Faculty News

Several Concordia University Chicago faculty will present at the Lutheran Education Association Convocation March 24-26, 2011, including Kevin Borchers, MS, assistant professor of Christian education, on “Ministry to the Emerging Culture”; Katherine Brandon, MA, assistant professor of teacher education, on “Crossing Into Standards-Based Education”; and Kevin Brandon, EdD, dean of the College of Education and associate professor of teacher education, on “Dialogue with the Deans: Teacher Preparation at the Crossroads of Standards–based Training.” Michael Eschelbach, PhD, professor of theology and philosophy, will present “Accent on Apologetics: Paul’s Letter to the Galatians as Foundation and Springboard for Effectively Engaging Modern Society through Lutheran Schools”; and William Ewald, MBA, associate professor emeritus of business, will present "Courtship, Love and Marriage: Rules, Regulations and Practices in LCMS Administrative Offices, Institutions of Higher Education and Parish Schools.”  

Michelle Morkert, PhD, associate professor of English and women's and gender studies program coordinator, and David Settje, PhD, associate professor of history, presented "The Spiritual Mandate to Demilitarize Gender Roles: An Examination of Lutheran Women's Responses to War" at the Annual International Studies Association Conference February 2010 in New Orleans. The paper is also research for a joint book project by Morkert and Settje.

Theology/Languages

Michael Eschelbach, PhD, professor of theology and philosophy, will present “Revelation and Anthropology in the Lutheran University: What We Know, Who We Are, and What Difference Does It Make?” at the Association of Lutheran College Faculties annual conference in Irvine, Calif., Oct. 1-3, 2010. A regular guest on “Studio A with Roland Lettner” on KFUO station in St. Louis, Mo., Eschelbach was interviewed on “Virtue in 2 Peter 1:5” Feb.10 and “Baptism and the Holy Spirit” June 1 on the station.

Multiple Concordia University Chicago faculty and staff members participated in the Academic Quality Improvement Program (AQIP) Strategy Forum hosted by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association in May 2010. All participants are members of Concordia's AQIP Steering Committee. Faculty participating were Manfred Boos, PhD, distinguished professor of mathematics and computer science, Katherine Brandon, MA, assistant professor of teacher education, Mary Goetting, PhD, associate professor of mathematics, Lorinda Sankey, PhD, assistant professor of teacher education and Deborah Serra, PhD, professor of chemistry. Staff who participated were Christine Wedekind and Elizabeth Becker.

Theology/Languages

Rev. Andrew Steinmann, PhD, professor of theology and Hebrew, spoke on the book of Daniel at the Columbus Indiana Lutheran Church Missiouri-Synod Pastor’s conference. He wrote Ezra and Nehemiah which has been published by Concordia Publishing House. Steinmann was also a guest on “The Bible Study” on KFUO-FM in St. Louis, Mo., to discuss Acts 21:17-26. He was interviewed on "Issues, Etc.” on KSIV-FM in St. Louis, Mo., to discuss the book of Proverbs. He also participated in a roundtable discussion about Eckhart’s Way at Dominican University in February 2010. Steinmann presented on the Book of Daniel at the Milwaukee North and South circuits pastoral conference of the LCMS English District and the fall pastoral conference of the LCMS Iowa District in Solon, Iowa. His article "Literary Clues in Judges: A Response to Robert Chisholm" was published in the 52nd volume of the Journal of Evangelical Theological Society. His article "The Bible's Big Sory" was published in the fall 2010 edition of Teacher's Interaction.

Sociology and Social Work

Jodie Dewey, MA, assistant professor of sociology, defended her dissertation “How Medical and Mental Health Professionals Make Treatment Decisions with the Trans-Variant Patient” at Loyola University April 13, 2010. She presented part of her dissertation at the Canadian Professional Association of Transgender Health in Montreal, Quebec April 30, 2010. She also presented “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Professionals’ Accounts of Treating the Trans-Identified Patient” at the Concordia University Chicago and Dominican University Second Annual Joint Gender and Women Studies Mini Conference March 20, 2010 at Dominican University in River Forest.

