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Gloria Delany-Barmann has been named chairperson of the newly combined Western Illinois University Department of Educational and Interdisciplinary Studies and Educational Leadership, effective July 1.
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Delany-Barmann Named Chair of WIU Educational and Interdisciplinary Studies and Ed Leadership

July 9, 2014

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MACOMB, IL – Gloria Delany-Barmann has been named chairperson of the newly combined Western Illinois University Department of Educational and Interdisciplinary Studies and Educational Leadership, effective July 1, according to College of Education and Human Services (COEHS) Interim Dean Erskine Smith. Delany-Barmann had served as the interim chair of the two departments since July 2013.

She started at Western in 1997 as a bilingual/English as a second language/linguistic specialist and as an assistant professor in educational and interdisciplinary studies. In 2000, she was promoted to associate professor and in 2006, to professor. Prior to coming to Western, she was a research and teaching assistant at Northern Arizona University (Flagstaff), where she taught bilingual and multicultural education and Spanish for teachers in two school-based elementary education programs.

At Western, Delany-Barmann has served as the co-director of Project Estrella, a nearly $1.5 million Title III professional-development grant project (2007-13) that helped future teachers in Illinois serve the state's large population of English language learners. From 2002-07, she served as the director of Project SABE (Successful Access to Bilingual Education), also a Title III professional-development grant project (worth $1.34 million). She has also served two terms as a member of the WIU faculty senate.

Delany-Barmann has published her research in such peer-reviewed journals as Bilingual Education Research Review, the Journal of Language Policy and the Journal of Language, Identity and Education. She is also the co-author of the chapter, "Spanish Heritage Language Learners as Bilingual Education Teachers: Cultivating Spaces for Academic and Local Language," in the 2013 edition of "Studies and Global Perspective of Second Language Teaching and Learning" published by Information Age Publishing. In addition, she has presented at state, national and international conferences, including the International Society for Language Studies (San Juan, Puerto Rico) in 2013.

While at WIU she has been a recipient of two Fulbright awards: one as a Fulbright Scholar in Bolivia and one Fulbright-Hays Group Project Abroad to Guatemala. She also received two Spencer Foundation grants to conduct research in Beardstown (IL), where much of the work for Project Estrella was based. From 1991-93, Delany-Barmann served in the Peace Corps as an agricultural extensionist for the Guatemalan Ministry of Agriculture.

"Since coming to WIU, Dr. Delany-Barmann has established an impressive scholarly and service record to the community, profession and the institution," noted Smith. "I am sure she will continue to bring her energy, professionalism and commitment to excellence to Western."

Delany-Barmann earned her doctorate in curriculum and instruction at Northern Arizona University, her master's degree in Spanish at the University of Oregon and her bachelor's degree in language studies at the University of California-Santa Cruz.

For more information, contact COEHS Director of Development, Marketing and Community Relations Dana Moon at (309) 298-1690 or via email at DM-Moon@wiu.edu.

Posted By: University Communications (U-Communications@wiu.edu)
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