1. Wolverine Caucus: Supporting Success for the Children of Flint

    Mark Rivett posted March 13, 2018

    UM-Flint Champions Early Childhood Education

    Tuesday, March 13, 2018

    Featured speaker: H. Luke Shaefer , UM School of Social Work

    MI Senate Binsfeld Office Building, Room 5550, 5th Floor
    201 Townsend St., Lansing, MI 48933
    11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

    View PDF

    In the aftermath of the historic Flint, Michigan water crisis, many have asked what will become of Flint’s children. While it is clear that immediate interven- tions needed to be done to provide safe, lead-free drinking water and healthcare resources for Flint’s residents and their children, stopping there would not have been enough. Policymakers and community leaders recognized that the health, well-being and education of Flint’s children to support their future success was critically important. In the face of the crisis, and not surprisingly, all agreed that a spirit of collaboration among public and private partners focused on early child- hood education should be a high priority.

    UM-Flint Dean Robert Barnett and Amy Hesse, from the University of Michigan- Flint School of Education and Human Services, have helped to lead this effort, identifying methods and implementing strategies alongside community partners that are combating the effects of lead, and helping to educate Flint’s children. Please join us as we engage Dean Barnett and Director Hesse in this important and meaningful discussion while they share their model for Early Childhood Education in Flint that will have implications for success-driven results for chil- dren across Michigan and beyond!

    Dean Bob Barnett

    Prior to his appointment as Dean in 2014, Bob Barnett served the UM-Flint School of Education and Human Services for many years. He also served as Associate Dean at the UM-Flint College of Arts and Sciences and is a professor of rhetoric and composition in the Department of English. Barnett has a B.A. in English from Alma College, M.A. in English from Central Michigan University, and a Ph.D. in rhetoric and composition from the University of Nevada-Reno.

    He has published academic articles on classroom theory and practice, writing program administration, writing center administration, and most recently on general education reform. He also has published three books in the areas of writing center administration, writing across the curriculum theory and practice, and general education reform. He has presented at numerous regional, national, and international conferences.

    Barnett is also the co-author of an original musical play on the life of American poet Allen Ginsberg, HOWL, and a collection of original poems, The Ghosts of Hallelujah Junction.

    Administrator Amy Hesse

    Amy Hesse serves as the Central Administrator for UM-Flint’s Early Childhood Devel- opment Center. Prior to joining the University of Michigan, Amy served the University of Central Florida for four years as the Director of the Educational Research Center for Child Development. Preceding her appointment in Florida, she served Michigan’s Great Start systems and early childhood education programs for many years. Amy is a native of Michigan and has a B.A. and M.A. in Education from Western Governors University.

    Author: Veronica A. W. Johnson, Ph.D

    Director of the Lansing Service Center | veronicj@umich.edu | 517-372-7801