Art, Communication, and Theatre

 Jayme McGhan, MFA, assistant professor of theatre, will have his play “The Sweet Stuff' was produced by Chased By An Elephant Theatre for a three city summer tour. It will be preformed at the Firehouse Theatre in Grand Forks, N.D. in June;  The Yellow Tree Theatre in the Osseo, Minn. in July; and The Gorilla Tango Theatre in Chicago July-August. “Mother Bear” will be performed in Chicago June 2010 for Stage Left Theatre’s LeapFest, the country's foremost new play festival for political and social-issue plays. “Mother Bear” was also read at National Pastime Theatre in Chicago in November 2009. It was also performed at the Southern Appalachian Repertory Theatre’s ScriptFest in North Carolina in January.  His play “The Sweet Stuff” was published in the anthology “Taboo Theater: Sex and Violence on Stage” by John Wayne Shafer in January 2010.

Art, Communication, and Theatre

Debra Herman, MFA, associate professor of art, taught a May term class on book arts at Concordia University Nebraska. She will present “Artists and Their Art: Sharing Visual Stories” at the 2011 Lutheran Education Association Convocation March 24-26, 2011 in Cincinatti, Ohio.

Sociology and Social Work

Jenna Mahay, PhD, assistant professor of sociology, presented “Christmas Cards as a Window into Gender: Preliminary Sketches of an Integrative Approach” at the Concordia University Chicago and Dominican University Second Annual Joint Gender and Women Studies Mini Conference March 20, 2010 at Dominican University in River Forest.

Sociology and Social Work

Alton Clark Dubois, PhD, professor of social work and gerontology and chair of the department of sociology and social work, served as the moderator on the panel “Sexual Behavior: Global Perspectives” at the Concordia University Chicago and Dominican University Second Annual Joint Gender and Women Studies Mini Conference March 20, 2010 at Dominican University in River Forest.

English

Michelle M. Gardner-Morkert, PhD, associate professor of English and coordinator of the Women’s and Gender Studies program, contributed a chapter to the upcoming anthology Women, War, and Violence: Personal Perspectives and Global Activism published by Palgrave Macmillian. She also served as the panel moderator for “Assumptions, Equity, and Social Change” at the Concordia University Chicago and Dominican University Second Annual Joint Gender and Women Studies Mini Conference March 20, 2010 at Dominican University in River Forest.

Art, Communication, and Theatre

Susan Ericsson, PhD, assistant professor of communication, presented “Gender and the Melodramatic Turn in Far from Heaven” at the Concordia University Chicago and Dominican University Second Annual Joint Gender and Women Studies Mini Conference March 20, 2010 at Dominican University in River Forest. Recently, she received her doctorate in radio, television and film from Northwestern University.

Theology/Languages

Thomas Von Hagel, PhD, professor of theology and languages, presented “A Rather Traditional Reading of Teresa of Avila’s The Interior Castle: The Imitation of Mary” at the Concordia University Chicago and Dominican University Second Annual Joint Gender and Women Studies Mini Conference March 20, 2010 at Dominican University in River Forest.

English

Lila Kurth, PhD, professor of English and chair, department of English, presented “Emasculation in Mitford: Feminism in Jan Karon’s Novels and Jane Eyre” at the Concordia University Chicago and Dominican University Second Annual Joint Gender and Women Studies Mini Conference March 20, 2010 at Dominican University in River Forest.

Art, Communication, and Theatre

Laura Hudson Pollom, PhD, associate professor of communication and chair, department of art, communication and theatre, served as the moderator on the panel “Feminism and Christian Spirituality” at the Concordia University Chicago and Dominican University Second Annual Joint Gender and Women Studies Mini Conference March 20, 2010 at Dominican University in River Forest. She was also the second author for the article  “How Much Do We Really Know About Equity’s Impact on Relational Communication? Issues in Measuring equity in communication research,” published in volume 3 of Communications Methods and Measures. She also presented “When Your Spouse is Your Co-worker: Managing the Work-life Boundaries in Academic Couples” at the National Communication Association Conference Nov. 12-15, 2009 in Chicago.

