Month: March 2015


Justis Lopez – An Exceptional Educator in the Making

March 30, 2015

First-generation college student and fifth-year master’s student in the Neag School, Justis Lopez, was inspired by his high school teacher, Ms. Heather Banas, to go into teaching. Well prepared through numerous on campus and community activities, Justis has big plans after graduation.


Neag Alum Named Connecticut School Counselor of the Year

March 30, 2015

When Vanessa Montorsi ’04 MA graduated from the Neag School of Education with a master’s degrees in school counseling 11 years ago, she never imagined that she would be one of 40 school counselors honored as semi-finalists for 2015 National School Counselor of the Year at a White House ceremony officiated this past January by […]



Neag Alumni Society Recognizes Outstanding Graduates

March 24, 2015

The Neag School of Education Alumni Society and the faculty of the Neag School of Education recognized outstanding alumni at the 17th Annual Awards Dinner on Saturday, March 28, 2015, on the UConn campus in Storrs.



First-Year Neag Educator Wins “Faculty of the Year” Award

March 24, 2015

In addition to celebrating his one-year anniversary of teaching at the Neag School of Education, Dr. Ron Beghetto, associate professor of educational psychology, has yet another milestone to celebrate. This year, Beghetto received the 2015 Alpha Lambda Delta (ALD) Faculty of the Year Award after spending just one year teaching in the Neag School, an […]


What Ever Happened to Gillette Castle?

March 24, 2015

Students across the state are wondering: what happened to Gillette Castle? In the real world, the historic mansion built in 1914 by actor William Gillette sits safely atop its perch overlooking the Connecticut River in East Haddam. But in The Great Connecticut Caper – a serialized e-book being released, with help from UConn Libraries and Neag faculty, by the nonprofit organization Connecticut Humanities – students must follow the clues to find and recover the national historic landmark.


Passion for Art May Thwart Pursuits of the Heart

March 24, 2015

Being creative can be sexy in any relationship, but how you apply your creativity can influence how long a relationship lasts.
In two recent studies that looked at the intersection between creativity, personality, and relationships, UConn professor James C. Kaufman and colleagues found that people who immerse themselves in purely artistic pursuits – such as writing the next great novel, composing an opera, or painting a brilliant landscape – are more apt to be single and experience short-term relationships



A 21st-century Approach to Teaching Social Studies

March 24, 2015

In January, the State Board of Education voted to adopt the proposal – called the Connecticut Elementary and Secondary Social Studies Frameworks – as a guide recommended for use by local school districts. Alan S. Marcus, an associate professor of curriculum and instruction in UConn’s Neag School of Education, was a lead writer for the state’s new Social Studies Frameworks.