She is an APA Fellow and past-editor (2004-2011) of the Journal of Multicultural Counseling and Development. Her recent co-authored books are: “Theories and Strategies of Counseling and Psychotherapy: Relevance across Cultures and Settings” (2012); Spanish translation of “Multicultural Counseling Competencies” (2007); and “Handbook of Social Justice in Counseling Psychology” (2006).

She holds a Doctorate in educational psychology with emphasis in counseling psychology, two other graduate degrees and two bachelor’s degrees. Professor Roysircar-Sodowsky teaches the following courses in the department of Clinical Psychology at Antioch University New England:

• Dissertation Supervision
• Doctoral Research Seminar, I, II and III
• Tests and Measurements in Psychology
• MMPI-2, PAI, and MCMI-III (objective personality measures)
• Human Diversity and the Clinical Enterprise

In the classroom, Professor Roysircar-Sodowsky  uses an ecological perspective in psychology that includes the exosystemic influences of laws, policies, allocations and access on the wellbeing and psychology of individuals, families and social groups; as well as the macrosystmic influences of a society’s cultural values, political ideology and mores on people’s identities, interactions, and relationships.

She believes that this framework allows a discussion of the sociopolitical issues of race, ethnicity, immigration, class, social capital, sex and gender identity that marginalize social groups and their members among students. While there is a national history to socially constructed views, she raises her classroom’s awareness of their current political formulations and operationalization, such as “postracial” United States.

Acting out Antioch University’s values of volunteerism and community support, Professor Roysircar-Dosowsky endorses The Support Group for Ethnic and Racial Diversity by having students complete and submit quantitative and qualitative program evaluations for organizing the local Day of Service for the Martin Luther King/Jonathan Daniels Day. Students and the program have received funding yearly from Campus Compact of New Hampshire to organize the event, as well as receiving coverage on the front page of the Keene Sentinel.

Students also have the opportunity to work with the Disaster Shakti program. Here students do ongoing self-assessment of their disaster outreach efforts nationally and internationally. The findings of Disaster Shakti’s ongoing research have been reported in dissertations, journal publications, book chapters and presentations at national conferences. Currently, data is being collected from responders nationally on a Disaster Response Competencies Questionnaire.

An immigrant from India, Gargi has lived in the United States for 32 years, first as a “green card holder” and then as a naturalized citizen. Her extended family now has three distinct immigrant generations, so she is familiar with adapting to different worldviews within   generational systems. She is a Hindu, a woman, a feminist and a bilingual in English and her native language, Bengali. However, she is familiar with other languages like Hindi, Marathi and French, but not proficient in them.

“My practice in the United States and internationally is essentially cross-cultural because my individual clients, group clients, consumers, or psychology trainees have heritages different from mine. My professional work is as diverse as I am,” Gargi said.

For more information, contact Gargi by email at:  groysircar@antioch.edu.

Dr. Malarkey taught at the University Constantine, Algeria, the American University in Beirut, Lebanon before coming to AUM to teach anthropology and Middle East studies.

He has published essays and presented papers on topics concerning the Arab world, intercultural relations and the importance of a liberal education. He is the editor of The Literary Heritage of the Arabs:   An Anthology.

Read more about Dr. Malarkey

The blend of my professional and classroom experience is different at Antioch. We do not really have the ‘classroom’ concept in our [PhD in Leadership and Change] Program where you teach students weeks or months in a row. We mentor and coach more than teach.

Our students bring so much leadership experience into our program, we help them find places and spaces to use their identity as practitioners in their journey towards becoming reflective-practitioner-scholars. I engage students in thinking about leading change, with an emphasis on how to change for what reason. Because my input in the program is often about understanding different forms of marginalization and leading with dignity and for social justice, I would like to believe that what I offer students has larger meaning than just a session or a Learning Achievement. In the sessions I facilitate I highly value the learning involved for all participants, including myself. It is particularly fulfilling when students discuss the relevance of the literature for their practice, or more generally, for the quality of their lives.

My own practice of advisory work and mentoring young people in different countries of the world provides tacit relational knowledge in working with student, but when I refer to my practice explicitly it is usually in my publications.

Professional Background

Philomena Essed has a PhD from the University of Amsterdam and an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Pretoria. At Antioch University, she is a professor of Critical Race, Gender and Leadership studies in the PhD in Leadership and Change Program. She is also an affiliated researcher at Utrecht University (The Netherlands) Graduate Gender Program.

Her research and teaching transcends national, cultural and disciplinary boundaries.