Interdisciplinary

President John F. Johnson, PhD, presented “Lutheran University Transformation: Vocation and Call” at the annual meeting of the Lutherans Educational Conference of North America (LECNA) Feb. 6, 2010 in Destin, Fla. At the meeting, he was also elected secretary-treasure of LENCA, which consists of the presidents of 42 Lutheran colleges and universities throughout the U.S. and Canada.

David Rogner, PhD, professor of English, composed the text of a new Christmas carol, “Welcome, Precious Infant Lord,” that was set to music by Carl Schalk, PhD, emeritus professor of music. Schalk’s choral setting of the carol, with strings arranged by Maurice Boyer, MCM, assistant professor of music, premiered at Concordia’s Service of Lessons and Carols Dec. 5-6, 2009. The carol was also performed at the Christmas concert of First Saint Paul’s Lutheran Church in Chicago Dec. 13, 2009.

Music

Richard Fischer, DMA, distinguished professor of music, presented “Expression in Music” at the Illinois Music Educator’s Association Conference, Jan. 30, 2010 in Peoria, Ill. He was the High School Honor Band guest conductor at the University of Northern Iowa, Feb. 11-13, 2010. He will serve as a guest professor and conductor with the Symphonic Wind Ensemble at DePaul University April 5 and 12, 2010.  Fischer will also adjudicate and serve as a clinician for several events including, The Optimist Club Music Festival in Winnipeg, Canada, Feb. 23-26, 2010; The Northshore Concert Band Festival at Northwestern University March 18-19, 2010; The Festival of Music at Harper College April 9 and 23, 2010; The Plainfield Invitational Concert Band Festival at Plainfield High School April 1, 2010; The Rotary Music Festival in St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada, May 3-6, 2010; and Music in the Parks Festival at Six Flags Great America in Gurnee April 30, May 1, 22 and 29, 2010. He also conducted clinics at Oak Park-River Forest High School; McCracken Middle School in Skokie, Ill.; Lutheran North High School and Lutheran South Academy in Houston, Texas; Concordia Lutheran High School in Tomball, Texas; Concordia Lutheran High School in Ft. Wayne, Ind.; Milwaukee Lutheran High School; Martin Lutheran High School in Greendale, Wis.; Lake Country Lutheran High School in Oconomowoc, Wis.; Faith Lutheran Junior/Senior High School in Las Vegas, Nev.; Lutheran High School South in St. Louis, Mo.; and Metro East Lutheran High School in Edwardsville, Ill.

Art, Communication, and Theatre

Andrew Pederson ’01, MFA, assistant professor English and director of children’s theatre, has been accepted into the playwriting intensive program at the John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts in Washington D.C. His comedy “Yellow Light” performed at the Gorilla Tango Theatre in Chicago on April 24, May 1 and May 8. His 10-minute play, An Insider’s Guide to Sex in the Afterlife was presented at the Playwriting Symposium at the Mid-America Theatre Conference in Cleveland, Ohio March 4-7, 2010. He received his master of fine arts degree from Goddard College in Plainfield, Vt. While at Goddard, he led the workshop “The Trick of Singularity: The Dramatic Monologue as a Standalone Play,” for current M.F.A. students, where he discussed the composition, editing, and performance of short monologue plays. 

History/Political Science/Philosophy

William Pierros, MA, assistant professor of political science, presented “Ghosts in the Machine: Communal Violence in Poso, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia, and the Weak State Hypothesis” at the Illinois Political Science Association and Illinois Sociological Association annual conference Nov. 7, 2009.

Natural Sciences and Geography

Kathleen Craft, PhD, assistant professor of biology, wrote "Population Genetic Differentiation of New Guinea Lowland Rainforest Lepidoptera" published inthe Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. She wrote "Guild-specific Patterns of Species Richness and Host Specialization in Plant-herbivore Food Webs from a Tropical Forest" with additional authors, published in the July 2010 edition Journal of Animal Ecology.

Mathematics and Computer Science

Mary Goetting, PhD, chair, Department of Mathematics and professor of mathematics, presented “Mixing it Up” at the Metropolitan Mathematics Club Conference Jan. 30, 2010 at York High School in Elmhurst.

