Tag: Dr. Elizabeth McDermott

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Education Summit at USF Explores Mathematics Preparedness

Mathematics Summit - September 2024
Math Summit - September 2024

Joliet, Ill. – The College of Arts & Sciences at the University of St. Francis (USF) collaborated with the College of Aviation, Science and Technology at Lewis University on an education summit featuring a panel of experts on mathematics education and curriculum across K-12 and higher education. The summit, which welcomed math educators from the region, took place on Wednesday, September 18, in USF’s Turk Theater.

The summit served as an opportunity to enhance the connections between college and K-12 math education and explored a topic of upmost importance to area educators: math preparedness.

Several key takeaways resulted from the event, including: understanding the importance of helping the students see patterns on paper; helping students understand that making mistakes, maintaining a growth mindset and social emotional learning are critical components of the skill-building process; cultivating positive teacher-student relationships can enhance how students view and value higher education; recognizing that external needs of students (hunger, caregiving, home life, mental health, etc.) can affect educational experiences, and; supporting and promoting professional development opportunities such as Southwest Chicago Math Teachers’ Circle (SWMTC) is beneficial to mathematics educators. University faculty were also invited to observe K-12 teachers’ math classes to better understand the disconnect between K-12 and collegiate math preparedness and how university-level courses might be reimagined to help bridge the educational gap.

Summit panelists, which included USF and Lewis faculty as well as experts in secondary education in math and math curriculum, were:

  • Angela Antonou, Ph.D. – Associate Professor of Mathematics (University of St. Francis);
  • Erica Kwiatkowski-Egizio, Ph.D. – Associate Professor of Secondary, Middle and Foreign Language Education (Lewis University);
  • Vicky Lewis – Assistant Professor of Mathematics (University of St. Francis);
  • Nicole McMorris, Ed.D. – Curriculum Director for Mathematics (Joliet Township High School District 204) and;
  • Michael Rouse – Math Faculty (Thornridge High School) and District 161 Board Member.

Antonou, along with summit organizers Beth McDermott, Ph.D. (Dean, College of Arts and Sciences at USF) and Dr. Chris White, Ph.D. (Dean, College of Aviation, Science and Technology at Lewis) and other event participants, hope to continue this important conversation.

“This summit is the beginning of a much-needed conversation between K-12 and college math teachers, academics, and interested parties to better understand the challenges and needs of students, particularly as it relates to mathematics education. I look forward to continuing this discussion and to identifying actions that can have a positive impact on our local communities,” said Antonou.

For more information on the next summit, which will once again be open to interested K-12 and collegiate mathematics educators, please contact Dr. Beth McDermott at emcdermott@stfrancis.edu.

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The University of St. Francis, in Joliet, Ill., serves close to 3,300 students nationwide and offers undergraduate, graduate, doctoral and certificate programs in the arts and sciences, business, education, nursing and social work. There are over 53,000 USF alumni across the globe. For information, call 800-735-7500 or visit stfrancis.edu.

University of St. Francis: Bigger thinking. Brighter purpose.

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Elizabeth McDermott Named Dean of USF College of Arts and Sciences

Dr. Elizabeth McDermott

Joliet, Ill. – The University of St. Francis (USF) has named Elizabeth McDermott, Ph.D., the new dean of the USF College of Arts & Sciences (CAS). McDermott had served as interim dean for CAS since this past summer.

“Dr. McDermott led a smooth transition as interim dean since last summer, earning respect for her leadership style. We welcome Dean McDermott to this ‘new’ role, and look forward to a vibrant future for CAS and USF,” offered Beth Roth, USF Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs.

McDermott believes her experiences both as a faculty member and an interim dean helped to prepare her for this new role.

“Teaching introductory courses to first-year students and major courses to juniors and seniors has helped me understand how important it is to mentor students in the College of Arts and Sciences as they achieve their academic and professional goals at USF and beyond. As coordinator of the St. Francis Writers’ Conference, for example, I was able to work individually with students on their conference presentations and offer them practice ahead of a more public presentation opportunity or a prospective publication—both of which are good ways to build a resume,” she said.

