UCAPP: Preparing Tomorrow’s Principals with Vision, Experience and Knowledge

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ThinkStockGraduates give high grades to the University of Connecticut Administrator Preparation Program (UCAPP), as well as credit it for giving them the confidence, knowledge, experience and professional connections needed to achieve their career goals of becoming a principal, vice principal, department head or other school administrator.

Indeed, more than 80 percent of those who’ve completed the rigorous two-year program give it an “A” for the professional learning, growth, management skills, collaboration tools and intellectual introspection they received in the classroom, curriculum laboratory and from mentors during their clinical internships.

These 90-hours-per-semester internships prove to be one of the most valuable aspects of the program for many students, said Neag School of Education Department of Educational Leadership Head Casey Cobb, Ph.D. A partnership with the Connecticut Association of Schools (CAS) ensures that each UCAPP participant is matched with an “appropriate and exemplary mentor administrator.”

“Our partnership with CAS is one of the many strengths of the program,” said Cobb, who also serves as director of the Neag Center for Education Policy Analysis. “Their vast network of schools helps ensure students are matched with the best possible mentor, and also allows us to bring in instructors and speakers with valuable experience—administrators who’ve faced and learned from budget crises, personnel issues, ethical situations, and the many other challenges educational leaders face.”

“Even the best classroom instruction can’t fully prepare someone to become a principal or other type of administrator. Much of the most important learning comes from practical experience, so we work hard to provide students with that essential blend of classroom and clinical learning,” Cobb continued.

Ranked as one of the leading educational administrator programs in the U.S., UCAPP earns students a Sixth-Year Diploma, as well as qualifies them to take the Connecticut State Certification as Intermediate Administrators (CT-092) exam. By documenting the integrated, problem-based learning they experience, students also create a professional portfolio that shows they’ve achieved what the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education defines as administrative competency, as well as met Educational Leadership Constituent Council specialized professional association standards. The curriculum also incorporates Connecticut Common Core of Learning requirements.

“There’s a whole new emphasis on the role of principals, who today are really at the center of leading the many reform efforts under way,” Cobb said. “Having knowledgeable and skilled leaders is more important than ever, and the reality is that there is a shortage of really good principals—principals who know how teaching and learning occur, and who have the ability to inspire and lead. It’s a broader role than many people think.”

As many as 90 students divided into roughly 15-member cohorts are enrolled in the program at any one time. Since the majority are also working teachers, cohorts meet both on UConn’s main campus in Storrs and at satellite campuses in Farmington, Stamford and other locations, to make attending as convenient as possible, Cobb said.

Courses and seminars that range from Contemporary Educational Policy Issues to the Legal Aspects of Education, and Creating and Sustaining a Positive School Climate, are not just grounded in adult and experiential learning theory, but led by instructors who worked in schools or as school administrators and are considered experts in their fields.

Overseeing all this is UCAPP Director Diane Ullman, Ph.D., who before joining the Neag School of Education in the Spring of 2012 was an adjunct instructor and superintendent of schools in Simsbury for eight years.

“It’s the wealth of experience that comes from the internship and our outstanding instructors that give our students an edge,” Ullman said. “Our students are taught by some of the best practitioners in the state, all of whom are committed to not just sharing knowledge, but inspiring vision and purpose.”

Also new to the program are assistant professors Richard Gonzales, Ph.D., a former elementary teacher and principal in Texas and Colorado, and Sarah Woulfin, Ph.D., whose research focuses on the relationships between educational policy, leadership and classroom practice. The two bring to the program essential experience working in urban school districts, as well what Woulfin calls “a shared dedication to developing the best possible educational leaders.”

“There’s so much work to be done in Connecticut to remedy the achievement gap,” Woulfin said, “and it’s exciting to know I’m helping create leaders who will help facilitate some of the much-needed change to the way we teach and help all students succeed. Today’s educational leaders need to think critically and creatively, and that’s what we help them achieve.”

Deadline to apply for the program is March 1. Among other requirements, candidates must have a master’s degree, a minimum of three years of teaching experience and be screened by a committee made up of Neag faculty, CAS directors and clinical supervisors. Click here  for all application steps and requirements.