Art, Communication, and Theatre

BettyAnn Mocek, MFA, professor of art and director of Ferguson Art Gallery, had over 25 pieces of art featured in the one-person “Busy Lines: Work by BettyAnn Mocek” exhibition, Oct. 1-Nov. 15, 2009,  at Envision Gallery at Flourish Studios in Chicago. Mocek’s other works that appeared in group shows were “Ethereal Fauna: The Artist’s Muse” exhibit at Tom Robinson Studio/Gallery in Chicago, Oct. 2- Nov. 14, 2009; “Women’s Caucus for Art Members Show” at St. Paul’s Cultural Center in Chicago throughout October; and “Dia de Lost Muertos: Common Ground” at Expressions Graphics in Oak Park, Ill., Oct. 17–Nov. 2, 2009. She will exhibit her work in the Chicago Society of Artists show in the Anderson Arts Center in Kenosha, Wis., Aug 29-Oct. 24.

Human Performance

Bill Duey, PhD, professor of human performance, received a $35,000 grant for “Graze the Sheep of Me” from Thriven Financial for Lutherans. He co-wrote the grant with Concordia students Amy Becker, Kristen Zilz and Pual Rileet, which will provide infrastructure to host Feed My Starving Children events at Concordia University Chicago in 2009, 2010 and 2011. Also, Duey discussed “Coping with Fear and Anxiety in Our Uncertain World,” Oct. 8, 2009, at Peace Lutheran Church in Lombard, Ill.

Theology/Languages

Jennie Asher, CAS, taught, along with four Concordia-Chicago students, “Ethics for Diakonal Ministry” for students in the Deaconess Training Program of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Panama City, Panama Jan. 2-8, 2010.

Natural Sciences and Geography

Rebecca Trueman, PhD, assistant professor of biology, presented "Let's Not Pass the Tipping Point: A Short Science Lesson and Uncommon Changes to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint" at the Oak Park Public Library in Oak Park, Ill., March 23. She earned her doctorate from the Department of Biological Sciences at University of Illinois at Chicago in August 2010.

Music

Charles P. Brown, MM, assistant professor of music, successfully defended his dissertation "Range vs. Register: An Important Distinction in Repertoire for the Adolescent Male" on May 6, 2010. He presented “Help the Boys Sing through the Change: Surveying Adolescent Repertoire through the ‘Expanding Voice Method’ Lens” during the American Choral Directors Association Central Division Conference February 2010 in Cincinnati, Ohio. He received notification that Kapelle has been chosen to perform at the Illinois All-State Conference in Jaunuary 2011.

Theology/Languages

The Rev. John Rhoads, MA, professor of theology, presented “Apostolic Ministry for the Apostolic Church in a Quasi-Apostolic Age” at the Northern Illinois District North and West Regional Pastors’ Conference Oct. 14-15, 2009.

Jonathan Kohrs, MCM, assistant professor of music, and David Rogner, PhD, professor of English, produced an edition of choral psalm settings titled Salvation's Joy, published by Concordia Publishing House. The work is a collection of eight psalms composed by Heinrich Schütz. Kohrs added ornamented accompaniments, instrumental descants and ritornellos to Schütz's original choral settings. Rogner wrote new metrical paraphrases of the psalm texts.

Mathematics and Computer Science

Astrida Cirulis, DA, associate professor of mathematics, conducted “Developing van Hiele Levels in Geometry with Manipulatives” at a workshop during the Illinois Council of Teachers of Mathematics meeting Oct. 15-17, 2009.

Marnee Fieldman, MBA, associate professor of business, has been appointed the Interim Dean of the College of Business.

William Ewald, MBA, associate professor emeritus of business, will present "Courtship, Love and Marriage: Rules, Regulations and Practices in LCMS Administrative Offices, Institutions of Higher Education and Parish Schools" at the 2011 Lutheran Education Association Convocation March 24-26, 2011. He presented “Marketing the Berlin Wall in America: Piece by Piece” at the annual meeting of the Society for German American Studies April 25-26, 2010.

Department of Leadership

Pamela Zimmermann, EdD, associate professor of education, will present "Showing them the Ropes: Inducting New Departmental Leaders” at the National Staff Development Council Annual Conferencein Atlanta, Ga., Dec. 4-8.

