1. Goodbye and Best Wishes to Dr. Patrice Bounds, Dr. Philip Gnilka and Dr. Corinne Kodama
It is bittersweet to lose valued colleagues and professors but we know they are moving on to other opportunities that hold promise for their continued growth and development. The CSL faculty have been able to celebrate these colleagues together and we wish them the very best in their new adventures!
Dr. Patrice Bounds will be taking an Assistant Professor position at Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Please contact her through her DePaul email before June 30th if you wish to stay in contact.
Dr. Philip Gnilka will be taking an Assistant Professor position at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia after having been at DePaul for 5 years. Please contact him through his DePaul email before June 30th if you wish to stay in contact.
Dr. Corinne Kodama will be a Research Specialist at the University of Illinois at Chicago and adjunct faculty at Loyola University’s Higher Education Administration program. Please contact her through her DePaul email before June 30th if you wish to stay in contact.
2. Welcome Dr. Rebecca "Becky" Michel
Dr. Michel will join us as an Assistant Professor for the Counseling program, specifically for the College Student Development area. She will begin as of July 1 and has sent us this announcement for students:
Hi! My name is Dr. Rebecca Michel and I will be joining the Department of Counseling and Special Education at DePaul University this fall. I earned a Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision from Old Dominion University and a Masters in Counseling from Bradley University. As a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC), I worked in various counseling settings, including K-12 schools, universities, outpatient mental health centers, and hospitals. Throughout my career, I have held several different Student Affairs positions, including Resident Advisor, Hall Director, Student Support Services Advisor, Relationship Violence Educator, Admissions Coordinator, and Campus Fundraiser. These formative Student Affairs experiences fueled my interest in college student development, and propelled me to become a professional counselor in order to support educational, personal, and career success of individuals across the lifespan.
Prior to arriving at DePaul, I taught numerous graduate- and undergraduate-level courses in college student development, school counseling, clinical mental health counseling, and educational leadership at Governors State University, Old Dominion University, and Bradley University. To date, I have co-authored 10 journal articles, 11 book chapters, and two books. I have also delivered over 60 research presentations at international, national, regional, and state counseling conferences. I am a Gallup Strengths-Based Educator Facilitator and have worked with graduate students and Student Affairs Professionals to create and evaluate initiatives to impact college student development, engagement, and retention. I have also co-led international counseling institutes to Italy, Ireland, France, and Thailand for counseling graduate students, counseling practitioners, and counselor educators. I look forward to teaching, researching, and traveling with DePaul University students in the future.
If you would like to introduce yourself or have any questions for me, feel free to email me at rebeccaearhartmichel@gmail.com - I look forward to meeting you on campus this fall!
3. New Leadership
Beginning July 1, there will be new leadership in the Department and in the CSL program. The Department of Counseling and Special Education will have a new Chair, Dr. Jennifer Walberg, who is an Associate Professor in the Special Education program. We thank Dr. Beverly Trezek, also of the Special Education program, for her two years of leadership as the outgoing department Chair.
In addition, Dr. Erin Mason will be completing her two year term as the Associate Chair of the Department; she will return to an advising role in CSL and continue to lead the CACREP initiative. The tasks previously assumed by the Associate Chair, and program leadership of CSL, will be taken up by Father Pat McDevitt, Dr. Melissa Ockerman and Dr. Tovar-Murray. We also thank Dr. Mason for her two years of leadership.
Changes regarding advising, course offerings, or other items that impact students will be communicated as the new leadership comes into their roles.
4. CACREP Work Continues
Dr. Mason will be writing the first draft of the CACREP self-study during the summer. This is the primary document that is submitted to the CACREP board for initial review and can be known to be up to several hundred pages. In returning in the Fall, this self-study will be reviewed by our CACREP consultant and the full faculty who will determine what elements of the draft need further work before submitting it. Quarterly updates on CACREP progress will continue to be sent to students through CSLNews.
