Spring 2012 Alumni - Black Hills State University

University News
BHSU faculty in the news
McCart earns "Young
Scholar" award
Chris McCart, assistant professor
and coordinator of the outdoor
education program at Black Hills
State University, was awarded a “Young
Scholar” award from the Association for
Moral Education. The scholarship assisted
with her expenses to travel and present at
the 2011 Association for Moral Education
International Research Conference in
Nanjing, China.
McCart’s research presentation,
“Moral Development and Outdoor Ethics
Education,” explored the development of
outdoor ethics through moral development
theory. Her research tied in with the
conference theme of “Cultivating Morality:
Human Beings, Nature, and the World.”
“One of the best parts was being able to
visit with researchers in this field of study
from all over the world – it really expanded
my thinking,” McCart said.
In 2008, McCart was awarded an
Archibald Bush Leadership Fellowship and
a two-year leave of absence to begin work
on her doctorate degree. She has worked
with the outdoor education program at
BHSU since 2004.
Chris McCart, assistant professor and
coordinator of the BHSU outdoor
education program, earned a “Young
Scholar” award from the Association
for Moral Education, which supported
her travel costs, allowing her to
present at the 2011 Association for
Moral Education International Research
Conference in Nanjing, China.
BHSU meets and exceeds accreditation standards
for teacher preparation programs
Black Hills State University has earned
continuing accreditation for its teacher
preparation program following an
extensive review by the premier national
teacher education accrediting agency,
the National Council for Accreditation of
Teacher Education (NCATE). BHSU earned
the accreditation by meeting and exceeding
the standards.
BHSU, which has a legacy of preparing
exceptional educators throughout its
128 years, has been continuously accredited
by NCATE since the agency’s inception
in 1954. BHSU was one of the founding
members of NCATE.
BHSU President Kay Schallenkamp
says the high praise in the accreditation
report is a testament to the high-quality,
innovative academic programs and the
dedicated faculty and staff members at
BHSU.
“Our accreditation report notes that
BHSU meets and exceeds all standards
set by the accreditation agency. Achieving
this high honor truly demonstrates that
the outstanding teacher preparation
program at BHSU is accomplishing its
goals and preparing exceptional teachers,”
Schallenkamp says. “I’m very proud of the
faculty, staff, and students.”
Pat Simpson, dean of the College of
Education and Behavioral Sciences at BHSU,
noted that the four-year process included
effort from many committed partners.
“This was truly a collaborative
effort. Without our committed partners,
the accreditation would not have moved
forward. We are fortunate to have ongoing
successful partnerships with local school
districts, the South Dakota Department
of Education, students, University
administration, faculty, and staff.”
Simpson added that it is rare to
exceed the six standards areas (candidate
knowledge and skills, assessment systems,
field experiences, diversity, faculty
qualifications, and governance) and not
have any items noted for improvement.
BHSU faculty and staff are recognized in the
region, state, nation, and world
• Sandy Klarenbeek, assistant professor
of education, has been appointed to
the American School Health Association
National Advocacy Committee.
• Dr. Aris Karagiorgakis, assistant
professor of psychology, and co-principal
investigator Kara Graveman, director
of Action for the Betterment of the
Community, were recently awarded a
five-year $125,000 per year federal
Substance Abuse and Mental Health
Services Administration grant to
study substance abuse among youth in
the Sturgis community. Graveman is a
recent BHSU graduate.
• Steve Babbitt, professor of photography,
and Lynn Thorpe, adjunct art instructor,
were recently honored by the South
BHSU history education graduate
James Stith works with Sturgis Brown
High School students during his student
teaching experience. BHSU, one of
the founding members of NCATE, has
a legacy of preparing exceptional
educators.
Dakota Arts Council (SDAC). Babbitt and
Thorpe each received a $5,000 Fellowship
Award from the SDAC. These prestigious
awards are given to recognize excellence
in past artistic achievement and to
encourage future artistic growth.
• Dr. David Wolff, professor of history,
had an article published in the
18th Annual Mining History Journal, titled
“Saving a Boomtown: The Reinvention
of Deadwood.” In this piece, Wolff looks
at the critical decade of the 1880s when
Deadwood could have died and how
local entrepreneurs, led by Seth Bullock,
James K.P. Miller, and Harris Franklin,
fought to restore the town’s economic
vitality.
Black Hills State University Alumni Magazine Page 19