Online Newsletter
Fall 2026
COE raises $35.2M during Rising Tide 2.0 campaign
We extend our heartfelt gratitude to everyone who made this milestone possible!
Lasting Pride:
Stran-Hardin
Arena
In 2003, with grit and a lot of hustle, Drs. Margaret Stran and Brent Hardin launched the Alabama Adapted Athletics Program with the help of volunteers and use of a shared space.
Digital Literacy:
Preparing Young Learners for Future
Nancy and Gary Fayard recognized the importance of digital literacy and established an endowed professorship to meet this educational need. Their support is helping Dr. Amy Hutchison and her team make digital literacy education accessible to all students, starting with those in Alabama.
Investing in
Stronger Schools, Brighter Futures
Every child deserves the opportunity to receive a quality education in a school equipped to help them succeed. Thanks to the generosity of Mike and Kathy Mouron, more children in Alabama will get the chance to excel.
Private Support
Fuels Teacher Scholars
It’s difficult to underscore the importance of excellent teachers without acknowledging that every successful career depends on them. One could argue that the growth and sustainability of our communities rely on the quality of our education systems.
UA assists commission in evaluating
effects of screen use in classrooms
COE faculty contributing to research that will
help inform state policy recommendations
A PATH TO READING:
Project LIFT to provide intensive literacy support to students across rural Alabama
UA hosts literacy lab, brings educator prep faculty from across state to campus
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Burnham selected as assistant provost for undergraduate, general education
Professor of Counselor Education Dr. Joy Burnham was named the University's new assistant provost for undergraduate and general education. Her past leadership positions as senior associate dean of the College and director of the Office of International Programs give her invaluable experience for this role.
Esco chosen as interim head of kinesiology department
Professor of Exercise Science Dr. Michael Esco was selected as the interim head of the Department of Kinesiology.
Holley named interim associate dean for academic affairs
Professor of Higher Education Dr. Karri Holley was selected as interim associate dean for Graduate Academic Affairs, where she focuses on supporting graduate students from their first enrollment to degree completion. She also supports the work of graduate faculty on issues such as curriculum development, faculty-student mentorship and academic policies.
Winchester named director of graduate student success
Associate Professor of Exercise Science Dr. Lee Winchester was named the new director of graduate student success. In this position, he will work collaboratively with students, faculty and staff to further advance the College’s mission of graduate student success and strengthen the impact of our graduate programs.
Wingo selected as interim senior associate dean
Professor of Exercise Science was named the interim senior associate dean for the College of Education, where he will take the lead on faculty promotion and tenure, academic program development and more. He brings 11 years of experience as head of the Department of Kinesiology.
Industry leaders encourage UA students to
learn to question AI and not just use it
LITE lab brightens future for aspiring educators, in-service teachers and students across Alabama
Study: Young voters still care
but are less likely to act
Dr. Hyemin Han recently spoke to
UA News about his research evaluating
the civic engagement of college students
Teacher education course requires students to complete online training in effort to help prevent youth suicides
MOMENTS THAT MATTER
See what Special Education has been up to this year by using the drop-down sections below!
First Day of Class
First day of class calls for a little celebration! 🍎📚
The MAP faculty kicked off a new school year by celebrating the years of experience, passion and dedication each brings to preparing the next generation of teachers. Here’s to another year of learning and growing. Roll Tide! 🐘❤️
Pictured, from left, are Amber Barton, Lori White, Dr. Courtney O'Grady, Lisa Burgess, Sharron Maughn and Dr. Lauren Rollins.
AT Alabama Conference
Our MAP juniors had a great time volunteering alongside Dr. Elizabeth Stewart and MAP instructors at the AT Alabama Conference this week!
They left the conference with new connections, resources and ideas for making learning more accessible for ALL learners.
Our MAP team is so thankful for opportunities like this to learn, serve and grow!
PARCA Alignment Institute
From left, Amber Barton and Drs. Marissa Filderman, Brittany Adams and Cortney Dilgard were proud to participate in the inaugural PARCA Alignment Institute hosted by Auburn University's College of Education in August!
It was a valuable day of collaboration with educator preparation leaders from across Alabama as we worked to strengthen alignment with ALSDE standards, share promising practices, and prepare for upcoming PARCA evaluations. Together, we’re advancing educator preparation and supporting excellence in teaching and learning across our state.
Juniors help with SEW
Our MAP juniors had a great time sharing their talents and teaching during Summer Enrichment Workshop in June! We love seeing these future educators inspire and engage our gifted learners through hands-on, creative learning experiences.
Tuscaloosa City Schools highlight
Learning to Teach
in the Classroom📚
UA MAP students recently visited Rock Quarry Elementary School to experience authentic teaching and learning firsthand.
