College of Education, Health and Human Development Awards and Recognition 2021-2022
Below are a collection of articles highlighting some of the College's many accomplishments. Click on the text to be taken to the MSU published articles.
Seifert appointed interim dean of Montana State University College of Education, Health and Human Development
BOZEMAN – Montana State University has named Tricia Seifert, professor and head of its Department of Education, to serve as interim dean of the College of Education, Health and Human Development.
Seifert will begin in her duties Aug. 9. She replaces Alison Harmon, whom the university has named to the position of interim vice president of research and economic development.
MSU student who serves as a combat medic in the U.S. Army Reserve wins competition
BOZEMAN — A Montana State University student who serves as a combat medic with the U.S. Army Reserve recently won a competition for Army Reserve professionals that is designed to test both their mental and physical limits.
Spc. Ethan Allen, a student in the MSU College of Education, Health and Human Development, competed against soldiers from across the country at the Army Reserve Medical Command’s Best Warrior Competition held March 30 through April 2 at Fort McCoy, Wisconsin. Allen won the title “best warrior” for the junior enlisted soldiers.
Schools from Hamilton and Great Falls crowned Montana Science Olympiad state champions
BOZEMAN — Hamilton High School defended its title and claimed the state champion’s team trophy in the annual Montana Science Olympiad state tournament held at Montana State University on Friday, April 15. North Middle School of Great Falls was the top middle school. In addition to the team trophies, gold, silver and bronze medals were given to students for earning first, second and third place in each of the competitions.
Science Olympiad is among the largest STEM competitions in Montana, with hundreds of students participating in events covering life sciences, chemistry, engineering and other topics. Schools register as a team, with individuals or pairs of students competing in various events. Students can earn medals in events, and the school with the highest number of event points wins the state championship trophy and is eligible to compete in the national tournament. Science Olympiad is hosted by the Science Math Resource Center in MSU’s College of Education, Health and Human Development.
Erasing the border between life and school: Montana State doctoral candidate receives presidential award for excellence in math and science teaching
BOZEMAN — A Montana State University doctoral candidate has won the highest honor the U.S. government bestows to STEM teachers across the country.
Christina “Chris” Pavlovich, a fifth grade teacher at Livingston’s East Side School who is also pursuing a doctorate in curriculum and instruction from the MSU Department of Education, recently received the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching, or PAEMST. She was one of two Montana recipients and one of 102 educators across the nation to receive the award this year.
Jayne Downey, professor in the Department of Education in the College of Education, Health and Human Development and director of the MSU Center for Research on Rural Education, received the 2022 Career Achievement Award from the American Educational Research Association’s Rural Education SIG. The national award is presented biannually.
Downey displays a deep and abiding dedication to supporting rural teachers, students and schools, has made significant contributions to national and global rural education scholarship and serves as an international leader in the field through sustained scholarship and collaborative research, according to Tricia Seifert, head of the Department of Education, and Jennifer Luebeck, professor in the Department of Mathematical Sciences, who nominated Downey for the award.
BOZEMAN — The Science Math Resource Center at Montana State University will host an online workshop for educators on Thursday, March 10, from 5 to 6 p.m. The presentation is part of a new series called MSU Research in Action that highlights the work of MSU researchers so that K-12 teachers may incorporate the featured research into their classrooms.
The featured speaker for March, which is Brain Awareness Month, is Susy Kohout, associate professor in the MSU Department of Microbiology and Cell Biology. Kohout studies signaling across cell membranes and will speak about her research as it applies to biology and neuroscience. The talk will be particularly appropriate for high school science and psychology teachers, Kohout said.
MSU honors top faculty and staff with 2022 awards
Student advisers, dedicated teachers and innovative researchers from across Montana State University have been honored this month and last month as the university presented its annual Spring Awards of Excellence for faculty and staff. The awards recognize achievements in faculty and staff research, teaching, outreach and creative projects.
MSU education professor Sweeney Windchief named MUS Teaching Scholar
BOZEMAN — A Montana State University professor has been recognized for his efforts to involve graduate students in shaping their course curriculum and desired learning outcomes.
Sweeney Windchief, associate professor in the Department of Education in MSU’s College of Education, Health and Human Development, is one of two MSU faculty members selected to take part in the Montana University System’s 2021-2022 Teaching Scholars program, which seeks to help students succeed at Montana campuses. Scholars receive a $1,500 award as well as a $500 stipend to design and facilitate a faculty learning community at their institution. In addition to Windchief, Jennifer Brown, associate professor in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering in MSU’s Norm Asbjornson College of Engineering, was also among the 11 scholars picked from across the university system. The theme of this year’s Teaching Scholars program is innovations in teaching and learning.
MSU College of Education, Health and Human Development to host showcase on Feb. 23
BOZEMAN — Montana State University’s College of Education, Health and Human Development will host a celebration of the college’s outstanding teaching, research and engagement.
The EHHD Showcase will be held from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 23, at the Bozeman Event Space, 14 S. Tracy Ave. The event is free and open to the public, and food and a cash bar will be available.
The program includes a reception, interactive demonstrations from different college programs, live music from music education students and an art show from 6 to 7 p.m.; presentations from award-winning faculty from 7 to 8 p.m.; and a Q&A session from 8 to 8:30 p.m.
Montana State students and mentors to be honored with annual Awards for Excellence
BOZEMAN — Forty of Montana State University’s top seniors and their faculty and staff mentors will be recognized Tuesday, Feb. 22, at the 40th annual Awards for Excellence event held in the Strand Union Building.
Honored students are nominated by faculty in their college or department. Qualified seniors must have at least a 3.5 GPA on a 4.0 scale, as well as demonstrated campus leadership and community service.
The honored students each select a mentor who will be recognized with them at the event, which is hosted by the MSU Alumni Foundation. To attend, call the MSU Alumni Foundation’s RSVP line at 406-994-2586 during business hours, Monday through Friday, by Feb. 18 to register. General admission tickets are $25.
MSU rural education center receives $1.5 million grant for project to support rural teachers
BOZEMAN — With the help of a new $1.5 million grant, Montana State University’s Center for Research on Rural Education has launched a comprehensive effort to help strengthen K-12 rural schools across the state.
The grant, from Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies, will fund a two-year project called “Advancing Support, Preparation and Innovation in Rural Education,” or ASPIRE. The project aims to reduce the critical shortage of teachers in rural Montana, strengthen the teaching profession across the state and help ensure that Montana’s students are taught by well-prepared and -supported teachers.
“As our nation faces a teacher shortage of crisis proportions, rural communities in Montana have experienced increased difficulties recruiting and retaining well-prepared teachers,” said Jayne Downey, director of the Center for Research on Rural Education. “This past year, our rural schools and communities have labored to respond to the enormous challenges, difficulties and loss brought about by the global pandemic, and the need for well-prepared and -supported teachers has become even more apparent. During this time, we were also able to witness the care, generosity and resilience of Montana’s teachers who rose to meet the needs of their students in attentive and innovative ways.”
