Achievements

Chris Aberson

Psychology

Chris Aberson of the Department of Psychology recently received the Western Psychological Association’s Outstanding Teaching Award for 2021. The Western Psychological Association is the oldest and largest division of the American Psychological Association. The society hosts an annual conference that draws 4,000 attendees a year.

Sarah L. Chase Merrick

Child Development

Dr. Sara L. Chase Merrick, an Assistant Professor in the Child Development, was awarded a $50,000 grant to help support her Hupa Language Immersion Summer School. The Dreamstarter Gold grant from Running Strong for American Indian Youth, a nonprofit that offers immediate services and financial support to tribes nationally, will help Dr. Merrick transform her week-long Hupa Language Immersion course into a four-week summer program. Sara will be collaborating with the Hoopa Tribal Education Association and Hupa Language speakers for this important project.

Luke Gautier, Heidy Tejas, Meenal Rana

Child Development

The Child Development Association (CDA), a student-led RSO, successfully procured an AS grant of $695 to facilitate virtual self-care activities for HSU students. The CDA is inviting professionals including dance teachers, fitness coaches, meditation/yoga practitioners, artists, and personal finance professionals to help students invest in their mental/physical health. These self-care Fridays will run between February and April 2021. Luke Gauthier, the Child Development senior and treasurer shares, “I feel accomplished and excited for next steps. I want to positively affect many people with this grant. [Successful grant writing]also gives me confidence in what I can accomplish”.

Dr. Hyun-Kyung You

Child Development

Dr. Hyun-Kyung You from Child Development published, "Sociocultural and Family System Perspectives: Families Who Have Children with Disabilities." This textbook helps readers acknowledge and appreciate the unique and diverse experiences of families caring for children with a range of disabilities. Among various aspects of supporting children with developmental, medical, or educational needs, the text explores the everyday challenges and opportunities families may experience.

Heather Ballinger

Economics

School of Education lecturer and Secondary Education Program Leader, Heather Ballinger, successfully passed her qualifying exams at UC Davis where she is earning her doctoral degree in education. She research focuses on clinical fieldwork and the student teaching experience in schools for K-12 teacher candidates.

Marshelle Thobaben

Nursing

Marshelle Thobaben, Professor Emerita, published, "People of Turkish Heritage", in Textbook for Transcultural Health Care: A Population Approach, Editors: Larry D. Purnell and Eric A. Fenkl, Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021.

Chris Aberson

Psychology

Chris Aberson, Professor of Psychology was recently named Associate Editor of Collabra Psychology. Collabra is an official publication of the Society for the Improvement of Psychological Science. Collabra, published by the University of California Press, is open access and committed to open and transparent science. Dr. Aberson has been HSU faculty since 2000. He primarily teaches statistics and research methodology. His research focuses on intergroup contact, implicit bias, statistical power (including power for complex designs such as multiple regression and mediation), how the Smiths are better than the Cure, and interactive tutorials for teaching core statistical concepts.

Dr. Sarita Ray Chaudhury

Business

Dr. Sarita Ray Chaudhury, faculty in School of Business published the article ““For the Gram”: An Exploration of the Conflict between Influencers and Citizen-Consumers in the Public Lands Marketing System” in the Journal of Macromarketing with coauthors Dr. Nafees and Dr. Perera. https://doi.org/10.1177/0276146720956380

Melody Brown

Business

Melody Brown, an HSU Business major with a concentration in accounting, was selected as one of 10 national finalists to attend the Association of Government Accountant (AGA) National Leadership Training (NLT) conference in Washington, D.C. on February 12-13th.

AGA supports government work in all areas of financial management, accounting, auditing, information technology, and other business operations. The mission of the organization is to help the government work more efficiently and effectively. The NLT conference is the flagship networking, training, and solutions event for the AGA. The conference is designed to highlight innovations, best practices, research, and lead to positive changes in government; thereby, leading to benefits for our society.

As a recipient of the AGA NLT scholarship, Melody received an all expense paid trip to Washington D.C., including flight, lodging, and conference fees being paid for. Among the highlights of the event included the opportunity for Melody to meet with the leading KPMG Partner of the Federal Government practice, Jeffrey Steinhoff, the U.S. Comptroller General of the United States, Gene Dodaro, as well as networking with several other notable accounting professionals in attendance. She described the experience as an “incredible learning opportunity that opened her eyes to the vast number of government job opportunities open to the younger generation.” She was surprised by the sheer number of professionals willing to offer advice or career help. Reflecting upon her experience, she has one piece of advice for students: “so next time you hear about a horribly awkward networking event, challenge yourself to go! You might be surprised at what you gain from the experience.”

School of Business Accounting Students and Faculty

Business

Based on recent testing data released by the National Association of State Board of Accountancy (2019), Certified Public Accountant (CPA) exam pass rates for HSU students placed the institution 6th among all CalState business programs. The CPA is considered one of the most challenging professional certifications to pursue within the business field.

Congratulations to our Accounting students for their hard work paying off and to the dedicated faculty who work hard to prepare them!