in early childhood education, and her father, Keith Anderson
’79, who earned a bachelor’s in finance. Her older sister, Laura
Beth Anderson ’06, graduated in elementary education and now
teaches in Atlanta.
Anderson expects to graduate in May 2011.
“I am hoping to find a teaching position in the Southeast
where I can use all of my knowledge that I have gained from
Auburn to mold young children’s lives,’’ Anderson said.
Student Leaders
Bridgette Michelle Burton ’09 and Laura Elizabeth Groves
’09 earned their places at the head of the class during the 2009
academic year. Both students served as graduation marshals for
the College of Education.
Each semester, college administra-
tors select a student to carry the
College of Education banner ahead
of their graduating peers at the start
of commencement ceremonies.
Burton, from Lineville, Ala., served
as the college’s marshal during the
summer 2009 commencement.
She earned a bachelor’s degree
in secondary social science edu-
cation with a major in history.
Groves, an elementary educa-
tion major from Birmingham,
served as marshal in fall 2009.
Burton, Groves lead
the way at graduation
Seventeen College of Education students were among the
Auburn undergraduate and graduate students recommended by
the Dean of Students office for inclusion in the 2009-2010 Who’s
Who Among Students in American Colleges and Universities. Rec-
ommendations are made by institutions based on such factors as
grade point average, leadership and participation on campus and
in the community.
Rachel Anderson
junior
elementary
education
Kathleen Boehme
junior
early childhood
education
Rebecca Bowers
junior
early childhood
education
Sarah Cotton
senior
early childhood
education
Tylon Crook
doctoral candidate
counselor education
Megan Dixon
master’s student
higher education
administration
Madison Farish
senior
early childhood
education
Pamela Goodson
senior
secondary
mathematics
education
Laurel Kostakis
junior
rehabilitation
services
Elizabeth McFarling
senior
secondary
mathematics
education
Alexa Miranda
senior
exercise science
John Murphy
senior
exercise science
Lindsay Phillips
senior
elementary
education
Mallory Sigle
Senior
Exercise science
Alli Smalley
junior
early childhood
education
Grace Sooter
senior
exercise science
Brennan Wade
senior
secondary
mathematics
education
Education students
selected for Who’s Who
Anderson excels in
leadership roles
25. A Keystone in Building a Better Future for All 23
Rachel Anderson
Junior
Elementary Education
Oneonta, Ala.
Sam Logan
Doctoral student
Exercise Science
North East, Md.
Kara Delvizis
Senior, Social
Science Education
Franklin, Tenn.
Emily Duke
Junior
Elementary Education
Madison, Ala.
Elizabeth Pressler
Senior
Science Education
Hoover, Ala.
Kimberly
Wasserburger
Senior
Rehabilitation Services
Hartselle, Ala.
Emily Crane
Sophomore
Elementary Education
Franklin, Tenn.
Meredith McCoy
Senior
Mathematics Education
Lanett, Ala.
Katie Freeman
Senior
Elementary Education
Huntsville, Ala.
Elise Schupp
Senior
Elementary Education
Franklin, Tenn.
Bonnie Dean
Senior, Social
Science Education
Franklin, Tenn.
Katie Oliver
Senior, Early
Childhood Education
Lanett, Ala.
Sarah Houghton
Sophomore
Elementary Education
Alpharetta, Ga.
Andrea Sumner
Doctoral student
Exercise Science
Springfield, Va.
Victoria Barron
Sophomore
Elementary Education
Birmingham, Ala.
Brittny Mathies
Doctoral candidate
Educational Psychology
New Orleans, La.
Adam Elder
Senior
Mathematics Education
Madison, Ala.
Julie Rush
Senior, Early
Childhood Education
Lineville, Ala.
Claire Wilkinson
Senior, Early Childhood
Special Education
Selma, Ala.
Abigail Cutchen
Sophomore
Elementary Education
Birmingham, Ala
Lucille Mosley
Sophomore, English
Language Arts Education
Daphne, Ala.
Lora Haghighi
Master’s student
Elementary Education
Pelham, Ala.
Jessica Stuckey
Junior
Elementary Education
Huntsville, Ala.
Anna Curl
Junior
Exercise Science
Decatur, Ala.
Erin Meriwether
Senior
Social Science Education
Cullman, Ala.
Taylor Gunter
Junior
Exercise Science
Montgomery, Ala.
Grace Sooter
Senior
Exercise Science
Homewood, Ala.
Bailey Debardeleben
Junior
Elementary Education
Prattville, Ala.
Shannon Perman
Senior, Social
Science Education
Kenosha, Wis.
Allyson Houlton
Junior
Elementary Education
Grady, Ala.
