Research Interests

Ames Thorndike Brown, III

As the foundations specialist for the Education Division of the School of Education and Human Resources, Dr. Brown is responsible for energizing and fostering the philosophical theme and goals of the Education Division's conceptual framework. He teaches core foundations courses where graduate candidates are asked to intellectually engage primary sources by leading
thinkers and define their own professional philosophies, aspirations for the profession, and stances on contributing to the improvement and growth of the profession.

In addition, he is an enterprise-level technologist and works with candidates in the instructional technology program as well as contributing to the Education Division's foundational commitment to technology integration. Dr. Brown has taught educational foundations in Pennsylvania, New York, and New Jersey, has been the project coordinator for a national video series on educational innovation, and has a passion for the analysis and development of philosophies which promote vibrant schools.

Jerald D. Cole

Dr. Cole is Chair of the Instructional Technology program for Teachers, Trainers, and Software Developers. His research interests are in the areas of intelligent tutoring systems, networks, distance learning, distributed learning systems, and alternative education.

Allen Cook

My research interests involve two main areas: mathematics education and international education. In mathematics education I am interested in analyzing collaboration between professional mathematicians and mathematics educators; in how teachers construct meaningful understanding of content; in the construction of meaning of basic mathematical concepts, for example the concept of functions, graphs, congruence, etc. I am also interested in the meaning for educators--particularly mathematics educators--of the construction of knowledge as discussed in modern and post-modern philosophers (e.g. Foucault, Wittgenstein ).

In international education I am interested in globalization and its implication for classroom teaching; in how students from different countries adapt to the American educational experience; in standardized testing in various national systems; in the educational assumptions about the meaning of testing in different cultures.

Joyce A. Cook (Certification Officer)

As a linguist, my specialty areas are Southern Bantu languages.  I am especially interested in “intentionally designed” languages that are used to facilitate commercial interaction, particularly in Southern Africa.

As a TESOL instructor, I have a research interest in “nested” linguistic populations, i.e., those minority language students who must learn the target language of English through the lens of another, more dominant, minority population.

As UB’s Certification Officer, I sit on the State Department of Education’s Advisory Board, which provides university input to state certification regulations.

Joseph P. Cullen

Dr. Cullen, Director of the Division of Counseling and Human Resources and Assistant Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Bridgeport, Connecticut, received his Ph.D. in Educational Psychology/Special Education from the University of Connecticut in 1995. Over the past 22 years, he has served in public and private schools as a school psychologist, learning disabilities specialist, and program director. Dr. Cullen's research and professional interests include working with teachers and families to support children with Learning Disabilities, ADHD, and emotional and behavioral challenges in school and community settings.

Kurt Frey

My research interests in psychology are broad, covering the topics of social relations, personal relationships, personality, cognition, and the brain. I am co-author of a 2004 book: "Experiments with People: Revelations from Social Psychology." I am especially interested in spiritual influences on psychological functioning. I have recently been teaching a course entitled "Psychology of Spirituality," which is the basis for a book in progress: "Spirit--Questions and Answers about Spiritual Existence and the Spiritual Universe."

William Jassey

Dr. William Jassey, Director of International Degree Programs, provides Taiwanese teachers and future teachers of Taiwan an opportunity to be immersed in practical course work, relevant to their teacing assignment. The program leads to a master of science degree with a focus on teaching English as a foreign language. Year-round and summer cohorts are under his purview.

Dr. Jassey founded the Center for Global Studies, a magnet school within a school for Fairfield County, located in Norwalk, CT. Recently, Bunkyo Gakuin, located in Tokyo, Japan named its hallway in his honor. He works with two-way homestay programs sponsored by Kojo High School, Kanagawa, Japan and by 5 junior and high schools in Chiba, Japan, with parallel schools in the Norwalk School district.

Dr. Jassey is involved in ESL aspects of the TOEFL exam under the sponsorship of ETS. He is also participating in the research project, "Using a Comparative Analysis of Programs in International Education" sponsored by American University.

Robert E. Kirschmann

I have been working on revising my book, "Educational Administration: A Case Study Approach." It was originally published in 1996 and some of the cases are now dated and need to be revised or eliminated. I am also working on new cases to include. I am beginning a draft of an article concerning the need to abandon the behavioral objectives standard and admit the vital role the affective domain plays in education.

It is my belief that whether we intend it or not, we are always teaching attitude in one way or another, and it is better if we are aware of what we are doing and incorporate it into our plans. For example, if I am teaching about substance abuse, I really don’t care if the students can quote data about the problem. My real objective is to make them resist abusing substances. That will never be measurable, but that’s how it is. I see nothing wrong with having as an objective the appreciation of a piece of art or music or emphasizing with the plight of some individual or group in history.

Lia Maimon

Dr. Lia Maimon's primary teaching responsibilities are in the teacher education program in the area of Reading and Language Arts education and TESOL. Dr. Maimon has extensive experience in the elementary, middle, high school and college levels. She also brings a rich background in international education, having lived in three different cultural settings and speaking fluently five languages and having partial knowledge of three more. She served as a reviewer for several publications. Dr. Maimon has received four University of Bridgeport Faculty Research awards. This research was disseminated in refereed journals and at regional, national or international conferences. She recently published in refereed journals "The Relationship between Self-Efficacy and the Instruction of Writing" and "Improving Cross-Cultural Text Revision".

John W. Mulcahy

Dr. John W. Mulcahy, Charles A. Dana Professor of Educational Leadership and Professor of Management is Chair of the Department of Educational Leadership and Director of the Ed.D. program. Dr. Mulcahy’s research interests include: Decision Making, Leadership and Organizational Psychology.  He has written five books, which focused on the above mentioned research areas.

In 2003, he received “The Outstanding Research Award” from the National Academy for the Advancement of  Educational  Research (NAAER).  That research presented his new Decision Making/Leadership paradigm.

Dr. Mulcahy has served as a consultant to numerous educational and public/private sector organizations, including:  Board of Directors of The Student Loan Marketing Association (SLMA), Board of Trustees – Johnson and Wales University and the Board of Selectors – National Institute for Higher Education (NIHE), Ireland.  Dr. Mulcahy did post graduate work at Yale’s School of Organization and Management and the University of Pennsylvania’s The Wharton School.

Most recently, Dr. Mulcahy was appointed as President of the National Academy for The Advancement of Educational Research.
 
Dr. Mulcahy has received two Honorary Doctorates: Johnson and Wales University and Iona College.

Tricia T. Santi

Tricia Santi is the newest member of the Division of Counseling and Human Resources. Ms. Santi comes to the University of Bridgeport from private practice as an educational consultant and psycho-therapist. In her 28-year career, Ms. Santi has served in teaching, clinical and administrative posts in public schools and private agencies. She has also served on the faculties of Southern Connecticut State University, Quinnipiac University, and Western Connecticut State University.

Ms. Santi holds Bachelor and Masters degrees from Central Connecticut State University and a Masters degree and Sixth-Year Diploma from the University of Connecticut. She is licensed as a Marriage and Family Therapist and holds a certificate in Divorce Mediation from the Quinnipiac University School of Law. In addition, Ms. Santi has taken advanced professional training with Salvador Minuchin, Milton Erikson, and William Glasser.