Throughout the academic year, the Neag School is proud to share the latest achievements of its faculty, staff, students, and alumni. Explore their most recent promotions, awards, retirements, publications, and more: Dean’s Office Department of Curriculum and Instruction and Teacher Education Department of Educational Leadership Department of Educational Psychology Faculty/Staff Students Alumni In Memoriam Dean’s Office […]

Brianna Chance ‘23, a music education major, received funding from the BOLD Women’s Leadership Network for her project documenting student homelessness and housing insecurity in Connecticut.

Throughout the academic year, the Neag School is proud to share the latest achievements of its faculty, staff, students, and alumni. Explore their most recent promotions, awards, retirements, publications, and more.

Marjorie “Jean” Romano ’77 (MA) wanted to both honor her late husband and support graduate students conducting summer research. She decided to set up a bequest that will supplement a scholarship that she and her husband, Antonio, a UConn biology professor and CLAS dean, established several years ago. Her planned gift will support the Antonio H. & Marjorie J. Romano Graduate Education Fund.

This past Sunday, Nov. 6, University of Connecticut undergraduate student Brianna Alexis Chance showcased her documentary series, “Housing (In)justice,” to the public for the first time. Held at the Dodd Center, the series focused on the issue of housing insecurity and homelessness within the undergraduate population. Programs were handed out before the screening for further details and information about housing insecurity, as well as the individuals who were involved in the documentary process. The production of Chance’s documentary was ultimately made possible by funding from the BOLD Women’s Leadership Network.

“Mental health issues should no longer be placed on the backburner. All struggles are valid, no matter what generational differences there are. Having conversations and normalizing mental health care within families can help reduce the stigma. Increasing funding and access to mental health resources is a necessary next step, with a focus on hiring better trained staff in a culturally contemptuous background,” says Megan Go, a graduate student studying Higher Education and Student Affairs at the University of Connecticut.

Due to culture, generational trauma, and expectations in relation to mental health, it is difficult for Asian Americans to reach out for help even when needed. Mental health tends to be a taboo topic within the community. Past generations have experienced traumatic historical events such as the Tiananmen Square Massacre, The EDSA Revolution, The Vietnam War, surviving poverty, and on top of that, migrating to a new country.

Ultimately, there shouldn’t be just two options of repeating a grade or going on to the next, said Alex Lamb, who has been looking at research on grade retention as part of her work with the Center for Education, Policy Analysis, Research and Evaluation at the University of Connecticut to help advise school districts.

“Neither of those options are good,” she said. “A great option is letting students move on, and then introducing some of these supports that are research-backed, that are effective and that allow for academic and social-emotional growth of students and then communities.”

Citing a demand for “knowledgeable and skilled data scientists” in sectors like online streaming, health care systems, retail and researcher, the University of Connecticut is introducing a new multidisciplinary Master’s in Data Science program this fall.

The University of Connecticut’s Early College Experience (ECE) Program allows high school students to earn UConn credits and meet general education requirements by taking college courses while still in high school. UConn’s Neag School of Education, consistently ranked as one of the top 20 public graduate schools of education in the nation, recently piloted several education courses and next year will offer courses in multiple high schools across Connecticut.