Future educators observed veteran teachers and even led lessons with Pre-K students, gaining valuable hands-on experience and insight into life in the classroom.
The UA and Tuscaloosa City Schools partnership provides a win-win: TCS classrooms become real-world learning labs for future educators, while UA students get an up-close look at the incredible teaching and learning happening right here in our community. 🍎
WVUA news feature on SEW
View our Facebook Reel
of the news segment here: facebook.com/share/v/1CXXE1L2pz
Counselor education program invites students to study abroad in Italy
Graduate and doctoral students in the counselor education program will have the opportunity to earn academic credit while exploring the history, culture and traditions of Italy during a study-abroad trip to Italy.
"UA in Italy: Counseling Abroad," a faculty-led program offered by the Department of Counselor Education, allows students to earn three credit hours during the May interim while connecting global perspectives to the counseling profession.
From May 11-27, 2027, participants will stay at Casa Cares in Tuscany and explore the heart of Italy with excursions to Florence, Rome, Pisa, Lucca, Siena and other iconic cultural and historical locations.
Program coordinator Dr. Matt McKenzie recently shared information about the experience during the Faculty-Led Study Abroad Fair.
Students can learn more about the program and complete the Education Abroad general application while awaiting the program’s official application launch.
Dr. Matt McKenzie and Big Al promote the upcoming UA in Italy: Counseling Abroad program during the Faculty-Led Study Abroad Fair in Crimson Commons on Sept. 16.
Dr. Matt McKenzie and Big Al promote the upcoming UA in Italy: Counseling Abroad program during the Faculty-Led Study Abroad Fair in Crimson Commons on Sept. 16.
Students who stopped by the tent learned about opportunities to study abroad while earning academic credit and experiencing the history, culture and beauty of Italy.
Students who stopped by the tent learned about opportunities to study abroad while earning academic credit and experiencing the history, culture and beauty of Italy.
Local elementary students explore STEM literacy during Code-N-Sensor summer camp
Curtner-Smith's spring trip brings teaching-
style research into Tokyo classrooms
Retirement has given Dr. Matthew Curtner-Smith an opportunity to gradually wind down, but a recent trip took the professor emeritus nearly 7,000 miles from Tuscaloosa to Tokyo. There, he spent nine days working with Japanese physical education teachers for an international research study.
Faculty & Staff Achievements
Johnson to receive 2026 NCTE Advancement of People of Color Leadership Award
The National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) recently announced that Associate Professor of Secondary English Language Arts Education Dr. Latrise Johnson will be receiving its 2026 Advancement of People of Color Leadership Award in November for her significant contribution to the council and the development of its professional community.
Johnson is a first-generation faculty mentor in the College and has also served on the review boards of several NCTE journals, the ELATE Nominating and Executive committees, the NCTE Executive Committee and as co-director of the Cultivating New Voices among Scholars of Color program.
Johnson will be honored for her excellence and presented with the prestigious award during the NCTE Annual Convention Nov. 19-22 in Philadelphia, Penn.
Barksdale selected as 2026-27 member of Leadership Tuscaloosa
Dr. Demitrius Barksdale was recently selected as a member of the 20267-27 class of Leadership Tuscaloosa.
The nine-month leadership development program provides a strong foundation for potential leaders to thrive and be involved in the local community.
Barnard-Brak named editor of post-secondary education, disability journal
Dr. Lucy Barnard-Brak was named editor of the Association of Higher Education and Disability's Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability. She will begin her editorial service in January 2027.
News outlets highlight Boudreaux before NYC marathon run this weekend
Dr. Benjamin Boudreaux will run the New York City Marathon this Sunday, and leading up to the run, he has been featured by several news outlets, including the WBRC 6 News segment Good Day Alabama. Each highlights his outstanding work as a professor and advocate as well as his passion for running marathons:
- Alabama Public Radio's "UA professor to take part in Sunday’s New York Marathon"
- WVUA 23's "University of Alabama professor to run in NYC marathon" with video
You can also check out this article from our Summer 2026 edition discussing Boudreaux's successful spring semester!
Denham celebrates over 100 days as associate provost, dean of Grad School
Dr. André Denham is celebrating more than 100 days as UA's new associate provost and dean of the Graduate School.
Denham, who is also a professor of instructional technology, began his new roles on July 1 after serving as the Graduate School's Associate Dean for Academic Affairs since 2021. In his previous position, he led campuswide efforts in creating new graduate programs, accreditation as well as student and professional development, among other duties.
Cortney Dilgard receives research award, featured in news segment
Dr. Cortney Dilgard received the 2026 James R. Linton Research Award from the Alabama Literacy Association, recognizing scholarship that advances literacy research and practice across the state. She was also featured in an ABC 33/40 news segment discussing how families can better understand their children's reading assessment scores.
