Human Development & Family Science  News

Class of 2022 Undergrad and Grad HDFS Honors

The Falk College Department of Human Development and Family Science would like to congratulate the following Class of 2022 award winners:

HDFS Undergraduate Student Awards

Bernice M. Wright Memorial Award: Julia N. Rizzo

This award is given to an outstanding undergraduate student in Human Development and Family Science given in memory of Bernice M. Wright, former Dean of the College for Human Development (1964-1973). The award criteria include GPA, co-curricular experiences related to the HDFS field, campus involvement, awards/recognitions received while at Syracuse University, research/scholarship activity, and leadership experience. Julia has shown remarkable achievement in each of these areas. She has shown strong academic excellence in the classroom, leadership in a variety of roles at the university, and has given back much to the community. Julia has been a Success Scholar, on the Dean’s list every semester, and will represent the college as a Falk Marshal this spring. She is a student leader who serves the current president of Kappa Omicron Nu, the HDFS Honor Society, in addition to being a Falk Ambassador and a Falk Peer Advisor. She also has served as a volunteer remote tutor for children during the pandemic in the Syracuse University schools and has worked as a research assistant in the Mind Body lab, helping to advance research on mindfulness interventions.

Elizabeth Manwell Memorial Award: Colleen J. Ahearn

This award is given to the outstanding senior student in Human Development and Family Science with the highest academic average in the major. Collen has been in the Dean’s list for every semester and received the HDFS Outstanding Junior Award in spring 2021, which is presented to an outstanding undergraduate student based on excellent GPA and faculty recommendation. Colleen received the Success Scholar merit scholarship, which recognizes students for their high achievement. She has volunteered as a Child Life Aide Student volunteer, served as a Transfer transition leader in Syracuse University, and provided supportive transition housing and professional services for unhoused women and children serving as an intern at Chadwick Residence. Her career goal is to become a Child Life Specialist.

Elizabeth L. Reid Memorial Award: Sarah Ellen Gerace

The award was established by the New York State Federation of Home Bureaus in honor of Elizabeth L. Reid, and presented to a student in either Human Development and Family Science or Nutrition Science and Dietetics. The award is based on scholarship and need. Sarah performs exceptionally well in the classroom and has been on the Dean’s List every semester. She is also currently in the honor society. Sarah plans to be a marriage and family therapist focusing on issues of sexuality and interpersonal relationships.

Ruth Tolley Award: Abby Berkowitz

This award honors Ruth Tolley from the Women of the University Community and presented to a woman who has demonstrated outstanding academic achievement. The award criteria include GPA, clearly stated career goals consistent with the HDFS field, and co-curricular experiences related to the HDFS field. Abby has been on the dean’s list every semester and is currently studying abroad in Spain. She intends to work in the area of human resources or in counseling when she graduates.

Selleck Award: Kirsten E. Waldron

This award is given to the senior student in Human Development and Family Science with the highest cumulative GPA. Kirsten has maintained the highest academic achievement as a HDFS major, while completing two minors, Child and Family Policy and Psychology. She has received the Success Scholar merit scholarship which recognizes students for their high achievement. Kirsten also has been in the Dean’s list for every semester. She has volunteered extensively by serving as a peer facilitator, Falk college peer advisor, and served as an intern at Make-A-Wish Central New York. Additionally, she has served as the Communications and Outreach chair for Kappa Omicron Nu, HDFS national honor society. She is interested in pursuing healthcare and social service careers.

Shannon Davis Memorial Award: Danielle Rebecca Rubenstein

This award is presented to an undergraduate senior student in Human Development and Family Science with a demonstrated interest in child development whose academic, aesthetic, and professional interests most closely embodies that of Shannon Davis, a student who died in the crash of Flight 103 in Scotland. The award criteria include GPA, co-curricular experiences related to child and family development, articulated career goals in the field of early childhood education or related setting, and career interest in providing services for young children. Danielle is a double major in neuroscience and HDFS. She has performed very well in the classroom and has been on the dean’s list every semester. During her time at the university, Danielle has worked extensively to prepare for her career goal of leading a mental health advocacy organization. She is currently the president of Active Minds, an organization that works to promote mental health advocacy and awareness events on campus. She has also volunteered extensively by working to directly support children with autism both in the US and in Israel.

Falk Marshal: Julia N. Rizzo

Senior Class Marshals have excelled during their time on campus and exemplify the spirit of the senior class. The selection committee assesses the nominees on scholarship, academic honors, student organization involvement, and campus/community service. Julia has excelled during her time on campus, in the Human Development and Family Science department as well as Falk college and exemplifies the spirit of the Falk senior class. She has shown extraordinary achievement in scholarship, academic honors, student organization involvement and campus and community service. She has also demonstrated strong academic excellence in the classroom, leadership in a variety of roles at the university, and has given back much to the community. She is a student leader who serves the current president of Kappa Omicron Nu, the HDFS Honor Society, in addition to being a Falk Ambassador and a Falk Peer Advisor.

