Innovative Online Practical Teacher Training Program Helps Combat Special Education Teacher Shortage in Utah
In response to Utah’s persistent shortage of qualified teachers in special education, the Special Education and Rehabilitation Counseling Department at USU created the Online Practical Teacher Training (OPTT) program in 2019. OPTT is designed to provide a...
Interdisciplinary Team Awarded NSF Grant to Investigate Mathematics Teacher Retention in Utah High Schools
Three USU professors have been awarded a grant from the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program within the National Science Foundation (NSF). Their research seeks to understand how support in work and home life impact the retention rates of Utah school t...
USU Professor Fights Student Hunger with a Major Gift
Professor Michael Twohig recently received the D. Wynne Thorne Career Research Award, one of the university’s highest faculty honors. The award came with a cash prize of $7,500, which Twohig decided to donate to the Student Nutrition Access Center (SNAC)....
CEHS Students Participate in Study Abroad Opportunities Focused on Education and Human Services
This summer, undergraduate and graduate students in the Emma Eccles Jones College of Education and Human Services at USU participated in a variety of study abroad programs that took them around the world to Jönköping, Sweden, the Republic of Fiji, and the...
New Aggies Elevated Program at USU Eastern Celebrates Its First Graduating Class
The mission of Aggies Elevated, which began 11 years ago on the Logan campus, is to empower students to become resilient problem-solvers and self-determined citizens. Aggies Elevated students participate in campus and school life along with all other stud...
Special Education Professor Casey Clay Awarded $2M Grant to Create Virtual Reality Teacher Training on Behavior Intervention
Casey Clay, assistant professor in Special Education and Rehabilitation Counseling at USU, is part of a collaborative research project that was recently awarded a $2M grant from the Institute of Education Sciences (IES), which is housed within the US Depa...
CEHS Special Education Students Assist Fijian Teachers and Children in their Native Classrooms on Summer Study Abroad
A group of CEHS students spent two weeks in June 2024 working in Fiji schools, providing special education professional development to teachers and instruction to the children in the classrooms.
ASSERT Program Hosts Natalia Vodianova, International Supermodel, Philanthropist, and Founder of Naked Heart Foundation
Vodianova is visiting the Autism Support Services: Education, Research, and Training (ASSERT) classroom and learning from founder Tom Higbee, professor and department head of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services, and his highly skilled early chil...
USU Special Education Researchers Awarded $5.4M for Pilot Program with the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation
Disability Innovation Fund (DIF) grant awarded to the Colorado Division of Vocational Rehabilitation. The DIF grant will expand access to transition services for youth and young adults with disabilities and will enhance partnerships among vocational rehab...
Former USU Graduate Student in Special Education and Rehabilitation Services Glenna Wright-Gallo Appointed to U. S. Department of Education
Glenna Wright-Gallo, alumna of the special education and rehabilitation services graduate program at USU, was recently appointed to the U.S. Department of Education as assistant secretary for the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services.
ASSERT Autism Program Celebrates 20 Years of Service and Outreach
To celebrate 20 years of education, research, and training, current and former staff and families who have been involved with the ASSERT Autism Program at USU gathered for a picnic reunion complete with food, games, and activities at the end of June.
SPERC Researcher Recognized as Emerging Scholar in Career Development and Transition Services
Dr. Stephen M. Kwiatek recently received the Patricia L. Sitlington Emerging Researcher Award from the Division on Career Development and Transition for his work to improve post-high school success for youth with disabilities through educator tools.
$1M Grant to Train Doctoral Students in Special Education
A $1M grant through the Office of Special Education Programs within the U.S. Department of Education will fully fund education and training for doctoral students to address the shortage of higher education faculty in special education fields.
Aggies Elevated Welcomes 1st Statewide Cohort, New Leadership
This August, Aggies Elevated will welcome its first statewide cohort at the USU-Eastern campus in Price, Utah in addition to its ninth cohort in Logan and a new executive director.
Dr. Kaitlin Bundock’s Research on Math Interventions for Students with Disabilities Receives CLD Must Read Award
Dr. Kaitlin Bundock, assistant professor in Special Education and Rehabilitation Counseling, was recently awarded the 2021 Council for Learning Disabilities Must Read Award for her research on math interventions for middle- and high-school level students ...
$1.9 Million Grant Expands College Options for Students with Disabilities
A new $1.9M grant will continue funding for Aggies Elevated and create two new post-secondary education programs at USU Eastern and Utah Valley University, expanding college options for students with disabilities.
Helping Young Adults with Disabilities Succeed in Early Adulthood
Dr. Kathleen Marie Oertle of the Special Education and Rehabilitation Services Department of CEHS at USU has received a grant for her project Collaborate for Change, which aims to improve transition services for young adults with disabilities.
Rehabilitation Counseling Program Receives $1 Million Grant
USU’s Rehabilitation Counseling program has received a $1 million grant from the federal Rehabilitation Services Administration. The grant is anticipated to allow 25 graduate students over the next five years to pursue training at little to no cost.
Aggies Elevated: Revolutionary Program Helps Students with Disabilities Succeed in Higher Education
For students with disabilities, college has its own set of challenges. USU established a revolutionary program called Aggies Elevated.
Hit the Ground Running
When Tim Slocum began searching for five new staff members, he had no idea he would hire all five of his favorite applicants.
Assert Program Will Soon Touch Lives in Russia
This month, a new preschool center will open in Russia, modeled after Utah State University’s ASSERT. Early childhood educators from Nizhny Novgorod say the skills they learned here will change lives half a world away.
USU Professor Tom Higbee Awarded Prestigious 2026 Fellowship from Association for Behavior Analysis International
Special Education and Rehabilitation Counseling Department Head Tom Higbee, Ph.D., has been named as an ABAI Fellow by the Association for Behavior Analysis International. The recognition highlights Higbee’s contributions to the behavior analysis field ov...





















