RESEARCH AND SCHOLARSHIP
In addition to fostering the professional development of teachers, counselors, and higher education professionals, our faculty contribute significantly to research and scholarship on a range of topics related to teaching, curriculum, clinical mental health counseling, school counseling, education policy, and leadership in higher education.
Faculty routinely mentor undergraduate and graduate students in the methods of conducting research and frequently invite students to engage with them in scholarly conferences and publications.
FACULTY SPOTLIGHT
Transformative Social and Emotional Learning Centering Equity and Social Justice in PreK - 6 Classrooms, by Dr. Madora Soutter, Dr Alessandra Ward and Dr. Chu N.Ly
Description: Transformative social and emotional learning is an asset-based, culturally responsive way of teaching that sees social and emotional learning and social justice as inextricably linked. This practical guide provides tools that will support teachers in integrating transformative social and emotional learning in the classroom and in cultivating a commitment to justice in developmentally appropriate ways for PK-6 students
Congratulations听to Dr. Edward Wahesh, recipient of the 2025 Tolle Lege听础飞补谤诲 for excellence in teaching by a full-time faculty member in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
罢丑别听Tolle Lege听础飞补谤诲听acknowledges excellence in teaching of a full-time faculty member in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Nominated faculty are reviewed by a college committee who evaluates course content, student and faculty teaching evaluations, and has served at least 10 continuous years.
Christa Bialka, EdD 鈥� Teacher dispositions; teacher preparation for inclusive classrooms; disability awareness
Dana Brookover, PhD 鈥� Social determinants of mental health, school counseling
Victor Brooks, PhD 鈥� US History; youth, culture, and education in the 20th century
Jerusha Conner, PhD - Youth activism and organizing; student voice; and student engagement
Seth M. Fishman, PhD 鈥� Higher education and student affairs administration, scholarship of teaching and learning, student success
Amber Haley, PhD 鈥� Multicultural and social justice issues; counseling competencies; counselor education
Stacey Havlik, PhD 鈥� School counselor preparation; counseling services for students experiencing homelessness; first-generation college students
Helen Lafferty, PhD 鈥� Higher education; promoting diversity in the liberal arts and sciences
Krista Malott, PhD - Effective counselor education practices and diversity awareness
Lisa Marco-Bujosa, PhD 鈥� STEM teachers in urban schools; teacher identity, learning, and practice
Rayna Markin, PhD 鈥� Attachment, mentalization, and pregnancy; psychotherapy process research; the therapeutic relationship
Christopher Schmidt, PhD - Counselor competency and cognitive complexity; family counseling agencies; mindfulness and emotion regulation
Rachel Skrlac Lo, PhD 鈥� Critical content analysis of picture books and young adult dystopia novels; children鈥檚 literacy engagement
Madora Soutter, EdD 鈥� Social-emotional learning (SEL); teacher preparation; and critical pedagogies.
Edward Wahesh, PhD 鈥� Counselor training and supervision; addictions and mental health
Teresa G. Wojcik, PhD 鈥� Curriculum and instruction; Social Studies education; global competence development in teacher education
Terence Yee, PhD 鈥� Counseling diverse populations; play therapy; international students鈥� help-seeking intentions
Conner, J. (Ed.). (2024). Handbook on youth activism. Edward Elgar Publishing.
Havlik, S. and Malott, K.M. (2024). Skill building for postsecondary success. American School Counselor Association.
Lewis, T. and Wahesh, E. (2023). Motivational interviewing in clinical mental health counseling. Routledge.
Lo, R. S., & Fierros, E. G. (2025). Integrating Critical Religious Literacy Into an Undergraduate Race and Justice Course:鈥� Why Is This Core Part of MCU History Omitted?鈥�. In Utilizing Case Studies in Literacy and Language Education (pp. 219-248). IGI Global Scientific Publishing.
Markin, R. D. (2024). Psychotherapy for pregnancy loss: Applying relationship science to clinical practice. Oxford University Press.
Soutter, M., Ward, A. E., & Ly, C. N. (2025). Transformative Social and Emotional Learning: Centering Equity and Social Justice in Pre-K-6 Classrooms. Teachers College Press.
