School of Professional Studies

2005-2006 School Highlights

As highlighted by the following accomplishments, this was an extremely positive year for the School of Professional Studies. 

  1. HPX Department received CT Department of Higher Education approval in January 2006 for its new BS Health Promotion Studies Program, with options in Wellness Management and Community Health.  The Program has begun accepting students for the Fall 2006 semester.
  2. The Ed.D. Program in Instructional Leadership accepted its second student cohort as of Fall 2006, and received University approval for offering an Intermediate Administrative Certificate Program (092) as an option for Ed.D. students.
  3. In an effort to assist the CT community colleges in filling their faculty shortages, WestConn’s Nursing Department established a joint MS Nurse Program with Southern Connecticut State University, enrolling the first student cohort in Fall 2006.
  4. The School finalized the establishment of seamless, Teacher Pathway Agreements in Spring 2006 with Norwalk, Naugatuck Valley and Goodwin Community Colleges in the areas of Secondary Education – Mathematics and Sciences, Music Education and Nursing.
  5. WestConn’s Teacher Preparation and School Counselor Education Programs successfully moved forward toward securing NCATE Accreditation.
  6. All the School’s departments received approval from the University’s Assessment Committee in late March-April 2006 for their exemplary, NEASC Undergraduate Programs’ Student Learning Assessment Plans.
  7. A formal professional development, preservice student teaching site for WestConn’s Secondary, Health and Music Education Programs was implemented with Bethel Public Schools, beginning Fall 2006.
  8. The Western Connection Program, housed on WCSU’s campus, completed its third successful year, serving this year as a federally funded, model transition program for developmentally challenged youth, ages 18-21 years old, and was nominated for the BHE 2006 New England Higher Education of Excellence Program Achievement Award.
  9. By the very nature of the School’s professional areas, the faculty and students remained actively engaged in service to WestConn, their professional organizations, and the external community, with several faculty holding leadership positions within various professional organizations.
  10. The School and its Departments continue to serve as model with its successful partnerships with area education, health and non profit organizations, including the new K-5, Western Connecticut Academy of International Studies, magnet school on WestConn’s Westside campus.
  11. Faculty actively pursued research, scholarly and creative activities, producing 80 scholarly and creative works, including two books and four commercial music recordings and compositions.
  12. Faculty distinguished themselves, receiving the following awards and honors:
    • Professor Pat Geraci (Nursing) was honored on May 10th at the State Capital as Connecticut Nurse of the Year.
    • Professor Jeff Siegel (Music), who is a Jazz Percussionist, received Honorable Mention for his song, Ragtag, at the International Song Writing Competition where there were over 15,000 entries.
    • Dr. Karen Daley and Professor Joan Palladino (Nursing) who traveled to Germany in April 2006 with the Senior Nursing Students were the first nursing delegation from a higher education institution to visit Ramstein Air Force Hospital which cares for the U.S. war victims.  The Air Force recognized WestConn’s Nursing Department by presenting them with the actual flag that flew over Ramstein.
    • Dr. Wes Ball (Music) was invited to become a CSDE Trainer of Cooperating Teachers.
    • Dr. Colleen Delaney (Nursing) was a WestConn nominee for a 2006 CSU Distinguished Research Award.
    • Dr. Darla Shaw (E&EPY) was profiled as a “life-long learner” in an issue of CSU Magazine for her forty-eight year teaching career encompassing Connecticut public schools and higher education.
    • Professor Joan Palladino (Nursing) was honored this year by Waterbury Hospital for Excellence in Nursing Education.
    • Several Music faculty (e.g., Drs. Goble, Astrup, Callaghan and Mr. Smith and Price) continued to perform with the NY Philharmonic, NY City Ballet, NYC Opera, New Haven and Ridgefield Symphonies and at the Radio City Christmas Show.
    • Dr. Russell Hirshfield (Music) was featured as a guest artist in Costa Rica.
    • Dr. Eric Lewis (Music) toured Japan with the Manhattan String Quartet during the Fall 2005 semester.
    • Dr. Dan Goble (Music) toured with the Harvey Pittel Saxophone Quartet in January 2006.
    • Dr. Darla Shaw (E&EPY) was invited to serve as a Mark Twain Fellow at the Mark Twain House in Hartford during July 2005.
    • Professor Stephen Roberts (Music) performed at Basilica of Our Lady in Guadalupe, Mexico City in June 2005.
    • Dr. Leah Stambler (E&EPY) was recently quoted at length in a Chronicle of Higher Education article on why faculty do not take sabbatic leaves.
  13. Students from the Schools’ various departments received the following distinguished recognition:
