Current Assignment in the College of Education and Human Sciences:
Associate Professor of Youth & Family Studies
Courses taught include:
FACS 160 Human Development and the Family
FACS 381 Family Intervention and Fieldwork
FACS 446/846 Addiction and Violence in the Families
FACS 488/888 Child and Family Policy
FACS 493/893 Contemporary Family Issues - Immigrant Families
FACS 873 Program Design, Evaluation and Implementation (Youth Development Distance Education Program)
Philosophy Statement: Philosophy Statement
I believe research and teaching in family studies need to be anchored in the community. My goal is to conduct research and teaching that will ultimately advance the well-being of children, youth and families. I am trying to seek the relevance of my inquiry and scholarly discovery to the community (local, state, national and international). I am interested in research in behavioral and mental health of youth. I have been investigating the risk and protective factors for substance abuse and dating violence among youth in Nebraska, the U.S. and China. I am also interested in acculturation process of new immigrant families and their effective coping with acculturative stress. I have developed and taught the Immigrant Families, the first course offered on Nebraska University campus. I strongly believe in distance education, and develop and teach Program Design, Implementation and Evaluation online. I have been helping local community services develop and evaluate their programs. I actively engage undergraduate and graduate students in my research including writing for grant and publication. I am intrigued by research methodology issues, both qualitative and quantitative. I have written about cultural sensitivity in conducting research with minority populations.