HDFS Graduate Student Awards

Alice Sterling Honig Award: Xiaoyu Fu

The Alice Sterling Honig Award is presented to a graduate student who has demonstrated outstanding scholarship in child development and family studies. The award recognizes’ the legacy of Alice Sterling Honig, Professor Emerita in HDFS. This year’s recipient, Xiaoyu Fu has demonstrated outstanding scholarship in child development and family studies. She has 8 research papers published, under reviews, or in progress as the first, second, or third author.

HDFS Doctorate Award for Research Excellence: Staceyann Reid, Ph.D.

The HDFS Doctorate Award for Research Excellence is presented to a doctoral student who has excelled in academic achievement, research practice, and leadership activities. This student has also shown great potential for continued growth and contribution in the area of human development and family studies to the department, college and university. This year’s recipient, Staceyann Reid, was actively involved in several research projects that evaluated the benefits of mindfulness-based programs in schools for children and youth. Her work has been presented at eight conferences and resulted in 3 publications thus far. She is also certified play therapist and New York State Licensed Mental Health Counselor with a C.A.S. in trauma-informed practice. Stacey was instrumental in establishing the HDFS Graduate Student Group and served as the student representative for the HDFS Graduate Committee. She is currently a PRODiG Fellow in the Psychology Department at SUNY Oswego.

HDFS Master’s Award for Research Excellence: Abigail Picinich

This award is presented to a Master’s student who has excelled in academic achievement, research practice and leadership qualities. This student has also shown great potential for continued growth and contribution in the area of human and family studies to the department, college and university. This year’s recipient, Abigail Picinich has done extremely well in her coursework, and is committed to further graduate education and a career working with children. Her research has provided her with experience in working with multiple waves of secondary data and could make a contribution to the literature.

HDFS Outstanding Graduate Teaching Award: Corinne Blake

This department award is presented to a graduate demonstrating a strong commitment to teaching and learning. This student will have demonstrated exceptional skills and competence in assisting the Human Development and Family Science faculty with undergraduate education. This year’s recipient, Corinne Blake, has demonstrated excellence in teaching as both a teaching assistant and as an independent instructor in the department. Faculty and students have recognized Corinne’s commitment to students and her leadership in the classroom.

All-University Doctoral Prize: Ying Zhang, Ph.D.

Awarded annually to doctoral students in each of Syracuse University’s 11 schools and colleges who have demonstrated originality, contribution to the field, creativity, methodology, soundness, and quality of writing in their dissertation. This year’s recipient, Ying Zhang, uses rigorous statistical methodologies to study the longitudinal associations between early life context (e.g., interparental violence, maternal mental health, poverty) and the development of cognitive, social, and emotional functioning from early childhood to adolescence. Her dissertation included secondary data analyses of children in families with intimate partner violence, with a focus on the developmental trajectories and longitudinal mediation effects of behavioral self-regulation of risky behaviors in adolescents. Ying is currently an assistant professor of Psychology at Clarkson University.

All Graduate School Outstanding TA Award: Caitlin Smith

This award recognizes Teaching Assistants who have made distinguished contributions to Syracuse University by demonstrating excellence in significant instructional capacities, such as classroom teaching, laboratory or studio instruction, leading recitation or discussion sections, or assisting senior faculty members with high-enrollment courses. TAs are nominated by their departments and must present a teaching portfolio for review by a university-wide faculty selection committee. Caitlin has excelled as both a teaching assistant and an independent instructor in our department. Caitlin stands out as a perceptive and effective educator. She demonstrates a strong teaching presence in the classroom and consistently received positive student and faculty reviews, both as a TA in for the two courses that she taught independently. Caitlin is determined to get to know her students and their needs; she invests significant time and effort in workshops to learn how to engage and support student learning and wellness.

Graduate Dean’s Award for Excellence in Research and Creative Work: Xiaoyan Zhang

This award recognizes students across the university who have made outstanding accomplishments in research and creative work, as well as the quality and impact of their work. Xiaoyan Zhang (Ph.D., Human Development and Family Science) was selected as one of nine students who presented their research on March 25, 2022. Graduate Dean’s Award Recipients Announced | Syracuse University News

2022 Graduate School Marshal: Ying Zhang, Ph.D.

This award recognizes students across the university who have made outstanding accomplishments in research and creative work, as well as the quality and impact of their work. Ying Zhang, Assistant Professor of Psychology at Clarkson University (Ph.D., Human Development and Family Science), received this honor reserved for an outstanding doctoral student who will represent the doctoral degree recipients of 2022 at the Ph.D. hooding ceremony and the University’s Commencement ceremony in May.

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And the Winners Are…

 

 

 

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Inclusive Teaching and Learning

Cameron’s courses link theory and practice for aspiring child life specialists, demonstrating the importance of collaborating between faculty and students.