Physical Therapy Students Give Back By Refurbishing Medical Equipment

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PT studentsOn the first Saturday of every month, University of Connecticut physical therapy students volunteer at the New England Assistive Technology Center in Hartford (NEAT). A branch of Hartford’s Oak Hill School for adults and children with physical disabilities, NEAT is an important resource for assistive devices and technology in Connecticut.

At NEAT, donated medical equipment is refurbished and sold to the public at a reduced price. The equipment is often available at less than half of the original price, making wheelchairs, walkers, standers, bath equipment and other assistance devices truly affordable to those who need them.

“I think the most rewarding part of my experience at NEAT was when I realized how many families NEAT assists with acquiring good, functional equipment at a price which is much more affordable than brand new,” says student Rob Pritchard.

It is important to note that NEAT does not compete with other vendors in the state. Indeed, NEAT and several retail outlets work together to ensure patients get the equipment they need. While the majority of NEAT customers are Connecticut residents, people from throughout the US—and even Third World countries—have turned to NEAT for assistance.

UConn physical therapy students work with NEAT staff to clean and refurbish equipment—a process that teaches them how these devices work and are put together. Students also learn from NEAT staff how to train patients to use the equipment. This often involves students taking part in simulations that allow them to experience challenges related to certain disabilities.

“As a DPT student, it’s important to gain an understanding of what types of devices are available to help your patients,” Pitchard says. “Volunteering for NEAT has been a good opportunity for me to learn about options that can increase patients’ mobility or overall level of function.”

Dr. Deborah Bubela, clinical assistant professor in residence, is also happy at how students are able to help NEAT. She said she first became involved with NEAT while practicing PT and was looking to help patients find affordable equipment: “As an instructor, I feel strongly that NEAT provides an important resource that I’d like students to not just recognize, but be involved with. Our students do a lot of good there.”

The volunteer work also provides students with an opportunity to distinguish themselves and make connections with professionals in the field. “You never know where this can take them,” says Dr. Bubela. “It’s important for UConn to have positive working relations with facilities and give back to the resources in our state, especially when the partnership is mutually beneficial. I hope to get even more students involved in the future.”

UConn Students Learn First-Hand How to Plan Wellness Fair and Provide Health Advice

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Kinesiology students
UConn student, Jess Lang, tests a participant’s grip strength. The test provides insight to overall health, according to research by kinesiology faculty in the Neag School of Education. Photo credit: Shawn Kornegay

Second-year students in UConn’s Doctor of Physical Therapy program got first-hand patient care experience working at a daylong wellness fair. Held at the Court House Wellness and Fitness Center (CHFW) in Vernon, the event was planned by students who, with the help and guidance of their professor, designed and carried out all aspects of the fair. It gave them the opportunity to not just organize a large-scale event, but to consider the various aspects of wellness people need to practice and integrate for optimal health.

The fair marked the culmination of “DPT 5431: Prevention, Health Promotion, Fitness and Wellness.” This new class was developed in response to an increased awareness in the role physical therapists can play in health promotion. At the fair, students manned stations that checked vital signs, offered balance checks, shared information about the role of exercise and nutrition in overall health, and offered preventive exam guidelines, among other services.

According to Clinical Assistant Professor in Residence Susan Glenney, effective physical therapists commit to following American Physical Therapy Association guidelines that require clinicians work to “restore, maintain, and promote not only optimal physical function, but optimal wellness and fitness and optimal quality of life, as it relates to movement and health.”

Preparing for the fair required the 16 doctoral students to conduct a needs and market analysis, publicize the event, and execute all other aspects related to ensuring that it would be both beneficial and well attended.

“CHFW offers many fitness classes that are geared toward seniors, so we knew that having the fair there would target a population that would truly benefit from receiving health promotion and preventive screenings like blood pressure checks, as well as receiving important information about fall prevention,” Glenney says.

The DPT program is part of the Department of Kinesiology, housed within the Neag School of Education.