“As interim dean of CAS, I collaborated with the Career Success Center and faculty in the College of Health and Business Administration on a Business Panel for USF students and assisted specific departments with arranging student internships when exciting opportunities arose. These experiences helped prepare me for championing the big picture of a USF student’s experience—from the first time they step on campus to attend a SOAR event, until they graduate and apply for jobs or pursue additional schooling,” McDermott added.

While her focus during her role as interim dean was transitory in nature, she now shifts her attention to working more closely with the CAS faculty.

“A primary area of focus as I begin my role will be working with faculty in the College of Arts and Sciences to promote interdisciplinary education so that we continue graduating people who thrive in a rapidly changing workforce. CAS supports the other colleges through our numerous general education offerings, and helping students develop ethical awareness as well as problem-solving, communication, and critical thinking skills, will be an important next step I hope to support through the integration of our general education curriculum,” McDermott said.

McDermott also plans to engage her humanities background to promote the importance and impact that a USF liberal arts education offers to students.

“As a new dean with a background in the humanities, I enjoy ensuring USF students are truly experiencing the College of Arts and Sciences mission, which follows from the university’s Catholic Franciscan nature and educates “the whole person intellectually, morally, spiritually, emotionally, and socially.” It comes somewhat naturally to me to celebrate the College of Arts and Sciences as we work together to educate students across the disciplines while preparing them for degrees and certifications in specific fields. This includes promoting the exciting ways our liberal arts curriculum is already educating our students, which includes trips to the Art Institute and performance opportunities, alongside finding ways to further integrate a liberal arts curriculum with the professional preparation desired by today’s employers,” she said.

McDermott added that the individualized and personalized experiences available to USF students demonstrate the university’s mission-based focus.

“We offer students a very personalized experience that is nearly impossible to come by at larger institutions. USF students have the opportunity to experience firsthand the exciting ways faculty are serving the Joliet community by participating in service-learning or engaging in cutting-edge research projects as collaborative partners. It’s perhaps part of other institutions’ marketing campaigns that students aren’t just a number, but it’s characteristic of USF’s mission and culture that students are at the forefront of what we do,” McDermott said. 

McDermott joined the University of St. Francis College of Arts and Sciences as a faculty member in the English department in 2016. She is the author of Figure 1 (Pine Row Press), a 2022 finalist for the Foreword Indies and a 2023 finalist for the da Vinci Eye/Eric Hoffer Award. Her chapbook titled How to Leave a Farmhouse (Porkbelly Press), was published in 2015. Her poetry appears in such publications as Pine Row, Tupelo Quarterly, Terrain.org, and Memorious. She’s the recipient of a Distinguished Teaching Award from USF, an Illinois Speaks Micro-Grant from Illinois Humanities, and has served as an editor for various literary magazines and presses. Her degrees include a Bachelor of Arts from Hope College, a Master of Fine Arts from Purdue University, and a Ph.D. from University of Illinois at Chicago.

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The University of St. Francis, in Joliet, Ill., serves close to 4,000 students nationwide and offers undergraduate, graduate, doctoral and certificate programs in the arts and sciences, business, education, nursing and social work. There are over 53,000 USF alumni across the globe. For information, call 800-735-7500 or visit stfrancis.edu.

University of St. Francis: Bigger thinking. Brighter purpose.