Department of Leadership

L. Arthur Safer, PhD, visiting professor of leadership, and Robert K. Wilhite, EdD, associate professor of leadership and chair, Department of Leadership, will present "Chicago HOPES: Strengthening Education for Chicago's Homeless Students" at the ASCD Annual Conference in Chicago, Oct. 29-31. They presented "Apply Adaptive Leadership to Sustain School Improvement" and "What May Go Wrong?" at the National Council of Professors of Educational Administration annual conference in Washington D.C., Aug. 2-6. They also co-wrote "Applying Adaptive Leadership to Sustain K-12 District Initiatives and Challenges," which was published in the July-August 2010 issue of the International Journal of Educational Leadership Preparation.

Director of Christian Education

Teacher Education

Kristi Stricker, PhD, associate professor of teacher education, was interviewed in “Professors from the Working Class Credit Their Rise to Rock – And Agent Scully,” which was published in the April 2010 edition of The Chronicle of Higher Education. She presented "Social Class and Faculty Diversity" at the Working Class and Poverty Class Academics Annual Conference in Little Rock, Ark., June 25, 2010.

Teacher Education

Lorinda Sankey, PhD, assistant professor of teacher education, will present “Embracing Cultural Diversity” at the 2011 Lutheran Education Association Convocation March 24-26, 2011 in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Kevin Brandon, EdD, dean of the College of Education and associate professor of teacher education, was appointed Dean of the College of Education May 1, 2010 to June 30, 2012. He previously served Concordia University Chicago as intermin dean of the College of Education. He will also present “Dialogue with the Deans: Teacher Preparation at the Crossroads of Standards–based Training” at the 2011 Lutheran Education Association Convocation March 24-26, 2011 in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Teacher Education

Katherine Brandon, MA, assistant professor of teacher education, will present "The Heart and Mind of Teaching" and "The Sounds of Our Language: Oral Language and Phonemic Awareness" at the Indiana District LCMS Early Childhood Conference in Indianapolis, Ind., Sept. 14-16. She will also present “Crossing Into Standards Based Education” at the 2011 Lutheran Education Association Convocation March 24-26, 2011 in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Director of Christian Education

Kevin Borchers, BA, assistant professor of Christian education, will present “Ministry to the Emerging Culture” at the 2011 Lutheran Education Association Convocation March 24-26, 2011 in Cincinnati, Ohio.  His review of Book Notes: Confirmation Basics was published in the September 2009 edition of the Lutheran Education Journal.

Gregory Michie, PhD, professor of foundations, social policy and research will present as a keynote speaker at the 2010 NNER Conference in Normal, Ill., Oct. 7-9.

Instructional Design

Samuel M. Kwon, PhD, assistant professor of instructional design and technology, will present “The Academy and the Inner-City: The Impact of Collaborative Instructional Design and Technology Activities on a University-High School Partnership for Urban School Improvement” at the Association of Lutheran College Faculties in Irvine, Calif., Oct. 1-3, 2010.  

Jie Lin, PhD, associate professor of foundations, social policy and research, Cynthia Grant, PhD, assistant professor of research, and Amanda Maddocks, PhD, associate professor of leadership will present “Listening to faculty voice during transitions at a Lutheran University” at the Association of Lutheran College Faculties conference in Irvine, Calif., Oct. 1-3, 2010.  

Several faculty of the College of Graduate and Innovative Programs participated in the American Educational Research Association Conference in Denver April 24-May 3. Presentations included Pamela Konkol, PhD, associate professor of foundations, social policy and resarch and Isabel Nunez, PhD, associate professor of foundations, social policy and research on "Confronting the Mirror: Painting a Portrait of Tension in Teacher Preparation"; and Nunez on "Colonizing Curriculum: How the Thinking Function Learns to Dominate the Psyche." Dara Soljaga, PhD, associate professor of curriculum, language and literacy, and Simeon Stumme, PhD, assistant professor of foundations, social policy and research, also presented "Oppsoing Dominant Discourse: Identity Construction as an Active Process."

