Dr. Nancy Leffert has been selected as president of Antioch University Santa Barbara announced Antioch University Chancellor Dr. Tullisse Murdock. Dr. Leffert, who holds a PhD in child psychology from the University of Minnesota, Institute of Child Development, previously served as provost and chief executive officer of AUSB. As president she will guide the growth of the Santa Barbara campus as it responds to the educational needs of Santa Barbara, the surrounding area students, and the 21st century.  The Santa Barbara campus is one of five campuses in the distinguished Antioch University system.

“Dr. Leffert was unanimously selected by the Antioch University Santa Barbara Board of Trustees to become the new President,” said Victoria Riskin, chair of the AUSB Board of Trustees, noting Leffert’s 35 years of experience in social service and higher education administration. “The Trustees cited her impressive academic background, dynamic energy and passionate commitment to the growth of our campus in pledging their full and enthusiastic support.”

Chancellor Murdock added that “the university as a whole recognizes that over the past year, a strong foundation for the growth of the AUSB campus has taken place under the leadership of Dr. Leffert.  AUSB is now poised to become a major leader in higher education in the Southern California region, and beyond.”

AUSB’s mission and institutional goals include promoting innovative experiential learning and socially engaged citizenship, and ensuring students graduate with a renewed sense of their purpose as scholars and citizens.

“We are extremely fortunate to have as our new president such a warm and caring individual who brings to her new position outstanding academic credentials, polished administrative skills, and a strong commitment to our mission and institutional goals. Our future looks bright!” noted Richard Whitney, Executive Dean of Institutional Research at AUSB.

Most recently, prior to joining AUSB as its top administrator, Dr. Leffert was the Associate Dean for Student Services and Program Evaluation in the School of Psychology at Fielding Graduate University in Santa Barbara. She is a nationally-known scholar of adolescent development, known particularly for her work delineating factors that contribute to the positive development of young people. One aspect of this work was the creation of the Developmental Assets framework, which is currently used across the country in over 500 communities as a tool to help mobilize around raising healthy children and adolescents. In addition to her lengthy list of published books and scientific articles, Dr. Leffert has authored many reports and technical manuals, and has frequently been invited to give scholarly and community presentations.

“It is because of Dr. Nancy Leffert’s vision and leadership that I left my position of 20 years at UCSB to move to Antioch University. It is so inspiring to work with someone who puts quality teaching and student success above all else. She is a true educator and an excellent administrator. I am proud to be part of her team,” said the chair of BA Program, Dr. Britt Andreatta.

Antioch University serves more than 4,000 adult students around the world and across the country, online and at its five campuses in four states. Each campus offers degree programs that meet—and often anticipate—the pressing needs of its region and the wider world. The University is also home to the landmark PhD in Leadership and Change; Antioch Education Abroad, an exceptional opportunity of immersive service and study programs; and WYSO, a leading public radio affiliate and an essential source of global news and opinion.

The Santa Barbara campus is particularly distinguished with its unique undergraduate degree completion program in liberal studies and graduate master’s and doctoral programs in clinical psychology and education that integrate students’ academic experience and experiential learning. Additionally, students in all of AUSB’s programs can specialize in relevant and applied specialized concentrations.

Photograph by Roe Anne White

PsyD Department Chair, Dr. Michele Harway, PhD, ABPP, and PsyD Core Faculty member, Dr. Steve Kadin, PhD, ABPP, recently received individual recognition for their work in Family Psychology from the American Academy of Couple and Family Psychology and the American Board of Couple and Family Psychology.

Dr. Michele Harway, PhD, ABPP, received recognition from the American Academy of Couple and Family Psychology for her outstanding contributions to the field of Family Psychology and in conjunction with this award, was also recognized at the annual ABPP convocation for outstanding leadership and dedication to board certification in Couple and Family Psychology.

Dr. Steve Kadin, PhD, ABPP, was formally inducted into the American Board of Couple and Family Psychology of the American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP) at the annual ABPP convocation held at the APA convention in San Diego.

