Annual Report 2009-2010 - Graduate School of Education and ...

Patricia Jaffe (MS ’95), alumna of the Educational Leadership Academy at GSEP and assistant superintendent of humanresources with Culver City School District; Maribel Galan, educational leadership, administration, and policy (ELAP)student at GSEP and supplemental education program coordinator with the Norwalk-La Mirada Unified School District;and Marian Guirguis, assistant dean of internal and external relations at GSEP. Dr. Linda Purrington, chair ofthe educational leadership programs at GSEP, moderated.April 24 – 25, 2010: Los Angeles Times Festival of BooksPepperdine University once again hosted a booth at the 15th Annual Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, held at the UCLAWestwood campus. Several faculty, alumni, and student authors signed copies of their latest titles. Featured authors and booksinclude Celia Edmundson (EdD ’96), author of Letters to Lee: From Pearl Harbor to the War’s Final Mission; Mara Leigh Taylor(MA ’03, MA ’06), author of Women in Prison: Women Finding Freedom; Lori Gottlieb (MA ’10), author of Marry Him: The Casefor Settling for Mr. Good Enough; Leslie Landis (MA ’94), author of The Art of Overeating; Dr. Michael Moodian (EdD ’07),author of Images of America: Rancho Santa Margarita; Dr. Linda Jungwirth (EdD ’05 and adjunct faculty member), author ofCulturally Proficient Learning Communities: Confronting Inequities Through Collaborative Curiosity; Dr. David Levy, professor ofpsychology, author of Tools of Critical Thinking: Metathoughts for Psychology and Cross Cultural Psychology; Dr. David Elkins,Emeritus Professor of Psychology, author of Humanistic Psychology: A Clinical Manifesto. A Critique of Clinical Psychology andthe Need for Progressive Alternatives; and Dr. Devin Vodicka, adjunct faculty member, author of Pieces of the Puzzle: BuildingTrust and Social Capital Through Collaboration.May 22, 2010: Psychology Division CommencementKeynote speaker Elyn Saks, an Orrin B. Evans Professor of Law, Psychology, Psychiatry, and the Behavioral Sciences at theUniversity of Southern California Gould School of Law, where she is also associate dean for research, impressed the crowdwith her moving story of success while battling with schizophrenia. Her most recent book, The Center Cannot Hold: My JourneyThrough Madness, has received numerous honors, including being listed on the New York Times Extended Best Sellers List andTime Magazine’s Top Ten Nonfiction Books of the Year. Saks was also a 2009 recipient of a John D. and Catherine T. MacArthurFellowship, often referred to as the “Genius Grant.” Dr. Liz Laugeson, graduate of the doctor of psychology program, wasnamed the Distinguished Alumnus for the Psychology Division.June 19, 2010: Education Division CommencementAs the keynote speaker, three-time Emmy Award winner, best-selling author, and former Harvard University instructor MichaelGuillen provided thoughts on leadership and transition, drawing from his 14 years as the ABC News Science Editor andcurrent hosting position on Where Did It Come From?, a popular, weekly, one-hour primetime series for the History Channelthat traces the ancient roots of modern technologies. Guillen’s latest book, Can a Smart Person Believe in God?, tells of hislifelong attempt to reconcile his scientific career with his deeply religious upbringing. Dr. Tod Burnett, graduate of the doctor ofeducation in organizational leadership program, was named the Distinguished Alumnus for the Education Division.June 25, 2010: Communities of Practice PresentationDr. Etienne Wenger, a globally-recognized pioneer in the area of “communities of practice” and their application toorganizations, spoke to two cohorts of students in the learning technologies doctoral program and a dozen program alumni atthe West Los Angeles Graduate Campus. Wenger, a “social learning theorist,” researches social learning systems in order tounderstand the connection between knowledge, community, learning, and identity. Wenger is the author of the seminal bookson communities of practice, including Situated Learning, where the term was coined. His most recent title is Digital Habitats:Stewarding Technology for Communities. At Pepperdine, Wenger held an inspiring exchange with students, alumni, and facultymembers. Wenger emphasized that it is less important to focus on what is taught in a program, and more importantto be aware of communities, as they are what empower people to use what they learn effectively.p [ 29 ]