Academics

 

Bettina P. Baker

Tina Baker earned a Ph.D. in Leadership in Professional Education from the Graduate School of Education at the University of Pennsylvania. She managed national reading research projects funded by the U.S. Department of Education, the Spencer Foundation, and the National Science Foundation for seven years prior to joining the Neumann faculty. She has a strong commitment to furthering the Franciscan mission of the college through student and faculty service in urban partner schools. Her research interests include shrinking the minority gap in reading achievement, higher education-school partnerships, urban educational reform, and literacy acquisition for struggling readers from differing language backgrounds. She developed a reading program for low-literate adults, and co-authored the Individualized Reading Program, a program targeting minority children in low-income communities.

Dorothy Bredehoft, S.S.J.

Sister Dorothy A. Bredehoft SSJ is a member of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Chestnut Hill. Sister Dorothy first came to Neumann College in 2001 as an adjunct faculty member in the education division and in 2003 became a full-time faculty member in the division. Sister received her bachelor's degree from Chestnut Hill College, her master's in education from West Chester University, her master's in administration from Villanova University, and her doctorate in education from Immaculata University.

For many years, Sister Dorothy enjoyed the best of two worlds - teacher/principal at the elementary level and adjunct college professor in higher education. Sister was teacher and principal in Philadelphia, Montogomery County and Delaware County. She was an adjunct teacher at Chestnut Hill College and St. Joseph University. Sister Dorothy teaches Expressive Arts, Language Arts Methods, Educational Foundations and Collaborative Teaching and Learning.

 

Kathleen Conn

I am pleased to be rejoining the Neumann faculty after a career in K-12 public education and a continuing career in law. My personal educational background equipped me to be a research scientist, and my special interests and publications in science are in the fields of molecular dynamics, cell biology and cancer metastasis. However, my interest in public education led me to teaching at the high school level and finally to public school administration. I served as a science teacher, K-12 Curriculum Supervisor and then an Elementary Principal in local public school districts before returning to Neumann. In between, I studied law at Widener University School of Law in the Evening Division, obtained an advanced degree in law, and now also teach as an Adjunct Professor at Widener.I was admitted to practice in the state of Pennsylvania in 1999, and before the United States Supreme Court in 2005. I serve on several Boards of Directors of professional organizations, including the Executive Board of the Pennsylvania Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (PASCD), the Pennsylvania Science Teachers’ Association (PSTA), and the National Board of the Education Law Association.

 

Kathleen Conn
Assistant Professor
B.S., St. John’s University
M.S., University of California,
Los Angeles
Ph. D., Bryn Mawr College
J.D. and LL.M., Widener University
610-558-5651
CONNK@neumann.edu

My special fields of interest and expertise in law are in the areas of First Amendment rights of students in K-12 public schools, public schools’ legal responses to technology misuse and bullying, including cyberbullying, and peer sexual harassment in schools.  I have authored two books published by the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD), and numerous articles published in law reviews and educational journals.

I earned a B.S. degree in Physics from St. John’s University, New York; an M.S. in Medical Physics/Radiation Biology from the University of California, Los Angeles; and an interdisciplinary Ph.D. in Physics/Biology from Bryn Mawr College Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. My J.D. is from Widener University School of Law, and I also obtained an advanced law degree, an LL.M. in Corporate Law and Finance, there.  I studied education and obtained Pennsylvania certifications at West Chester University, Widener University in Chester, and St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia.

My husband and I have four adult children and an ever-expanding extended family of children’s spouses, grandchildren, and in-laws, all of whom we love and enjoy immensely. Holidays at our home are always times filled with joy, togetherness, vibrant discussions, and lots of food - which I love to cook!

I have spent my entire career in the field of education, and devoted my life to teaching and administering in our public schools, and still feel passionate about it. I believe that I have been blessed and very fortunate to have found a profession and not a job, a profession that has allowed me to make a living doing something that I love to do, a profession that has allowed me to make meaningful contributions to the lives of many students. It has been my pleasure to bring these experiences to the education division of Neumann College, for they have proven to be supplemental to the academic and theoretical backgrounds of my colleagues. Applying this experiential knowledge from both a teaching and administrative perspective has provided meaningful insights for students preparing to enter the diverse and challenging teaching environments of today's schools. As a result, I have been able to continue to feel that I am making a valuable contribution to our youngsters and to the college.

