Date: May 11, 2006
Contact: Lindsay Gladstone
Governors State University
Phone: (708) 534-7090
Fax: (708) 534-8399
Email: l-gladstone@govst.edu
For Immediate Release
University Park, May 11, 2006 - Dr. Julia Yang of Flossmoor, professor of counseling at Governors State University, was named School Counselor Educator of the Year by the Illinois School Counselor Association at its annual conference in Elgin, Illinois in mid-April.
“It humbles me that I would be recognized. There are so many other school counselor educators. There are at least 16 counselor education programs throughout the state,” said Yang. “I share this honor with my colleagues and students who have made this award possible.”
Yang was recognized for several achievements in her field. Recently, she revised the GSU school counseling program to meet new state mandated content area standards two year’s before the deadline. She also designed the GSU Alternative School Counselor Certification curriculum and implemented a school counselor cohort education program in response to a statewide shortage of certified school counselors. Additionally, Yang mentors students and reactivated the GSU chapter of the Illinois School Counselor Association.
“We are very pleased and proud of Dr. Yang’s accomplishments,” said Steven Russell, Dean of the College of Education. “She works very hard for her students and the school counselor program at GSU.”
“I just love working. It is a passion and it never stops,” explains Yang who is also a past president of the Illinois Career Development Association. She has also been recognized for her work in the use of technology to help disseminate career information to school counselors.
Before coming to GSU seven years ago, Yang was chair of the graduate program at Taiwan University and a professor at California State University, Fresno, and Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania.
“I came to GSU because it was located in a diverse area and is very unique. I love the university and the students we serve.”