The next meeting of the MFT Consortium of the Central Coast Region is on Monday, September 20 from 10AM-2PM and will focus on the implementation of the recovery model.

Santa Barbara County’s Alcohol, Drug, and Mental Health Services Department Consumer Empowerment Manager, Ms. Tina Wooton, and Division Chief for Special Projects, Mr. John Truman, will present on “Implementing Recovery Concepts”. Tina and John have been at the forefront of the recovery vision for mental health services for decades.  They are true pioneers in the area of providing optimal services for people living with serious mental health challenges and their presentation will provide a wonderful transition from last quarter’s meeting with Chad Costello, Director of Public Policy for Mental Health America of Los Angeles, who provided us with an overview of the Recovery Paradigm.

In addition, David Jensen, CAMFT General Counsel and Christy Berger, Manager/MHSA Coordinator for the BBS, will provide us with professional updates.  And, as is customary, we will break for a networking lunch and allow some time to receive updates from our members and colleagues at the MFT Consortium of Greater Los Angeles.  Four CEUs will be provided for MFTs and LCSWs.

The Central Coast Consortium is a newly formed group of educational institutions and community agency training sites interested in improving the quality of training to Marriage and Family Therapy Trainees.  The consortium meets quarterly and is a great way to network and keep up-to-date on changes and activities related to the MFT profession.  The Central Coast Consortium also offers training that educators and supervisors will find useful, for example, in meeting some of the new BBS mandates.

The meeting will take place from 10:00am until 2:00pm on Monday, September 20th at Antioch University Santa Barbara, 801 Garden Street in Santa Barbara.  Please RSVP at your earliest convenience to Chrystie Lewis, Student Coordinator for the MFT Central Coast Region Consortium at mftconsortium.ausb[at]antioch.edu or  805.962.8179 ext. 319.  Our representation in the statewide MFT Consortium is crucial and we need your input and support to make it work.

If you are new to our invitation list and would like to learn more about the Central Coast Consortium, please visit the MFT Consortium of the Central Coast Region webpage. Please also feel free to call or e-mail me with any questions at 805-962-8179 ext. 319 or kschwarz[at]antioch.edu. We look forward to seeing you all there!

A newly formed 17-member board of trustees for Antioch University Santa Barbara has begun its work of maintaining the university’s long standing commitment to innovative experiential learning and socially engaged citizenship and to ensuring students graduate with a renewed sense of their purpose as scholars and citizens.

Victoria Riskin will serve as chair of the board of trustees. She is a founding member of Human Rights Watch/California and serves as its co-chair in Los Angeles and chair of the Santa Barbara Committee of Human Rights Watch. A well known screenwriter and producer of made-for-television movies, Dr. Riskin holds a PhD in counseling psychology.

“Our inaugural local board of trustees is made up of distinguished members of the Santa Barbara community. They will help determine new program areas that are important to students in the 21st Century,” noted Nancy Leffert, provost and chief executive officer of AUSB. “I am thrilled that they will help us continue to serve students in the greater Santa Barbara community. This highly influential group of local leaders has stepped up to help us shape programs for our students, the region, and the community at large.”

Other officers of the board include vice chair Roy Mankovitz, an electrical engineer, inventor, and director of Montecito Wellness LLC; secretary/treasurer Carol Forhan, a graduate of AUSB and Vice President of Research Client Services in the Healthcare and Science business of Thomson Reuters; and emeritus trustee Lillian Lovelace, also a graduate of AUSB and the recipient of an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Antioch University Los Angeles.

Community members forming the remainder of the board are Dee Dee Barrett, Lou Cannon, Renee Grubb, Rodney Gustafson, Barbara Yanow Johnson, Patricia Chavez Nunez, Gabe Quiroz, Jerry Roberts, Susan Rose, Susan Smith, Thomas Tighe, Luis Villegas, and Diana M. Wilson.