Check out the video below to see Dr. Dilgard, who comes in at 2:01: https://youtu.be/uQoOgdXyT7A?si=fASBiIlLqDHHNlIz
Kelly Guyotte chosen as member of 2026-27 Leadership U class
Dr. Kelly Guyotte was selected for the 2026-27 Leadership U cohort. The Leadership U program helps fellows expand their leadership knowledge, skills and values in higher education.
Hargreaves featured in article, nominated to work wheelchair world championships
Darrell Hargreaves was featured in "Referee Magazine" discussing his journey into wheelchair basketball officiating. He was also selected to officiate at the Wheelchair Basketball World Championships, where he earned the assignment of working the men's gold medal game.
Ryan Hynes named Team U.S.A. women's wheelchair basketball coach
Dr. Ryan Hynes was named head coach of the 2027 U.S. Women's U25 Wheelchair Basketball Team. He previously led Team USA to a 7-0 record and a gold medal at the 2023 IWBF Women's U25 World Championship.
Cailin Kerch appointed to state screen-based learning commission
Dr. Cailin Kerch was recently appointed to appointed to Gov. Kay Ivey's Commission on Screen-Based Instruction. She will be lending her expertise as a higher education researcher and is serving as vice chair of the commission.
The new commission was created to determine how screen access can enhance K-12 classroom learning without becoming a distraction. Their evidence-based recommendations will help inform future Alabama legislation.
Read more about the Dr. Kerch and the commission's work here.
Moon selected for two faculty research excellence awards
Dr. Jewoong Moon received both the 2026 Nellie Rose McCrory Faculty Excellence Award for Research and The University of Alabama President's Faculty Research Excellence Award. He was also appointed to the editorial boards of the International Journal of Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning and the British Journal of Educational Technology. These appointments recognize ongoing contributions to research and scholarship in learning sciences, educational technology and AI-supported learning.
Kagendo Mutua to serve on national higher ed. board of directors
Dr. Kagendo Mutua has been appointed to the national Board of Directors of the Inclusive Higher Education Accreditation Council. The appointment reflects her longstanding contributions to advancing inclusive higher education opportunities for students with disabilities.
Daniel Pimentel named NCSE Sound Science Fellow
Dr. Daniel Pimentel was accepted into the two-year National Center for Science Education (NCSE) Sound Science Fellowship program. Pimentel will be collaborating with NCSE staff and other fellows to develop content and conduct research about the nature of science.
Stewart featured in study, article on assistive communication
Dr. Elizabeth Stewart, research assistant professor of special education, was featured in a national study examining the impact of assistive communication technology. The research found that assistive communication tools can significantly improve quality of life while providing measurable economic benefits.
Alumni & Student News
Dr. Preeti Nichani honored as one of 39 National Distinguished Principals
Northridge Middle School Principal and UA alumna Dr. Preeti Nichani was honored earlier this month as one of 39 National Distinguished Principals (NAESP) in Washington, D.C., by the National Association of Elementary School Principals.
In the spring, Nichani was selected as Alabama's 2026 NAESP Distinguished Principal by the Alabama Association of Elementary School Administrators for her outstanding leadership as principal for nine years at Tuscaloosa Magnet Schools-Elementary.
She is the very first Tuscaloosa City Schools principal to earn this honor and joins the 2,407 National Distinguished Principals from across the country who have also been recognized.
In March, Nichani said this prestigious award isn't just for her.
“It's every educator with Tuscaloosa City Schools over the last 24 years who has touched me. It's all the students who have shaped me and the parents I get to work with – this award belongs to them," she said.
Preeti assumed the role of principal at Northridge Middle in July.
Read more about Nichani and her journey into education in the article "Tuscaloosa Magnet Schools Elementary principal receives national honor," which was featured in our previous newsletter.
(Photo courtesy of TCS Facebook page)
(Photo courtesy of TCS Facebook page)
Mulholland’s heat stress research featured by Mercer
College of Education alumna Dr. Annie Mulholland was featured in a Mercer University article about her work developing the Heat Strain Index, a short survey designed to help employers monitor workers’ heat exposure and guide individualized recovery. Mulholland, who earned her master’s and doctoral degrees in exercise physiology from UA, began developing the tool with Dr. Jonathan Wingo while she was a doctoral student. She is now an assistant professor of kinesiology in Mercer’s College of Health Professions.
Sims selected for latest Leadership Tuscaloosa class
Retired College of Education staff member Dr. Emily Sims was selected for Leadership Tuscaloosa’s Class of 2026-27. The nine-month leadership development program prepares participants to become more involved and thrive as leaders in the Tuscaloosa community.