Kinesiology students
DPT student, Abby Gordon, provides health advice to fair attendee. Photo credit: Shawn Kornegay

For DPT student Abby Gordon, the event was more than worthwhile: “I liked having the opportunity to discuss wellness and disease prevention with the community and hope that the information we provided will help participants to either get checked by their doctor or to alter their exercise regimen to improve their health.”

Neag Student Reflects on Impact of Scholarship

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Lauren Nero Neag Alumni Society Scholarship recipient, Lauren Nero, received her bachelor’s degree in education last spring, with a concentration in Secondary English. She’s currently a fifth-year student, working on her master’s degree in education. She recently reflected on the impact of the scholarship from the Neag Alumni Society.

Q: What did the Neag Alumni Scholarship mean to you?

A: It is truly an honor to be the recipient of the Neag Alumni Scholarship. As a future educator, I believe that it is important to give back to the community and this scholarship really fosters the concept of helping students of all ages.

Q: What are your plans for the scholarship?

A: I plan on using this scholarship to help pay for my fifth year in the Neag School, where I will be pursuing my master’s degree in education.

Q: How will the scholarship help you achieve your goals?

A: The Neag Alumni Scholarship has given me even more motivation to give my all to my graduate studies and my students. I realize that there were many other students who were eligible for this scholarship and I was fortunate enough to have been selected as the recipient. This scholarship will allow me to continue on with my ultimate goal of understanding the state of education today and it will also allow me to work with Neag faculty members to figure out how educators can help affect change in our community.

Q: Why do you want to be a teacher?

A: I want to be a teacher because this is where I believe I can make the greatest impact in my community. Education is the key to success and I want to help the youth of our state realize their own dreams and succeed in their own individual and unique ways. I truly have a passion for helping students to begin thinking critically about the world in which we live and further delve into thoughts on the human experience. A teacher is able to serve as a mentor, an investigator, a friend, and someone who can ignite passion to become a life long learner in his or her students

Thank you to all those who have supported students like Lauren. We greatly appreciate your support with helping our future educators! Do you want to make a difference? Please join us and make a gift today! Visit www.friends.uconn.edu/neagschool and selecting our newly created Neag Alumni Society Scholarship Fund.

Neag School Hosted Fall Fest at North Windham Elementary School

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The Neag School of Education hosted a Fall Fest Literacy Night at North Windham Elementary School as a way to engage students and strengthen the Neag-North Windham relationship. The event gave pre-teaching students in Noemi Maldonado Picardi’s “INTD 1810: Inspiring the Urban Educator” class the opportunity to work together on a large-scale project, gain experience working with young students and give back to the community.

This is the second year Neag students have participated in this program.

“The event is a great opportunity for students who participate in North Windham’s Before/After School program, their parents, and UConn students to participate with a read-aloud literacy event, along with arts and crafts and health awareness activities,” said Picardi, the Neag School’s outreach coordinator.

“I thought of doing this as part of my class to allow students to have hands-on experience working with students and build a relationship with Windham Schools,” Picardi said.

Approximately 22 Neag students participated, coordinating and working at the 2012 event. Throughout the school year, Neag students also work with students in the Before/After program coordinated by Luis Rivera, providing homework help and a safe place for students to play and interact with their peers.  “The extracurricular and enrichment activities combined make it a rewarding learning environment where parents can feel comfortable leaving their children,” Picardi said.

Letter from the Dean: You’re Invited to the Neag Alumni Society Awards Dinner

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Neag Alumni Society Celebration Dear Alumni and Friends of the Neag School of Education:

The Neag School of Education Alumni Society and the faculty of the Neag School of Education cordially invite you to attend our 15th Annual Awards Dinner on Saturday, March 9, 2013 at the South Campus Ballroom (Rome Ballroom) on the Storrs campus. Click here for the UConn campus map.

