Lisa Poelle Authors New Book

Lisa Poelle, faculty member for the Child Development Associate (CDA) program at the CUNY School of Professional Studies, is author of the soon to be released book, The Biting Solution: The Expert’s No-Biting Guide for Parents, Caregivers, and Early Childhood Educators.

Lisa’s twenty-five years of experience in the field of early childhood education include counseling families, pioneering a mentoring program for teachers, applying her expertise to the architectural design of child care centers, as well as serving as a consultant for corporations and government organizations. She has also provided consultation to childcare centers and programs through the Children’s Health Council. Her experience with this multidisciplinary agency inspired her to write the book. “That’s when I started getting so many requests to help with biting, and it is how I had a chance to practice and perfect my method,” Lisa says. “My case studies in the book came from this period. This was quite a unique opportunity.”

Here at the CUNY School of Professional Studies, Lisa shares her knowledge and experience with students in the Child Development Associate (CDA) program. The CDA program, offered in partnership with the NYC Early Childhood Professional Development Institute, offers students an opportunity as early childhood professionals to master the knowledge base, application of theory to practice, and qualifications to create effective learning environments for children. Lisa teaches Child Development: Birth to Five and Observing and Recording Development of the Young Child.

In her book, Lisa provides realistic advice to help caregivers devise effective plans to solve children’s biting behaviors. She provides seven questions for caregivers to consider before establishing a plan to describe the problems and design the solutions to curb children’s biting behaviors. Using her method, “Stop the Fighting and Biting,” Lisa emphasizes the importance of parental involvement in developing positive and effective solutions for aggressive behavior problems.

The Biting Solution: The Expert’s No-Biting Guide for Parents, Caregivers, and Early Childhood Educators will be published in the fall of 2012.

Lisa Poelle is also co-author of the book, Growing Teachers and several parenting articles. Lisa’s website can be found at: www.stopthefightingandbiting.com.

CUNY SPS Foundation Launched!

The CUNY School of Professional Studies is a rapidly growing institution, adding new degree programs and new students at an impressive rate. As the school grows, so must its resources. In fiscal year 2012, the SPS Office of Alumni Relations and Development raised more than four times the amount raised in fiscal year 2011. Launching the CUNY SPS Foundation for the 2013 fiscal year was the next logical step in an expanding fundraising apparatus.

The SPS Foundation has a 5 person board of directors, currently chaired by Robert Kissane, CEO of CCS Fundraising, Inc. The role of the CUNY SPS Foundation is to raise funds for the School of Professional Studies. These funds support scholarship, the Friends of SPS Annual Fund, or any program the donor wishes to support. The scholarship funds are particularly important to the mission of the Foundation, since many students are mid-career professionals who may have trouble receiving traditional financial aid.

One of the first projects taken on by the Foundation was the establishment of the Alumni Scholarship Fund in partnership with the SPS Alumni Association. The fund is still small, but it is an exciting opportunity to increase scholarship funds and encourage more alumni engagement. As the Foundation embarks on its first fiscal year it hopes to contribute to the continued growth of the CUNY School of Professional Studies.

For more information ways to support SPS, click here.

Commencement 2012

Dean Mogulescu

SPS celebrated the accomplishments of over 400 students at its 2012 Commencement Exercises on June 5th at Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center in New York City.

John Mogulescu, Dean of the School of Professional Studies, welcomed the graduates and their friends and families, Executive Vice Chancellor and University Provost Alexandra Logue brought greetings on behalf of the Chancellery, and Trustee Frieda Foster reminded the graduates to celebrate their accomplishments and to look forward to what lies ahead. William P. Kelly, President of the CUNY Graduate School and University Center, also offered congratulations, while Judy Halliday represented the SPS faculty. Yvette L. Campbell, President and CEO of the Harlem School of the Arts delivered a keynote address focused on the value of unexpected opportunities in life, and the importance of “enjoying the ride.”

Student speaker, Nelson Franco, who graduated from the B.A. in Communication & Culture program,  offered an enthusiastic speech on behalf of his fellow graduates, emphasizing the influences of diversity, technology, and change that shape modern education and that SPS students are proud to embrace.

The event culminated with the awarding of certificates and degrees to students from 25 different disciplines.

SPS congratulates the class of 2012, and offers best wishes for the future!