{"id":76541,"date":"2025-11-24T12:46:48","date_gmt":"2025-11-24T19:46:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/?p=76541"},"modified":"2025-11-24T16:27:38","modified_gmt":"2025-11-24T23:27:38","slug":"in-the-spotlight-nov-24-28-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/in-the-spotlight-nov-24-28-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"In the Spotlight: Nov. 24-28, 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Kudos to these faculty, staff and programs.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Do you have a spotlight item to share with the NAU community?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">E-mail your announcements to\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"mailto:Inside@nau.edu\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Inside@nau.edu<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, or use\u00a0our\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/news-tip\/#.YEjwNWhKg2w\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">online submission form<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\u25cf\" data-font=\"Calibri\" data-listid=\"1\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\u25cf&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;multilevel&quot;}\" data-aria-posinset=\"1\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Department of Educational Specialties professor\u00a0<\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Patricia Peterson\u00a0<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">secured a five-year $1.24 million Preparation of Administrators in Special Education (PASE) grant from the U.S. Office of Special Education Programs. The award will support six new doctoral scholars pursuing special education administration and is part of a national collaboration between NAU, the University of South Carolina and Rutgers University.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\u25cf\" data-font=\"Calibri\" data-listid=\"1\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\u25cf&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;multilevel&quot;}\" data-aria-posinset=\"2\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Donelle Ruwe<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, associate dean of professional education programs, was featured in an essay published in the summer 2025 issue of Victorians:\u00a0A\u00a0Journal of Culture and Literature. Titled &#8220;<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/muse.jhu.edu\/pub\/30\/article\/969211\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Interview with Donelle Ruwe and Roxanne Eberle: Reflections on Thirty Years with the British Women Writers Association and the Future of Conference Organizing<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">,&#8221; the work discusses Ruwe&#8217;s efforts to found one of the first scholarly conferences dedicated to the recovery and republication of early women writers.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\u25cf\" data-font=\"Calibri\" data-listid=\"1\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\u25cf&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;multilevel&quot;}\" data-aria-posinset=\"3\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Ted Schuur<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, a Regent\u2019s professor in the Department of Biological Sciences, was featured in the NPR article \u201c<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2025\/11\/19\/nx-s1-5593087\/climate-tipping-points-cop30-brazil-coral-glaciers-carbon\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">3 massive changes you&#8217;ll see as the climate careens toward tipping points<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">.\u201d The article, which details the devastating impacts of climate change, was updated this month to include record-breaking data on methane and carbon dioxide emissions from the past few years. Schuur was sourced as an expert on permafrost, which is sediment that\u00a0remains\u00a0frozen for more than two years and is thawing\u00a0as a result of\u00a0climate change.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\u25cf\" data-font=\"Calibri\" data-listid=\"1\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\u25cf&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;multilevel&quot;}\" data-aria-posinset=\"4\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">NAU quarterback\u00a0<\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Ty Pennington\u00a0<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">was one of 15 players named to the Walter Camp Football Foundation\u2019s 2025 Player of the Year Watch List. Pennington is one of only two Big Sky Conference athletes on the list, as well as one of four quarterbacks. The foundation will announce its third annual Player of the Year in December.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\u25cf\" data-font=\"Calibri\" data-listid=\"1\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\u25cf&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;multilevel&quot;}\" data-aria-posinset=\"5\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The\u00a0<\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Department of Physician Assistant Studies\u00a0<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">had an abstract and poster selected for display at the 2026 International Forum on Quality and Safety in Healthcare. The abstract, titled \u201cImproving care for people with substance use disorder in Arizona with Project ECHO,\u201d highlights the department\u2019s successes with the titular project\u2019s teleclinic provider training. Professor <\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Alison Essary\u00a0<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">will present the poster on behalf of the department.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\u25cf\" data-font=\"Calibri\" data-listid=\"1\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\u25cf&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;multilevel&quot;}\" data-aria-posinset=\"6\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Sarah Bolander<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, an assistant professor in the Department of Physician Assistant Studies, was accepted as a Harvard Macy Institute scholar into the highly competitive Technology and AI: Transforming Health Professions Education program. Throughout eight weeks of training sessions, Bolander will learn how to effectively integrate generative AI and digital design into her curriculum.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\u25cf\" data-font=\"Calibri\" data-listid=\"1\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\u25cf&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;multilevel&quot;}\" data-aria-posinset=\"7\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">NAU cross country\u00a0<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">earned two eighth-place\u00a0team\u00a0finishes at the NCAA Division I Championships on Nov. 22. The program was one of three in the nation to place both its men\u2019s and women\u2019s teams inside the top 10, surging upward in the ranks with four All-Americans.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\u25cf\" data-font=\"Calibri\" data-listid=\"1\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\u25cf&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;multilevel&quot;}\" data-aria-posinset=\"8\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The\u00a0<\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">NAU Police Department<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> earned two grants from the Arizona Governor\u2019s Office of Highway Safety, which totaled about $12,800 for a variety of roadway safety initiatives. The first award will dedicate officers to a multi-agency DUI task force active on all major NAU holidays, and the second will fund bicycle patrols to educate cyclists and pedestrians on applicable road safety laws.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\u25cf\" data-font=\"Calibri\" data-listid=\"1\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\u25cf&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;multilevel&quot;}\" data-aria-posinset=\"7\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Department of Mathematics and Statistics professor <\/span><b>Shannon Guerrero<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, Department of Educational Leadership Chair <\/span><b>Angelina Castagno<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, school psychology graduate student <\/span><b>Crystal Macias <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">and NAU alumna <\/span><b>Priscilla Black <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">co-authored an article published in the Journal of American Indian Education. The paper, titled \u201c<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.researchgate.net\/publication\/383098431_Culturally_Responsive_Mathematics_Curriculum_Development_Among_Teachers_in_the_Dine_Institute_for_Navajo_Nation_Educators\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Culturally Responsive Mathematics Curriculum Development Among Teachers in the Din\u00e9 Institute for Navajo Nation Educators<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">,&#8221; highlights how one professional development program in the Southwest is helping teachers develop culturally responsive mathematics curricula.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><a class=\"search-results-excerpt-link\" href=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/in-the-spotlight-nov-24-28-2025\/\">Kudos to these faculty, staff and programs. Do you have a spotlight item to share with the NAU community? E-mail your announcements to\u00a0Inside@nau.edu, or use\u00a0our\u00a0online submission form. Department of Educational Specialties professor\u00a0Patricia Peterson\u00a0secured a five-year $1.24 million Preparation of Administrators in Special Education (PASE) grant from the U.S. Office of Special Education Programs. The award&hellip;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":96,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-76541","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-spotlight"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76541","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/96"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=76541"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76541\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=76541"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=76541"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=76541"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}