Welcome from the Dean
Welcome to the College of Public Service Newsletter. As we head toward the end of the Spring semester and graduation, it is a good time to reflect on the year. It has truly been a remarkable year in the College of Public Service. Our award winning programs continue to innovate and prosper, our students are engaged and ready to take on their professions, and we continue to work to make a positive difference in the City of Houston. I hope you enjoy reading about our college.
Farewell To An Amazing Dean
We would like to share that Dr. Jonathan Schwartz will be stepping down as Dean of the College of Public Service at the end of May 2024 after serving five years in this position. While we are sad to lose him, luckily, he is not going far. Recently he was named the Associate Vice President for Advancement at UHD where he will be spearheading efforts to enhance foundation and private support while initiating and cultivating new strategic partnerships.
His innovative leadership and accomplishments led the College to new heights during his time as Dean and his vision for our programs, our faculty and staff, and our students will continue as we move into the future. We wish Dean Schwartz all the best as he moves into this new and exciting position and look forward to his continued support in the areas of donor relations and impactful fundraising activities that will benefit CPS. The University is currently undergoing a search for an Interim Dean of CPS with a plan to search for a permanent Dean scheduled to begin in Fall 2024.
vitalvoices
The vitalvoices Speaker Series serves as a forum to bring scholars and practitioners alike to speak to students, faculty, staff, alumni, and community partners at UHD's College of Public Service. Those we invite to speak share, from the heart, their professional experiences, their knowledge, and how the work they do impacts society as a whole. The work of our speakers is interdisciplinary and touches upon the fields of social work, criminal justice, and urban education.
Loneliness: An Untold Epidemic Story
Epidemic is a word typically used to characterize the spread of infectious diseases in communities. However, in recent times, there’s been a shifting focus on how loneliness has reached epidemic levels – across generations, geographies, and cultures. More people are feeling lonely, isolated, and disconnected, with stark physical and emotional consequences. This is not a new phenomenon, but there is an untold story surfacing around the extent and pervasiveness of its impact. Loneliness can occur to married couples, within families, within communities, and inside school classrooms. It can happen to virtually anyone, anywhere. Want to learn more about how this phenomenon can be impacting you? Your children? Your relationships? To learn these answers and more see the CPSCR website.
vitalalumni
The Center for Public Service and Community Research, in keeping with the purpose and intent of our vitalvoices seriesthat brings professionals in the fields of Criminal justice, Social Work and Urban Education to campus to share the relevance of their professional experience and current work, The Center for Public Service and Community Research created vitalalumni speaker series. This spring semester the Center hosted three events with alumni from each of our three degree programs returning to campus to share their experiences with current students.
Upcoming Events & Celebrating Accomplishments
The 2024 TXNAME Conference is fast approaching and will take place May 2nd - 4th, 2024, here at UHD in the One Main Building. This event is being co-sponsored by our very own CPS! Dr. Christal Burnett Sanchez and Dr. Tonya Jeffery will serve on the TXNAME Board and on this year’s conference planning committee. Also, Dr. Bernardo Pohl is this year’s recipient of the prestigious TXNAME Research Award. We cordially invite you to join us for this event which promises to be an exceptional opportunity for networking, learning, and professional growth.
To kick off the final day of the TXNAME Conference, Dr. Laura Mitchell will be leading an invigorating ‘Chair Yoga’ session on Saturday, May 4th from 7:15 AM – 8:15 AM outside on the South Deck. It’s the perfect way to energize your body and mind for a day of learning and networking at the conference.
The Graduate Hooding Ceremony will be held at 6:30 pm on May 8th in the Success & Wellness Center. The UHD 76th Commencement Ceremony will be held at NRG on Friday, May 10th at 3:00 pm.
There will soon be a leadership transition in the Department of Urban Education. Dr. Ash Tiwari has been elected the Interim Chair for the Department of Urban Education (UE). In addition, Dr. Bernardo Pohl will serve as Assistant Chair of UE Graduate Studies and Dr. Elizabeth Stackhouse will serve as Assistant Chair for UE Undergraduate Studies.
The Bilingual Digital e-Library team led by Dr. Irene Chen and Dr. Maria Bhattacharjee was featured in a great article about their project. The article entitled "Bilingual Digital Literacy Program Fosters Creativity | Internet for All" is linked below:
Under the leadership of Shawn Aykroyd, the Urban Education department has been working together as a team to support their students' testing efforts. All certification pass rates are gradually increasing, but the following areas are above 90% since September 1, 2023 for first 2 attempts: Bilingual Education Supplemental, ELAR 7-12, ESL, Life Science 7-12, Mathematics 7-12, STR, Social Studies 7-12 and EC-12 Special Education.
