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Previous Compass Award Recipients

2020 Compass Award Recipient: Ronald W. Whitaker II, EdD and the Center for Urban Education, Equity, and Improvement

Ronald W. Whitaker, II, EdD, joined Cabrini in 2015, and currently serves as  Assistant Professor of Education, Assistant Dean for the School of Education, Director of District and School Relations, and Director for the Center for Urban Education, Equity, and Improvement. He specializes in culturally responsive pedagogy, urban education, educational programming for Black males, the psychology of race and racism, and issues related to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Whitaker presents his research at both national and international scholarly conferences, and within K-12 educational spaces. He is revered amongst colleagues for engaging in “courageous conversations” in a respectful manner. For 15 years, he has led various programming for Black boys and men. Whitaker has been involved in prison ministry for five years and speaks regularly in churches and community organizations.

Recently, Whitaker was instrumental in forming a partnership between Cabrini and the School District of Philadelphia in Pennsylvania’s pilot program Aspiring to Educate, which aims to increase the diversity and number of teachers in the Commonwealth. The program is in alignment with Cabrini’s own Diversity and Equity within the Education Profession (DEEP) IMPACT initiative, also championed by Whitaker.

Whitaker completed his doctoral degree in Educational Leadership at Duquesne University, where his dissertation explored the intersection of Black male identity, systemic inequalities and racism, and improvement science, through the lens of social justice. He also earned a master’s degree in Education at the University of Pennsylvania, a master’s degree in Business Administration at Eastern University, and undergraduate degrees in Urban Leadership and Biblical Studies at Geneva College, where he graduated magna cum laude. Additionally, Whitaker also earned a Certificate in Culturally Responsive Pedagogy from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, and is in the process of completing a certificate in Diversity and Inclusion from Cornell University

The Center for Urban Education, Equity, and Improvement

Founded in 2017 under the leadership of Ronald W. Whitaker, EdD, the Center builds and disseminates pertinent data about the equity and improvement of urban education, partnering with pre-K̶16, corporate, state, nonprofit, and community-based institutions to provide specialized training for current and aspiring teachers and educational leaders. 

The Center’s main goal is to provide courageous and transformational leadership to students and communities who are most underserved, disadvantaged, and/or disenfranchised. The Center provides specialized training for teachers, educational leaders, and community members who want to transform urban education.

Each year the Center for Urban Education, Equity, and Improvement hosts the Shirley Dixon Celebration of Urban Education Symposium, honoring Shirley Walker Dixon (’84, MEd’89, EdD’18), who was a Cabrini Trustee, faculty member, and longtime advocate for ensuring students receive an equitable education. Dixon is also one of the recipients of the Christopher Awards for Extraordinary Leadership at this year’s Gala.   

The Symposium has created engaging discussions about national data on urban education and addressed the moral imperatives that educators and leaders need to assume in order to change and improve the educational landscape. Keynote speakers have included prominent anti-racist writer and educator Tim Wise and H. Richard Milner IV, PhD, a University of Pittsburgh professor and researcher who examines practices and policies that support teacher success in urban schools.


2019 Recipients: Joseph J. Romano, PhD, Professor Emeritus of Philosophy and Sharon C. Schwarze, PhD, Professor Emerita, Philosophy romano heaDSHOT

Joseph J. Romano, PhD, the longest tenured faculty member at the University, has the special distinction of teaching Cabrini’s first graduates—in the Class of 1961. Since 1960, when he joined Cabrini as a lecturer in the Philosophy Department, Romano has influenced hundreds of students throughout the span of his 59 years at Cabrini. 

In 2010, Cabrini celebrated the beloved professor’s 50 years of service with a series of events and a tour that culminated with a gala in the Mansion during Alumni Weekend.

“When I think of Cabrini College, Dr. Romano comes to mind,” said former student Brian Rice (’01) in an article about the anniversary. “To me, he embodies everything the College aims to achieve.” Romano has described his time at Cabrini as “a way of life,” rather than a job.

Early in his career, while teaching part-time at Cabrini, he also had stints as a lecturer at St. Joseph’s College (now University, 1961–78) and Villanova University (1963–65). In 1978, Romano made Cabrini his home. That year, the Alumni Association honored him 

with the Honorary Alumnus Award, and he became Vice President for Academic Affairs, a post he held for a decade. In that role, he helped the then-College revisit its core curriculum, assisted in shaping the Honors Program, and developed a new way of marketing.

Romano helped launch Cabrini from a women’s college in the 1960s into the comprehensive coeducational University it is today. He was part of the council that proposed the College become coeducational, a transformational decision in 1970 that would forever change Cabrini’s history. 

