Passing of Elaine Jessen
October 21, 2011
Elaine Jessen, B.A. ’83, M.A. Whole Systems Design ‘85, and a longtime core faculty member in the AUS Whole Systems Design program passed away October 20th.
Elaine co-taught the very first systems thinking course at AUS back in the early ‘80’s. She pioneered graduate level intercultural studies, taking many groups of students to Bali. In addition, she taught in both the individualized WSD program as well as the OSR track, participated in the formation of the Center for Creative Change and later taught in the OSR program at Seattle University.
She combined a sharp intellect with boundless heart, full of love and courage. Elaine delighted in life—even in tough times—in ways that were infectious. She brought out the best in those around her.
Her family suggests that those wishing to memorialize Elaine do something wonderful for someone you love—which is truly her legacy—and that in lieu of flowers donations be made to Healing Journeys (www.healingjourneys.org). There will be a service in Bremerton at her Unitarian Fellowship to be announced later.
Here at AUS her legacy lives on in the Whole Systems Design program and the Center for Creative Change that owe much to her insight, skills, knowledge, and love. Deepest appreciations for having been with us, Elaine!
AUS Founder Visits Campus
October 18, 2011
More than 30 alumni, faculty, staff and students came together Monday, Oct. 17th, to hear comments from Dean Elias, the founder of AUS in 1975, to participate in storytelling and conversations on making meaning of this experience we call “Antioch” and to discuss what has changed over the years.
Below are photos of the evening.
AUS School of Education Alum Named Washington State Regional Teacher of the Year
October 5, 2011
For the past two years, an Antioch University Seattle School of Education alumna has been a Regional Washington State Teacher of the Year and a finalist for the Washington State Teacher of the Year award given annually by the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction. In 2011 it was Abigail Chandler, M.A. Education ’99. For 2012 it is Julie Trout, M.A. Education ’97.
Julie teaches art in Seattle - for the last three years at BF Day Elementary and this year at Gatewood Elementary. Her passion for art in school was ignited in fourth grade when a teacher used collages, drama and quilting to bring joy into learning for the students in her rural West Virginia classroom.
Julie carries out this same practice in her own classroom, where she uses art as a vehicle for struggling students to discover their own potential or find new ways of communicating. She believes this experience sets kids up for success by establishing a school as a safe place where they can be themselves. The problem-solving and evaluation skills that students learn in context of their artwork can then be applied to other subjects and their own lives.
Julie is also passionate about using art as a vehicle for teaching other subjects. Because art is the representation of social and historical events, concepts in the humanities are more easily understood through the lens of art. Students understand where their own art comes from which gives them greater insight into the art of Holocaust survivors, Sudanese refugees or migrant farm workers.
Julie’s colleagues and teaching partners say Julie is committed to a personalized approach to professional development, one that targets what the whole teacher needs to stay healthy and vital, but also offers many choices.
This focus on individual needs permeates all that Julie does and reinforces her belief that a preoccupation with standardized testing has promoted a one-size-fits-all approach to education that marginalizes the value of an arts rich classroom. And though she welcomes the concept of art as an academic discipline, she reminds us that not everything that matters can be measured.
Founder of Antioch University Seattle To Visit Campus
October 4, 2011
Dean Elias, the founder of Antioch University Seattle, is coming up from California to visit AUS on Monday, Oct. 17th, to meet with alumni, faculty and staff during the evening and then participate in Convocation on Tuesday, Oct. 18th.
Alumni from all class years are personally invited to come back to Antioch Monday evening and make meaning together of this experience we call “Antioch.” We’ll share stories of what brought us to AUS, what kept/keeps us there, perhaps even what drove some away….what patterns persist? What has changed? Why have we “always” done it that way?
A reception will be held from 5 to 6 p.m. and an interactive program from 6 to 8:30 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 17th in room 100. Dr. Shana Hormann, associate academic dean and dean of students and Dr. Mark Hower, Center for Creative Change core faculty, will facilitate. Food and beverages will be served.
Please bring your stories, but first RSVP for the Monday night event to Kate DeShiell at 206-268-4108 or kdeshiell@antioch.edu.
Antioch University National Awards
September 28, 2011
2011: President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll with Distinction
Antioch University was recognized as a leader among institutions of higher education for our support of volunteering, service-learning, and civic engagement. As such, Antioch University was admitted to the 2010 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll with Distinction for it’s strong institutional commitment to service and compelling campus-community partnerships that produce measureable results for the community. (This recognition was awarded in 2011 for the 2010 school year)
2012: USA Today - Top 20 Colleges Most Committed to Community Service
USA Today named Antioch University as one of the Top 20 Colleges Most Committed to Community Service.
2012: Top Ten Innovative Colleges and Universities
The National Education Association and the National Association of Independent Colleges & Universities chose Antioch University as one of the top ten Innovative Colleges and Universities in the nation.
2012: US News & World Report - 2012 Best Colleges Ranking
US News & World Report recognized AU Los Angeles, AU Midwest, and AU Santa Barbara to the 2012 Best Colleges Ranking.
New Interim Director of Clinical Training Named
August 1, 2011
Cheryl Azlin, Psy.D., has joined the AUS Psy.D. faculty as interim Director of Clinical Training (DCT), effective August lst. Dr. Azlin completed her doctoral training in clinical psychology at the APA-accredited program at Fuller Graduate School of Psychology, Pasadena, CA, and completed her doctoral internship at Children’s Hospital, Boston, as a Clinical Fellow in Psychology, Harvard Medical School.
Dr. Azlin has been in private practice for over 16-years, has an active nursing degree, and has been a Visiting Associate Professor and Adjunct Faculty at Northwest University, Graduate Counseling Programs, and Fuller Theological Seminary. Her major clinical and teaching interests are in adult and child clinical psychology, developmental psychology, health psychology, and the psychology of spirituality.
