FAIRFIELD, Conn.—Sacred Heart University’s Isabelle Farrington College of Education has brought on Robin Hands as the new director of clinical practice.
Hands, of Springfield, MA, began her experience in education as a fifth- and sixth-grade teacher in 1981. Throughout her career, she rose to elementary school principal, taught at Northern Vermont University and the University of Vermont and was the program supervisor for the Collaborative Teacher Education Program at the University of Massachusetts. Directly before coming to SHU, Hands was the director of school-university partnerships and an associate clinical professor at the University of Connecticut’s Neag School of Education.
In her new position, Hands will work with the director of teacher preparation to develop and implement a clinical-practice model. She will develop relationships with partner schools to offer students diverse clinical experience and will work with program coordinators and area professionals to ensure that all candidates have experience that prepares them for their future roles as teaching professionals.
Hands earned her Doctor of Education degree in the teacher education and school improvement program at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, MA, her master’s degree in gifted education K-12 at Northern Vermont University in Johnson, VT, and her bachelor of science degree in elementary education at Barrington College in Barrington, RI.
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About Sacred Heart University
As the second-largest independent Catholic university in New England, and one of the fastest-growing in the U.S., Sacred Heart University is a national leader in shaping higher education for the 21st century. SHU offers more than 80 undergraduate, graduate, doctoral and certificate programs on its Fairfield, Conn., campus. Sacred Heart also has satellites in Connecticut, Luxembourg and Ireland and offers online programs. More than 9,000 students attend the University’s nine colleges and schools: Arts & Sciences; Communication, Media & the Arts; Social Work; Computer Science & Engineering; Health Professions; the Isabelle Farrington College of Education; the Jack Welch College of Business & Technology; the Dr. Susan L. Davis & Richard J. Henley College of Nursing; and St. Vincent’s College. Sacred Heart stands out from other Catholic institutions as it was established and led by laity. The contemporary Catholic university is rooted in the rich Catholic intellectual tradition and the liberal arts, and at the same time cultivates students to be forward thinkers who enact change—in their own lives, professions and in their communities. The Princeton Review includes SHU in its Best 385 Colleges–2020 Edition, “Best in the Northeast” and Best 252 Business Schools–2019 Edition. Sacred Heart is home to the award-winning, NPR-affiliated radio station, WSHU, a Division I athletics program and an impressive performing arts program that includes choir, band, dance and theater. www.sacredheart.edu