Carol Reiseck, EdD, associate professor of leadership, and Richard Richter, MA, assistant professor of instructional design and technology and director, instructional design and technology will present "Creating a Climate for Innovation: Addressing Barriers to Change" at the Sloan Consortium (Sloan-C) International Conference in Orlando, Fla., Nov. 3-5.

Isabel Nunez, PhD, associate professor of foundations, social policy and research, co-authored "Part V: Guide to New Resources" published in Multicultural Perspectives: An Offical Journal of the National Association for Multicultural Education. She also serves as program chair of Division B: Curriculum Studies for the American Educational Research Association.

Claudia Santin, EdD, assistant dean of leadership and professional studies, virtually presented a paper “A Comparison of Effective Leadership Theories: A Model for Distance Leadership,” coauthored by Heather McDaniel, at the 17th Annual International Conference on Learning held July 6-9 in Hong Kong. Her article “Leadership Challenges of Academic Governance vs. Shared Governance,” coauthored by McDaniel, was published in the May 2010 issue of the Journal of Online Higher Education. Santin served as a commencement speaker at the Concordia University Chicago graduate ceremony May 2010.

Pamela Konkol, PhD, associate professor of foundations, social policy and research, has been elected chair of the Bibliographical and Documentary Research Special Interest Group and serves as section chair of the Historical, Philosophical and Disciplinary Knowledges of Division B for the American Educational Research Association. Konkol also served as discussant for a presentation by Deborah Kowal MA '09, Annie Lathrop MA '09, Cheryl Manade MA '09 and Angela Trotter MA '09 on "A Crazy Little Thing Called Community: Reflective Inquiry Through Collective Practice" at the American Educational Studies Association Annual Conference in Pittsburgh, Pa., Nov. 1-4, 2009.

Tom Jandris, PhD, vice president for educational innovation, professor of educational leadership and dean of the College of Graduate and Innovative Programs, will be the keynote speaker at the National Conference for TIE in Minneapolis, Minn., Oct. 20.

Ursula P. Ricketts, EdD, assistant professor of curriculum, language and literacy, will present “Personal Integration: Faith in the Classroom, Faith and Vocation, Balancing Family and Vocation” at the 75th Annual Meeting of the Association of Lutheran Colleges Faculties at Concordia University Irvine Oct. 1-3, 2010. She will also present "Culturally Relevant vs. Multicultural Pedagogy" at the 2011 ASCD, formerly the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, Annual Conference, March 26-28, in San Francisco, Calif.

Margaret Trybus, EdD, assistant dean of the College of Graduate and Innovative Programs, has been elected president for the Iota Chapter of Lambda State in Illinois for the Delta Kappa Gamma Society 2010-2012.

Susan Bridge, EdD, associate professor of educational leadership, and Brenda Graham, EdD, professor of leadership, will present “From Presidential Policy to Classroom Reality: The Indelible Impact of ESEA” at the American Institute of Higher Education’s 5th International Conference in Orlando, Fla., Sept. 29-Oct. 1, 2010.

Karin Anderson, PhD, associate professor of psychology and counselor education, had her book It Just Hasn’t Happened Yet published by Clifton Hills Press, Inc. She has received national media recognition for her book including a review on Psychology Today's blog; an interview on 99.7 FM radio in Ottawa, Canada; and a feature article in Happen magazine. She also presented about her book to the Alpha Sigma Alpha National Sorority Convention in Indianapolis, Ind. June 30-July 4. She will be interviewed on Oprah's XM radio network during the Dr. Laura Berman radio show Sept. 20 and was interviewed on Chicago's WGN Midday News segment Aug. 6.

Carol Leli, EdD, assistant professor of curriculum, language and literacy, will present “Dinosaurs or Digital Citizens…Discovery through Children’s Literature” at the Association of Literacy Educators and Researchers 2010 conference in Omaha, Neb., Nov 4-7. She will also present “Crossing Over to New Literacies” at the 2011 Lutheran Education Association Convocation March 24-26, 2011 in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Instructional Design

Scott Schuth, MA, associate professor of instructional technology, presented "The Road to Outcomes Assessment" at the Blackboard BbWorld 2010 Conference July 15.

