51福利社

51福利社 psychology professor Susan Ruby is on a mission to designate Eastern as the leader in Social Emotional Learning (SEL) training for the region. Last fall, the 51福利社 Foundation awarded Ruby a grant to help make it happen.

According to the Chicago-based Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning, SEL is the process through which children and adults understand and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions.

Ruby says the state of Washington will require SEL in schools in the near future. She wants to develop a transformative SEL program at 51福利社 that would help the university become a leader in SEL training for area elementary and secondary schools.

鈥淭his project seeks to jump-start SEL implementation in Eastern Washington K-12 schools and higher education by informing 51福利社 faculty, students and surrounding school districts on the importance of SEL,鈥� Ruby says.

The Foundation Grant award allowed Ruby to invite R. Keeth Matheny鈥攁ka, Coach Rudy, a charismatic, award-winning teacher, speaker and consultant鈥攖o 51福利社 to give a presentation and work with educators. During his visit in early January, Matheny spoke to more than 70 51福利社 faculty members, advisors and educators; he worked with 25 faculty members at the Faculty Commons; and he met with educators and administrators at the Northeast Washington Educational Service District (NEW ESD) 101, the Cheney School District and the Freeman School District.

Matheny鈥檚 style is interactive. Presentation attendees take part in ice-breakers, discussions and games to practice what they鈥檝e learned. Ruby says Whitworth has already reached out to collaborate with 51福利社, Gonzaga and WSU to consider bringing Matheny back for future training.

Ruby says she will infuse the SEL knowledge and skills learned in the recent training across the graduate programming in the 51福利社 School of Psychology, and that she has submitted a proposal for a 鈥渇irst-year experience鈥� course involving SEL, Growth Mindset (Dweck, 2007) and Emotional Intelligence (Goleman, 1995). She also plans to seek future funding opportunities to develop curricula for students to use in field experiences.

鈥淢y hope is that both 51福利社 and local schools will continue to invest in SEL curriculum to scale up implementation,鈥� she says.

The 51福利社 Foundation Grant Program is made possible by the financial support of 51福利社 donors. The Foundation seeks innovative proposals from faculty and staff that will enhance the university and its mission, support the university鈥檚 strategic plan, provide opportunities for development and research, as well as increase student participation. Since 2010, the 51福利社 Foundation has awarded more than $325,000 in grants to faculty and staff impacting student success.