This evening promises to be memorable as faculty and alumni gather to formally recognize the achievements of some of our outstanding graduates. It is our hope that you will be among those returning to the University for this event. Our award recipients are educators who have made significant contributions across all levels of education. We know that you will agree with our outstanding selection of alumni to honor:

The Outstanding Higher Education Professional is Dr. Patrice E. Farquharson, ’78 BS in education, Associate Professor of Early Childhood Education/Child Studies at Post University and Executive Director of West Haven Child Development Center in West Haven, CT.

The Outstanding Kinesiology Professional is Dr. Karen S. Castagno, ‘80 MA adapted physical education, ‘91 Ph.D. in education, Associate Dean for Teacher Education and Co-director of Ph.D. in Education Program at Rhode Island College in Providence, RI.

The Outstanding Physical Therapy Professional is Dr. Kathleen K. Kelley, ’88 BS in physical therapy, Associate Professor of Physical Therapy at Quinnipiac University and former Director/Owner of Yoga Center in Plantsville, CT.

The Outstanding School Educator is June L. Cahill, ’92 BS in elementary education, ’94 MA in education, Instructional Coach at E.B. Kennelly School in Hartford, CT.

The Outstanding School Administrator is Dr. Miguel A. Cardona, ’00 MA bilingual bicultural education, ’04 Sixth Year Certificate in educational leadership, ’11 Ph.D. in educational leadership, Principal at Hanover Elementary School in Meriden, CT.

The Outstanding School Superintendent is Dr. Janet M. Robinson, ’06 Ph.D. in educational leadership, Superintendent of Newtown Public Schools in Newton, CT.

The Outstanding Young Professional is Phillip D. Bryant, ‘08 MA in educational technology/learning technology, Director of High Tech Classrooms at Southern Connecticut State University, in New Haven, CT and President of the Hartford Hurricanes in Hartford, CT.

The Outstanding Professional is Dr. James D. Spina, ‘82 Ph.D. in educational leadership, Senior Lecturer at the University of Maryland’s Smith Business School in College Park, MD; past Consultant with The Spina Network in Annapolis, MD and past Director of Management and Succession Planning Development with the Tribune Company in Chicago, IL.

The Outstanding Alumni of the Year will be announced the night of the awards dinner.

Come and bring others with you to honor your colleagues and friends who are so influential in the field of education. The evening begins with a reception at 5:30 p.m. followed by dinner at 6:30 p.m. The entrees include a chicken or salmon choice. A vegetarian meal is also available. Attire is semi-formal. No-host bar. The cost of the dinner is $55.00 per person. To make reservations, go online at www.UConnAlumni.com/NeagAwardsRSVP or call (888) 822-5861 by Feb. 25, 2013. If you have questions, please contact Robyn Wilgis at (860-486-6044) or robyn.wilgis@uconn.edu.

We look forward to greeting you on March 9 for our celebration.

Sincerely,

Thomas C. DeFranco

Dean, Neag School of Education

Teacher-Turned-Author Inspired by Personal Experiences

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Lynda Mullaly-Hunt, Neag graduate and former third-grade teacher, admits that she wasn’t always an aspiring author. “Most authors say that they’ve wanted to write since they could chew on a crayon,” says Mullaly-Hunt, “but that wasn’t true for me.”

She says she wrote One for the Murphys, a middle school-aged novel published in May by Penguin Group for Young Readers, more because it “bugged” her not to and because she kept hearing the voice of 12-year-old protagonist Carley inside her head. At the time, she had no idea whether the story would sell.

Called “a beautiful book” and “an astonishing debut,” the novel follows 12-year-old Carley Connors as she tries to adapt to a foster family environment. Coming from a less-than-ideal family situation and not used to having an attentive mother or stable family, Carley rebels against the attention she receives in this loving home. Conflict arises in the form of an unsupportive foster sibling and a biological mother who might just want Carley back in her life.

Mullaly-Hunt says the character of Carley was based partially on the vulnerable sides of herself. “I’ve known Carley forever—not the facts of her life, necessarily, but her emotional journey,” she explains. Through the process of writing One for the Murphys, Mullaly-Hunt says she has also grown attached to her characters: “Honestly, sometimes when I think about them, it makes me sad that they don’t exist in the real world. I suppose that may sound a little odd to some, but they really have become a part of me.”

