Alumni Spotlights :: Fall 2004

Mary Dahlquist Sessions (‘78)
It is so nice to get this newsletter. I graduated in 1978 and taught in Orem, Utah and then moved to Portland, Oregon. After raising three kids, I have been back substituting for the last eight years and love it. Two of my three children are majoring in education at BYU-Idaho. I hope others send in updates!

Ann Egbert Allred (‘80)
I attended MSE 1975- 1980. I graduated the day AFTER my 1st daughter was born. She showed up a month early. Anyway, that was 24 years ago, and although I have never used my ECE degree in the classroom, I am in the process of raising 5 children in Laie, Hawaii: the eldest just graduated from BYU-Hawaii in English/Theatre; the second is a sophomore here in and my third is beginning her freshman year here. Then come my 9th-grader and kindergartner. My husband Randal (B.A. 1981; M.A. 1983; PhD [UCLA] 1993) has taught English here at BYU-Hawaii since 1993.

Wendy (Burgdorf) Combs, (‘86)
I’ve taught for 16 years full time, in Rupert, ID; Las Vegas, NV; and currently in Clinton, UT. I have taught regular ed. and ESL (or ELL) classes. In Nevada I also taught inservices in ESL instruction. This year I am a little nervous as I am changing to part time and teaching only one subject: music. The reason for the change is a great one though...so I can spend more time at home the my three children, ages 4, 2, and 1. After all, they are my greatest accomplishment!

Trudy Heyland Sheffield (’86) writes:
“What a nice surprise to get connected with my alumni! As a 1986 graduate, I've just got back to my first love (teaching) after a 15-year absence. We live in Tokyo, where our children attend the American School in Japan and I am substitute teaching on a regular basis.”

Doug Armstrong (’82) writes:
“This is the first newsletter I have received and I am really excited about hearing more about this. I am presently teaching grade 4 with a wonderful class of 29 students in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. I have been teaching for 15 years now, in both regular classes and special education. I now have additional qualifications in special education, guidance and reading.”

Alumni, please let us hear from you!

Mail us a note at:
301 MCKB
Provo, UT 84602

or e-mail us at: msenews@byu.edu

We would love to learn what you are doing and, with your permission, to publish a few lines in the newsletter to let your former classmates and professors know as well. Please be sure to include your maiden name, if applicable, and the year you graduated.

July 2004 Alumni Spotlight

Note: This month we are spotlighting the activities and accomplishments of a few McKay School alumni who are now working at the McKay School—specifically, in the Educational Leadership and Foundations Department. (Last month we profiled alumni in the Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology Department and the Counseling Psychology and Special Education Department.)

Steven C. Baugh ('69, '70, '78) is an associate professor in the Educational Leadership and Foundations Department, and executive director of the BYU-Public School Partnership. Prior to joining the faculty in 2000, he served for 30 years as a public school superintendent, principal, and teacher. He is a Leadership Associate (Cohort II), Institute for Educational Inquiry, Seattle, WA. His research interests center on professional development within school-university partnerships. His most recent publication (Co-authored with Ellen Williams) is entitled, “The Evolution of the Leadership Associates Program: A Professional Development Journey from Seattle to Cedar Ridge,” Center for Educational Renewal, University of Washington, September 2003.

Steven J. Hite (’80, ’82) is an associate professor in the Educational Leadership and Foundations Department. He has conducted research regarding the historical, theoretical and methodological bases of traditional and contemporary educational research methodologies and methods in all of the states and territories of the USA, as well as Canada, India, Israel, Mali, Nepal, Palestine, The People’s Republic of China, Poland, South Africa, Uganda, Western Samoa, and Zimbabwe. His most active current interest is in the application of Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and Education Management Information Systems (EMIS) in educational research and evaluation to improve the quality, efficiency, effectiveness, and equality of educational opportunities for disadvantaged individuals, families and communities in developing countries.

Joseph L. Matthews (’87) is an associate professor in the Educational Leadership and Foundations Department. He is affiliated with the Leaders Preparation Program (LPP), a special fifteen-month graduate program that was established 18 years ago to grant students a Master of Education degree and eligibility for a Utah administrative/supervisory license. Students are sponsored by their school districts to participate while continuously employed in the schools. He is also interested in the development of masters programs.

E. Vance Randall (’75, ’78) is the chair of the Educational Leadership and Foundations Department. He has recently published journal articles on education in Palestine and in Newfoundland. He also co-authored a book chapter entitled “Vouchers: Still (largely) untested, and why.”

A LeGrand Richards (’75, ’82) is an associate professor in the Educational Leadership and Foundations Department. He has published and presented in the areas of educational philosophy, history, and international thought, including analyses of figures such as Plato, Aristotle, Rousseau, Nietzsche, Kierkegaard, Montessori, and Dewey. He has also published on themes such as secularization, technology, comparative education, education in the Third Reich, postmodernism, and the educational importance of the family. Richards is the former president and current editor for the Far Western Philosophy of Education Society. He has been involved recently in questions of equity, conducting an extensive study of demographics and educational opportunities across Provo. He is also constructing a history of grading, especially at BYU.

MSE

Alumni Spotlights :: Fall 2004

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