Instructional Design

Ardelle Pate, associate professor of instructional design and technology and chair of the department of instructional design and technology, presented “Tailoring the Syllabus to Create Social Presence with an Online Discussion Forum” at the ED-MEDIA 2010 World Conference on Educational Multimedia, Hypermedia and Telecommunications in Toronto, Canada June 28-July 2, 2010.

Simeon Stumme, assistant professor of foundations, social policy and research, successfully defended his doctoral dissertation at the University of California Los Angeles.

Daniel Bardy, EdD, associate professor of teacher education, has been named co-chair of the Global Education Committee for the World Council of Curriculum and Instruction for a two-year term. He presented “Rudolf Steiner’s (1865-1920) View of Technology and the Spirit World,” “The Cahokia Indian Nation” and “Microcephelic Individuals and Consciousness” at the Saxion University, Academie Pedagogiek en Onderwijs in Deventer, The Netherlands March 22-26, 2010. Bardy was also selected by the World Council for Curriculum and Instruction (WCCI) to present “Technostress is Technostress in Any Language: The Management of Intrapersonal and Interpersonal Communication in Reducing Technostress: Lessons Learned by Librarians and Instructors” at the 14th World Conference in Education in Pécs, Hungary July 11-17, 2010.

Amanda Maddocks, PhD, associate professor of leadership, will present “Is Fidelity an Appropriate Measure of Quality in Online Delivery?” at the 26th Annual Conference on Distance Teaching and Learning in Madison, Wis. in August 2010.

Instructional Design

Michael Sukowski, MEd, assistant professor of instructional design and technology, presented “Bringing BB9 to the Community: A Variety of Solutions” at the BbWorld 2010 in Orlando, Fla., July 13-16, 2010. He presented “Portfolio: From Student Assessment to Interviewing Tool” at the Mid-Central Illinois Region Scholastic Art Awards Honors Day Assembly at Springfield College in Illinois on Feb. 26, 2010.

Lauren Wellen, PhD, associate professor of curriculum, language and literacy, has been elected a member of the 2010 Golden Apple Foundation selection committee, which honored 10 outstanding high school teachers with the Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching in May 2010. Wellen will be the keynote speaker at the Indiana District Early Childhood Conference Aug. 10, 2010  where she will present “The Heart and Mind of Teaching” and “The Sounds of Our Language: Oral Language and Phonemic Awareness.” She will also present “Crossing Over to New Literacies” and “Bridging Literature to Bible Stories” at the 2011 Lutheran Education Symposium March 24-26, 2011 in Cincinnati, Ohio.

L. Arthur Safer, PhD, visiting professor of educational leadership, presented “Chicago HOPES: An Educational Intervention Program for Homeless Youth in Chicago Shelters” at the Illinois Education Research Council annual research symposium in Champaign, Ill., June 9, 2010. He was elected to the Board of Directors for the Chicago Franciscan Outreach Association.

Amanda Smith, PhD, associate professor of curriculum, language and literacy, wrote “A Road Map for Training Engineers” the cover article in the March 2010 issue of Consulting, Specifying Engineer.

Cynthia Grant, PhD, assistant professor of foundations, social policy and research, presented her dissertation research "An Exploration of the Interpersonal Research Experience of Participants with Schizophrenic Disorders: A Mixed Method Study" at the 22nd National Symposium on Doctoral Research in Social Work at Ohio State University May 1, 2010.

Heather Harder, PhD, associate professor of curriculum, language and literacy, presented two workshops at the Illinois State Reading Conference in Springfield, Ill. She led “Vocabulary Development: Building a Positive Relation with Words is the Key to Reading Success” March 19, 2010 and “Bibliotherapy: Using Children’s Books to Identify and Heal Emotional Wounds” March 20, 2010. She is president-elect of College Instructors of Reading Professionals for the Illinois Reading Council. She finished her tenth radio interview with Charlene Springer of WSTX-AM970 in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Dr. Harder has been discussing educational initiatives for the betterment of families and youth of the U.S. Virgin Islands including anti-violence and anti-bullying initiatives.

