News

For more news from JFK University, see our quarterly newsletter, Connections.

mschwarzer JFKU Museum Studies Chair Appointed to Steering Committee of Cultural Heritage Information Project

Marjorie Schwarzer, Chair of JFKU's Department of Museum Studies, has been appointed to the steering committee of the Cultural Heritage Information Project, sponsored by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, Florida State University (FSU) College of Information, and the Ringling Museum of Art in Sarasota Florida.

The purpose of this investigation is to address how cultural heritage information professionals can work across the boundaries of museums, libraries, and archives to meet the information needs of all users--including library patrons, museum visitors, the general public, and other professionals.

The principal investigator is Dr. Paul Marty of FSU, and the other steering committee members include Michele Cloonan of Simmons College, Phyllis Hecht of Johns Hopkins University, Helen Tibbo of the University of North Carolina and John Wetenhall, director of the Ringling Museum. For more information visit http://chips.ci.fsu.edu/.

JFKU Museum Studies to Receive 2008 CAMMY Award

California Association of Museums (CAM) is delighted to announce that John F. Kennedy University's Museum Studies program will be the recipient of the 2008 CAMMY Award. The CAMMY Award recognizes extraordinary museum supporters, professionals, and institutions that have made outstanding contributions to California museums. The award highlights the excellent work of an individual or group in one or more of the following areas: Leadership, Patronage, and Service to the Field. Past recipients include: the James Irvine Foundation; Huell Howser, Director/Producer of KCET's California's Gold; the J. Paul Getty Museum; the Institute of Museum and Library Services; the Hewlett-Packard Foundation; U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein; and Ed Able.

The Museum Studies program at John F. Kennedy University is being recognized in the category of Service to the Field for the involvement of their alumni and faculty in museum associations and their commitment to furthering and strengthening the museum field, especially in California. Jim DeMersman, the President of CAM's Board of Directors will present the award during the CAMMY Luncheon on Tuesday, February 26, 2008 at the CAM Conference in Fresno. The University's President, Dr. Steven Stargardter, and Marjorie Schwarzer, professor and chair of the Museum Studies Department, will jointly accept the award.

For additional information about the CAMMY Luncheon or Seeds of Change: CAM in the Heart of California (CAM's statewide conference):
please visit http://www.calmuseums.org/conferences_and_workshops/2008overview.html or
contact the CAM Office at (831) 471-9970 or admin@calmuseums.org.

JFKU Museum Studies Faculty and Alumni Among Presenters at WMA Annual Meeting in Oakland

Western Museums Association 2007 Annual Meeting
Oakland, California, October 10 - 14, 2007

For JFK University's Museum Studies program, the Western Museums Association (WMA) 2007 Annual meeting will be especially meaningful this year. The WMA conference, being held in nearby Oakland, CA on October 10-14, includes a number of faculty and alumni of the Museum Studies program as presenters and moderators. Current students will be volunteering throughout the five-day conference.

Among the Museum Studies faculty and alumni participating are:

    Elida Zelaya ('00) and Valerie Huaco ('95) are key WMA staff overseeing the entire conference proceedings.

    Marjorie Schwarzer, chair of the Museum Studies program, presenting at the session, "What Keeps Directors Up at Night?"

    Faculty member, Susan Spero, moderating the session, "The Shake Out on the Emerging Web 2.0."

    Melinda Adams ('05) presenting in the session, "Homeschoolers and Museums."

    Brianna Cutts ('99 & faculty), Project Director, The Sibbett Group, and Penny Jennings ('97), Exhibit Developer, West Office Exhibition Design, co-presenters at the workshop, "Exhibit Planners: Collaborate, Communicate, Create!" Brianna is also presenting at the session, "An Eye for Design."

    Celeste DeWald ('99), Executive Director, California Association of Museums, chairing the session "Working Group for Museums Associations."

    Carin Jacobs ('02), Curator of Education, Judah L. Magnes Museum, moderating the session, "Taste Matters (Outside the Café): Cultural Food Programming in Museums."

    Irene Rodriguez ('98), Education Program Manager, Palm Springs Art Museum, moderating a panel on "Shaking Up Museum Middle Schoolers."

    Lexie Smith Kliebe ('06), Project Manager, California Exhibition Resource Alliance, facilitating the "Roundtable Discussion for Educators."

JFKU Museum Studies Department is also a proud co-sponsor of the pre-conference workshop on museum architecture taking place at the deYoung Museum on October 10th. Current graduate student Katie Williams assisted in coordinating this workshop which will explore the role of star architecture as well as the nuts and bolts of building finance and management.

APA Designates JFK University as Western Regional Violence Prevention Training Site

John F. Kennedy University (JFKU) has been designated the first official ACT Regional Training Site in the Western U.S. by the American Psychological Association (APA) Violence Prevention Office. This designation will let JFKU train the leaders of the APA's highly successful ACT - Adults and Children Together - Against Violence program.

The training site will be managed by the Counseling Psychology program in JFKU's Graduate School of Professional Psychology and will officially serve Nevada, Oregon, Washington and Northern California. The other three official APA-ACT training sites are located in Illinois, Ohio and Florida.

The new JFKU site will offer 3 APA-ACT "Train-the-Trainer" workshops per year. These workshops will train mental-health professionals, agencies, colleges, hospitals and community organizations that have regular contact with families to deliver the basic ACT Program to parents, caregivers, and others involved with children ages 0-8 years.

