Continuing the Academic Conversation

As you may already know, Nina Hersch Gabelko – ATDP’s director for almost a quarter of a century – retired on October 1st and Adena Young has been named interim director. (In case you missed it, you can read Adena’s account of Nina’s tenure, which was published in the final newsletter of Summer ’11 [PDF, 1.7 Mb]) As director, each year at student orientation, Nina has welcomed scores of ATDP students not to the “program,” and certainly not to “class,” but to an ongoing conversation – a real one that fills the halls of every scholarly building on campus. As the ATDP staff look forward to 2012, now is an ideal time to review how Nina cultivated that conversation and how it is set to continue for years to come.

Growing an Academic Community

At the end of the final day of ATDP’s 2011 summer program, the Secondary Division faculty and staff filled a Tolman Hall meeting room, decked with streamers and balloons, in fond celebration of Nina’s service. The results of Nina’s legacy could not be clearer: everyone in the room spoke the same language of academic development and passion for teaching. They exchanged stories and ideas not only of student learning but – just as importantly – what they were learning as educators from their students and, of course, from Nina and the years-long conversation she has grown.

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Zach Rosner (right) and Nina Gabelko at her end-of-summer gathering

In a recent interview, cognitive neuroscience doctoral candidate and AP Psychology instructor Zachary A. Rosner pointed out that, from his many conversations with Nina Gabelko, he understands that the two aspects of ATDP to which she points with greatest pride are:

· offering an exciting, informative educational experience in a diverse range of classes in which students are highly successful, and

· ensuring that classes are made available – even reaching out – to students regardless of background, demographics, or financial situation.

Over twenty years, these two goals have solidified into a steadfast culture at ATDP. As Faculty Director Frank C. Worrell notes: “It’s a testament to Nina’s commitment to excellence and the program’s sense of community that Dr. Adena Young, a former student and teacher in ATDP, is now at the helm.”

Continuing the Conversation

Having been involved with ATDP beginning in 1994 – and later, the Graduate School of Education — Adena Young has been able to rely on the decades of work and wisdom that have accumulated in its offices, archives, and people, while at the same time looking forward to the next round of students filling the classrooms of UC Berkeley and Washington Elementary School.

“It is an honor to become the interim director of ATDP, a program that has greatly impacted me both as a student and an educator,” said Dr. Young. “I look forward to continuing and furthering ATDP’s mission of providing meaningful and enriching educational experiences to all students who want to learn.”

The day-to-day operations of ATDP’s main office and its director’s office continue apace in preparation for the 2012 session: obtaining feedback from its community of instructors, investigating potential new course offerings, and supporting high school seniors as they apply for college, to name a few. Visiting Professor and Head Counselor Beverly Vandiver commented on the challenges that face the program, writing: “I believe ATDP will meet them in ways that are innovative and reflective of best practices in developing the academic development for all students. Academic talent development, the philosophy of the program, is a tradition worth keeping and doesn’t require innovation.”