CSUEB educator named 'Outstanding First-Year Student Advocate'

• October 29, 2013 5:00am

Sally K. Murphy, senior director of undergraduate studies and professor of communication at Cal State East Bay, was one of ten educators nationally recognized as Outstanding First-Year Student Advocates involved in high-impact practices for first-year student success in higher education.

Each year, presidents of American higher education institutions are invited to nominate one educator who is doing exceptional work in the areas of student learning, development and success. A national panel of distinguished educators then reviews the nomination portfolios and selects ten individuals as the nation's Outstanding First-Year Student Advocates. 

"Our freshman programs are as successful as they are due to the hard work and dedication of the general education staff and the faculty who create and teach in the learning communities,” said Murphy.

From the National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition Web site:

Sally K. Murphy has used her visionary leadership to promote and provide programs in support of first-year student success. Her primary work has been reframing and recreating the Freshman Learning Community model for California State University, East Bay. This program includes mandatory, yearlong, thematically linked learning communities; peer mentors; and a required service-learning project for first-year students. Despite budget cuts and understaffing, Murphy has been an unyielding advocate for students, searching for new and innovative ways to integrate interactive learning methods into the curriculum. She is noted for going above and beyond the call of duty in helping students. Murphy is deeply committed to spending quality time with her students, and her empathy touches lives every day. 

Congratulations, Dr. Murphy!

KL