Dr. Shannon Perry Coordinates Child and Adolescent Degree Program

In the fall of 1999, Dr. Shannon Perry was appointed as Coordinator of the SFSU Child and Adolescent Development Degree Program administered by the Marian Wright Edelman Institute. Coming from a position as Director of the School of Nursing at SFSU, Dr. Perry applied for the CAD Coordinator position and put her Ph.D. in Child Development to work with the Institute. 

The move has benefited both students in the CAD program and Dr. Perry, who sees similarities between the goals of the CAD program and those of the School of Nursing. Dr. Perry states that her new role "has given me an opportunity to learn more about SFSU and about education, and to bring the experience and knowledge I gained as Director of Nursing to bear on the CAD program."

According to Dr. Perry, the CAD Coordinator position is similar in some ways to that of a department chair. Her CAD role requires her to identify faculty to teach courses and to interact with other university departments. Dr. Perry also works on the development of internship sites and has responsibility for student advising.

SFSU's rapidly growing CAD degree program currently has 152 students enrolled in its four concentrations: Young Child and Family, School Age Child and Family, Youth and Family, and Research and Public Policy. Faculty at both San Francisco State

San Francisco are working to find ways to ease the transition for transfer students who plan to enter the CAD program.

To learn more about the CAD degree program, call Dr. Perry at 415/338-2056.

Dr. Dawn Terrell Appointed As Jumpstart Faculty Director

Jumpstart welcomes Dr. Dawn Terrell, Associate Professor of Psychology, as Faculty Director.  In this role, Dr. Terrell will provide guidance and direction to the Jumpstart Program and will serve as a mentor to Jumpstart Corps members.

The Jumpstart program helps pre-school children build the literacy and social skills they need in order to succeed in school.  During sessions, Corps members are paired one-to-one with children to read books, learn about sounds and rhymes through song, and to use art, cooking, and science activities as vehicles to reinforce literacy.

Students who are interested in working with the Jumpstart program may call Jennifer Randle at 415/405-3592.

Scholars selected for Career Opportunities in Research Program

The Career Opportunities in Research Program (COR) at San Francisco State University, a grant funded by the National Institute of Mental Health and administered by the Marian Wright Edelman Institute, proudly announces its first COR Scholars. The purpose of this program is to increase the number of people of color doing research in the field of mental health.  To qualify, students must have a 3.0 GPA or better and be interested in pursuing a Ph.D. or M.D. in the field of mental health.  Our first four COR scholars are Gwen Agustin, Maria Rivas, Rebecca Garcia and Sandra Larios.

Gwen Agustin is a psychology major who transferred to SFSU from Consomnes River College where she earned an AA in general education, psychology and social science and a certificate in assistant teaching.  Upon acceptance into the COR program she remarked, "This is the first thing I have achieved from my hard work and persistence in college.  I feel that being part of this program will help guide me in the direction I have been aiming for, giving me the opportunity to focus completely on my academics and research."

Maria Rivas also majors in psychology.  In her first two years at SFSU she completed related coursework in biology, psychology, astronomy and mathematics.  When asked what being a COR scholar meant to her, Maria displayed obvious delight and remarked, "I'm very excited because I anticipate that I will learn a lot about research in Psychology while in the program."

Rebecca Garcia attended Gavilan College before transferring to SFSU where she, too, is majoring in psychology.  In addition to pursuing her studies, she is working as a research assistant in the SFSU Infant Cognition Lab.  Rebecca believes that "becoming a COR scholar is an incredible opportunity to gain more experience in the field of psychology."  Her goal is to study and work with children and adolescents and she is "anxious to start research" in her field of interest.

Sandra Larios is a psychology major who transferred from a junior college in San Diego to SFSU where she has had the opportunity to work with Dr. Kim in the Infant Cognition Laboratory.  In addition to her academic studies, Sandra holds two internships within the mental health field.  States Sandra, "Being selected for the COR Program is a recognition of all my past hard work and the beginning of a long career in the field of psychology.  It is truly an honor to be in this program."

To qualify as a COR scholar, students must meet the requirements, complete an application and be interviewed. The payoff is tremendous. COR scholars receive a monthly stipend of $791, reimbursement for college tuition, and money for books and for travel to professional conferences.  As part of the program, they work 15 hours per week with a faculty member conducting mental health research.