 

 

Cynthia Ferraro

 

I am a full-time instructor and student teacher supervisor at Neumann College. I hold a M.S. Ed. with special emphasis on elementary education, as well as two teaching certificates in social studies and elementary education. Currently, I am working towards a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership. Before Neumann College, I taught in the School District of Haverford Township as an 8th grade social studies teacher for twelve years. I also taught 6th grade at St. Joseph's School in Collingdale, PA.

As an educator, I believe in active participation as a foundation to learning. In terms of teaching style, I see myself more as a facilitator than a lecturer. My goal is to help ALL students explore and understand 21st century education, and more importantly, to hone practical applications of the many concepts and theories as they relate to profession of education.

For the past two years, at Neumann College, I have taught both undergraduate and graduate courses, including Foundations of Modern Education, Curriculum Theory & Design, Teaching to Diversity, Curriculum Theory & Evaluation, Teaching Strategies Seminar I: Subject Matter Applications, Teaching for Divergent Thinkers and Research Design & Methods.

 

Mary Ann Melisi

 

My career as a teacher began in the Child Development Center. I was the first teacher in a building newly constructed for preschoolers. After years of fine tuning my teaching skills, I became the director.

It has been a rewarding experience for me both personally and professionally. I have the unique opportunity each day to work with preschoolers, college students, parents, teachers and faculty in the division of Education.

With early childhood education being a part of the education major curriculum, hands-on learning activities with three, four, and five-year-old children are included in the Neumann experience. The Child Development Center is a fun place to work and a great place to learn.

Currently, Kathy is pursuing her doctoral degree in educational leadership at St. Joseph's University.  Her research interests include early literacy development of struggling readers in urban settings and preservice education.  Kathy has always possessed an interest and passion for reading.  Teaching reading courses at Neumann and working with talented, dedicated, generous faculty and staff is a gift!

As a certified English and special educator, Marisa considers the craft of teaching to be a vocation – one in which accountability and passion are paramount.  She strives to model excellence with compassion and diligence.  As a former collegiate athlete, Marisa balances her work life with morning runs and the beautiful and inspiring gift of family.

Fred Savitz

 

Dr. Fred Savitz has been a professor at Neumann College for twenty years. Prior to his arrival at Neumann, he served as assistant professor and director of student teaching at St. Joseph's University in Philadelphia. His background in teaching stems from an undergraduate degree in politics from Ursinus College and master's and doctoral degrees in curriculum, instruction, and assessment from Temple University. Dr. Savitz has taught at every grade level in basic education, and he translates these experiences into the educational psychology and methods courses that he regularly teaches at Neumann. He believes that a productive classroom is an animated classroom, so music, dance, and drama frequently punctuate the learning activities. When Dr. Savitz is not teaching, he can be found editing the Journal of the Middle States Council for the Social Studies or preparing manuscripts on teacher preparation for publication in higher education venues. He finds his muse while he is running in the early morning or playing the mandolin, banjo, or harmonica in the evening.

Mary Helen Ward

Aside from a brief work experience as a travel agent, Dr. Ward has spent her entire career in education. She began teaching in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia in elementary schools and later joined the Delaware County Intermediate Unit as a teacher of gifted students. At the secondary level, she was assistant principal at Holy Cross High School in Delran, NJ. She experienced a “higher” calling in education as superintendent of the Riverton School District and rounded out her administrative experience as elementary principal in several schools in the Diocese of Trenton. Dr. Ward received her BA from Chestnut Hill College and her MS in education from Scranton University. She received her principal certification after studying at Temple University and completed her own education when she received her Ed.D. in educational administration from Immaculata College. She joined the Neumann family in 2002 as an adjunct, teaching graduate courses and became full time in 2007. Although her dream of becoming a published author hasn’t been fulfilled yet, her “feline queens” are contributing lots of ideas to this endeavor.

Regina M. Zinnie
Advisor
Graduate Cohort Students
B.S. College Misericordia
M.S.Ed. Neumann College
RZ@neumann.edu