College of Education Newsletter

March was a dynamic and energizing month for the Garrett Center on Transition and Disability Studies. The team proudly represented the center at the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) Convention & Expo in Salt Lake City, Utah, where they connected with national leaders and emerging professionals committed to enhancing outcomes for students with disabilities. Their participation helped elevate the center’s work while fostering meaningful collaborations and new ideas.

Closer to home, the Garrett Center embarked on a series of outreach and recruitment visits across Willis ISD, Navasota ISD, Brenham ISD, and Bellville ISD. During these visits, staff members showcased the Pathways to Success Program, engaging students, families, and district partners in conversations about college readiness and transition support. These events provided an energizing opportunity to highlight the program’s impact and to empower students as they prepare for life after high school.

Overall, March brought momentum, connection, and a renewed commitment to expanding postsecondary opportunities for students throughout the region.

Attached photo: The Garrett Center team at Texas Transition Conference in February 2026. Pictured from Left to Right: Marcus Medellin, Project Coordinator; Ashley Sherrod, Administrative Coordinator; Christina Gushanas, Executive Director, and Madison Edgar Mathis, Project Coordinator. 

Congratulations to Dr. Rose Brock for being named this year's recipient of the 2026 Jack Alton Strawn Standing TALL Award! Presented to a Texas library leader by the TALL Texans Round Table, this award recognizes outstanding leadership demonstrated by a librarian who is an active or retired member of the Texas Library Association. The award consists of a small cowboy boot (the symbol of TALL Texans) and an engraved name plate, which was presented at the TALL Texans Social at the TLA Annual Conference.

Dr. Karina Quilantan-Garza had the amazing opportunity of interviewing actor and comedian John Leguizamo about his new children's book KIKI AND THE CAN at this year's Texas Library Association Conference. 

In partnership with COBA, COHS, COM and COSET, we invite you to participate in this year's March of Dimes: March for Babies. The money raised by this event goes toward efforts to improve maternal and infant health.

This year's march will be held May 9, 2026  at Town Green Park (2099 Lake Robbins Dr, The Woodlands, TX 77380).

Click the button below to register for this year's event!

The Sam Houston Association for the Education of Young Children (SHAEYC) met on March 17th for a fun Shamrock Punch and Oobleck Make-and-Take activity. Members enjoyed hands-on learning and conversation while exploring a playful, developmentally appropriate activity for young learners. ☘️

Our next meeting will be held on Tuesday, April 14th from 11:30 AM–12:30 PM in TEC 153.

Join us as we celebrate the Week of the Young Child and learn more about how you can get involved with SHAEYC! This is a great opportunity to connect with fellow early childhood educators, participate in engaging activities, and discover ways to support young children and families.

Faculty Sponsors: Drs. Desiree Hickman, Katie Moses, Susan Harte, and Rachel Warren

We are excited to welcome prospective future Bearkats to the SHSU College of Education Preview Day on April 10. During this special event, students and their families will have the opportunity to explore our academic programs, discover the many resources available to support their success, and connect with our dedicated faculty and staff. We look forward to showcasing the vibrant community, hands‑on experiences, and transformative opportunities that make the College of Education a place where future educators thrive.

The First-Generation Center provides resources, programs, and support to promote student success at Sam Houston State University and beyond. One of our signature initiatives is the Trailblazer Mentoring Program, which matches first-generation students with faculty and staff mentors across campus to help them navigate the university experience, build confidence, and strengthen their sense of belonging.

We are currently recruiting mentors for the 2026–2027 academic year and would love to share more information about how to get involved. If you know faculty or staff members who may be interested in serving as a mentor, please feel free to share this opportunity with them. Interested individuals may reach out to me directly or complete the mentor application available on our website below.

The program prioritizes matching students with mentors based on major or career interests, while also considering shared hobbies to encourage strong connections. Students are required to submit a Blackboard documentation form verifying at least two meetings per semester and must actively engage in program modules and center-hosted events. Mentoring is required during the student’s first year, with continued participation encouraged thereafter by mutual agreement. Mentors may serve one to three mentees each semester.

The H.E.A.R.T.S. Veterans Museum is looking for volunteers to help with their Veterans Breakfast that is held on the first Saturday of every month. If you are interested in volunteering, please email or call the contacts on the flyer above.

