Family Social Science faculty and graduate students honored at national conferences
Two FSOS faculty members and two graduate students were honored at recent national conferences.
At the Association for Financial Counseling & Planning Education® (AFCPE) national conference, Virginia Solis Zuiker, associate professor, was honored with the Mary Ellen Edmondson Educator of the Year Award which honors an individual who has provided exceptional service to teaching and/or outreach.
According to AFCPE, "Through the design or use of creative and innovative programs, they have made a profound impact on, or provided an exceptional service to, our profession and/or AFCPE. They are a mentor who gives back to students or is committed to educating clients."
She joined the FSOS faculty in 1996, and her research agenda examines family financial issues, including young adults’ financial acumen and racial/ethnic differences, and the differences between the entrepreneurial experience for Mexican immigrant and US-born Mexican entrepreneurs. Her work has expanded knowledge into the unique challenges facing diverse populations. Zuiker also led the Department's initiative to earn accreditation by the Association for Financial Counseling & Planning Education for students in the undergraduate major. Students in the FSOS bachelor’s program or earning an FSOS minor in family financial studies can take the exam (at a reduced rate) to become an Accredited Financial Counselor (AFC).
Faculty and students honored at NCFR
FSOS graduate student Soyoul Song and Professor Steven Harris were both honored at the National Council on Family Relations' national conference.
Harris was honored with the Family Therapy Section Legacy Award for his outstanding contributions to the field throughout his career. Harris joined FSOS in 2009 and served as the department's Couple and Family Therapy Program Director from 2009-2017. He is associate director of the Minnesota Couples on the Brink Project that develops, disseminates, and evaluates best practices to help couples at high risk for divorce but who are uncertain whether to divorce or to try to rebuild their marriage. The MCB also offers trainings to enhance the capacity of therapists, lawyers, clergy, and other professionals to work effectively with these couples.
Soyoul Song's paper, "Acculturative Stress and Mental Health in Immigrant Families with 1st Generation Adolescents in the U.S.: A Critical Review of the Literature," won the Family Therapy Section Student Award.
Earlier this year, Doneila McIntosh, Family Social Science doctoral candidate, was awarded the John L. and Harriette P. McAdoo Dissertation Award from the National Council on Family Relations' Racial and Ethnic Diversity in Families section.