Dear colleagues,

Last Tuesday, February 18, Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Mitzi Montoya shared a memo with College of Education faculty and staff regarding my reappointment as dean. I am honored to continue serving in this role through 2030. 

I sincerely appreciate everyone who participated in the dean’s 360 review, completed the survey, and engaged in the town hall meetings. Your feedback and insights are invaluable. I will share more details about the reappointment review results at our next collegewide meeting on March 18 at 1 p.m. 

Looking forward to continuing our work together! 

Let me know if you have any questions regarding the above. Thank you!

Regards,
Frankie Santos Laanan
Dean  

Lynne Zummo, Assistant Professor of Educational Psychology and Curator of Learning Sciences at the Natural History Museum of Utah, has received a Faculty Small Grant Program (FSGP) award from the VPR Office for her project “Scaffolding data practices for museum learning: Deepening experiences with data, evidence, and the Cleveland Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry.”

 Congratulations, Professor Zummo!

Associate Professor David Stroupe was invited to co-chair a Presidential Session at the AERA (American Educational Research Association) Annual Meeting on April 23, titled “AI and Educational Justice: A Critical Conversation.” Stroupe’s invitation is especially remarkable, considering that there are only 38 invited co-chairs nationwide! This presidential session aims to open a research-based dialogue on the risks and potential benefits of AI in education.

Congratulations, Professor Stroupe!

William Smith, Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry, Education, Culture & Society, and Ethnic Studies, and Paula Smith, Associate Professor and Director of Graduate Studies in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy, sat down with Utah Athletics to talk about Black excellence at the University of Utah. 

Click link to watch!

Meet Abbey Salamera, a graduate student in the Education, Culture, and Society program. Abbey is dedicated to supporting student mental health and fostering a community of care.

Watch as she and others talk about student support and reflects on her own journey to raise awareness around mental health in higher education. Click link to watch!

Sundance film ‘Omaha’ screened at Utah state prison

The film "Omaha" dives into a family’s cross-country journey after they experienced a tragedy. The screening took place on February 1st as part of the University of Utah’s Prison Education Program. UPEP screened four films for around 300 inmates.

"As part of our program, it’s our mission to help people meet their human potential and we do that through our classwork, through workshops, through lectures, and then enrichment programing like this.”  says program director Andy Eisen.

From February 10-14, the College of Education hosted delegates from Charles University in Prague. This partnership, in collaboration with the Office of Global Engagement, provided international scholars with the opportunity to meet with faculty from the College of Education and campus and community partners. 

Thank you to all our faculty who presented and participated! The visit was a resounding success.

On February 1st, the state-level APE workshop, co-hosted by SPED and Utah SHAPE, brought together over 85 participants, including APE teachers from all over the state.

Special guests from the United States Association of Blind Athletes (USABA) National Team introduced everyone to the exciting sport of Goalball. Special Olympics also led a discussion on state-level initiatives designed to enhance opportunities for athletes with disabilities.

SPED graduate students had the chance to learn about adapted equipment and connect with state partners!

Meet Kate, a Development Specialist here at the CoEdu, who joined the team in April 2024. With a background in non-profit development, she focuses on fundraising, donor relations, and event coordination. Kate’s passion for education started early, having worked in environmental education, museum teaching, and advocating for afterschool programs. Before her current role, she supported individuals facing homelessness through a non-profit.

Originally from New Hampshire, Kate moved to Utah in 2014 to embrace the ski lifestyle. Outside of work, she enjoys gardening, cooking, painting, and outdoor activities like whitewater rafting and canyoneering!

Join the University of Utah College of Social Work on:

Thursday, February 27 at 12 PM - 1 PM 

Assistant Professor Julia O’Connor will present, “Building Safe Campuses: Understanding Dating and Sexual Violence and Supporting Survivors on Campus.”

This free virtual presentation will emphasize the importance of understanding and supporting survivors in a variety of ways.

Please register in advance: https://socialwork.utah.edu/events/

Join us for the Dean’s Distinguished Speaker Series featuring H. Chad Lane, a professor in educational psychology and computer science.

This lecture will explore the rapidly evolving role of AI in education and its implications for the future of learning.

Monday, March 3

SAEC Art Works for Kids Auditorium

Lecture: 3–4 p.m. | Reception: 4–5 p.m. (SAEC HUB)

Click here for more info on this event!

Come join us in our collegewide meeting on:

Tuesday, March 18

SAEC Auditorium 

Faculty/Staff Connections: 12:30-1 PM | Meeting: 1-2 PM

From the desk of Jim Logue: 

Digital Learning Technology, part of University Information Services, has upgraded the AV system in SAEC 1145 (the Model Classroom) to create a "Zoom room." This room now has front and rear cameras, allowing full participation in Zoom meetings. A large touch panel has been added for interactive whiteboarding with meeting participants.

The Zoom setup also lets you present material wirelessly, whether you're in a Zoom meeting or not. To help with audio for remote Zoom sites, the room uses Catchbox wireless microphones. These microphones are inside a soft cube that can be tossed around the room, making it easy for students to join discussions and be heard clearly at remote locations. 

Overall, these improvements support a more engaging, flexible, and effective learning environment for both in-person and remote participants. 

This project was funded by the Learning Spaces project, which uses student computing fees to support learning technology across campus.

Are you a faculty or staff member with questions about HR, finance, or administration? 

Please email:  CoEdu.Support@utah.edu. 

By newly centralizing these services, the dean's office aims to ensure that faculty and staff won’t have to navigate institutional systems on their own when in need of assistance.

We are collecting feedback on our social media channels from CoEdu students.

Please consider sharing this survey with your undergraduate and graduate spring classes: 

CoE Student Social Media Survey.

The College of Education values open communication with you. We invite you to take advantage of this simple and anonymous way to share success stories, suggestions, and informal feedback that do not require a direct or immediate response.

All entries will be routed to the email address coe-feedback@utah.edu.

1721 CAMPUS CENTER DRIVE, SAEC 3202
SALT LAKE CITY, UT 84112
801-581-8221