Have questions about travel? Need assistance with marketing or communications? Looking for support with recruiting or booking a space?

Don’t forget about our COE Operations Loop!
This link will now have a permanent spot in our weekly newsletter for quick access to submit any operations request you may have.

Thank you for your feedback regarding the Newsletter Submission button in previous issues. We apologize for any inconvenience caused by the button not functioning properly. The issue has now been resolved.

Please note: the Newsletter Submission button is designed to open an Outlook email window so you can submit your content directly to coe_comm@shsu.edu.

The Student Engagement and Belonging Committee invites you to their upcoming Boardgame Belonging Bonanza! All COE faculty, staff and students are invited to enjoy snacks, boardgames, and karaoke in TEC 279 on April 14 from 12 - 2 PM. We hope to see you there!

April 30 is the COE Anthology due date to enter Findings/Target Status, Results/Criterion Status, Actions, and Plans for Continuous Improvement elements for COE academic programs (degrees, certificates, certifications, standalone minors) and non-academic support units (departments, centers).

The members of the Office of Assessment and Accountability are here to support you as you prepare to submit to Anthology. Please email coeassessment@shsu.edu for Anthology-related data needs.

You are invited to COE Anthology office hours every Monday through April 20 from 1:00-2:00 p.m. via Zoom. Passcode is 582238.

"With the new day comes new strength and new thoughts."

- Eleanor Roosevelt

Hi all! We hope you are having a great week! This week we want to share some ideas for how to embed the CREI into your courses, should that be helpful. We thought this might be timely to feature over the next two weeks as you all think about your summer courses. So far, we've primarily been embedded within research and dissertation courses. If any of the ideas below are of interest, in the near future please reach out to the Director of the CREI (Maribeth Jorgensen - mxj040@shsu.edu) to schedule a time to discuss ways to embed services within your course as the CREI will reach capacity fairly quickly.

 

Ideas for embedding the CREI into your course: 

 

Include us as a resource for students to use. This could involve including the CREI website link, SharePoint link, and socials on your syllabus and Blackboard shell.

 

Website: https://www.shsu.edu/academics/colleges/education/centers/center-for-research-excellence-and-innovation/

 

SharePoint Page: Center for Research Excellence and Innovation

Instragram Page: nhttps://www.instagram.com/shsu_centerforresearch?igsh=bzRrOGVsNTJ4ZTc= 

 

LinkedIn Page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/shsu-coe-research-center/ 

 

Have a member of the CREI team present about our services or provide a recording for you to share with students at the start of your course to give more details about the CREI.

 

Include an assignment for students to attend a CREI workshop over the summer. We are still developing our schedule, but we will very likely host two workshops and topics will be announced by the end of spring semester. You could also assign students to watch one of the recorded workshops on our SharePoint page.

 

Schedule a day for our team to attend your class and provide group/individual consultation. We have been embedded several times this way and usually are available for 1-2 hours during a class time, once a semester. We will quickly reach capacity for this particular option, so please reach out soon if this might be of interest. 

 

We hope this is helpful and, if you think of other ways you might want to embed our services, please reach out and brainstorm with us. 

 

Have a great week!

Distinguished Educator of the Year Gala 2026

Relive the moments from DEOY 2026!

Michelle Mower's Dissertation Final Defense, THE SHADOW OF VIRTUE: SEXUAL SHAME AND SELFHOOD IN MEN RAISED IN THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS, has been rescheduled for April 20, 2026, 3:00 PM, via Zoom:

Ashleigh Bridges' Dissertation Proposal Defense, MAKING MEANING OF DIFFERENTIATION: AN INTERPRETATIVE PHENOMENOLOGICAL STUDY OF PRE-SERVICE TEACHERS' SELF-EFFICACY AND INCLUSIVE PRACTICES DURING CLINICAL TEACHING IN NORTHEAST TEXAS, has been scheduled for April 16, 2026, at 11:00 AM, via Zoom:

Maryam Siddiqui's Dissertation Proposal Defense, CLINICAL READINESS IN SUICIDE ASSESSMENT: THE INTERACTIONOF FORMAL TRAINING, SUPERVISORY ALLIANCE, AND SELF-EFFICACY AMONG DOCTORAL TRAINEES, has been scheduled for April 21, 2026, at 1:00 PM, via Zoom:

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