Interdisciplinary

Multiple Concordia University Chicago faculty and staff participated in the Urban Teacher’s Conference Feb. 12, 2010, organized and designed by the Center for Urban Ministry. The Center’s purpose is to provide quality leadership supporting ministries for urban congregations and non-for-profit urban ministries. From the College of Education, Katherine Brandon, MA, assistant professor of teacher education, presented "Spreadsheets for Fun (yes, fun) and Purpose." From the College of Graduate and Innovative Programs, Richard Richter ’72, MA, ’76, assistant professor of instructional design and technology, presented “Free Stuff on the Internet: Effective Open Source and Web 2.0 Teaching Strategies” and Scott Schuth, MA ’94, presented “The Rise and Fall of the Pencil sharpener: Trends and Future of Educational Tech” and “Are We There Yet? Using Technology to Assess Learning.” Jill Novak '89 and Lisa Renn '11, both teachers in the Early Childhood Center, presented “Integrating Technology into the Early Childhood Classroom."

Instructional Design

Richard Richter ’72 MA ’76, assistant professor of instructional design and technology, presented “Visual Literacy” at the West Suburban Reading Council’s 34th Annual Reading Conference Feb. 6, 2010. He will co-present "Digital and Visual Literacy" at the Learning 2010 Conference in Shanghai, China Sept. 16-18.

Carol Schefelbein, EdD, associate professor of education, presented “Experience is the Greatest Teacher: Developing Successful Literacy Specialists” at the International Reading Association 55th Annual Convention April 25-28, 2010 in Chicago.

Dan Tomal, PhD, professor of Leadership, gave several presentations including, “Handling Difficult Conversations” to the Illinois Association of Administrators Nov. 20, 2009 in Chicago; “Leadership and Teamwork” to the Boy Scouts of America Chapter in River Forest Oct. 29, 2009; and “Leadership and Negotiations” to Harper College Faculty Oct. 29, 2009. He authored a seond edition of his book Action Research for Educators recently published and honored with an Outstanding Choice Award by the American Library Association. Tomal also gave several presentations including "Leadership and Difficult Conversations" at the Illinois Administrators' Academy in Chicago April 26, 2010; "Leadership and Ethics" at Wheaton College April 19, 2010; and "Collaborative Negotiations" at the Presbyterian Church in Wheaton April 18, 2010. He was also elected to the Journal of the American Secondary Education, where he reviews journal articles.

Sandra Doering, EdD, professor of teacher education, will have her chapter “Making Disciples: The Goal of Lutheran Education” published in the second part of Learning at the Foot of the Cross: A Lutheran Vision for Education edited by Joel Heck and Angus Menuge in 2010.

Shirley Morgenthaler, PhD, distinguished professor of teacher education, presented “Inspirations from Italy: Emergent Curriculum in Teacher Education” at the National Association for Education of Young Children annual conference Nov. 18-21, 2009, in Washington D.C. Doctoral students Bonnie J. Lueck, and Elizabeth N. Christian, assistant director of the Concordia Early Childhood Education Center, assisted Morgenthaler in her presentation on new strategies in early childhood teacher education.

Tom Jandris, PhD, Dean of the College of Graduate and Innovative Programs, was the keynote speaker during the Oct. 15-16, 2009 SLATE (Supporting Learning and Technology in Education) Build it Better conference hosted at the University of Chicago. Several Concordia University Chicago faculty members also participated. Michael Sukowski, MEd, presented “Course Design and Review Process: A Team Approach,” and served as a panel moderator for “Authentication of Online Students: Current Practices.” Donna Blaess, PhD, associate professor of education; Paul Bucchi, PhD, Kathryn Hollywood, PhD, director of partnership and distance learning, and Claudia Santin, EdD, assistant dean of leadership and professional studies, presented “Many Minds, Many Voices: Facilitating Critical Thinking in Online Education.”

Carl Schalk, PhD, emeritus professor of church music, received an honorary doctor of sacred music degree from Valparaiso University Dec.13, 2009 during winter commencement in Valparaiso, Ind.

Marvin Bartell, PhD, distinguished emeritus professor of natural science and geography, received the Crystal Apple Award Nov. 20, 2009, from the College of Education at Michigan State University for his involvement with Concordia University Chicago and as the executive director of the Associated Colleges of the Chicagoland area (ACCA).