Lynda Mullaly-HuntMullaly-Hunt began writing fiction during a children’s literature course at UConn, which she took with professor Francelia Butler. “An early assignment was to choose a fairy tale and rewrite it as a contemporary story,” explains Mullaly-Hunt. “I really got into it, having used a forest-full of typing paper and a vat of Wite-Out because I kept revising.”

Bitten by the writing bug and recognizing its value, she went on to implement writing programs in her third-grade classroom and, eventually, join a writer’s group before composing her novel. She is grateful for her education from Neag: “Not only did I graduate well-prepared, but attending UConn made me so happy.”

Looking back at the novel-writing experience, Mullaly-Hunt says partial inspiration came from an experience she had when she was young and spent a few months living with another family. Seeing a family dynamic outside of her own opened her eyes to the possibilities of what life could be like.

The Broadway musical “Wicked” also inspired Mullaly-Hunt. She found herself playing the soundtrack while writing, something unusual  since she typically does not listen to lyrical music while working. After “hearing” Carley speak her first line and beginning to get the story down, Mullaly-Hunt says, “I just had to finish it. It was like having a sliver in my hand—painful, at times, but I just had to get it out.”

After shopping the novel around, Mullaly-Hunt signed with Nancy Paulsen Books and Penguin and is excited to be a part of such an iconic publishing house. “It’s pretty amazing to step off of the elevator at Penguin and see book characters on the walls… books I’ve known and loved as a kid, teen, teacher, mom and writer,” she explains.

In addition to enjoying the success of One for the Murphys, Mullaly-Hunt is currently working on her second novel, Alphabet Soup. This novel follows the story of a new young heroine named Lucy Nickerson, as she hides behind bad behavior while struggling with her inability to read.

As a former teacher, Mullaly-Hunt says her favorite part about publishing a novel has been the reaction she’s received from children, fellow teachers and parents. “When a teacher or parent tells me that Murphys has had a ‘profound impact’ on a child, I want to thank [the teacher] for being there in the flesh for that child and caring enough to give him or her the book and then following up,” says Mullaly-Hunt, who often visits schools to talk with students about the creative writing process. “They are the real heroes.”

 

Atkins Foundation Grant Fuels Studies of Low-Carb Diets

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Atkins Diet research Jeff Volek, associate professor of kinesiology in the Neag School of Education, received an $80,000 grant from the Dr. Robert C. and Veronica Atkins Foundation to study the effects of low-carbohydrate diets on health and performance.

Volek has been studying the body’s response to carbohydrate restriction for more than a decade. The low-carb diet, which was introduced by Dr. Robert Atkins in the 1960s, was called bizarre, nonsensical, even dangerous by most mainstream nutritional and medical experts because of its emphasis on low-carb eating over low-fat foods and calorie restriction.

Volek’s studies have helped demonstrate the benefits of the approach not only for weight management, but also for improving health. He recently coauthored the New York Times best-selling book, “The New Atkins for a New You,” and more recently two books, ‘The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Living,’ and ‘the Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Performance.’ “The books give an in-depth perspective on the controversial and often misunderstood topic of low carbohydrate diets,” says Volek.

Using sophisticated cellular techniques to understand the body’s response to low-carb diets, Volek says his studies and those of others are helping to shift our understanding. “It’s clear that carbohydrate restriction has beneficial effects on many health risk factors, especially those related to insulin resistance (also known as carbohydrate intolerance), even in the absence of weight loss and even in the presence of higher fat and saturated fat intake,” says Volek. “I think we may finally be reaching a tipping point in terms the scientific evidence reaching mainstream acceptance. A large number of people could benefit from restricting dietary carbohydrates.”

The Atkins Foundation, established by Dr. Atkins and his wife Veronica, funds independent research on the role of metabolism and nutrition on a number of diseases and has provided nearly $1 million in support for Volek’s research over the years. The latest grant will support several studies currently in progress, says Volek.