Jill Sutton
Junior, English Language
Arts Education
Trussville, Ala.
Student Ambassadors
Learn more about the college’s
Student Ambassadors at
education.auburn.edu/ambassadors
26. Keystone Volume VII, 201024
In speaking on behalf of the recipients during the Eighth Annual
College of Education Scholarship Awards Ceremony, Lorie Johnson
explained how the generosity of donors becomes exponential and
everlasting. The endowment of a scholarship or the establishment of
an annual award becomes multiplicative in nature because the donor
isn’t simply assisting in the formation of a future educator through
his or her gift.
“You give vicariously to
all of those students they
will teach,’’ said Johnson,
a doctoral candidate in
reading education and
recipient of the Albert
Hamilton Collins Annual
Graduate Fellowship.
Thanks to the giving spirit of its alumni and friends, the College
of Education awarded more than 150 scholarships for the second
consecutive year.
With the help of new donors and its portfolio of existing endow-
ments, the College of Education continued to create new opportuni-
ties for its students in the way of 168 undergraduate scholarships,
graduate assistantships, fellowships and awards. This year, the col-
lege awarded more than $329,000 — $25,000 more than it granted
in 2008. The total includes 141 undergraduate scholarships and 27
graduate awards, building on last year’s previously unprecedented
total of 130 scholarships and 20 graduate awards worth $277,000.
The college hosted 525 students, parents and donors at its annual
scholarship ceremony and reception held in August 2009.
Johnson, who earned a bachelor’s degree in early childhood
education and a master’s in reading education from Auburn, said
the scholarships play a critical role in training educators to meet the
challenges presented by an evolving world and the needs of children
who are increasingly technology savvy and dependent.
“Teachers are trying to reach and teach students to prepare for
a future that we know won’t look like the present,’’ Johnson said.
“Teachers have a tremendous charge to keep. They have to reach
children who have been wired from birth and have more friends on
Facebook than they have in real life.’’
Dr. Ron Saunders ’70, superintendent of Barrow County (Ga.)
Schools and a member of the College of Education’s National
Advisory Council, knows that aspiring educators must be ready to
engage audiences that can be prone to technological distractions.
Saunders, who spoke on behalf of scholarship donors at ceremony,
said his family has remained steadfast in its support of the college
because its graduates will shape the learning of future generations.
“Helping young people join the teaching profession is a Cloud 9
experience,’’ said Saunders, who presented the Robert L. Saunders
Endowed Scholarship in memory of his father, who like him is a
College of Education graduate and a one-time member of the col-
lege’s advisory council.
The college’s ability to grow scholarship opportunities, as well
as future teachers, hasn’t gone unnoticed by the parents of cur-
rent students. Greg Duke, whose daughter, Emily, was a recipient
of The Patrons of the Keystone-Dean’s Circle Annual Scholarship,
expressed appreciation tinged with humor in speaking on behalf of
parents during the ceremony.
“The scholarship provides us with much-needed funds,’’ Duke
said. “We’re a bit of an anachronism. We’re a single-income family. I
make the money, and they spend it.’’
In a time of economic uncertainty, when stock prices have
plummeted and investors have found themselves at the mercy of an
unpredictable market, there remains one economic safe haven.
“When you invest in teachers and students, it’s always a safe bet,’’
Johnson said.
College of Education awards
168 scholarships for 2009-2010
Scholarship Ceremony
New forms of support
The College of Education offered six
new scholarships and assistantships
in 2009:
Alabama Association of
Conservation Districts
Auxiliary Endowed
Scholarship
Arthur and Ruth Coss
Graduate Award
Kenny Howard Annual
Graduate Assistantship
Evelyn Moore Endowed
Scholarship
Dr. Brett Stark, DPM,
PC, Annual Graduate
Assistantship in
Kinesiology
Lila L. White Annual
Graduate Assistantship
The college awarded $25,000 more in scholarships than it did in 2008.