Through the Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence’s (CTLE) Partnership for Inclusive Education—launched in the Fall 2020 semester—those collaborations are coming together to create culturally responsive learning environments for all students while opening dialogue on how students and faculty perceive teaching and learning.

The program provides faculty with the opportunity to work with one student each semester who is not enrolled in their course. The faculty member and the student share their unique perspectives on teaching and learning. With the input of the student consultant, faculty can reflect on their teaching goals and strategies in the context of one specific course.

“My background is in patient- and family-centered healthcare and child development. I apply theory and practical knowledge as a Certified Child Life Specialist in different contexts. When I heard about the Partnership for Inclusive Education, I immediately was attracted to the idea that the students I work with every day and am here to serve would be given an opportunity to collaborate right in the classroom to elevate the student learning experience,” says Cameron.

Rachel Hill, a senior biology major from Rochester, New York, came to the program through her own experience as well. “The idea of partnering with a faculty member to help them make their class more inclusive struck my attention. I have taken classes that haven’t been structured in a friendly manner and I wanted to help!”

Hill and Cameron collaborated on HFS 255: Interpersonal Competence, which helps students gain the skills to partner with people receiving services. Hill, who is also minoring in marketing and psychology, found it interesting to think about teaching and learning outside of her area of study.

“Professor Cameron was a pleasure to work with. She really listened to me and respected my thoughts and ideas about how to relate to her students and help them better engage with the course material. I learned how to observe and work with someone on solving a greater problem while making impactful change. I can use this experience in the future when working on a team and needing to come up with useful strategies to address a problem we’ve identified,” Hill says of the experience, which will benefit her after graduation.

For Cameron, working with Hill represented a true partnership, providing a nonjudgmental space to think about restructuring part of her course and helping her be better at what she does.

“It’s really about the student experience and academic achievement. There’s a power dynamic in higher education. In my field, working with children and people with disabilities, we say ‘Nothing about us without us.’ The opportunity to make students part of the conversation and empower them to improve their academic achievement, their success and their interpersonal competence works extremely well,” adds Cameron.

For her part, Hill says, “I learned a lot about being transparent and how that creates trust. I didn’t think it would be so natural and easy working with a professor, but I always felt like an equal with Professor Cameron.”

Faculty who are interested in collaborating with a student in the program can learn more by emailing the Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence. Students who are interested in being consultants and are looking for a rich reciprocal educational experience should contact Carla Ramirez.

A Syracuse University News story by Ellen de Graffenreid originally published on Thursday, February 17, 2022.

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The Impact of Play

Born into poverty in Guyana, a country roughly the size of Idaho in the northeastern corner of South America, Jaipaul Roopnarine had to contend with hunger, neighborhood violence and other adverse early childhood experiences.

As a way of escaping this environment, Roopnarine and his friends used their imaginations to transport themselves to more promising places.

“We played in backyards, open fields, trees, near streams—any green space we could find,” he says. “They were joyful experiences that fostered a sense of resilience in us and permitted reprieve from the challenges of the immediate present.”

Roopnarine, the Pearl S. Falk Professor of Human Development and Family Science at Falk College, says he never fully appreciated the impact of play on his emotional survival during childhood until he took a graduate course on play and development at the University of Wisconsin with Professor James Johnson, who is now at Pennsylvania State University.

“During Professor Johnson’s lectures, I started to reflect on those childhood experiences in Guyana and began thinking of ways I could get involved in research on play,” says Roopnarine, who now specializes in father-child relationships. “I wanted to explore first-hand how children benefit from play emotionally and cognitively.”

That class for Roopnarine started a lifelong friendship and working relationship with Johnson. Over the years they have designed classroom programs for children; conducted studies on the value of play for childhood development; published books on play and early education; presented at national and international conferences; and developed an annual symposium on play that started more than a decade ago and is a joint venture among Syracuse University, Pennsylvania State University and Bloomsburg University.

In 2020, the universities expanded the conference to include participants from several Caribbean Universities and share knowledge systems with colleagues from low- and middle-income countries in the global south. And in November 2021, the universities joined forces with the University of Guyana and the Ministry of Education in Guyana for a symposium that focused on play and early education and was held to celebrate the 45^th anniversary of Guyana’s National Early Childhood Education Program.

To learn more about the symposium and the importance of play for childhood development, we asked Roopnarine questions that he answers for us here:

Q: The theme of the November conference was “SPICES of Play,” with SPICES an acronym for children’s Social, Physical, Intellectual, Creative, Emotional and Spiritual development. Why that theme and why was it particularly important to focus on Guyana and other Caribbean countries?

A: Research shows that early childhood education across Caribbean countries is academically laced. Parents and early childhood teachers alike have early developmental expectations of children that are unrealistic and developmentally inappropriate. In other words, they tend to press children to learn academic skills (alphabet, spelling words, early math skills) early though rote memory. This can increase anxiety in children.