One project looks at the effect of incremental increases in dietary carbohydrates on saturated fat levels and markers for heart disease. The goal is to show that blood saturated fat levels stem from the intake of carbohydrates rather than the intake of saturated fat. The goal is a re-evaluation of the widespread belief that dietary saturated fat is harmful, says Volek. His hypothesis: “People have a unique amount of carbohydrate they can tolerate before they start to mismanage it, which includes converting it into saturated fat.”

Another study looks at the changes in bacteria in the gut, or microbiome, as a factor affecting an individual’s response varying amounts of dietary carbohydrate. “We think it is highly probable that changes in specific populations of bacteria will correlate with dietary manipulation of carbohydrates and with diet-induced metabolic effects.”

A third study looks at the effects of a low-carb diet on distance runners in the Western States Endurance Run, a 100-mile ultramarathon that lasts from 14 to 30 hours on the trails of the Sierra Nevada mountains in California.

This year’s race was won by a low-carb diet athlete and several of the top finishers were restricting carbohydrates, according to Volek, who with colleagues is analyzing cheek cells and blood samples collected from the racers before and after the event. “We have reason to believe that the inflammation and the tissue damage that occurs from the stresses related to such an endurance event can be reduced by a low carbohydrate diet.”

For Education Policy Expert Plucker, UConn Move is Homecoming

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For Jonathan Plucker, one of the nationally prominent scholars attracted to the University of Connecticut by an ambitious new faculty hiring plan, a move to Storrs is both a new beginning and a homecoming.

The Montville, Conn. native, who has become widely recognized both in and outside his field as an expert in evaluation and educational policy, earned both his bachelor’s degree in chemistry education and his MA in educational psychology at UConn. He joins the UConn faculty from Indiana University, where he was director of the Center for Evaluation and Education Policy.

“This is a great position at a great university, and to have the added emotional investment of coming back home and helping make kids’ lives better where I grew up, that’s a huge attraction,” he says. “There’s so many good people doing work at UConn, it’s so darn exciting to think about the possible collaborations.”

Plucker was recruited to UConn as part of President Susan Herbst’s plan to hire 500 tenure-track faculty members over the next four years, an expansion of teaching and research capabilities unprecedented in higher education.

As part of that initiative, UConn is looking to hire not just up-and-coming scholars eager to make their reputations, but established academics who can already boast significant contributions to their field. That’s why Plucker – who has provided research and insight to education policymakers around the U.S. and in several other countries – is such a good fit, says Neag School of Education Dean Thomas DeFranco.

“I am very excited about Dr. Jonathan Plucker joining the Neag School of Education,” DeFranco says. “He is a nationally recognized scholar and will be leading a team of top researchers in the area of evaluation and educational policy. His work will impact educational policy at the state and national level, and will make a positive difference in the lives of K-12 students across the nation.”

Plucker arrives at UConn during a time of tremendous change in education, not just in Connecticut but around the country. Growing federal involvement in public schools has spurred states to craft reform legislation of their own, like the landmark bill signed into law this year by Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, which includes a role for the Neag School in helping to evaluate how some of the law will work.

“One interesting thing we bring to the table is we’ve helped people in other states do similar types of work, so I think we have some insight into evaluating these initiatives,” Plucker says. “The teacher evaluation that Connecticut is starting to do makes perfect sense and seems like it should be straightforward, but it made perfect sense in Tennessee, Delaware, and Indiana, among other states, and it has turned out to be quite complicated. But we’ve learned some lessons about how it works and how it can be tweaked that I hope we can provide.”

Among the most pressing issues in education, Plucker says, is what educators and policymakers call the “achievement gap” – the disconnect between the achievement of some schools and the challenges of others, occasionally even within the same school system.

“According to international and national data, we have some children in the U.S. who are learning at a Third World level, and yet some kids learning at the highest possible level. And that’s the question: Why do we have this gigantic spread?” Plucker says. “It’s a tremendous problem, but it’s also a tremendous opportunity, because if Connecticut can figure this out, it becomes a national leader in this vital area.”

In his work, Plucker has also pushed back against the notion that seemingly daunting challenges in education will take decades to address, an attitude he says is unacceptable.