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Masciotra, McDermott to Offer Readings at Heritage Village

Joliet, Ill. – University of St. Francis (USF) College of Arts & Sciences Interim Dean Elizabeth McDermott and USF English instructor David Masciotra will give readings from their recent publications at the Will County Historical Museum’s Heritage Village (located at 249 W. Second Street, Lockport, IL) from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, October 1. Food and drinks will also be available. McDermott is the author of “Figure 1” and “How to Leave a Farmhouse”, and Masciotra is the author of “I Am Somebody: Why Jesse Jackson Matters,” “Mellencamp: American Troubadour,” “Barack Obama: Invisible Man,” and “Metallica by Metallica”. The event is free and open to the public. Visit willhistory.org/heritage-village for additional information. : : The University of St. Francis, in Joliet, Ill., serves close to 4,000 students nationwide and offers undergraduate, graduate, doctoral and certificate programs in the arts and sciences, business, education, nursing and social work. There are over 53,000 USF alumni across the globe. For information, call 800-735-7500 or visit stfrancis.edu. University of St. Francis: Bigger thinking. Brighter purpose. # # #
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USF’s McDermott to Release Book of Poetry on May 1

Joliet, Ill. – Beth McDermott, an assistant professor of English and foreign languages at the University of St. Francis (USF), has always wanted to write a book. In fact, it has been a dream she has held since third grade. On May 1, McDermott’s first full-length collection of poetry, Figure 1, will be released.

In Figure 1, McDermott is deeply invested in the ekphrastic tradition of writing poetry after works of visual art by artists that range from Degas to Audubon to Stieglitz, while also narrativizing a still life and arguing on behalf of a story or perspective beyond the frame.

“I’ve been studying ekphrastic poetry since graduate school, and I’ve had the chance to teach a “Poets Look at Paintings” poetry writing workshop at USF twice now; having the chance to read literature and criticism related to the types of poetry I like to write proved very resourceful in writing the book,” McDermott said.

While Figure 1 will be McDermott’s first full-length release, it is not her first publication. In 2015 (the year she came to USF), McDermott published How to Leave a Farmhouse, a chapbook inspired by the Rural Historic Structural Survey of New Lenox Township. However, even with that publication under her belt, McDermott continued to eye a larger poetry-based project.

“As exciting as it was to have a chapbook, or a booklet of poetry under 40 pages in length, I really wanted to publish a full-length collection of poetry. I’ve been working towards this goal in my years on the tenure track at USF, writing poems that I published in literary magazines and hoped to arrange as a collection,” McDermott said.

While publishing a book helps McDermott achieve a dream she’s had since childhood, she credits the journey to this point for reinforcing something in which she firmly believes: writing is hard work, and it doesn’t happen in complete isolation.

“I had the chance to work with USF student Eve Odum on a Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) grant Eve received to produce a podcast about book publishing. Eve’s podcast is called Book Publishing from Beginning to End, and each episode features an interview with a local author of young adult novels and children’s books. Interviewing award-winning writers such as Ruth Behar reinforced to me that writing a book is a lot of drafting and revising, a lot of sharing with friends for feedback. Sometimes you have to hire an editor, and rejection is common. But persistence is really the key, and it helps to have people around who you can talk to who are knowledgeable about the process,” McDermott explained.

Figure 1 will be available on Amazon.com and through Pine Row Press on May 1.

About Beth McDermott

Beth McDermott, Ph.D., teaches writing and literature courses at the University of St. Francis in Joliet, Ill., where she is an assistant professor of English and foreign languages and coordinator of the St. Francis Writers’ Conference. Recent poetry appears in Pine Row, Memorious, and Tupelo Quarterly. Reviews and criticism about art and ecology appear in American Book Review, After the Art, Kenyon Review Online, and The Trumpeter. She’s the recipient of a Distinguished Teaching Award, an Illinois Speaks Micro-Grant, and first place in the Regional Mississippi Valley Poetry Contest. She is editor in chief at Cider Press Review and lives with her family in the southwest suburbs of Chicago.

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The University of St. Francis, in Joliet, Ill., serves close to 4,000 students nationwide and offers undergraduate, graduate, doctoral and certificate programs in the arts and sciences, business, education, nursing and social work. There are over 52,000 USF alumni across the globe. For information, call 800-735-7500 or visit stfrancis.edu.

University of St. Francis: Bigger thinking. Brighter purpose.

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