    • An RN-BSN student received academic honors from the Waterbury Nursing Consortium
    • Six Social Work students were inducted into their National Honor Society, Phi Alpha
    • A Social Work student received the Ray Stolin Social Justice Writing Competition Award
    • Eighty-nine undergraduate education students and 210 graduate, Master education/counseling students were inducted into the Ph Lambda Theta International Educational Society
    • A Health Promotion & Exercise Science student received the CAPHERD’s Outstanding Future Professional Award
    • An organ student received the 2nd Place Award at the American Guild of Organist Regional Competition
    • Several Music students were invited to perform at 2006 CT Music Education Association’s Annual Convention
    • A piano student received Honorable Mention at the 2005 Bradshaw and Bueno International Piano Competition
    • Two choral students won first and second place awards at the National Association of Teachers of Singing Competition
    • Ed.D. student was featured on the cover and in an article in NY Teacher Magazine, April 2006
    • Ten Senior Nursing students who traveled to Homberg, Germany in April 2006 to witness first hand the military nurses care for our American personnel wounded in Iraq War were featured in Danbury News Times, April 2006
    • A Senior Social Work student who served in the Connecticut National Guard in Iraq, became an American Citizen in December in 2005 and was one of two college students honored at the Connecticut State Capital’s Immigrant Day on April 18, 2006
    • A Senior Health Education student, who was featured in a New Fairfield newspaper, served on Danbury Hospital’s Healthy Kids Planning Committee
    • A MSN alumnus received the 2005 Women’s Achievement Award from Orange County, N.Y.
    • Several organ students toured and performed in Austria during January 2006
    • A BS Health Education student served as a Red Cross Katrina Relief Volunteer in Beaumont, TX
    • An Ed.D. student received the School News and Discovery Education’s 2006 Education Blog Award for the Best Applied Science Research Blog
    • 37%  of all WCSU’s undergraduate students who were placed on the Fall 2005 WCSU Dean’s List were from the School of Professional Studies
    • 37% or 76 of WCSU’s 204 students who received academic honors (e.g., 59% Magna Cum Laude, 27% Summa Cum Laude, 37% Honors 37%) at WCSU’s May 2006 Commencement were School of Professional Studies’ students.
  14. For the third consecutive year, the School and its departments formally recognized and showed their appreciation of the School’s part-time teaching and supervisory faculty by hosting an Adjunct Appreciation Luncheon during the Spring 2006 semester.
  15. The school welcomed its first full-time, Assistant Dean, Dr. Maryann Rossi, in January 2006.
  16. The School and the Music Department were saddened at the passing of Skitch Henderson in October 2005, who served as a WestConn Distinguished Professor, working tiredlessly with the Music Department and its students in rebuilding a classical instrumental/orchestra program.
  17. The School’s undergraduate student retention rates continue to be high. While the School’s overall student enrollment decreased slightly, several undergraduate and graduate programs experienced enrollment growths, e.g., the BS Community Health, BS Health Education, PreNursing, BA Music Programs, Ed.D. Programs.
  18. WCSU established a Connecticut consortium for Gerontology with several other of Connecticut’s institutions of higher education and CT Regional Aging Offices.
  19. Student passing rates on certification, licensing and board exam remained consistently high, with 100% passing rate on NCLEX exam for BSN graduates a for third consecutive year.
  20. The School’s diverse student enrollment increased for a fourth consecutive year.
  21. The School and its departments continued to increase its student scholarship support, receiving a collective total of $115,000. for 103 students.
  22. The School and its departments expanded their connections with alumni, and continued to formally recognize alumni for their distinguished professional achievements with its Fourth Annual SPS Distinguished Alumni Recognition Ceremony in November 2005. The School’s departments witnessed increased alumni support, with departments implementing alumni phonations for the first time, and with the Nursing Department’s establishment of a formal WestConn Nursing Alumni Society.
  23. As of this year, the School and its departments, began to work actively with WestConn’s Office of Institutional Advancement toward developing a Strategic Fundraising Plan for the School and its departments and actually secured external donor support for several music talent based and other student scholarships.
  24. In collaboration with the Theater and Art Departments, the Music Department received University and CSU approval for the establishment of WestConn’s new School for the Visual and Performing Arts; effective as of August 2006.

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