About the Sister Carol Fund for Academic Initiatives
To commemorate the 25th Anniversary of Sister Carol’s presidency and to encourage faculty to envision new, creative and interdisciplinary programs, the Sister Carol Fund for Academic Initiatives was created in June 2017. A year later, gifts continue to come into the fund, which has raised more than $114,000 from nearly 200 donors.
The Sister Carol Fund is a vital resource and is already making an impact! Check out some of the new, innovative programs that are being launched by faculty members.
New Site for Montessori Teacher Education Program The College's Montessori Teacher Education Program will open a new training site in Allentown, PA for its Montessori Early Childhood Program beginning in spring 2019, while continuing the Program at Chestnut Hill's main campus.
Read More
CHC houses one of only 11 college- or university-based Montessori programs, and has a longstanding tradition in developing generations of Montessori teachers. The Sister Carol Fund will support the startup costs associated with program outreach to the Lehigh Valley. There are over 120 Montessori public and private schools and licensed child care centers in Pennsylvania, many of them far from the main campus of Chestnut Hill College. By becoming more mobile, the Montessori program can be offered in other locales, collaborating with local Montessori schools and using each school's experienced staff as instructors for many courses.
This program was proposed by Marjorie Horton, Director of the Montessori Program and Dr. Debra Chiaradonna, Chair of the Education Department.
American Psychological Association (APA)-Approved Continuing Education (CE)
Building on the strengths of CHC's Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) in Clinical Psychology program, Drs. Bindu Methikalam, Leslie Shralow, and Kevin McCarthy proposed the opportunity to promote CHC's commitment to professional and personal growth and to advance the visibility of our graduate programs in psychology.
Read More
CE workshops provide clinicians with the opportunity to expand their training and education, and high-quality courses are in demand. CHC frequently receives requests from partnering agencies regarding our ability to co-sponsor CE credits. Support from the Sister Carol Fund will provide the startup costs for superior, broadly appealing CE workshops that will enhance and develop the knowledge and skills necessary to provide care to clients. The workshops will also provide an opportunity to promote CHC's programs to a broad range of practitioners in the region.
Interdisciplinary Minor/Certificate in Clinical Humanities
The Clinical Humanities (also known as Medical Humanities) is a growing field that recognizes the importance of empathy, listening, and appreciation of narrative in clinical and medical fields.
Read More
The initiative began in the medical field sparked by a growing awareness that patient care is improved when doctors and medical personnel listen attentively and communicate clearly and compassionately. It was broadened to the Clinical Humanities, which emphasizes these skills for anyone serving in moments of crisis, or anyone in first-responder, front line contact with people in need. Support from the Fund will engage the campus in a conversation about the clinical humanities in fall 2018, led by a prominent scholar in the field. This program was proposed by Dr. Suzanne del Gizzo, Associate Professor of English.
Global Information Systems (GIS) across the Disciplines
GIS is the science of global mapping, coordinate data systems, and global positioning. This technology has broad interdisciplinary applications in natural and social sciences, humanities, environmental studies, computer science, and business management.
Read More
Examples include wildlife habitat studies, urban planning, environmental quality assessment, contagious disease monitoring, crime mapping, homeland security, forensic evidence, emergency management, market distributions, and consumer/competitor analysis. Support from the Fund will allow the acquisition and implementation of GIS technology across multiple disciplines at the College. This program was proposed by Drs. Lauren Barrow (Criminal Justice), Pamela King (Computer Science/Cybersecurity), and Robert Meyer (Biology/Environmental Science).
Immersive Communication Program (ICP)
Under the auspices of the faculty in Communications, the Immersive Communication Program focuses on experiential learning, industry exposure, trends in media production, and interdisciplinary collaboration.
Read More
ICP is designed to provide students with a distinctive education in communication topics that prepares them to be dynamic media practitioners. Through a series of two highly specialized courses paired with a week-long on-location experience focused on industry exposure, students will learn the tools needed to become media savvy professionals in our 21st century global media landscape. The Program is intended to be a year-long experience spanning students' junior or senior year and the Sister Carol Fund will support the costs associated with the weeklong student immersion experience in New York City, with other metropolitan areas being candidates for future immersion experiences.
Forensic Chemistry Integrated Laboratory Experiences
Proposed by the College's Chemistry and Physics faculty, support from the Fund will enable the integration of several key laboratory experiments into the curriculum completed by Forensic Chemistry majors.
Read More
In addition to creating or modifying these experiments, faculty will produce a marketing sheet for use on the chemistry website and by Admissions staff. This marketing sheet will demonstrate how Forensic Science is integrated into the curriculum, appealing to prospective and current students. The program will also add information on two internship opportunities that would be of interest to prospective students at the Philadelphia Medical Examiner's Office and the Drug Enforcement Agency (Washington, DC). Recent CHC students have completed internships at these agencies.