Published on 4/27/2011 3:49:00 PM
Associate Professor Linda Kucan
Associate Professor Heather Bachman
The School of Education is pleased to announce that two of its faculty members have received promotions from Chancellor Nordenberg.
Dr. Linda Kucan, full time faculty in the Department of Instruction and Learning, has received appointment as associate professor with tenure.
Dr. Heather Bachman, full time faculty in the Department of Psychology in Education, has also been granted associate professor with tenure.
Dr. Alan Lesgold, Dean of the School of Education, commented that these two individuals represent an important trend in the development of the strongest young scholars.
“Each is skilled along multiple dimensions,” he said. “Linda Kucan combines a deep understanding of how children learn to read with a grasp of the reading instruction establishment that was formed during her years as a publishing executive.
Heather Bachman not only has a substantial understanding of early development and how to study it but also is extremely well trained in the use of large-scale databases that allow the rapid exploration of hypotheses about how various developmental factors influence such outcomes as later success in school. Increasingly, science involves both cross-trained expertise and the collaboration of experts from multiple areas. We at Pitt are well positioned to pursue multidisciplinary approaches.”
Both professors are grateful and excited for this outstanding accomplishment.
“I was very thoughtfully supported in the tenure process by my department chair Rick Donato,” said Kucan. “He provided me with a detailed timeline of what I was expected to do from April through November 2010. He also provided me with encouragement. His message to me about getting ready for tenure included this little proverb ‘Jai Yen Yen’ which he translated as ‘Act with a cool and relaxed heart.’
When Dean Lesgold announced my tenure, I was in New Orleans. I wrote to him to thank him for his gracious announcement, and he wrote back ‘Laissez les bon temps roulez’ which means ‘let the good times roll.’ Those two sayings are bookends to my tenure journey.”
Heather Bachman is also thankful for the support she received from her peers.
“Carl Johnson and Jere Gallagher gave me feedback throughout the process on my materials and timeline,” says Bachman.” In addition, I had several colleagues in ADP that offered to write support letters, and I appreciated the School-wide attendance at my tenure presentation in October. Throughout the year, a number of SOE colleagues would stop by my office or in the hallways to ask how the tenure process was going. I received a tremendous amount of encouragement throughout the year, and when my tenure was announced, I received about thirty emails from SOE faculty, staff, and students, as well as from colleagues at the Office of Child Development. I am delighted to be part of such a supportive community and look forward to continued collaborations with my colleagues.”
The School of Education congratulates Linda Kucan and Heather Bachman.