Dr. Angie Goins organized a successful Faculty Adjunct Meet and Greet as part of her CTLE Fellowship.
D.A.I.R. to be More. D.A.I.R. to Teach
D.A.I.R. to Teach is an innovative initiative that enhances teaching skills, deepens understanding of diverse student populations, and fosters connections with educational leaders. The program is designed to empower educators to better serve their students and communities by providing access to professional development opportunities, resources, and support.
Destination Downtown - Fall 2024
Destination Downtown is designed to give a preview of all UHD has to offer. During this event UHD's 4 colleges and 45 degree programs were highlighted for attendees. Attendees also learned about the UHD admissions process, support services, financial aid & scholarship opportunities. Tours of the campus were also available, including the new Wellness & Success Center.
UHD's Bayou BASH
Temperatures are rising, spring is in the air, and the May 2024 Commencement Ceremony will be here before you know it. It is the time of year when Gators take a break from studying and head for the bayou (well, this year: the Naylor Lot!) for UHD’s annual Bayou Bash, a Cajun-inspired night of music, food, and fun. On Thursday, March 21, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., the Naylor Lot was the perfect spot for hosting this event with a multitude of activities, food trucks, and beverages.
There was something for everyone—from inflatables for the kiddos to great food and beverages. Can’t get enough of the Houston Rodeo? There was a mechanical bull! Looking for some body art? Henna artists were on hand! Putting on your dancing shoes? There was a DJ playing a mix of tunes. In addition, there was seafood, custom street signs, and a street market with fun things to buy from a variety of vendors. It was a great Cajun-style party for the campus community!
Empowered Youth Hosted Guest Speaker Event
The College appreciates the work of Empowered Youth including the planning and hosting of this event and would like to express our gratitude to Texas State Senator Carol Alvarado and State Representative Christina Morales or taking time out of their busy schedules to speak to current and future voters on the UHD campus.
The College appreciates the work of Empowered Youth including the planning and hosting this event and would like to express our gratitude to Texas State Senator Carol Alvarado and State Representative Christina Morales for taking time out of their busy schedules to speak to current and future voters on the UHD campus.
Gator Advisory Board Internship Panel
The College of Public Service's Gator Advisory Board Internship Panel was amazing! The panelists shared their internship experiences and what their internships meant to them. Faculty panelists described the various internships available to students and how to go about enrolling in internship/field experience courses. The College thanks the Gator Advisory Board for hosting this fun and informational event for students.
College of Public Service 2024 Student Award Ceremony
On April 3, 2024 Argentina Barrios, Vanessa Sebastian, and Emanuel Romero made a poster presentation based on their service-learning experience in CJ 4316: Human Trafficking last year. Does a service-learning class work? “Not all the time,” Dr. Harris is often heard saying. However, Dr. Harris continues by saying that many students end a service-learning course with a “real sense of self and want to continue what they have learned in and out of the classroom.”
Human Trafficking Victims Donation Drive
The College would like to recognize the CJ 4316: Human Trafficking course and the two students who applied for and were awarded a Human Trafficking Grant for their dedicated work. On Wednesday, April 24th students in the course brought donations for Human Trafficking victims/survivors to Harris County Precinct One for distribution to those in need. The College would like to thank Youth Service America and the Hershey Company for supporting this Human Trafficking Awareness Project.
Student Spotlight
For this Student Spotlight we would like to present Juan Solis IV. He is currently 19 and looks forward to turning 20 this coming October. His current outlook on life is to take one day at a time and, also to know what is ahead of you and make the best out of it. Juan tries to do his best, especially while in college, because you can find some amazing opportunities and Juan can't thank everyone enough at UHD who has given him support. However, college can also be overwhelming at times so, according to Juan, it's best to take one thing at a time and try not to fall into a bad headspace and procrastinate about fixing it.
Juan was born in Humble, Texas on October 8, 2004. Ever since then, his family has stayed in Houston, specifically the Aldine area. Many people ask him: "why I chose UHD?" Well, for starters, it was the most convenient place for him to attend college. He had already taken LoneStar courses in high school, but he wanted to take a chance and to try something new. Another reason why he chose UHD is because he has had family members attend UHD and they have given him great advice about what the UHD campus experience is like.