27. A Keystone in Building a Better Future for All 25
Kathy Robinson
Counselor Education
Lindsay Robinson
Collaborative
Teacher Special
Education
Awards and Recognition Ceremony
To view a photo gallery of the 29th Annual Awards
and Recognition Ceremony, visit education.auburn.edu/gallery
Theresa McCormick
Emily and Gerald
Leischuck Outstanding
Undergraduate Faculty
Teaching Award
Curriculum and Teaching
Kathryn Burnett
Outstanding Staff Award
Administrative/
Professional
Professional
Education Services
Jared Russell
Faculty Award
for Outstanding
Commitment
to Diversity
Kinesiology
John Quindry
Outstanding Faculty
Award for Research
Kinesiology
Elaine Prust
Staff Award
for Outstanding
Commitment
to Diversity
Curriculum and Teaching
JoEllen Sefton
Emily and Gerald
Leischuck Outstanding
Graduate Faculty
Teaching Award
Kinesiology
Thomas Flowers
Outstanding Staff Award
Office Administration
Learning
Resources Center
DaShaunda Patterson
Outstanding Faculty
Early Career Award
Special Education,
Rehabilitation,
Counseling/School
Psychology
John Saye
Outstanding Faculty
Award for Outreach
Curriculum and Teaching
Department of
Special Education, Rehabilitation,
Counseling/School Psychology
Department of
Curriculum and Teaching
Department of
Educational
Foundations,
Leadership and
Technology
Department of
Kinesiology
Outstanding
Undergraduate
Student
Karen McIntosh
Music Education
Ceren Yarar
Neuromechanics
Lamont Maddox
Social Science Education
John Holley II
Exercise Science
Ruthanna Payne
Administration of
Higher Education
Outstanding
Undergraduate
Student
Outstanding
Undergraduate
Student
Outstanding
Graduate
Student
Outstanding
Graduate
Student
Outstanding
Graduate
Student
Outstanding
Graduate
Student
Now in its 29th year, the Spring Awards Ceremony allows the College of
Education to recognize the students, faculty members and staff deemed “out-
standing’’ during the 2009-10 academic year. The ceremony was held March 30.
Each of the college’s four departments selects a graduate student and
undergraduate student for outstanding student awards. The recipients are selected by department heads with input from faculty members.
College-wide faculty and staff award nominations are submitted by individuals in the college and are considered by an awards committee. The
awards committee also reviews nominations for two additional awards that salute outstanding work in undergraduate and graduate teaching.
Student Award Recipients
Faculty and Staff Award Recipients
Spring awards ceremony
spotlights high achievers
28. Keystone Volume VII, 201026
It’s 0-dark-30 on Sand Hill, an appropriately named training ground where granules get
into the socks of visitors and no-nonsense officers get into the faces of soldiers laboring
through the last of their pre-dawn push-ups.
Members of the U.S. Army’s 192nd Infantry Brigade are up and running before sunrise on
this particular morning, as they are every morning, because it’s an inescapable rite of passage
during their metamorphosis from civilian to soldier. Their pre-breakfast activities consist of
calisthenics — everything from pull-ups to sit-ups — and a muscle-searing exercise in which
two-man teams work to flip large truck tires, end over end, from one corner of the training
field to the other.
A few yards away, Michael Methvin, a first-year student in Auburn University’s post-certi-
fication graduate athletic training program, scans the group for signs of something other than
physical exertion. He’s looking for a limp that might allow him to detect a soldier’s ankle sprain,
a wince that could betray a pulled muscle. His eyes are wide open for these and other tell-tale
clues despite the fact that he’s been up since 2:30 a.m.
“I feel accomplished because I’m getting up earlier than the soldiers do,’’ said Methvin, one
of seven Auburn students who have been diagnosing, treating and preventing injuries since
October as part of the Warrior Athletic Trainer Program, a first-year partnership between the
College of Education’s Department of Kinesiology and the 192nd based at Fort Benning in
Columbus, Ga.
Over the course of a year, Auburn’s graduate athletic trainers will help care for an estimated
14,000 soldiers who cycle through Fort Benning for nine weeks of basic combat training or 14
weeks of infantry training. While the injuries will be similar to those experienced by athletes,
the work environment is far different than that offered by a football sideline or gymnasium.
Graduate athletic trainers keeping
Army infantry on the move
Research and Outreach
Left: Michael Methvin, a first-year
student, examines a soldier’s injury
during early morning physical training.
29. A Keystone in Building a Better Future for All 27
Lexi Douglas counsels a soldier on rehabilitating an injury.
Research and Outreach
The stakes are much higher.
“I’ve worked with college and high school
athletes,’’ said Lexi Douglas, a first-year graduate
student. “Not to diminish them in any way, but
you get them [healthy] to play a game. You get
these guys ready to go fight a war. That has hit
home for me. It’s humbling in a way.’’
Many of the troops they treat will eventually
land in the hot zones of Afghanistan and Iraq.
Their early mornings on Sand Hill harden their
bodies and galvanize their resolve, but even the
hardiest former athlete can have his training
derailed by an awkward landing off an obstacle
course wall. Even the most innocuous injury can
cost a soldier and the Army dearly in terms of lost
time and money.