Focusing on a more-rounded, SPICES approach to childhood development through play gives children more emotional and cognitive elbow room for learning prosocial skills (empathy, sharing, helping), practicing and refining cognitive skills, and developing friendships. The SPICES approach encourages dispositions for learning and an enthused spirit around transportability of cultural information.

(The opening session of the symposium is available on the Guyana Ministry of Education website.)

Q: Can you describe the benefits of child-child play for children’s cognitive and social development?

A: Child-child play allows children to take on the perspective of others—put themselves in other’s shoes, if you will–and learn how to cooperate and build friendships. By getting into deeper play activities, children sharpen emerging skills such as planning, making inferences, drawing on memory, and using divergent thinking. Through the facilitative role of parents and teachers, children learn to consolidate cognitive skills.

At the symposium you discussed what you called an “ignored issue”–the link between mother-child/father-child play and children’s early literacy and social skills. Can you explain this link and why it’s ignored?

In low- and middle-income countries, play is seen as frivolous. Thus, mothers and fathers believe that children play naturally, so why engage in play with them? Their ethno-theories about early development and learning are rooted in the principle that acquiring academic skills in the early childhood years would give children the edge in displaying academic prowess later.

Data from Barbados, Belize, Dominican Republic, Guyana, Jamaica and Suriname (11,473 families with preschool-aged children) and 25 African countries (90,397 families with preschool-age children) point to associations between diverse early parent-child activities (storytelling, reading to, and playing with) and children’s early literacy (identifying letters, recognizing symbols) and social skills (getting along with others, following directions). I wanted to drive the point home about the importance of early mother-child and father-child cognitive and social engagement for the acquisition of early cognitive and social skills.

Q: Your research has focused Guyana and other Caribbean countries. Are these issues as prevalent in the U.S. and other countries?

A: Yes, play is a universal activity of childhood. Its ubiquity is mirrored in children’s and caregiver-child activities across cultural communities. Play has long been emphasized as a central component of early childhood education in high-income countries.

Q: What recommendations would you give parents or future parents regarding their child’s play?

A: Play with your children in developmentally appropriate ways; get down at the child’s level by providing materials for them and opportunities for long-term projects and authentic activities (for example, making signs for a grocery store). Play offers many opportunities to sharpen cognitive and social skills.

About Professor Roopnarine

Jaipaul Roopnarine is the Pearl S. Falk Professor of Human Development and Family Science at Falk College; Professor Extraordinary of Developmental Psychology at Anton de Kom University of Suriname; and editor of the Caribbean Journal of Psychology. In the past two years, he and colleagues were guest co-editors of two special issues of “International Journal of Play” with the theme “Play: Resilience and Vulnerability in Difficult Circumstances.”

“Although much of the focus is on the COVID-19 pandemic and children’s play, the volumes include poverty and play, children’s play in refugee camps, and play and children’s rights, among other topics,” Roopnarine says.

Roopnarine is a visiting scholar in Lisbon, Portugal, and will provide keynote addresses for programs on play and early education developed by a consortium that includes the University of Cordoba in Spain, the Polytechnic Institute of Lisbon in Portugal, and the University of Marmara in Turkey.

— Matthew Michael

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Legendary No. 33

When basketball standout and veteran coach Felisha Legette-Jack ’89 saw her jersey hoisted to the rafters of the Syracuse University stadium in November 2021, she was rendered speechless. “Stunned” was more like it. “I got emotional because all these memories came flooding back to me,” recalls No. 33, who is the first alumna to have her jersey retired by the University. “I don’t take it lightly because there are so many other people just as deserving.”

As the University marks 50 years of women’s athletics, almost any mention of women’s basketball includes Legette-Jack—the six-foot forward who, as a freshman, helped power the Orange to their first BIG EAST championship in 1985. Not even a devastating knee injury, which grounded Legette-Jack for most of the 1987-88 season, prevented her from owning the team’s scoring and rebounding records. “That injury was a God-wink because I started watching Head Coach Barb Jacobs from the sidelines. That’s when I became interested in coaching,” admits the Syracuse native, who earned bachelor’s degrees in psychology from the College of Arts and Sciences and human development and family science from Falk College.

Syracuse University News recently caught up with Legette-Jack, who is in her 10th season as head coach of the University at Buffalo women’s basketball team to do an interview. The winningest coach in that program’s history, she is equally at home at Syracuse, where she is a 2021 recipient of the Chancellor’s Citation for Excellence in Sports.

Read the interview

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Dean’s Winter Welcome

Dear Falk Students,

Welcome back to Syracuse University! We hope you enjoyed your winter break and had the opportunity to relax and spend time with friends and family. We’re excited for all that lies ahead for you in Spring 2022. With that in mind, here are some important reminders as we start the new semester:

Public Health and University Communications:

Public health remains a critical priority for life on campus and in our wider Syracuse community. We fully expect all Falk College students to follow University public health guidelines and local public health mandates. By doing our part, we can keep each other safe and healthy. Please visit the Stay Safe website, the official source of public health information for Syracuse University, for guidance and updates.