“A major change in education over the past 20 years is that the traditional American attitude of ‘We need to address child poverty, but until we do, there’s not much to be done to help those kids in school’ is no longer acceptable. We need to tackle these problems aggressively,” he says. “And at the same time, we need to acknowledge that we also have amazing education success stories in this country, and we need to provide our most successful schools, teachers, and students with support to allow them to continue achieving at world-class levels.”

Before he can start helping Connecticut and other states fix what’s broken in the public schools, though, he’s got a more pleasant task: getting acclimated to a campus that’s quite a bit larger than when he received his MA in 1992.

“The campus has completely changed!” Plucker exclaims. “But I’d be lying if I said that wasn’t part of the attraction. It shows that UConn understands what it takes to be an elite public university, one that is well integrated with the state. Whenever I talk to anyone on campus – from the President to deans to faculty to students – I come away with the same impression: This is the place to be in higher education right now.”

 

Students in Neag School’s DPT Program Achieve Hat Trick

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DPT students
Current DPT students Christopher Miller (left) and Gregory Sabo (right) get hands-on instruction from UConn Health Center physical therapist Gregg Gomlinski as part of their clinical experiences. (Shawn Kornegay/UConn Photo)

Students in the Neag School of Education’s Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program have achieved high levels of success on their Board Exams. For the last three groups of DPT graduates (41 total students), they’ve excelled by scoring 100% first-time pass rate on their Board Exams from the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy, exceeding state and national averages.

“The DPT faculty and clinicians who contribute to this program are doing a tremendous job,” said Dr. Carl Maresh, kinesiology department chair in the Neag School. “This speaks directly to the stringent student selection criteria they employ and the day-to-day dedication they pay to these students during a demanding three-year gauntlet.”

Accomplishments of students in the DPT program include:

  • A 100 percent first-time licensure exam pass rate for three consecutive years, compared to the national average of 88.95 percent over the same time-period.
  • An employment rate for graduated students of 100 percent.

“This achievement is a testament to the hard work of many faculty and staff members, along with our students and alumni,” said Dean Dr. Thomas C. DeFranco. “The program has a very rich history and, through the efforts of many, has the potential to be a nationally ranked program.”

In 1952, the University of Connecticut became the first public university in the nation to establish a physical therapy degree program. The program evolved from an undergraduate program, then became a masterʼs, and in 2007 progressed to a doctorate program. Now based within the nationally ranked Neag School of Education, the DPT degree program is offered through the Department of Kinesiology.

“The physical therapy program at UConn has always been highly regarded,” said Dr. Craig Denegar, director of the DPT program. He said the program is now “poised to become a leader in the advancement of evidence-based care.”

“We are so proud of our student’s success and the faculty, students, and staff who continue to work hard to make the DPT an excellent program,” he added. “We have excellent students and faculty working together to prepare excellent clinicians, advance practice through research, and serve our communities.”

As a professional doctoral program, the curriculum is designed to ensure physical therapists receive the skills and expertise needed to practice and stay abreast of advances in physical therapy and health care which, in turn, ensures patients receive top-quality care. Through strong didactic and clinical education experiences, the DPT program also fosters each student’s individual talents through collaborative research with a team of faculty mentors.

The DPT is a three-year, post-bachelorʼs program. Applicants may earn a bachelorʼs degree in a number of different areas, but all complete the same pre-requisite coursework.

Clinical education is at the heart of the DPT program. The students participate in full-time learning experiences at healthcare facilities across the country. The Nayden Rehabilitation Clinic, operated by the Department of Kinesiology, also serves as a local training site for students, while providing care to the University and nearby communities.

Students in the DPT program also participate in public engagement projects, including providing physical therapy services for migrant farm workers through the Area Health Education Center, working with students in the STARR program to develop healthy lifestyles and maintain a support group for patients with Parkinson’s disease.

Through a variety of experiences – from classroom accomplishments to clinical and community opportunities – DPT students become successful, well-rounded individuals who are highly sought after upon graduation.