Summer Quarter Edition of Library Newsletter Published
July 19, 2011
Here is the link to the summer quarter edition of the library newsletter, the Quarterly Vue:
http://antiochseattle.libguides.com/newsletter
AUS To Host First Ever All-Program Open House
July 14, 2011
BRING A FRIEND, SPREAD THE WORD
We hope your Antioch education continues to enrich your professional and personal life. As a life-long member of the Antioch community, we invite you to join us in sharing about the wonderful academic programs available at Antioch University Seattle.
On Tuesday, August 2 for the first time, in many years, we will be representing all of the academic programs offered at Antioch University Seattle on one night. We will be convening around a common theme of Education for Social Engagement.
B.A. in Liberal Studies Completion Program
School of Education
School of Applied Psychology, Counseling and Family Therapy
Center for Creative Change
Faculty, alumni and students will be sharing their experiences of Antioch and our program offerings. President Cassandra Manuelito-Kerkvliet, our new Vice President of Academic Affairs Peter M. Rojcewicz, along with faculty, staff and students will be hosting a meet and greet beginning at 5pm. Food and beverages will be served. The formal welcome and program presentations will begin at 6p.m. We expect this public event to be quite engaging and a bright showcase of the best of Antioch.
We encourage you to invite friends, family and colleagues to join us:
What: All Program Open House
When: Tuesday, August 2
Time: 5 p.m. Informal Meet and Greet with food and refreshments. 6 p.m. Welcome and Program Presentations
Where: Antioch University Seattle, 2326 Sixth Ave, Seattle 98121
Guests can RSVP at: http://antiochsea.askadmissions.net/emtinterestpage.aspx?ip=openhouse
Don’t forget to mention the Alumni Referral Application Fee Waiver Program. Any applicants referred by alumni can apply for free. Forms are available from admissions or institutional advancement.
We hope to see you!
Antioch University Seattle Open House Committee
Hal Morris Named 2011 AUS Distinguished Alumnus
July 3, 2011
Hal (Arval) Morris, M.A. Psychology ’06, is the recipient of the 2011 Antioch University Seattle Distinguished Alumnus Award and was honored both at Commencement ceremonies and a private reception held on Friday, June 26, at the Benaroya Hall in downtown Seattle.
Antioch’s first president, Horace Mann, exhorted alumni to distinguish themselves by winning “victories for humanity.” Arval (Hal) Morris, M.A. Psychology ’06, responded to Mann’s call to action both dynamically and literally by building bridges between countries, between languages and between individuals.
His passion for travel has led him abroad extensively: to Europe, Africa, Asia and South America. While living in Guatemala prior to entering graduate school, he began to feel the pull that would eventually lead him to Brazil and to founding the Brazilian Children’s Charity (BCC), an organization that provides counseling and other services to low-income and homeless children.
The communities Morris found in Brazil resonated with his beliefs and the need he encountered there called him to action. “I saw so many problems and mental health issues not being addressed. It just wasn’t fair to the children,” he says. “But also, I found a culture that is unique in that Brazilians are the only people I’ve found that are in the Western system but also collectivists like those I met in Asia.”
Morris actually started the BCC before receiving his Psychology degree with a dual concentration in Mental Health Counseling and Couple and Family Therapy. He opened the first office in Rio de Janeiro, a vibrant but dangerous, city with dramatic socio-economic divisions, gang-violence and social upheaval.
In preparation for the 2014 World Cup, the Brazilian government has begun a program of “pacification” but while progress has been made in bringing the slums under control, often it is the children who are caught in the middle of the conflict. More than 80 percent of homeless people are addicted to crack. Murder is the number one cause of death for males 15-44 years of age and children in Rio are eight times more likely to die of violent causes than in the West Bank.
The homeless are left with few resources. Social and financial assistance is rare, so the work of the BCC is critical to helping children cope with poverty, violence, drug addiction, STDs and psychological ailments.
Both for reasons of privacy and for safety, Morris and his students usually provide their services outside the office. Frequently they travel to their patients and work in churches, schools, private homes or even outside at the beach.
To grow the organization, Morris has planned the BCC “capacity building” model as one which will expand to include three non-profit funding organizations (in Brazil, the United States (US) and Germany), a guest lecture series, a restaurant to provide-job skills training and an education program to train new staff.
An important part of the work is training new therapists. The BCC offers Brazilian University psychology students paid, year-long internships and Morris hopes to grow the program from training its current capacity of two students a year to ten. He is also looking toward opening branch offices in other Brazilian cities such as Fortaleza, Recife, Salvador, Natal, Belo Horizonte, Sao Paulo and Vitoria.
Whether he’s taking therapy to the streets of Brazil or building bridges between nations, Morris’s efforts are working. The world needs Hal Morris and he’s answering the call.
Innovative EcoPsychologist Captures Imagination of AUS and AUNE Alums
June 8, 2011
Alumni, staff and administrators from Antioch University Seattle and Antioch University New England gathered together Tuesday, June 7th in Seattle to listen to a fascinating speaker and to celebrate Antioch University moving towards becoming one community. The speaker was Dr. Thomas J. Doherty, an AUNE alum who lives in Portland.
Doherty is an expert in a newly emerging field called EcoPsychology who is committed to helping people live better lives by integrating environmental issues into their personal health. “As a psychologist, my mission is to promote health and we are increasingly realizing that our personal health is linked to the health of the planet.”
Doherty is also scheduled to speak in Portland on Thursday, June 9th at 6 p.m. at the Billy J. Frank Conference Center, The Natural Capital Center. AUS alumni are urged to attend this free, catered event and network with old friends and meet new ones. To RSVP contact Faith Linksy at flinsky@antioch.edu.