Remember to check your Syracuse University email daily, as it is the primary communication method at the University. Your professors and University offices will contact you with important information using your Syracuse University email address (ending in “@syr.edu”), not your personal email address.

Student Support Services:

Falk Student Services counselors are here to provide you with private academic advising and help you meet your requirements and goals. In addition, they are your resource for private consultation related to student social and emotional concerns. If you have any concerns throughout your academic career, please contact Student Services or visit Suite 330 Barclay Hall in the Falk Complex.

Falk Career Services advisors, also located in Suite 330 Barclay Hall, can help you prepare for life after college through career exploration, internship and job searching, professional networking, and more. You can also search for opportunities through Handshake, the University’s job search and professional events portal.

In addition, you can connect to spiritual life on campus at Hendricks Chapel, and health and counseling services in the Barnes Center at the Arch.

Student Lounges, Computer Labs, and Cafés:

The Student Lounge, located in Falk 216, is available to you any time the Falk Complex is open. The lounge has a microwave, refrigerator, and vending machines for student use. Just down the hall is Falk 229. This quiet student lounge has both Windows and Mac computers that are available to students any time the Falk Complex is open.

Falk 113, 400, and 407 are Windows computer labs that are also used as teaching classrooms. They are available to students any time class is not in session. You may check the schedule of availability using the Orange Events website. You may also use the quick-print stations in Falk 216 and 229 for printing and email. These stations log out automatically after 15 minutes of use.

The Falk Café on 2 is expected to open Feb. 2 on a limited basis. Check the Food Services website for other campus cafés and operating hours, which are subject to change.

Ways to Get Involved:

Get to know many of the hundreds of Syracuse University student organizations at the Winter Student Involvement Fair 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Jan. 26, 2022, in Goldstein Auditorium, Schine Student Center.

You can also discover activities and events on campus by visiting the Syracuse University Calendar. Please note that events are subject to change according to public health guidelines. You can find the most up-to-date event information on the University Calendar. Once again, visit the Stay Safe website regularly for public health information and watch your University email for important announcements.

There are many other resources available to you at Syracuse University beyond these important highlights. Please visit the For Students page to review a more comprehensive listing of student resources to enhance your experience at Syracuse.

Thank you for being part of the wider Syracuse University community and our Falk College family. On behalf of the Falk faculty and staff, I wish you the best for Spring 2022.

Go Orange!

Diane Lyden Murphy, M.A., M.S.W., Ph.D.

Dean

Falk College

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Falk College alumna to serve as Syracuse City Clerk

Since November 2014, Katie McBride has served as Deputy City Clerk at City Hall, where she works closely with the local law makers of the city. McBride brings more than 25 years of experience in administrative management. She previously worked as Assistant Director for Syracuse Housing Authority Section 8 Housing Program for low-income families. Among her prior experience, she worked for Liberty Resources at a half-way house serving individuals facing a variety of life challenges and health issues. Reflecting on her career, she says the most rewarding part was working with those in need of support.

She currently serves the local Syracuse community as Commissioner on the Syracuse Housing Authority board and serves on the board of Vera House, an agency that seeks to end domestic and sexual violence and other forms of abuse.

This December, McBride earned a Master of Arts degree in human development and family science from Falk College at Syracuse University. She successfully defended her thesis, “Youth Violence Prevention Programs: Teens Violence Programs in Syracuse,” a project that has many implications for, and significance in, the city and the field.

McBride also holds a bachelor’s degree in the professional studies major creative leadership from Syracuse University. “I gained a surge of hope when it finally soaked in that I had completed my bachelor’s degree,” she says. “It gave me the confidence I needed to see myself as City Clerk.”

McBride became a mother at a young age, and as a single parent, she knew getting an education would be an important part of her family life. As an adult, she raised a child, worked full-time, and went to school part-time. Today, she is a key leader in the City of Syracuse.

“Being a non-traditional student, at first I feared that I wouldn’t fit, but I found it to be the total opposite,” adds McBride. “My life experience both personally and professionally brought a powerful testimony to my journey in classrooms. Going back to school at an older age give me back control over how I wanted to live my life. At Syracuse University, I was respected, and my wisdom and experience were embraced by my advisors and professors.”

“I am very proud of all of Patricia’s accomplishments as a student, a professional, and as a mother,” says Eunjoo Jung, Ed.D., professor of human development and family science and McBride’s advisor. I look forward to seeing Patricia serving as a key player in youth violence prevention and intervention programs, bringing her deep commitment and passion in healthy youth and community development.”

In 2019, the Cuse Culture Legacy Foundation presented a scholarship in her name, the Katie McBride Legacy Scholarship Award. It was recognized by Mayor Ben Walsh with a proclamation naming April 20, 2019 “Cuse Culture’s Katie McBride Legacy Day.”

McBride encourages others saying it’s never too late to pursue higher education. “If anyone is pondering with the idea of being ‘too old’ or asking, ‘How can I do it with a family?’ I tell you to start seeking what God has for you. It does not come with limitations.”

