HDFS Students, Alumni, and Faculty at 2013 NCFR Conference in San Antonio

Texas Tech University’s Department of Human Development and Family Studies was well represented at this year’s National Council on Family Relations conference, held November 5-9 in San Antonio, Texas. Alongside the River Walk and the Alamo, our faculty, current graduate students, and graduate-degree alumni presented their research. Several undergraduate members of our local Tech Council on Family Relations also attended, to learn about graduate training and career options working with families. Dr. Judith Fischer served as Program Chair of the conference, lining up plenary-session speakers and organizing the full array of research presentations at the meeting. The following pictures (which you can click on to enlarge) show the extensive participation from our department. In fact, a good way to view the pictures is to click on the first one (thus enlarging it) and then keep clicking on the right-hand arrow to advance the slide show. Readers can also consult the conference program to see the titles of the presentations.

San Antonio, Texas, an international city…

…that is home to the Alamo…

…as well as the River Walk…

…which runs through the downtown area…

…hosted this tear’s NCFR conference, the 75th annual.

People associated with Texas Tech’s HDFS Department could be found throughout the conference area. Pictured above are Dr. Dana Weiser (left), our newest faculty member; Helyne Frederick, a 2011 Ph.D. recipient from our department who is now a faculty member at Eastern Kentucky University (center); and Dr. Miriam Mulsow, a faculty member who is also the director of our graduate program.

Shown in this photo are Dr. Shera Jackson (left), who received her Ph.D. with us and has stayed on as a lecturer; and Dr. Anisa Zvonkovic (right), who was our department chair from 2006-2010 and now holds the same role at Virginia Tech.

Current TTU grad students Ivette Noriega (left) and Rebecca Oldham (right) relax during some down time at the conference.

Dr. Ji-Min Lee (second from the left), who received her Ph.D. with us in 2002, came all the way from South Korea to attend the conference. She teaches at Yeungnam University. Next, from left to right, are Dr. Jeremy Boden, who finished his Ph.D. a year ago and now teaches at Utah Valley University; Dr. Alan Reifman, one of our TTU faculty members; Dr. Gail Bentley, who received her Ph.D. with us and remains at TTU in online education; and current graduate student Janis Henderson.

Janis also received an award at the conference, from NCFR’s Affiliate Councils for meritorious service. Janis has long been active with both the Texas Council on Family Relations and the local Texas Tech chapter (Tech CFR).

Dr. Weiser co-authored a research poster with her graduate-school adviser from Nevada-Reno, Dan Weigel (back to the camera). Rebecca Oldham (right) studies the poster.

Dr. Weiser, flanked by current grad student Satabdi Samtani (left) and Andrea Swenson, who received her Master’s degree with us before moving to Virginia Tech to study for her Ph.D.

Dr. Cheryl Juergens (center) stands by the poster she presented, based on her dissertation research. Drs. Fischer (left) and Reifman (right) served on Cheryl’s committee. Cheryl currently teaches at Montana Western.

Dr. Fischer (right) chats with a couple of attendees, including Dr. Richard Wampler (left), a retired Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT) faculty member from Texas Tech.

Running into each other on the River Walk are, from left to right, Dr. Jackie Wiersma, a 2008 Ph.D. from our department who is now a faculty member at the University of Arkansas; Dr. Reifman; Dr. Maria Bermudez, a former TTU MFT faculty member who moved to the University of Georgia; and Rebecca and Ivette.

Ivette and Dr. Mulsow (facing forward) stand behind our TTU table at the NCFR university reception, at which schools try to publicize their programs and recruit new students and faculty. Dr. Anne Prouty (right) recruits for Texas Tech’s MFT program.

Ivette, standing by the black NCFR poster, is flanked to our right by fellow TTU grad student Shu Yuan.

Dr. Jacki Fitzpatrick (right) presented a poster with Xiaohui Tang (left). Xiaohui received her Master’s with us and then decided to pursue a Ph.D. in Public Health at the University of Texas’s Houston Center.

Xiaohui poses with TTU MFT alum Dr. Sara Blakeslee, who is on the faculty at Abilene Christian University.

New Ph.D. student Sabrina Enders (left) poses with fellow student Samantha Dunkerley, who is working to complete her Master’s.

Grad student Nancy Trevino Schafer (center) is flanked by Satabdi and Rebecca.

Jeremy and Cheryl chat.

Ivette and Shu continue monitoring the Texas Tech table.

From left to right, Shera, Gail, Jeremy, and Cheryl pose with the latest addition to the Texas Tech Ph.D. club, Dr. Jennifer Ross (right). Jennifer recently obtained a faculty position at Tuskegee University in Alabama.

Cheryl poses with Dr. Na-Yeon Lee, who received her Ph.D. with us a few years ago and is now based in South Korea.

Grad student Rachel Engler (left), a Students and New Professionals Board Representative with NCFR, is shown with Helyne.

Ji-Min poses by her poster with Dr. Reifman.

Dr. Lane Powell (left), a retired TTU lecturer and champion of Certified Family Life Educator (CFLE) training, poses with Dr. Mulsow (center), and Richard Sale, who has long been involved with the Texas Council on Family Relations.

Texas Tech sponsored the big Friday night reception honoring NCFR’s 75th anniversary. Thanks to Dr. Linda Hoover, Dean of the College of Human Sciences, for approving the funds for this purpose.

Xiaohui and Satabdi pose by the sign.

Xiaohui poses with, from left to right, grad students Jennifer Harris, Samantha Dunkerley, and Lauren Thompson. The latter three were authors on a poster that was also co-authored by fellow students Andrea Parker and Janis Henderson, and Drs. Jackson and Mulsow.

Dr. Juergens chats with fellow TTU alum Duane Dowd (Ph.D., 2000). Dr. Dowd is currently a faculty member at Central Washington University.

Rebecca Oldham exults by her poster, authored with Drs. Reifman and Sylvia Niehuis.

Here Rebecca takes a more traditional pose…

…after reviewing her findings with Dr. Weiser.

Fall 2013 Mid-Semester Briefs

Several HDFS faculty members and graduate students presented their research projects and teaching ideas before various audiences during the first half of the Fall 2013 semester:

• Dr. Jacki Fitzpatrick, a TTU Teaching Academy member, shared some of her innovative instructional techniques at the university’s annual Faculty Academic Contributions Exhibit (FACE) and at the annual Engagement Scholarship conference, a national meeting that Texas Tech hosted this year.
• Dr. Sylvia Niehuis presented a paper (co-authored with TTU colleague Dr. Alan Reifman and Florida State’s Dr. Christine “Coco” Readdick) at the German Pairfam (Panel Analysis of Intimate Relationships and Family Dynamics) conference in Munich. The Pairfam is a large, longitudinal data set that is available for scholars worldwide to conduct analyses. The PowerPoint slideshow from the talk (in PDF form) is available through the conference program.
• Two HDFS doctoral students were scholarship winners at the Texas Tech Graduate School’s annual Arts and Humanities Graduate Student Research Conference: Timothy Oblad ($125) and Rachel Engler ($100).