“The members of this inaugural board of trustees were selected because of their diverse backgrounds and experience, their demonstrated exceptional community leadership, and their thoughtfulness about education and Antioch’s mission,” said Chair Riskin. “They have already contributed immeasurably to the University. They are a wonderful group and I am honored to be working so closely with each of them.”

The Antioch University Santa Barbara Board of Trustees will have local decision-making responsibility, including oversight of the development of local programs that will reflect the interests and challenges of students today.  Each of Antioch University’s five campuses has its own board of trustees. AUSB is part of a national historic university system, which Horace Mann, the father of progressive education, founded in 1852 as Antioch College. Together, they form a visionary community of campuses that strikes a rare—and essential—balance between idealism and experience.

Antioch University serves more than 4,000 adult students around the world and across the country, online and at its five campuses in four states. Each campus offers degree programs that meet—and often anticipate—the pressing needs of its region and the wider world. The University is also home to the landmark PhD in Leadership and Change; Antioch Education Abroad, an exceptional opportunity of immersive service and study programs; and WYSO, a leading public radio affiliate and an essential source of global news and opinion.

The Santa Barbara campus is particularly distinguished in the Antioch system with its unique undergraduate degree completion program in liberal studies and graduate master’s and doctoral programs in clinical psychology and education that integrate students’ academic experience and experiential learning. Additionally, students in all of AUSB’s programs can specialize in relevant and applied specialized concentrations.

For additional information please contact Contact: Jennifer Goddard Combs, (805) 565-3990, Jennifer@thegoddardcompany.com

Congratulations to PsyD faculty member, Juliet Rohde-Brown, PhD, on her recently published book, “Imagine Forgiveness, A Guide for Creating a Joyful Future”. Dr. Rohde-Brown’s book is available through Amazon.com, Barnes & Nobel and iUniverse.

Antioch University McGregor embarked on a strategic planning process in 2009 which led to a host of initiatives being developed and executed in 2010 and beyond. Among these initiatives is a keen focus on the University’s identity. Recognizing the global nature of the Antioch University brand and seeking to better unify its five adult-focused campuses in four states across the U.S., Antioch University has developed a new logo and brand guidelines to best reflect this unity.

Integral to this branding initiative is to better align Antioch University McGregor’s name with the other campuses – which are all geography based: Antioch University Los Angeles, New England, Santa Barbara, Seattle and, now, Midwest. More significant though is the opportunity to accurately claim AU Midewest’s service to the needs of students in Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, and even across the nation thanks to their low-residency programs.

Secondly, but just as important, is the role that each campus plays within the University structure. While all of Antioch University is structured around rigorous liberal arts education, each campus brings its own unique strengths to the University. The University’s Midwest campus has several outstanding programs including degrees and certificates in Education, world-class Conflict Analysis & Engagement programs, and undergraduate degree completion and masters programs.
*Content courtesy of Anitoch University Midwest

AUSB now has an iPhone app! Read news updates from AUSB, as well as receive current ‘tweets’ as they happen all from your iPhone, iPod touch or iPad.

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View photos from the AUSB Flickr account
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Download the Free AUSB App from the iTunes App store

Antioch University Santa Barbara welcomes the Santa Barbara Community to our first student art show.  A selection of sculpture, drawings, paintings, and prints will be showcased throughout Antioch’s lovely building and beautiful outdoor patios.  Please join us to celebrate the talent of Antioch’s student body this Thursday, June 3, 5-8pm.  Refreshments will be served.

The American Educational Research Association (AERA) has developed a new award in honor of Marianne D’Emidio-Caston, Interim Chair of our Education Programs. The award is, coincidentally, The Marianne D’Emidio-Caston Award for “New and Emerging Scholars.”  It is a Special Interest Group-sponsored award for the quality of research in areas significant to the Confluent Education Special Interest. We congratulate Marianne on receiving this award and thank her for her dedicate work with AUSB, her students, and the profession.

Be on the lookout for one of the new Antioch University Santa Barbara ads on MTD buses now running in SB. Take a photo and post it on our Facebook page!