According to 2005 statistics published by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, parents perpetrate nearly 90% of violence against children, and 77% of children who die from abuse or neglect are younger than 4 years old. The ACT program mobilizes communities and educates families and caregivers to protect children and youth from violence before it occurs.

The ACT program and the ACT Train-the-Trainer programs are national anti-violence researched-based programs that have been clinically evaluated and approved by the Center for Disease Control (CDC). The CDC will continue to formally evaluate client satisfaction with both programs as they are delivered across the country.

"We are thrilled and honored to have been named as a regional training site for the ACT Train-the-Trainer program," stated Gail Kinsley-Dame, Director of the Counseling Psychology Program at JFKU. "Violence against children must be stopped and the ACT program provides the tools to make that happen."

JFKU has been offering the ACT Program directly to local communities since February, 2007, as the "Parents Raising Safe Kids" program. This service was made possible by a generous donation from the Dean and Margaret Lesher Foundation, as well as the APA.

In the next few months, it will also begin offering the ACT program at its counseling centers in Pleasant Hill and Sunnyvale, California. Dates for the new ACT Train-the-Trainer program will be posted on the JFKU website and on the APA-ACT website as they become available.

JFKU School of Law 75% First-Time Bar Pass Rate Second-Highest in State

The State Bar of California released the results of the February 2007 General Bar Examination on Tuesday, July 17, 2007, showing that 75% of recent JFKU School of Law Graduates passed the exam on their very first effort. This was a significant increase over the statewide average of 31% for first-time takers from California State Bar-accredited Law Schools (compared to 61% of exam takers from ABA approved law schools). JFKU's first-time pass rate of 75% was the second-highest pass rate in the state (tied with Stanford Law School), and the highest in the forty-year history of JFKU.

Geoffrey Brown, Dean at JFKU School of Law, congratulated the successful graduates and praised the efforts of the School of Law in making such a positive showing possible. "Over the past several years, JFKU School of Law, with the full support of the University, has taken concrete steps to improve the quality of the academic program. From admissions policies and the implementation of stronger academic standards to quality classroom instruction and effective academic support, we are now seeing the fruits of that labor."

California continues to offer the most difficult bar examination in the country. The School of Law at JFKU understands the importance of providing its students with a sound foundation in the fundamental doctrine to be covered on the Bar Exam along with the practical skills needed to be an effective lawyer.

"We need to do a great job of preparing our students for the California Bar Exam, but that isn't enough," said Brown. "We also need to prepare them to become effective, talented, and socially responsible attorneys. To that end, we offer practical skills courses, a variety of new clinical programs, a strong faculty of educators and practitioners, and an academic environment that promotes excellence."

For more information about the JFKU School of Law, click here.

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JFK University Faculty and Student Present at Upcoming APA Annual Convention

Several faculty members and students from the Graduate School of Professional Psychology (GSPP) will be making presentations at the American Psychological Association to held in San Francisco, CA, on August 17-20, 2007.

In addition, GSPP and Continuing & Extended Education are sponsoring a booth at the Convention. Conference attendees are invited to stop by Booth 929 near the Food Court to meet presenters, obtain program information and enter a drawing for a free online course through CE.

For APA conference information and to register, go to http://www.apa.org/convention07/.

Friday August 17, 8:00 am
Session 1041 - Continuing Education Workshop #107

Working with Parents with Physical Disabilities:
Assessment, Intervention, and Ethical Practice

Presenter: Dr. Alette Coble-Temple

Francisco Hotel, Fourth Floor/Building 3, Union Square
Room 25
CE Credits: 4 hours. Limited enrollment.
For additional session and registration information, contact the APA Continuing Education in Psychology Office at 800-374-2721 or cpe@apa.org.

Friday, August 17, 1:00pm - 2:50pm
Session 1252 - Discussion

The Future of Sport Psychology Training:
The Coexistence of Performance Enhancement and Clinical Psychology

Co-chairs: Dr. William D. Parham & Dr. Alette Coble-Temple
Participants:

Moscone Center, East Mezzanine - South Building
Rooms 232 and 234 Division 47

Saturday, August 18, 4:00-4:50pm
Session 2373 - Poster Session: Showcasing Student Research, Practice, & Professional Development Issues

Ethnographic Immersion for Cultural Competence: Students' Perspectives

Participants: Victor Cattolico, MA; John Garry, MA; Shauna Keller, M.A; Pearly McGee-Vincent MA; Kurt Meyers MA; Monique Pierre-Louis MA; Brenda Shebank MA; and Anita Smith MA.

Moscone Center, Exhibit Level - South Building, Halls ABC

Sunday, August 19, 8:00am-11:50am
Session 3041 Continuing Education Workshop #146

Ethical Practice issues and Persons with Disabilities

Presenter: Dr. Alette Coble-Temple

Hilton San Francisco Hotel, Fourth Floor/Building 3, Union Square
Room 25
CE Credits: 4 hours. Limited enrollment.
For additional session and registration information, contact the APA Continuing Education in Psychology Office at 800-374-2721 or cpe@apa.org.

Monday, August 20, 9:00am - 9:50am
Session 4067 - Special Issues in Trauma Treatment

Evidence-Based Practice and Culture: New Paradigms in Trauma Research

Presenters: Dr. Sandra Mattar & Dr. Alejandrina Estrada

Moscone Center, East Mezzanine - South Building
Room 212
Division 56