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October 28 event features alumni in disability advocacy

Falk College Career Services will host the “Falk College Alumni Speaker Series: Improving Access for People with Disabilities” on October 28, 2021, from 3:30 to 4:45 p.m. in Grant Auditorium, followed by a networking reception with refreshments from 5 to 6:30 p.m. The panel discussion will focus on current issues surrounding accessibility in a range of environments, and will be of particular interest to students seeking internships or careers in healthcare, mental health, education, policy and advocacy, and sport and recreation.

This is the fourth event in a series of Falk College alumni panels, which bring alumni back to campus to discuss current industry trends of interest to Falk students and share valuable career experiences and insights. Previous alumni panels have focused on topics such as community health and wellness; promoting exercise and nutrition as natural approaches to health, and; sport, health and social activism.

“For students, this is an exceptional opportunity to learn more about how they can be an advocate in whatever field they pursue,” says David Sly, director of Falk College Career Services. “In addition to learning about the specific careers of our panelists, students, faculty, and staff can leave this event with ideas for better serving people with a range of disabilities in any setting.”

The “Improving Access for People with Disabilities” panel will include four Falk College alumni:

Scott Ebner, MSW ’97
Scott Ebner is the Executive Director at CIRCARE, a local agency that supports people with behavioral health disabilities, including family and employment support. He has also worked with Provisions Bakery in Armory Square, a work transition site for people with mental illness.
Jeremy French-Lawyer, BS Public Health ’14
Jeremy French-Lawyer is the Assistant Director of Evaluation, Assessment and Research at SUNY Upstate Medical University. Jeremy also has previous experience as a Disability Integration Fellow with SUNY Upstate, integrating disability-relevant information into medical school and continuing medical education curriculum. Other previous roles include working with children and at-risk parents in education and healthcare settings. Jeremy holds a master of public health (MPH) degree jointly awarded from Syracuse University and SUNY Upstate Medical University.
Ocesa Keaton, MSW ’15
Ocesa Keaton is the Central New York Regional Director for New York Civil Liberties Union and has previously served as the ADA Coordinator for the City of Syracuse. Ocesa has extensive experience in youth and advocacy programs, with a focus on at-risk pregnant and parenting teens, youth violence prevention, and poverty.
Eileen May-West, BS Sport Management ’10
Eileen May-West is the Program Director at Wasatch Adaptive Sports and leads outdoor adaptive recreation operations for over 500 individuals with disabilities each year. Eileen holds a master’s degree in therapeutic recreation from the University of New Hampshire.
For Syracuse University students, registration is appreciated, though not required, through Handshake. For faculty, staff and community attendees, please RSVP to falkcareers@syr.edu. CART and ASL services will be provided. To request other accommodations, please contact Falk Career Services at falkcareers@syr.edu or 315.443.3144. For event information, visit the event page.

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Falk College welcomes new faculty and staff

Syracuse University’s Falk College is pleased to welcome four new staff members who have joined Falk College in the past academic year: Stephen Bonomo, Director of Information Technology; Deborah Golia, Director of Admissions; Kailyn Jennings, Sport Management Internship Placement Coordinator; Danielle Jones, Social Work Internship Placement Coordinator; Donna Sparkes, Budget Associate, and; Emily Williams, Human Development and Family Science Internship Placement Coordinator.

In addition, Falk College is pleased to announce the appointment of six new faculty members, Lastenia-Francis, Catherine García, Esteli Jimenez, Kevin McNeill, Joey Merrin, and Fei Pei.

Lastenia Francis

Assistant Teaching Professor (Online), Department of Marriage and Family Therapy

Lastenia Francis (she/her/hers) joins the Department of Marriage and Family Therapy in the Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics as an Assistant Teaching Professor (Online) in fall 2021. She will teach courses on family systems theories and practice.

Francis is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and a certified trauma therapist. She has been practicing since 2014 with an attention to helping minority populations. Francis has provided clinical services in an outpatient clinic in the South Bronx working with low-income communities and communities of color, an intensive preventative program, at the Veterans Affairs as a Readjustment Counselor, and built a private practice that focuses on building strong families in communities of color. Francis previously taught at Mercy College in the Marriage and Family Therapy Program and continues to act as a mentor to developing Marriage and Family Therapists as an American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT) Approved Supervisor.

Francis continues to have an insatiable appetite for helping people of color maximize their potential in how they relate to themselves, their spouse, and their family and demonstrates that in her research interest. Dr. Francis was drawn to academia through her passion for training more social justice clinicians to help strengthen families especially those in minority and underserved communities. Her dissertation research focused on the reintegration experiences of Black veterans and their families.

Francis is the Founder of Meaningful E-Motion Private Practice, Assistant Editor of the American Family Therapy Academy (AFTA) blog, and a member of the AAMFT and the AFTA.