She also recently accomplished a bucket-list item of traveling to all 50 states!
David Awoyemi earns Young Researcher Award
Doctoral candidate in instructional technology David Awoyemi was selected by the Association for Educational Communications and Technology’s Research and Theory Division to receive the 2026 Young Researcher Award. The award recognizes outstanding quantitative or qualitative research conducted by doctoral candidates and early-career scholars and will be presented during the division’s awards ceremony in Chicago.
Mohi Uddin awarded emerging scholar honor
Mohammad Mohi Uddin, a doctoral candidate in instructional technology, received the Emerging Scholar Award from the Common Ground Research Networks and served as its themed session chair at the 21st International Conference on Interdisciplinary Social Sciences at the University of Galway in Ireland.
His work was also selected as one of the best submissions at the International Academic Forum Conference at Sorbonne University in France, where he also received partial funding. He also attended the Lilly Conference in Austin, Texas, where he presented his collaborative research on AI course development with full funding support.
Uddin has published seven articles this year, including work in journals published by Taylor & Francis and Springer Nature. A collaborative manuscript abstract was accepted for a Cambridge University Press special issue, and two additional abstracts were accepted for 2027 Common Ground Research Networks conferences in Ireland and Australia.
Anne Lee earns volunteer service award
Anne Layton Lee, one of our fantastic elementary education students, received the 2026 Allison Anne Bronner Volunteer Award for her service work at the RISE Center after she continued volunteering once her 491 course placement ended.
Instructional Technology doctoral students Stephen Abu and Mohi Uddin enjoyed cheering on the Crimson Tide against East Carolina on Sept. 5 during the first home football game of the 2026 season. The Tide won 48–10.
VISIT EDPOLICYCENTER.UA.EDU FOR MORE INFORMATION.
Alumni Spotlight
Ed Boeder, a 1974 alumnus of the College of Education, recounts his experience as a student teacher in Tehran, Iran, during his senior year at The University of Alabama.
As I've been finishing up this newsletter, I keep finding myself thinking about my grandmother. She passed away recently after more than two months in the hospital and a brief stay in hospice care. We truly did not expect to lose her, and as her health began to decline, I will admit that my mind has been on everything except writing.
(Hence the delay in this issue, and for that, I sincerely apologize.)
We held a memorial service a few weekends ago celebrating her 87 years here on earth. More than 30 of those years were spent as an educator teaching elementary students Calhoun County, several of them being her own children. After moving to Tuscaloosa after my grandfather passed, she continued to teach Bible school classes and worked with students over the summer, including some of her great-grandchildren.
Though I was never one of my grandmother's students, she taught me a lot as well.
She always put the needs of others before her own and knew when they needed a handwritten note of encouragement or just to hear that someone was thinking about them. I saw how selfless, caring and kind she was, a tenacious and resilient woman, even in her 80s, who loved to read, work on crossword puzzles, watch "Jeopardy!" and Hallmark movies, and, above all, spend time with family. We were her pride and joy. She celebrated our achievements, even if we didn't, tucking accomplishments and memories away in scrapbooks for safe keeping.
As we looked through some of her things after the funeral, I realized she had been doing this her entire life, filling scrapbook pages with mementos of her own milestones as she grew up. We found several tattered scrapbooks lined with sweet notes from friends, doodles, report cards and the black ink of newspaper clippings showing her as first chair clarinet and president of the school Latin club. I could feel how proud she was of all she accomplished through the years.
My grandmother always had a love for learning and worked hard for her education. She received her bachelor's degree from the University of Montevallo, still an all-girl school at the time, then earned her master's from Jacksonville State University while she taught. A little more than three years ago, I watched her face light up as I told her I accepted a job with the College of Education where I would be putting my journalism degree to use again. She enjoyed reading my articles and always wanted the best for me.
One of the last conversations we had was about my writing. Grandmother asked what I was working on, and I told her, though less self-assured than she had hoped, something she always chided me about. She never shied away from telling me to take more pride in my work.
"You need to be more confident in yourself," she said. "Have confidence in your writing! I want you to be proud of yourself the way I'm proud of you."
So, I promised her that I would do better. And when she passed, I promised myself that I will try even harder to make her proud, strive to be more like her and work to build the confidence that she would want me to have in myself.
Though I miss my grandmother dearly, I know that I will continue to learn from her. I will continue to write, and through my work, I will help keep her love for learning and education alive. And, at the end of each day, I know that she will always be proud of me.
By Kelcey Sexton
Newsletter Editor & Writer,
Communications Specialist
Visit the official College of Education website at education.ua.edu.