\n<\/strong>George Sugai<\/strong><\/a>, the Neag School\u2019s Carole J. Neag Endowed Chair in Behavioral Disorders<\/a> since 2005, retired on May 1 after serving for nearly 14 years at the Neag School. One of the nation\u2019s leading authorities on behavioral disorders, positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS), classroom management, and special education, Sugai secured more than 20 funded projects totaling tens of millions of dollars over the course of his tenure at UConn.<\/p>\n
He has taught special education courses at the graduate level; has presented at local, national, and international conferences and professional meetings; and has served as an advisor to the U.S. Departments of Education, Justice, and Health and Human Services. His work includes projects in Jamaica, Cayman Islands, New Zealand, Netherlands, Australia, Spain, and Canada, and invitations to present in Japan, England, Netherlands, Germany, and Denmark.<\/p>\n
\u201cProfessor George Sugai retires from UConn having left an indelible mark on the field of education as one of the prime leaders of PBIS.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n
\u2014\u00a0Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor Scott Brown on Professor George Sugai<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Former director of the Center for Behavioral Education and Research (CBER)<\/a> at UConn, Sugai founded the Center, which was approved by the UConn Board of Trustees in 2006. Its mission has been to promote equity and improve educational outcomes for all learners, especially those with, or at risk for, learning and behavioral difficulties, with research efforts focused on four key areas: literacy; positive behavior supports; behavioral health and school climate; and transition and postsecondary education. Since its inception, CBER has secured $55 million in federal and state research grants and contracts, and has engaged schools in all 50 states and 20 countries.<\/p>\n
Professor George Sugai, who retired May 1, speaks with the representatives of the Federal Commission on School Safety about PBIS during a field visit by the Commission to a school in Maryland last May. (U.S. Department Education Livestream)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Sugai also is co-director of the widely respected Center for Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports<\/a>, funded by the U.S. Department of Education\u2019s Office of Special Education Programs and the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education. The Center seeks to improve social, emotional, and academic outcomes for all students, including students with disabilities and students from underrepresented groups.<\/p>\n
He earned his M.Ed. in 1974 and his Ph.D. in special education in 1980 from the University of Washington.<\/p>\n
\u201cProfessor George Sugai retires from UConn having left an indelible mark on the field of education as one of the prime leaders of PBIS, who has prepared thousands educators across the globe to use evidence-based practices to directly impact students by encouraging prosocial behavior, improving academic performance, and promoting positive school cultures,\u201d says Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor Scott Brown<\/a>, head of the Department of Educational Psychology (EPSY). \u201cHis PBIS framework is a signature component of preparing Neag preservice teachers for our nation\u2019 schools, having been presented at the White House and at international conferences across the globe.\u201d<\/p>\n
DeFranco to Retire After Nearly 28 Years at UConn
\n<\/strong>In addition, Thomas DeFranco<\/strong><\/a>, professor of mathematics education in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction with a joint appointment in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, will retire on June 1 after serving at for nearly 28 years at UConn.<\/p>\nArriving at UConn in August of 1991, Defranco earned one of the University\u2019s highest honors in 2001 when he was named as a University Teaching Fellow<\/a>. In 2008, he received a Teaching Innovation Award from the UConn chapter of the American Association of University Professors<\/a> (AAUP). He has served in numerous leadership capacities at the Neag School, including as director of teacher education, as associate dean, and, from 2009 to 2014, as dean.<\/p>\n
With nearly $900,000 in funded projects, DeFranco\u2019s research has focused on mathematical problem solving and on teaching and learning of mathematics. He also is credited with co-developing an innovative proposal for improving teacher preparation, which resulted in the Neag School\u2019s landing the Teachers for a New Era<\/a> project, a major initiative and grant from the Carnegie Corporation of New York. He served as co-director the Center for Research in Mathematics Education.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are richer for the legacy he leaves us all.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2014 Neag Endowed Professor Suzanne Wilson on Dean Emeritus Thomas DeFranco<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
DeFranco earned his Ph.D. at New York University in 1987 and began his career in teaching at the elementary and secondary school levels. He also taught mathematics at St. John\u2019s University on Staten Island and mathematics education at the University of Hartford.<\/p>\n
\u201cProfessor Tom DeFranco known for his passion in teaching UConn students in his calculus classes retires after more than 27 years teaching and leading at UConn,\u201d adds Brown. \u201cDr. DeFranco, a former dean of the Neag School of Education, will be remembered for his bold cluster hire initiative<\/a> in which he hired 22 faculty in two years to address the achievement gap in Connecticut\u2019s schools, reinforcing the leadership position of the Neag School of Education for many years to come.\u201d<\/p>\n
Michael Coyne (center) was recognized by Associate Dean Del Siegle (left) and Dean Gladis Kersaint as the Neag School\u2019s 2017 Distinguished Scholar. This August, Coyne will begin serving as the head of the Neag School Department of Educational Psychology. (Shawn Kornegay\/Neag School)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n At the Neag School\u2019s end-of-year faculty-staff meeting in May, Suzanne Wilson, Neag Endowed Professor of Teacher Education and head of the Department of Curriculum and Instruction, offered insight into DeFranco\u2019s legacy as well. \u201cHe\u2019s a man with a huge heart,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cOver his career, he did everything this institution asked him to do: raised research money, established scholarships, served his department, School, and University<\/a>, and taught,\u201d she added. \u201cWe are richer for the legacy he leaves us all.\u201d<\/p>\n
Coyne Named EPSY Department Head
\n<\/strong>Meanwhile, Brown<\/strong><\/a> will step down from his position as head of the Department of Educational Psychology as of June 22. An internationally recognized expert in learning and cognitive processing, Brown was appointed department head in 2017 by Dean Gladis Kersaint<\/a>.<\/p>\n
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