Francis Earned a Ph.D. in Marriage and Family Therapy from Northcentral University in 2021, a M.S. in Marriage and Family Therapy from Mercy College in 2015, and a B.A. in Psychology and Sociology from Stonybrook University in 2013.

Catherine García

Assistant Teaching Professor, Department of Human Development and Family Science/Aging Studies Institute

Catherine García (she/her/hers) joins the Department of Human Development and Family Science in the Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics as an Assistant Professor in fall 2021. At Syracuse University she will teach classes in Midlife Development and Gerontology.

Prior to joining Syracuse University, García was an Assistant Professor of Sociology and core faculty member of the Minority Health Disparities Initiative (MHDI) at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln where she taught quantitative methods and served as a faculty mentor for the MHDI Summer Research Program.

García’s research focuses on Latina/o/x aging and health in the United States and Puerto Rico, applying multidisciplinary approaches to understand how the interaction of biological, environmental, and social factors influence the disease process among older Latina/o/x adults. Her research work has led to 15 peer-reviewed publications and two book chapters, including multiple manuscripts in The Gerontologist and The Journals of Gerontology, Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences.

Her research has been supported by the National Institute on Aging (NIA) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), including an R36 Aging Research Dissertation Award to Increase Diversity from 2018-2020 and an R01 Research Supplement to Promote Diversity in Health-Related Research from 2021-2023. Her research has led to several awards, including the Emerging Scholars and Professional Organization (ESPO) Interdisciplinary Paper Award, the ESPO Poster Award, and the Minority Issues in Gerontology Poster Award from the Gerontological Society of America.

Currently, she serves as a steering committee member for the Network for Data-Intensive Research on Aging (NDIRA) at the University of Minnesota and is a committee member of the Minority Issues in Gerontology Advisory Panel (MIGAP) of the Gerontological Society of America. In addition, she will serve on the editorial board for the Journal of Health and Social Behavior beginning in January 2022.

She earned a Ph.D. in Gerontology in 2020 from the University of Southern California, an M.S. in Sociology from Florida State University in 2014, and a B.A. in Sociology with a minor in Human Complex Systems from the University of California – Los Angeles (with college and departmental honors) in 2010.

Estelí Jimenez-Soto

Assistant Professor, Department of Nutrition and Food Studies

Estelí Jimenez-Soto (she/hers) joins the Department of Nutrition and Food Studies in the David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics as a tenure-track assistant professor of food studies in fall 2021. At Syracuse University, she will teach classes in Agriculture and the Environment, including Agroecology, and Climate Change and the Food System. She joins the Syracuse Cluster Initiative in Energy and Environment.

Prior to joining Syracuse University, Jimenez-Soto was a postdoctoral scholar at the University of California Santa Cruz in the Department of Community Studies from 2020-2021, and in the Department of Environmental Studies from 2019-2020, where she taught principles of sustainable agriculture and worked on socioeconomic barriers and opportunities to adopt sustainable practices in strawberry production.

Her research uses interdisciplinary engagements, bridging the fields of agroecology and political ecology to examine environmental problems at the nexus of food, agriculture and the environment in both the U.S. and Latin American contexts. She has published in journals including Ecology and Evolution, Bioscience, and Journal of Peasant Studies and her work has been highlighted in publications such as The Economist.

Her research has been supported by UC-MEXUS, El Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnologia (CONACyT), the Organization for Tropical Studies (OTS) and P.E.O International. In 2020 she was a recipient of a Peter Ashton Award by Biotropica, a Gentry Student Award by the Association of Tropical Biology and Conservation in 2017, and a Mildred Mathias Award for best dissertation proposal by the UC-MEXUS in 2015.

She is an active member of the Ecological Society of America (ESA), the American Association of Geographers (AAG), the Latin American Studies Association (LASA), New World Agriculture and Ecology Group (NWAEG) and The Alliance for Women in Agroecology (AMA-AWA).

Jimenez-Soto earned her Ph.D. in Environmental Studies with an emphasis in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, and a M.A. in Environmental Studies from the University of California Santa Cruz in 2018 and 2014 respectively; and an B.S. with honors in Agroecology in 2012 from Universidad Autonoma Chapingo in Mexico. She is originally from San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas, México.

Kevin McNeill

Assistant Teaching Professor, Department of Sport Management

Kevin McNeill has been a member of the Department of Sport Management since 2019 in the David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics and will serve as assistant teaching professor beginning in the fall 2021. At Syracuse University, McNeill will teach classes in Sport Technology and Technologies in Game Day Operations.

McNeill previously served as an Internship Placement Coordinator in Sport Management and provided advising for undergraduate students in academics and career exploration. He assisted students through the senior Capstone process and taught classes in Professional Development in Sport Management.

Previously, McNeill worked at Le Moyne College as Associate Athletic Director in the Department of Athletics for 12 years as well as served Syracuse University Athletics as the Marketing Coordinator from 2004 to 2007.

