Spring 2024 Newsletter

We are proud that the Michael D. Eisner College of Education remains one of the largest Colleges of Education in the CSU system, providing to our surrounding communities hundreds of outstanding new professionals in the fields of education, counseling, administration, and Deaf Studies. The Eisner College engages in transformative education and initiatives that put into practice our commitment to social justice, equity, access, and inclusion, and supporting the social-emotional well-being of university, school, and community members. I am grateful to our talented faculty, staff, alumni, and community partners, all instrumental in ensuring the excellence of our educational programs and community-serving centers. We have much to celebrate as we send forth our students to make positive contributions to our world!

Shari Tarver Behring
Dean, Michael D. Eisner College of Education

The College of Education has been pleased to continue holding retreats for all faculty and staff to commune and learn together. In our December gathering, we were treated to highly informative and enriching presentations on uncovering implicit bias and building equity-minded syllabi. We are proud to make this an important part of our college culture.

The UC/CSU Collaborative for Neuroscience, Diversity and Learning brings together resources from the University of California (UC) and California State University (CSU) systems with an overall goal to strengthen educational support for students with diverse learning needs.

StrengthUnited would like to introduce the Community Public Health Team (CPHT)! The goal of the CPHT pilot project is to build a community-centered system of care and strengthen the infrastructure needed to deliver coordinated, community-based services to individuals and high-need communities. 

On Friday, Feb 23, 2024, Project PRISM-Ed (Preparation and Retention of Social Justice and Equity-Minded Educators of Deaf Studies) hosted their first annual Deaf Education Leadership Academy. Over 120 people attended the Academy, which was held at the Northridge Center in the University Student Union. 

The CSUN Center for Teaching and Learning had a busy fall! Learn about the conferences, publications, and local and international collaborations that this amazing arm of the College of Education has been undertaking.

Curious about mixed methods research? In this workshop, participants will learn what it means—and when it’s ideal—to utilize qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis to examine educational phenomena. Join us for "Let’s Not Get Mixed Up on Mixed Methods" with Dr. Tracy Buenavista in Monday, April 8th 5:30pm to 7:00pm.

Learn about the Family Focus Resource Center's recent events, and be sure to save the date for their upcoming All Abilities Resource Fair on Saturday, October 19th!

Congratulations to StrengthUnited for receiving a CalOES grant for a Rape Crisis Program. Your work is essential and profoundly meaningful to our campus and our community. Thank you for continuing to shine in your service!

Since 1979, the CSUN Summer Academic Enrichment Program (SAEP) has hosted middle and high school students on our campus. Unlike a traditional school setting, SAEP offers enrichment-learning for the student. The goals are for students to have fun while learning and for teachers to enjoy teaching about what they are passionate. 

Congratulations to Dr. Zhen Chai for receiving a U.S. Department of Education grant for "Project CREATE: Preparing Culturally Responsive Early Educators in Teacher Education". This award represents a significant accomplishment, and an important contribution to the University!

Congratulations to Dr. Angélica Galván (Educational Psychology & Counseling) and Kelly Opdycke (Special Education) for receiving the Exceptional Service to Students Award for the 2024-25 Academic Year. We are proud of you and appreciative of your great work with students!

"Summer math intervention programs need a transformation in terms of equity. When comparing programs in affluent neighborhoods with those in low-socioeconomic urban districts, you will find an inequitable distribution of resources and enriching educational opportunities offered to students."

Dr. Traci Dennis has been presenting at many conferences this spring, including at the Association of Teacher Educators Annual Meeting, California Association of Teachers of English Annual State Convention, and American Association of Blacks in Higher Education's Annual Conference. Congratulations to Dr. Traci Dennis, and thank you for your scholarship!

Congratulations to Dr. Brian Foley for receiving a National Science Foundation grant for a project entitled "Extending and Enhancing the STEM Teacher Pipeline through a Community of Learners and Virtual Lesson Study". You and your incredible work are a credit to our institution, and a service to your students!

Dr. Pete Goldschmidt recently co-authored a report from the Migration Policy Institute’s National Center on Immigrant Integration Policy, which sketches a new vision for state accountability systems, drawing on quantitative and qualitative research to outline potential refinements as policymakers seek to improve current systems and make changes to future iterations of federal education law.

Dr. Cynthia Desrochers (Elementary Education, professor emerita) has co-authored and co-edited two new volumes published as part of her co-edited series, Transforming Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, Information Age Publishing.

Congratulations to Dr. Jennifer Pemberton for receiving a CalOES grant for a Campus Sexual Assault Program. You are doing a great service for our campus, and we appreciate your efforts deeply!

Four CSUN students (Melissa Baghoumian, Jocelyn Lagunas, Sergio Lopez, Gabriela Mahgerefteh) were awarded the prestigious, national award “Luce 24 under 24” at a ceremony in New York City on November 7, 2023. The J. Luce Foundation issues the award to “the brightest young global leaders” who are “innovators and game changers.” The foundation empowers young leaders to “better humanity” with “honor, intelligence, benevolence, and integrity.”

We encourage you to join the Education Alumni Chapter (free for students and alumni!) and become part of a growing group of Matadors who are eligible for wonderful benefits while helping support the next generation of CSUN alumni.  Don’t forget to select “Education Alumni Chapter” while registering in order to be automatically included in our chapter.

Please consider giving to the Eisner College of Education today! Your contributions help CSUN continue to shape a brighter tomorrow for our students, our community and the world.

Thank you for being part of the Michael D. Eisner College of Education family, and for your continued support of our mission. We look forward to contacting you again with more of the best from our community.

Be sure to check our college calendar for upcoming events