Kudos: Bierema named visiting professor; Smagorinsky honored for distinguished contributions; Sutton receives Presidential Award

Bierema named visiting professor at Northumbria University

Laura Bierema, a professor in the Department of Lifelong Education, Administration, and Policy, has been named visiting professor by the Faculty of Business and Law at Northumbria University in Newcastle, U.K. For the next three years, she will be teaching at the university in the areas of adult learning, leadership, organization development, and coaching and has been asked to deliver an inaugural lecture in recognition of this title.

Nominated by Jamie Callahan, a professor in the university’s Newcastle Business School, Bierema has collaborated with her on several projects over the years, and the two are currently co-authoring a textbook on human resource development. Bierema also recently gave a keynote address at Northumbria University for the University Forum on Human Resource Development Conference.

Smagorinsky named for international distinguished contributions to English in Education

At the International Federation for the Teaching of English (IFTE) Conference held June 22-24 in Birmingham, U.K., Peter Smagorinsky, Distinguished Research Professor of English Education, was one of two inaugural honorees of the IFTE Award. Recognized for making internationally distinguished contributions to the field of English education, Smagorinksy was also a keynote speaker at the conference.

Alumna receives Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching

Christy Sutton (MEd ’12), a second grade mathematics teacher at Lee County Primary School in Leesburg, Georgia, and an alumna of the College of Education, was one of only two elementary teachers in Georgia to receive the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching, the highest honor bestowed by the United States government for K-12 mathematics and science teaching.

The award recognizes teachers who develop and implement high-quality instructional programs that enhance student learning and are informed by content knowledge. Since the program’s inception, more than 4,700 teachers have been recognized for their contributions in the classroom and to their profession.

“The Presidential Award is both humbling and motivating,” said Sutton, who received her master’s degree in mathematics education from the College of Education. “Humbling because I know many teachers deserving of this award. Motivating because receiving this award means my work is not finished.”

For the past four years, Christy has worked on various projects for Georgia’s Department of Education. She also helped rewrite the Georgia Frameworks, revise the Georgia Standards of Excellence, and participated in creating webinars. Most recently, she helped create videos for second grade teachers titled “GSE Mathematics Standards in the Classroom.”