For over a decade, Jonathan Koppell, dean of the Watts College of Public Service and Community Solutions, has been a transformative leader for ASU. This Devils in the Details episode highlights Koppell’s achievements and the lasting impact he’s had on faculty, students and the community, as he gets ready to lead his own university.
Watts College of Public Service and Community Solutions
An academic leadership role hadn’t really crossed Megha Budruk’s mind before the Watts College of Public Service and Community Solutions' then-Dean Jonathan Koppell nominated her several years ago to attend the ASU Leadership Academy.
As school districts around the country ramp up to welcoming students back in person full time, the National Institutes of Health put out a call to fund additional research projects to identify ways of safely returning students and staff to in-person school in areas with vulnerable and underserved populations.
Like everything else, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused upheaval in the criminal justice system, with disruptions in trials and outbreaks among incarcerated people.
A new research paper by an Arizona State University professor uses a new computer simulation software to quantify one of the pandemic’s effects: a greater likelihood that people who are detained before trial will plead guilty in order get out of jail and avoid exposure to COVID-19 — even if they are innocent.
Felicia Ganther’s higher education career spans more than a quarter century and includes a PhD degree from Arizona State University. On July 1, that career took a major step forward as Ganther became a college president.
Ganther built strong local roots and gained many memorable experiences before taking over as head of Bucks County Community College, which enrolls 7,100 students at three campuses in and near Newtown, Pennsylvania, and online.
Likening her situation to a new coach taking over an already winning sports team, Kelly Bricker is becoming director of the highly successful Hainan University-Arizona State University International Tourism College (HAITC).
The challenge to take on the intersecting crises of our times — from the COVID-19 pandemic to the climate emergency to the struggle for social and racial justice — is at the core of a new bachelor’s degree program in community development designed to qualify graduates to meet a growing demand for interesting and important jobs in the field.
For the second straight year, a program of Arizona State University's School of Social Work will receive the President’s Medal for Social Embeddedness. ASU President Michael Crow will present the award this fall to the school’s Office of Community Health Engagement and Resiliency (OCHER) for helping revitalize an underserved Tucson community.
Although metro Phoenix may not always be a top destination during Arizona's hot summer months, cooler destinations in the state are — like the Grand Canyon, ranked third by U.S. News and World Report's "Best Family Summer Vacations” list.
Editor's note: This story is part of a series of profiles of notable spring 2021 graduates.
Spring 2021 master’s in social work graduate Edeline Plaisival has spent her time as a Sun Devil inspiring others to pursue education, both in her role as a management intern for Access ASU and as a proud parent to an 8-year-old daughter.