Well known for introducing the concepts of everyday racism and gendered racism in the Netherlands and internationally, her work has been adopted and applied in a range of countries, including the US, Canada, South Africa, Sweden, Finland, Russia, the UK, Switzerland and Australia.

She has lectured in many countries – from Germany to Brazil; from South-Africa to Canada – and published numerous articles in English and in Dutch, some of which have been translated into French, German, Italian, Swedish and Portuguese.

Her books include Everyday Racism; Understanding Everyday Racism  and Diversity: Gender, Color and Culture. Co-edited Volumes: Race Critical Theories; Refugees and the Transformation of Societies  and A Companion to Gender Studies (‘outstanding’ 2005 CHOICE award). A volume on Dutch Racism is in progress and another volume Clones, Fakes and Posthumans: Cultures of Replication is in press. Her current research focuses on social justice and dignity as experience and practice in leading change.

In addition to her academic work Philomena has been advisor to governmental and non-governmental organizations, nationally and internationally. Since 2004 she is Deputy Member of the Dutch Equal Treatment Commission where she serves as a panel member in hearings and investigations about structural discrimination, including race, gender, religion, age, sexual orientation and disability.

As an expert witness on race, gender and racism in Europe she addressed among others The European Parliament (Brussels, 1984); The United Nations Economic and Social Council (New York, 2001); The House of Representatives of the States-General (The Hague, the Netherlands, 2004) and the United States Helsinki Commission (Capitol Hill, Washington, 2008).

In April 2011 The Queen of the Netherlands honored Philomena with a Knighthood.

For more information, contact Dr. Essed:

Dr. Philomena Essed
Professor of Critical Race, Gender & Leadership Studies
PhD in Leadership and Change Program
E-mail:  essed@antioch.edu

Professor Gruber teaches the following courses at AUNE:

• Building Sustainable Organizations
• Ecological Economics and Public Policy
• Environmental Policy
• Financial Administration Environmental Economics
• Political Economy and Sustainability
• Proposal Writing and the Grants Process
• Financial Management I
• Economics I: Neoclassical Economics
• Economics II: Ecological Economics

Prior to coming to AUNE, Jim received his BS from San Diego State University, his MS from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, his MPA from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and his PhD from the University of Zagreb. His prior experiences include: executive director of the Greater Upper Valley Solid Waste Management District in Vermont, acting town manager and assistant town manager of Hartford, Vermont, assistant city manager/consultant for the City of Lebanon in New Hampshire, project manager of the Total Environmental Action Foundation in Keene, New Hampshire and town engineer for the Town of Swansea in Massachusetts.

Inside the classroom, Dr. Gruber integrates political and governmental experience with the traditional work by drawing upon his international and local consulting work with governmental entities. From his experiences, he is able to provide case studies, classroom simulations and outcomes of assistance work (such as reports, presentations, etc.). When appropriate, students are also encouraged to attend and help facilitate local multi-stakeholder types of strategic planning sessions.

Over the past 18 years at AUNE, more than 150 over Gruber’s students have worked on community service projects. These have ranged from helping a local town develop a land conservation plan, to helping Bulgaria develop its first national environmental policy after the fall of communism, to designing Keene’s bike pathway system. Many of these efforts have resulted in long-term tangible change. Dr. Gruber encourages students, faculty, staff and others to hop on a bike in Keene and try out the fruits of his students’ labor!

Gruber was also the founding executive director and co-founder of Antioch New England Institute (ANEI). ANEI encourages informed civic engagement through training, programs and resources in leadership development, community capacity building, environmental education and environmental policy development and implementation. More than 60 local, regional and international initiatives/projects are either on-going or have been completed during the last fifteen years.

Jim lives in Alstead, New Hampshire with his wife of 25 years, Patience Stoddard. Together they have two children; Daniel and Allison. He and his family reside in a self-designed ‘medieval style’ passive solar timber frame home and barn on 25 acres of land His family is consistently aware of the environment; they garden for some of their food, heat their house with wood and solar power and tap maple trees for syrup. In addition to the family, they have a couple of horses, a cat and a dog. Jim’s personal hobbies include timber-frame design and construction and lead glass windows.

For more information, contact Dr. Gruber by email at: jgruber@antioch.edu.

“My doctoral degree is in Medical Family Therapy. This is a specialization of Marriage and Family Therapy with a unique focus on issues of health and illness and collaborative practice with medical providers. I have worked clinically in family practice, obstetrics, psychiatry and internal medicine. I have taught small groups about psychosocial issues to medical students and residents. My research has mostly centered around perinatal depression. I am currently secretary of the New Hampshire Association of Marriage and Family Therapy,” Amy said.