Brookover, D. L. (2024). The Career Development and Social Determinants Framework: An Integrative Approach. Professional School Counseling, 28(1).
Chan, C. D., Malott, K. M., Malhotra, S., & Yee, T. (2025). Barriers to decolonizing counseling training: a consensual qualitative research study. Counseling Psychology Quarterly, 1-31.
Conner, J., Mitra, D. L., Holquist, S. E., Rosado, E., Wilson, C., & Wright, N. L. (2024). The pedagogical foundations of student voice practices: The role of relationships, differentiation, and choice in supporting student voice practices in high school classrooms. Teaching and Teacher Education, 142, 104540.
Hansen, N., Bialka, C. S., Wojcik, T. G., Sendrowski, A., Todd, M., & Violante, F. (2025). Requirement Versus Reality: Secondary Social Studies Teachers鈥� Attitudes and Practices When Teaching About Disability History. The Social Studies, 1-18.
Havlik, S. (2025). Equipping School Counselors to Support Youth Experiencing Homelessness. Professional School Counseling, 29(1).
Malott, K. M., Wahesh, E., Haley, A. S., Havlik, S., & McClatchy, L. (2025). A Mixed Methods Pilot Study of an Instructor Feedback Training to Mitigate Biased Feedback Toward Minoritized Instructors. Innovative Higher Education, 1-18.
Marco-Bujosa, L. M., McNeill, K. L., & Friedman, A. A. (2024). An exploration of beginning science teacher orientations toward social justice: 鈥淲hat does it mean to teach?鈥�. Journal of Science Teacher Education, 35(4), 343-362.
Markin, R. D., Kivlighan, D. M., Marmarosh, C., Ge, S., Kealy, D., & Hewitt, P. L. (2025). Group Leader and Member Here-and-now Focus and Therapeutic Factors: A Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count Analysis. Psychotherapy Research, 1-18.
Schmidt, C. D., Grigg, J. M., & Zizik, V. (2025). High Conflict Divorce in Counselor Education: Investigating an Emergent Curricular Gap. The Family Journal, 33(3), 385-391.
Wahesh, E., Jones, L. K., & Shaikh, A. N. (2025). Impact of Social Determinants of Health and Individual Characteristics on Suicidal Ideation and Treatment Utilization Among Young Adults Aged 18鈥�25 in the USA. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 1-16.
Edward Wahesh, PhD.,听谤eceived the 2025 Tolle Lege Award for excellence in teaching as a full time faculty member of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
Madora Soutter, EdD,听received the 2025 草榴社区 Junior Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching, which recognizes a faculty member who has been in a full-time position for less than seven years and has developed extraordinarily effective teaching approaches.
Christa Bialka, EdD,听 received the 2023听Christian R. and Mary F. Lindback Award for Outstanding Teaching Award.听 This is presented to an faculty member who听excels in undergraduate teaching.
Christa Bialka, EdD,听was recognized as the for the Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability by the Association on Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD) for her exceptional service to the Board and insightful peer review of the manuscripts submitted for publication each year.
Jerusha Conner, PhD,听谤eceived a grant from the Gates Foundation to study student voice and student outcomes with co-researchers from the Search Institute and Penn State University.
Lisa Marco-Bujosa, PhD,听was one of the recipients of a four-year, $2.8 million research and development grant funded through the National Science Foundation鈥檚 Discovery Research PreK-12 program to create a professional development program for secondary STEM teachers.
Terence Yee, PhD, was selected as the winner of the 2020 North Atlantic Region Association for Counselor Education and Supervision New Professional of the Year Award for his contributions to the field of counselor education, service, and research.
Professor Emerita Launches Grant Program
Connie Titone, EdD, is Professor Emerita in the Department of Education and Counseling. She served as a full-time Professor from 2001 to 2017 and as Chair of the Department from 2001 to 2009, preparing teachers and counselors to work in classroom and community settings.听
Dr. Titone is best known for her career-long focus and publication record on the history of the philosophy of education and gender, diversity and inclusion in school settings, as well as dynamic classroom instruction designed to lift every voice independent of the young person鈥檚 gender, race, or socio-economic background.听
Dr. Titone is also the founder and director of , a grant program dedicated to supporting and amplifying the voice and agency of girls in the classroom and beyond.