DIVISION OF GRADUATE STUDIES NEWS ARCHIVE
JANUARY 2002: JOINT DOCTORAL EDUCATION PROGRAM ALUM MAKES PUBLISHING IMPACT!
From the Graduate Dean:
Fresno State's Greg Goodman, Spring 2000 graduate of
the Joint Doctoral Program in Educational Leadership, is awakening the
educational world with his two remarkable—even "maverick"—manuscripts
dealing with students at risk. In his 1999 Alternatives in Education:
Critical Pedagogies for Disaffected Youth,
and his most recent Reducing Hate Crime and Violence Among American Youth (2002), Dr. Goodman draws on many years as a counselor-educator to take
a front-line approach to making a "real change" in the lives
of students who are often "at the bottom of the success ladder."
As Dean Emeritus Doug Minnis of UC Davis has noted, "It is clear that Greg listens to individual students and validates their worth. Teachers will find in reading his writings the idealism they brought to teaching . . . Sharing his thoughts is so refreshing that recommending their reading is not so much a professional assignment as a revealed treat."
Greg Goodman is one of the talented superstars among our Division of Graduate Studies alumni. He completed his doctoral degree in May of 2000 through the Joint Doctoral Program in Educational Leadership (JDPEL), a doctorate offered jointly through our university and the University of California at Davis. Greg exemplifies the extraordinary leadership expected of graduates of this program, and his recent contributions to the publication world are one sign of his passionate commitment to bringing needed change to the educational arena. It gives me special pleasure to include the following remarks of appreciation from those who have worked with him and read his works:
Dean Emeritus Minnis, an educational leader for many years, says of Dr. Goodman's work:
When Greg Goodman writes it is about kids. Not about test scores or school ranking, but about real live kids whose experiences he chronicles in vivid detail through this interviews and thoughtful insights. He introduces the reader to most worthy young students who are at educational risk rather than those scoring 1500 on the SATs. He is able to help the reader recognize the great worth of each of the students with whom he talks. Their lives and difficult circumstances defy ignoring or generalizing into statistics. Each one is a case of one; completely unique.
Dr. Sharon Brown-Welty, Fresno State Co-director of JDPEL, notes with pride the direct contribution that Greg's work makes to the field of education in the Central Valley. Additionally, she points to his active work in the Central Valley Education Consortium, with two research monographs regarding closing the critical academic achievement gap.
Dr. Karen Carey, professor of psychology at California State University, Fresno and a long-time supporter and champion of Goodman's work, calls him "a true scientist-practitioner." Greg is one who is willing, says Carey, "to go the 'extra mile,' and do what others have not previously done . . . " In writing about the realities of working with the alternative education student, he "has written a book that is funny, sad, and at times scary." At the same time, however, Greg's works will inspire the reader to "go out there and make a difference for these complex, difficult young people who have something positive to give to our communities."
What better accolades could one ask? Congratulations and best wishes for many more significant publications, Greg!
