By Mikala Kane, Director of Communications & Digital Strategy, UConn Neag School of Education
Eight Districts Bring EDCI 1100, EPSY 1100, and EDLR 2001 Students to Storrs
In October, the UConn Neag School of Education hosted nine high schools that offer its Early College Experience courses in Storrs for a day. The 116 high schoolers in attendance learned more about the University, the Neag School, and potential careers in education and sport management.
“Expanding our Early College Experience courses offered through the Neag School has been a priority for me,” Dean Jason G. Irizarry says. “In 2023-2024, our four courses provided the opportunity to earn college credits to 669 high schoolers in 25 districts. I’m thrilled Neag School faculty and staff organized an ECE Day for some of the students currently enrolled in our courses.”
Irizarry kicked off the day’s program, welcoming students and teachers from Bristol, East Hampton, Enfield, Farmington, Milford, New Britain, Plainville, and Trumbull. All either teach or take EDCI 1100: If You Love It, Teach It; EDLR 2001: Contemporary Issues in Sport; or EPSY 1100: Introduction to Special Education.
The group then heard an overview of the Neag School from ECE faculty coordinators and professors, as well as Assistant Director of Student Support Dominique Battle-Lawson and Academic Advisor Sydnee Jones.
“The Neag School continues to prioritize Early College Experience as an opportunity to connect with high school students,” says assistant professor in residence Danielle DeRosa, who is also one of the School’s ECE faculty coordinators. “We wanted the opportunity to bring ECE students who are taking our courses to campus so they could get a taste for campus life and learn more about the Neag School.”
Around midmorning, students enjoyed tours of campus and the athletics facilities before attending one of two panels: either about the Integrated Bachelor’s/Master’s Teacher Education Program or the Sport Management Program.
Both panels were organized and led by current Neag School students. Cece Echevarria ’25 (ED), ’26 MA; Anneliese Ide ’26 (ED), ’27 MA; Eben Hikade ’25 (ED), ’26 MA; Brynn Madonna ’25 (ED), ’26 MA; and Logan McCallum Laval ’24 (ED), ’25 MA spoke on the teacher education panel, while Paige Bjerke ’26 (ED), Teddi Ferraro ’25 (ED), Jake Steinberg ’26 (ED), Donte’ Carter ’26 (ED), and Ava Inesta ’26 (ED) offered insight as part of the sport management panel.
“The students asked insightful questions that allowed current Neag School students to share their advice and experiences of what to expect from both the University and our programs specifically,” says McCallum Laval, who also helped coordinate and host the day’s activities. “We hope to continue this event for years to come.”
“We hope the high school students and their teachers were able to learn more about UConn, the Neag School, and our programs, faculty, staff, and current students,” says Ann Traynor, assistant dean and certification officer for the Neag School.
“Neag Day was an invaluable experience for my students,” says Molly Anderson, an educator from Jonathan Law High School in Milford. “The visit sparked an excitement about life after high school, and my students are still talking about it. It’s undoubtedly one of the highlights of being part of the Neag School’s ECE community.”
kicked off with a plenary session focusing on Promising Practices at Partner Schools. Representatives from Glastonbury Public Schools, East Lyme High School, Rockville High School and University High School of Science and Engineering discussed ways they are expanding their concurrent and dual enrollment opportunities at their schools. They shared an approach that focused on creating diverse course offerings to meet the unique needs of their high school populations. Site Representatives attended breakout sessions which focused on high school specific program data, expanding access to course offerings, registration 101, a Q&A with a panel of former UConn ECE students, and information from UConn’s Center for Students with Disabilities. The conference ended with a barbecue lunch on the Student Union Terrace for attendees to enjoy a beautiful, sunny day on the Storrs campus. We look forward to having everyone back on the Storrs campus next year.
The University of Connecticut Early College Experience Program hosted the 2024 New England Alliance of Concurrent Enrollment Partnerships (NEACEP) annual conference on Friday, May 17, 2024 in the UConn Student Union. Approximately one-hundred dual/ concurrent enrollment and early college professionals and advocates from Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont, as well as several experts from outside of New England were in attendance. The event was kicked off by a warm welcome by Kari Suderley, NEACEP President/ Director of Early College Programs, University of Maine and Dr. Amit Savkar, Interim Associate Vice Provost CETL, University of Connecticut.
stakeholder perspectives on research, alumni insights, collaborative initiatives for improving early college access, and disrupting racist systems to promote student success. Sessions also delved into advanced course patterns, educator pathways, dual enrollment policies, diverse learning landscapes, career pathways advising, support for multilingual students, recognition in early college programs, targeted support for trade occupations, and a comprehensive look at Connecticut State Community College’s early college programs. The conference concluded with closing remarks from Kari Suderley, door prizes, and the distribution of certificates. Participants left with valuable insights and a growing network of connections in the field.
ear we had the great honor to recognize thirteen Professional Recognition Award winners along with six award winners of the Silver Jubilee Award (25-year partners). The night was filled with heartfelt speeches, tears of joy, laughter, and celebration as winners, accompanied by their family and friends were able to pause and acknowledge the great impact they have on the lives of their students, their community, and those who work alongside them.
Conversation: Cultural Topics, since 2012. His unique gift to ECE classrooms was bringing alive the language, culture, and history through his storytelling based on his extensive travel experiences in the Hispanic and Portuguese worlds, and his Chilean heritage. In his retirement, Mr. Lewis will move on to his third career teaching Buddhist philosophy and practice, and eventually living part time in the White Mountains and in Chile.
International Studies Association Annual Conference in San Francisco, CA in April, where he presented a research paper on Nationalism and identities in South Asia, an article version of his dissertation. He also co-presented on forming national identities, mass culture, and land rights. Dr. Rafiq was able to attend several sessions, including foreign policies, using role theory and Arab Spring 2.0, and civil war research.
UConn ECE Faculty Coordinators from Spanish, Profs. Gustavo Nanclares and Eduardo Urios-Aparisi met with more than 60 Spanish Instructors to listen to Prof. Maria Acosta Cruz, Professor of Spanish in the Language, Literature & Culture Dept at Clark University. Prof. Acosta shared her talk “Ecocrítica, cultura y nación: La cultura puertorriqueña a través de cinco siglos” (“Ecocriticism, Culture, and Nation: Puerto Rican Culture Through Five Centuries”) with the teachers.
UConn ECE Faculty Coordinator from French, Prof. Florence Marsal met with 30 UConn ECE certified French Instructors to hear from Joëlle Vitiello, Professor of French and Francophone Studies at Macalester College for her talk “Enseigner les trésors d’Haïti” (“Teaching the Treasures of Haiti”). In addition, Mary Catherine Decoteau, Career Consultant from UConn’s Career Services, spoke to teachers about enhancing and highlighting career competencies in UConn French courses.