Saving time and money
One soldier’s visit to a troop medical clinic costs
$250. A medical clinic visit could also steal away
valuable hours that could be spent training since
it’s not uncommon for a soldier to wait several
hours for treatment at a facility whose practitio-
ners are often overloaded with patients.
It’s no wonder that Lt. Col. Dean Weiler, com-
mander of the 192nd’s 2nd Battalion 54th Regi-
ment, and Maj. Todd Burkhardt, the battalion’s
executive officer, reached out to Auburn’s gradu-
ate athletic training program in early 2009. As the
Army emphasizes the training of its personnel as
soldier-athletes, the concept of on-site diagnosis
and treatment of injuries by athletic trainers has
gained traction.
After seeing how Fort Jackson utilized athletic
trainers from nearby University of South Caroli-
na, Burkhardt wanted to find similar resources for
Fort Benning. He and Dr. JoEllen Sefton, director
of Auburn’s Neuromechanics Research Laborato-
ry and coordinator of its Graduate Athletic Train-
ing program, quickly established the framework
for a partnership. The Army invested more than
30. Keystone Volume VII, 201028
$219,000 to fund the inaugural year.
“It wasn’t too hard to determine that
Auburn would be a valuable asset to
us,’’ Burkhardt said. “For this type of
program to be successful, it had to be
somehow coupled with a major univer-
sity that had the resources in terms of
manpower but also the expertise and
research capability, which you’re not go-
ing to find with adhoc athletic trainers
from a hospital or private practice.’’
Weiler said the presence of Auburn University
graduate students has proven invaluable since
many recruits receive a shock to the system dur-
ing the early stages of basic training. The people
that Weiler described as the “seeds for the whole
Army’’ are expected to grow up in a hurry.
“The biggest issue we have is taking someone
who has done nothing in terms of physical activity
and making them do all of the stuff that we do
every day,’’ he said. “PT, to these guys, is the hard-
est stuff they’ve ever done. Their bodies are not
accustomed to that. It takes six to eight weeks for
real physical adaptation to take place.’’
Treatment and prevention
With the sudden increase in physical activity
comes stress fractures, sprains and contusions.
The Auburn students quickly diagnose and treat
soldiers who sustain injuries during PT, taping
soldiers’ ankles, stretching their arms and legs and
prescribing follow-up rehabilitation and treat-
ments as needed. By seeing the warning signs
in some soldiers, they’re able to prevent a minor
discomfort from flaring up into a major injury.
“With every activity, there are going to be inju-
ries of a certain type,’’ Methvin said. “In basketball,
you might see more shoulder injuries. Here, you
see a little bit of everything. It’s a lot different than
what we’re normally used to seeing.
“We have more people that we have to [care
for] compared to the average athletic trainer. We
have a battalion, which can be up to 5,000 soldiers.
You don’t have the luxury of being able to take
your sweet time.’’
While the Auburn students have learned
plenty working in a fast-paced and ever-changing
environment, officers in the 192nd have received
an education as well. Student trainers have helped
them learn how to recognize which of their sol-
diers are working through pain and how to under-
stand how certain injuries can affect performance.
“It’s heightened awareness in the cadre,’’ Weiler
said. “They’re making these guys get help before
they get hurt so we’ll keep them in training as
opposed to having to send them home and restart
them and keep them here for nine months as op-
posed to 14 weeks.
“People say it’s like $30,000 to train one of
these guys. All we have to do is save a couple of
them and the program is paying for itself.’’
Mutual benefits
The payoff for the Army and for Auburn Univer-
sity students is reciprocal. Weiler said Auburn’s
Department of Kinesiology has “endless’’ potential
to help because of its faculty and graduate student
expertise in the areas of gait analysis, injury pre-
vention, nutrition and physiology.
The benefits for Auburn students are obvious.
“It’s a unique opportunity to get hands-on
experience in the military environment, which we
see as an expanding professional environment for
a certified athletic trainer,’’ Sefton said. “They see
different situations, different injuries here than
they would anywhere else. It’s a more stressful
environment, a more serious environment.’’
And it’s an entirely different environment from
what most of them had ever previously encoun-
tered. The students who worked five days a week
with the 192nd in the fall — Methvin, Douglas,
Masa Mizutani, Eileen Strube, Stasia Burroughs,
Laura Waples and Marie Lackamp — all adjusted
to waking up in the wee hours, driving the 45
minutes from Auburn to Columbus, Ga., from the
Central to the Eastern time zone in pitch dark-
ness, putting in a full workday before most college
students even think about getting out of bed and
then driving back to Auburn for classes.
continued
Masa Mizutani (left) works
with a member of the cadre.
Maj. Todd Burkhardt (center) visits with
Drs. Mary Rudisill and JoEllen Sefton.
