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Four doctoral students in the University Of Georgia College Of Education’s educational administration and policy program received scholarships and a fifth was recognized for his scholarly work at the program’s annual awards luncheon on April 19 at River’s Crossing.

Ray E. Bruce Academic Support Award
Jennifer Cole, an instructional coach at Winterville Elementary School in Clarke County, received the Ray E. Bruce Academic Support Award, which provides a $1,500 scholarship for a graduate student enrolled in the educational administration and policy program.

Cole, a second-year doctoral student, is a longtime educator who has received the Clarke County School District’s Foundation for Excellence Teacher of Excellence Award and held the Margaret and Raymond Ponsoldt Chair for Elementary School Teachers. She also led a team that received a CiviConnections Grant for Service Learning Projects funded by the Federal Corporation for National and Community Service and the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS).

As an instructional coach, Cole works closely with teachers and administrators to plan and implement professional learning linked directly to teachers’ needs. This led her to explore the relationship between data about teachers’ performance and their professional learning. She presented findings from this project at the NCSS annual conference in Washington D.C., and has presented other work at numerous local, state and national conferences.

After graduation, Cole plans to pursue school-based leadership positions that will allow her to continue her work in instructional supervision as a means to inform and support teacher growth that promotes student success.

David J. Mullen Scholarship
Heena Patel and Bradley Bowling both received David J. Mullen Scholarships. The $1,500 nonrenewable scholarship provides assistance to doctoral candidates preparing for a public school position in the educational administration, and policy program.

A native of Athens, Patel is en route to becoming a “Triple Dawg.” She earned a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education and a master’s degree in educational administration and policy at UGA. Currently in her fifth year of teaching in Gwinnett County Public Schools, Patel strives to create meaningful and engaging lessons for her first graders each day.

Patel’s dissertation focuses on the charter school phenomenon occurring in Georgia. The purpose of her study is to investigate and identify the factors why many conversion charter schools revert back to traditional public school models. It also explores what the consequences may be when conversion charter schools “unconvert.” The intent of her study is to help Georgia policymakers clarify why the charter option is rarely sustainable for many public schools.

As she now focuses on completing her doctorate in educational leadership, she hopes to use this educational foundation to improve the learning experiences of not only her first grade class, but someday, classrooms throughout a school or district.

Bowling, a veteran educator of 11 years, currently serves as an assistant principal at W.R. Coile Middle School in Athens and is pursuing his Ed.D. in educational leadership at UGA.

Bowling, who earned a B.S. degree in psychology and an L-5 leadership certification from UGA, in addition to a M.Ed. in interrelated special education from North Georgia College and State University, studies interventions aimed at decreasing the dropout rate for low-socioeconomic African-American and Hispanic adolescent males.

During his career in the classroom, Bowling has worked with students with disabilities and created innovative programs and pedagogies in partnership with the community in an effort to provide young people with the skills, instruction and determination to live independently. A former coach, Bowling created and owns Bible, Basketball, Faith, and Football Camps through which he shares character virtues learned through sports but applicable to life with thousands of elementary age children He serves on the board of the North Georgia/North Coast Honduras Mission, through which he initiated a program to bring sports equipment and recreation programs to the children and youth of Honduras. He has and continues to inspire youth to refrain from drugs and gang violence, and encourages them to help their community as servant leaders in the face of poverty.

Bowling was appointed to the Athens Area Mental Health, Substance Abuse, and Developmental Disabilities Board by Athens-Clarke County Mayor Nancy Denson and the Clarke County Commissioners in December, 2012. He also serves on the Athens First United Methodist Church Council.

Carroll Wade McGuffey Scholarship
Rejer A. Finklin received the Carroll Wade McGuffey Scholarship. This $1,500 scholarship supports students whose studies include research into school organizations’ impact on teacher behavior, pupil behavior and/or pupil learning.

Finklin began her career in education as a secondary social studies teacher in Washington, Ga.  During this time, she developed an interest in the professional and social experiences of teachers of color working in rural settings. She also became interested in school leadership and the role it plays in recruiting and retaining teachers—specifically, how effective school leadership can alleviate teacher isolation and attrition rates for minority teachers in rural schools.

As part of her doctoral studies, Finklin has worked with her advising professor, April Peters-Hawkins, examining the role of the principalship in the shaping of school culture. Finklin’s dissertation will focus on the professional and social experiences of teachers of color that opt to leave rural teaching assignments for suburban and urban assignments. She has also completed requirements for the Certificate in Interdisciplinary Qualitative Studies with an interest in interview methodologies and case study.

Upon completion of her degree, Finklin hopes to pursue a post-doctorate opportunity and then enter an academic position where she can continue her research into the lives of teachers of color and rural education.

Faculty Scholar Award
Kendall Deas, a doctoral candidate from Sumter, S.C., received the Faculty Scholar Award for his exhibition of outstanding citizenship and academic progress.

Deas holds a B.S.F.S. degree from Georgetown University, a M.A. degree in globalization studies from Dartmouth College, a M.A. degree in political science from Washington University in St. Louis, and a M.A. degree in public policy from the Georgia Institute of Technology. He also holds certificates in policy studies from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government and the University of Texas’s Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs. Deas was a one-year Visiting Student at Mansfield College of Oxford University and in 1991 was named a Fulbright Scholar to Finland where he earned a diploma in international trade law at Turku International University.

At UGA, Deas has had papers accepted for presentation at several national and international conferences sponsored by the Education Law Association, National Education Finance Conference, and the American Society for Public Administration. This spring, he was one of two national finalists for the Ann Plato Diversity Postdoctoral Fellowship at Trinity College sponsored by the national Consortium for Faculty Diversity at Liberal Arts Colleges.

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