Juan’s major is 4-8th Grade English Education. He picked this major specifically because he knows that he can be an excellent teacher to the youth here in Houston and it would be an honor to give back to the community that he grew up in. Juan also picked this major and track because he has experience with those grades more than others. Lastly, Juan has had so many amazing teachers who inspired him to become one himself. One of those is Michael Maly. He's been a huge supporter of Juan’s work and has always had his back and he can't thank him enough. Juan also can't thank Pamela Lechler enough for pushing him to become a teacher and being a massive supporter of him when he was questioning what he wanted to do once he graduates.
Juan feels like, once he graduates, he can be a great and relatable teacher to his students. Juan's teaching philosophy is to be strict but fair, but also fun and to keep his students engaged in the lesson. He feels like some teachers try to share this same philosophy but lean into one of those things more than the other. With his enthusiasm and confidence, Juan will work hard to make his future classroom a positive and fun learning environment.
With Juan's first full college year coming to an end, he can honestly say the biggest challenge he's faced at UHD is overcoming procrastination and meeting deadlines. Thankfully, he has become better at trying not to let procrastination take hold and his professors have been kind enough to give him extensions if needed.
Juan's time spent at UHD has been positive in the sense that he has met a lot of good people such as Marc Williams, Dr. Abdelnasser Hussein, and the team from D.A.I.R. He also obtained an on-campus job in the College of Public Service that aligns with his interests in media production and has met many amazing people on the job. While there have been challenges such as wanting to spend more time with family and friends and at times being stressed about assignments, overall, Juan’s UHD experience has definitely been positive and engaging.
Faculty Spotlight
Dr. Heather Goltz recently received the 2024 UHD Excellence in Service Award. This award honors faculty for "excellence" in service to the university, community, and profession. Dr. Goltz has maintained an active service agenda since joining UHD faculty in 2011. Since 2019 alone, she has provided over 5,000 hours of direct clinical and oncology social work care in the Houston metropolitan area; leadership and service to the Association of Oncology Social Work (AOSW); and consultation to oncology-focused non-profits such as the Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network (BCAN), Cancer Support Community (CSC), and Association of Cancer Care Centers (ACCC; formerly the Association of Community Cancer Centers). Dr. Goltz's advocacy on behalf of cancer patients and caregivers from underserved communities contributed to the first international guidelines for sexual health care of prostate cancer patients published in The Journal of Sexual Medicine in 2022. Last year, she was featured in the 2023 Talk About: Cancer and Mental Health website and campaign; the Movember sexual health guidelines film; and a Urology Care Foundation podcast focused on the unmet needs of bladder cancer caregivers.
When asked what drives her service agenda, Dr. Goltz stated, "Service is a passion of mine. It's something I inherited from my grandparents. There was never a time, even as a small child, when you weren't expected to do service. Pack bags of food for the food pantry, collect blankets and coats for low/limited-income families for the Winter. As a teenager, I volunteered as a Wrangler to tend horses at the Girl Scout camp and, in college, I did fundraising so my pre-Med organization could obtain MCAT study materials. Service is always something I have loved to do. I try my best to learn from the people I serve with, and sometimes have a little fun while doing it."
She followed up by saying, "It's not always easy to serve. I was on sabbatical when the pandemic lockdown started and had to simultaneously juggle having two young children at home, working weekend nights at the hospital and therapy clients during the week. I was also in the first few months of a 3-year term as the AOSW Education Director in charge of the Education Committee and also the person with primary oversight over the annual meeting...very little sleep for most of 2020-2023 planning annual conferences during a global pandemic, faculty life at UHD, and a family. But I made it thanks to my spouse who has always gone above and beyond to support my career and really good colleagues in the Department of Criminal Justice and Social Work and across the university."
That hard work and service orientation seems to be paying off. Dr. Goltz was informed shortly after the UHD Faculty Awards Ceremony that she will be named a Fellow of the Association of Oncology Social Work during its annual meeting in May. This honor is bestowed on oncology social workers who have made "outstanding contributions to the science and practice of psychosocial oncology."
Leadership Contact Information
- Dr. Jonathan Schwartz, Dean, College of Public Service
- Dr. Ashley Blackburn, Associate Dean, College of Public Service
- Ben Robles, Assistant Dean, College of Public Service
- Anna Esparza, Director, CPS Advising Services
- Dr. Ronald Beebe, Dept. Chair, Urban Education
- Dr. Kevin Buckler, Dept. Chair, Criminal Justice & Social Work
- Dr. Dawn McCarty, Director, Social Work Program