While at Le Moyne, McNeill oversaw the marketing and communications for the Division II athletic program. In that role, he led programming in brand development, revenue generation, digital media, video production, corporate sponsorship, and game day management. In addition to serving on the athletic department leadership team, he co-chaired the College’s strategic plan marketing committee, participated in the College’s integrated marketing committee, and instructed in the Madden School of Business.

Serving as the Marketing Coordinator at Syracuse University Athletics, McNeill supported the department’s broad-based marketing initiatives with a focus on game day promotions, marketing campaigns, ticket sales, advertising, and graphic design.

McNeill earned a Master of Science, Sports Administration and Master of Business Administration from Ohio University in 2004 and a Bachelor of Science, Business Administration from Le Moyne College in 2002.

Joey Merrin

Assistant Professor, Department of Human Development and Family Science

Gabriel “Joey” Merrin (he/him/his) joins the Department of Human Development and Family Science in the Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics in fall 2021. At Syracuse University, Merrin will teach courses in Child and Adolescent Development and Advanced Statistical Methods.

Merrin was most recently an assistant professor in Human Development and Family Sciences at Texas Tech University from 2019-2021 and taught graduate-level statistic courses where he focused on reproducible research, programmatic programming, and transparent designs using open science frameworks and guidelines. Before Texas Tech University, he held two post-doctoral fellowships, one in the Department of Psychology at the University of Victoria in British Columbia and the other in the Department of Health Management and Informatics at the University of Central Florida.

Trained as a developmental psychologist and applied methodologist, Merrin’s research seeks to clarify developmental processes through which adolescents’ experiences with their families, peers, teachers, and communities influence development of problem behaviors and experiences with identity-based harassment and victimization throughout adolescence and in the transition to young adulthood. He is particularly interested in the development of these behaviors among various minoritized and oppressed groups. His work focuses on translating and mobilizing knowledge to inform intervention and prevention efforts to improve the school experience for young people by using applied research designs, leveraging practical implications, and intentional school and community engagement.

His research has been supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, National Institute of Health, and most recently, Merrin and his colleagues at Boston University launched a three-year National Institute of Justice funded study to examine bias-based harassment among adolescents to identify risk and protective factors across multiple levels of the social ecology.

Merrin was recently awarded the 2020-2021 New Faculty Award at Texas Tech University and selected into the Society of Prevention Research Early Career Prevention Scientists Training Program. Merrin currently serves on the editorial board for Prevention Science and Psychology of Violence.

Merrin earned a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology in 2017, an Ed.M. in Human Resource Development in 2011, and a B.A. in Sociology in 2009, all from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Fei Pei

Assistant Professor, School of Social Work

Fei Pei (she/her/hers) joins the School of Social Work in the David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics as a tenure-track assistant professor of social work in fall 2021. At Syracuse University, Fei will teach Social Welfare Policy and Services.

Prior to joining Syracuse University, Fei was a Ph.D. candidate at the Ohio State University College of Social Work where she also served as a graduate instructor and research assistant, teaching research methods, lifespan development, and social welfare.

The overarching goal of Fei’s research is to promote healthy development among vulnerable children, including maltreated and immigrant youths by identifying neighborhood disparities. In particular, her research focuses on community health and child development. She published over 20 peer-reviewed papers in rigorous academic journals including Child Abuse & Neglect, Children and Youth Services Review, Family & Community Health, Journal of Community Psychology, Journal of Interpersonal Violence, and Trauma, Violence & Abuse.

Fei was trained in all aspects of grant-funded and investigator-initiated research projects, ranging from university-funded projects to federal-funded studies (e.g., NIH funded and UNICEF funded projects). Her research has been acknowledged and funded by various institutions and scholarships such as the 2021 Merriss Cornell Distinguished Researcher Award, 2019 Kempe Interdisciplinary Summer Research Institute, 2018 International Peace Scholarship, Seed Funding for 2016 Clinton Global Initiative University, and 2015 New Brunswick Chancellor’s Scholarship.

Fei actively participated in professional and community services. She was a volunteered social worker for the local agency, Asian American Community Services in Columbus, OH and the president of the College of Social Work’s Doctoral Student Organization. She also serves as an ad hoc peer reviewer for multiple academic journals.

Fei earned a Ph.D. in 2021 from The Ohio State University, College of Social Work, a MSW in 2016 from Rutgers University – New Brunswick, and a LL.B. and a B.S. (double degree) in 2014 from Shanghai University and East China Normal University.

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Welcome Class of 2025!

Falk College welcomes the Class of 2025, a talented group from 37 states and 33 global countries. The Class of 2025 includes 373 first-year students, 13 transfer students, 163 new graduate students, and 156 new online graduate students. Fall 2021 Syracuse Welcome is scheduled for Aug. 26-29, 2021, with new student move-in beginning Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2021. The entire welcome week schedule for new students can be found by visiting the Syracuse Welcome website.

Falk College Syracuse Welcome Events:

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