In the MA Applied Psychology program at Antioch University New England, Professor Blanchard teaches the following courses:

• Human Sexuality and Sex Therapy
• Doctoral Program:
• Qualitative Research
• Outcome Research
• Teaching Marriage and Family Therapy
• Practicum/Professional Seminar

Antioch University is one in which community service is encouraged, recognized and valued. The most obvious way this value is carried out by Dr. Blanchard is through her work at the Antioch Couple and Family Therapy Institute, the Marriage and Family Therapy’s training clinic. Students train using two-way mirrors, live supervision and video recording. The clinic serves the Keene community by offering affordable (sliding fee scale) therapy. Students see individuals, couples and families who are struggling with anything from worry to major depression, coping with illness, grief and marital problems, etc. A support group for families of people with a diagnosis of an autism spectrum disorder is also offered at this location.

Amy also engages with the broader community across the state around perinatal mood disorders in her own time. Several years ago she became aware that there were pockets of people doing some great work to help mothers and families who struggle with postpartum depression. Along with a nurse practitioner, she started a learning collaborative to bring all these folks together and cross-train. Students help organize meetings, attend if interested and use them as a free way to gain training and to network.
Blanchard also does research in her own community with students. She is currently working with a student to explore same-sex couples transition to parenthood and postpartum depression.

Originally from Connecticut, Amy still lives close to the majority of her family. She is now located in Concord, New Hampshire. Amy is the mother of a 4 month old girl. She enjoys yoga, hiking and the outdoors.

For more information, contact Amy by email at:  ablanchard@antioch.edu.

Prior to coming to Antioch University New England, Polly earned her BS in Resource Management, MEd in Science Education and MEd in Administration and Supervision.

In the classroom, Polly believes that it is important for students to understand policies and environmental acts in correspondence with what they learn. She works to keep students continuously informed about historical legislation as well as current topics, so they can better understand the ‘big picture’ of their studies.

“I am a teacher, environmentalist, facilitator, and advocate for change through artful, skillful leadership. My goal is to help our students navigate the dynamic landscape of sustainability with strong communication skills so they can work with the complexities of change,” Professor Chandler said.

Serving the community and fulfilling one of Antioch University’s founding principles, students in Professor Chandler’s earth system course  participate in a consulting project with an organization with a sustainability challenge. They work in teams to address these challenges and make recommendations to the leadership, and in the case of nonprofits, the board. Recent outcomes have included: a winter greenhouse for a nonprofit educational farm that wanted to increase revenue stream and a nonprofit that developed a new strategy because of student recommendations.

“I have taught all ages in all venues. I’ve taught in the classroom, on a ship, on a farm, at a nature center and as a trip leader to multiple destinations, most recently Sweden with Antioch University students. I am an advocate for servant leadership and service learning so I find ways to integrate those passions into my teaching and learning,” Professor Chandler said.

In her spare time, Polly considers herself to be a ‘water person’. She and her husband live in Keene, where they enjoy the town atmosphere and the pride the citizens hold in their identity.

“I thrive on living in a small community and bountiful natural areas. I enjoy being on the edge where water and land meet. I grew up on a lake, spend my vacations near water, and enjoy the smallest pond to the ocean, Professor Chandler said.

Contact Professor Chandler by email at: pchandler@antioch.edu.

Education

Nick earned a BFA in South Asian Music Performance from York University in 1989 while working as a percussionist, accompanist, composer and teacher in the Toronto, Ontario area. He later attended Wesleyan University, CT, for graduate studies in Ethnomusicology from 2001 to 2007. The working title of his PhD dissertation is “The Rise of the Djembe in Bamako, Mali.”

Antioch University

Currently, Nick serves Antioch University at the Yellow Springs, OH, location as Director of Arts and Culture in West Africa study abroad program for Antioch Education Abroad. Also at AU, Nick is the Assistant Professor of Ethnomusicology.

As an educator, Professor Hockin teaches the following courses:

• Director of Arts and Culture in West Africa Program
• Teacher of ASSC 350 Traditional and Modern Perspectives on Malian Culture
• Teacher of AARTS 210 Aesthetic Traditions of Mali
• Supervisor of ALLC 150B Introductory Bamanankan
• Supervisor/Teacher of ALLCF 160 Introductory French
• Supervisor of ALLCF 260 Intermediate French
• Supervisor of LLCF 360 Advanced French
• Supervisor of AARTS 310 Apprenticeship/Arts Practicum

Teaching methods

While studying in Mali, Professor Hockin and his students live and apprentice with Malian artists and artisans. They engage in cross-cultural exchanges on a daily basis, which incorporates learning experiences for both the Malian host families and their student guests.

“In 2010, one of our students chose to write a term paper on his involvement in partially funding and working on the re-building of a three-room adobe (mud brick) schoolhouse that had been destroyed by extreme rainfall. We currently have a midwifery student who brought a significant amount of free medical supplies to her mentor for use in her clinic. Some past students maintain contact with their host-mentors, attending to the sale of their artisan works in the US, arranging art exhibitions, or producing recordings that sell internationally,” Professor Hockin said.

Arts and Culture in West Africa has entered into a partnership with the Parc National du Mali, providing assistance in contacting and hiring performing and visual artists to offer workshops and performances at the Parc. Professor Hockin is the main organizer of the Arts and Culture in Mali annual end-of-semester concert and arts exhibition in Bamako, serving 150 people, and exposing a featured local performance troupe to an audience of fellow artists and arts administrators that may improve their fortunes in the future. Arts and Culture in Mali co-organizes an annual International Student Forum at the National Arts Institute of Mali, providing an opportunity for 35 arts students and professors from America and Mali to meet and exchange ideas.

Contact Nick Hockin by email at: nhockin@antioch.edu  for more information.

(Pictured) 2011 Arts and Culture in Mali group in Djenne

Last year, Dr. McDermott received a prestigious honor made possible by her life’s work: She was awarded a Fulbright Scholar grant to teach and train on civic engagement in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

“This was a huge recognition of what I’ve attempted to accomplish in my career,” says McDermott, education program chair at Antioch University Los Angeles (AULA). “As an academic, it’s one of the true jewels in the crown.”

McDermott spent from February to June 2011 at the University of Sarajevo and three other institutions. In collaboration with faculty, she developed “train the trainer” models to encourage the creation of democratic classrooms that support civic engagement.

A Lifelong Interest in Social Justice

Growing up in a family of Irish union firefighters sparked McDermott’s interest in social justice. She credits her commitment to democratic teaching, meanwhile, to her progressive undergraduate education at Millersville University.

McDermott launched her professional career in 1971 as an English teacher in rural Pennsylvania. Over the next 18 years, she earned a master’s degree in education, organized a reading program to assist gang members in her hometown of Philadelphia, taught bilingual kindergarten in Compton, California, and more.

In 1989 McDermott began an extended period in higher education by joining the staff at California State University, Dominguez Hills. Nine years later, she was chosen as a fellow for the Soros Foundation Open Society Program. From 1998 to 2005, she volunteered in Moldova, Armenia, and Romania, partnering with educators to help students foster critical reading skills.

She views her work in those former Soviet republics–along with the rest of her career–as building upon the ideals she developed as an undergraduate at Millersville.

“My interest has always been in promoting the health of our democracy,” she said. “To do that, we need citizens who are good critical thinkers and understand the principles of good democratic practice.”

Answering the Call

In 2009, three years after coming to AULA, McDermott learned that Bosnia and Herzegovina had submitted a request for civic educators through the Fulbright Program. Suspecting she had the ideal skill set, she decided to apply.

Following a complex, lengthy review process, McDermott was named a Fulbright Scholar in May 2010. About eight hundred U.S. faculty and professionals travel abroad each year to teach and/or conduct research through this highly competitive program.

While living in Sarajevo, McDermott trained the people who train teachers and other educators on democratic teaching practices. One of the fundamental problems with education in much of the world is what McDermott calls “the old lecture style.”

“It’s all, ‘Sit down and shut up, do what I tell you to do,’” she notes. “The student has no ability to ask questions, to participate. Research shows that doesn’t generally encourage people to be critical thinkers.”

This issue is exacerbated in a place like Bosnia and Herzegovina. While the country has a highly educated population, it also has a history of autocratic rule and lack of civic engagement. Worse yet, citizens today feel powerless to effect change due to the bureaucratic governmental structure, says McDermott.

“Everything I did over there was geared toward creating an environment where students and faculty can get in touch with their voice,” she says. “Because you can’t see yourself creating change if you don’t have a voice.”

While McDermott’s stint in Bosnia and Herzegovina ended in June, she has already returned to the country as part of her work with Step By Step, an early childhood program. And you get the feeling that more international travels await, all in the pursuit of a greater good.

“Our ideals are what frame who we are,” says AULA’s first Fulbright Scholar. “When you take those with you, that’s how you fly.”