Romano was also instrumental in the College’s initial accreditation by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, an important designation to succeed in the competitive higher education marketplace. He also had a critical voice in the development of Cabrini’s first graduate degree, in Education, which remains one of the University’s most successful programs. 

Though Romano retired in 2014, he continues to teach philosophy part-time. In 2018, he published his first creative nonfiction book, Reds: The 2nd Greatest Generation (Page Publishing), a story of five adolescent boys growing up in a small blue-collar town in America. Parts of the book’s storyline were influenced by the Cabrini family, including discussions with faculty member Anthony Tomasco, PhD, Professor of Psychology, and Sharon Schwarze, PhD, Professor Emerita of Philosophy, who also receives the Compass Award this year. 

Throughout the book, Romano weaves the theme of natural leadership, which is fitting for an individual who has devoted his life to inspiring and enhancing the Cabrini community with his example and wisdom.

Romano earned his academic degrees from St. Charles Borromeo Seminary (BA), Villanova University (MA), and Bryn Mawr College (PhD). In 2017, Cabrini awarded this one-of-a-kind professor an honorary degree in Philosophy and now recognizes him with the Compass Award for his many years of influential service.


 

For Sharon C. Schwarze, PhD, the most rewarding part of teaching is the process of watching students “asharon Schwarze headshotwaken,” as they gain knowledge and move forward to success in life after Cabrini. Having served as a full-time faculty member for 45 years, she can reflect on a career full of awakenings.

Though she retired in 2016, Schwarze continues to teach part-time and is currently engaging with students in a Critical Thinking course. She joined the faculty at Cabrini in 1971, hired by Joseph J. Romano, PhD, Professor Emeriti of Philosophy, who also receives the Compass Award this year. Romano has described Schwarze’s contributions to Cabrini as “legion.” With a focus on enhancing intellectual life at the University, she established the Honors Program, served as Faculty Senate President, and oversaw summertime faculty development programs.

As Head of the Department of Humanities, she worked to enrich the academic environment for faculty and students. She organized Humanities Forums that have since evolved into the current Faculty Forums and invited influential speakers to campus including University of Pennsylvania President Amy Gutmann, PhD; Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC); and authors Chaim Potok and Lorene Cary. As Faculty Senate President, she successfully led efforts to preserve tenure.

Schwarze, who earned a Bachelor of Arts from Smith College and both a Master of Arts and a doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania, also wrote and administered a National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) grant that brought scholars from around the country to Cabrini. Her work set in motion a series of faculty development programs that prepared professors to teach courses now known as Engagements with the Common Good (ECG), which are integral parts of the core curriculum and mission. 

Her many grants and awards included a Winter Residence National Endowment for the Humanities fellowship to Princeton University as well as summer grants for a six-week Institute on Law and 

Ethics for philosophers and lawyers and a National Project on Engineering Ethics held over three years.

The textbook Thinking Socratically (Prentice Hall), coauthored with former Cabrini Philosophy instructor Harvey Lape, is Schwarze’s most significant publication. Now in its third edition, the volume has sold more than 15,000 copies and is used in colleges across the country. 

Schwarze’s commitment to Cabrini’s mission was not contained to the classroom. When tensions arose between the University and the nearby Mount Pleasant neighborhood, Schwarze worked to forge a strong bond between them. She involved her Democracy and Diversity class, part of the ECG curriculum, with community residents to create more respect between the communities. 

At the time of her retirement, Schwarze said of Cabrini, “We’ve shared the ups and downs, the work and the fun. … But there’s always been a sense that we’re building something—together.”

Now, two decades after Cabrini honored Schwarze as an Honorary Alumnus in 1999, the University again recognizes her many achievements with the Compass Award.


 

2018 Recipient: Rebecca Bradbeer (’94) 

Rebecca H. Bradbeer earned a Bachelor of Arts in Social Work from Cabrini in 1994, and currently serves on the boards of the Association for the Colonial Theatre, HMS School for Children with Cerebral Palsy, and Art Reach, a nonprofit that ensures the full spectrum of society has access to the arts.

In addition, Bradbeer is a devoted Supporter of Canine Partners for Life (CPL), an organization dedicated to training service dogs to assist individuals with varying degrees of physical and cognitive disabilities.

“I very much enjoy my role as steward and ambassador of these fine organizations,” said Bradbeer.

Bradbeer is passionate about arts and culture, frequenting many regional theaters in the area and beyond. She is a long-time subscriber to People's Light, a professional theater located in Malvern, PA, and says she is “continually impressed by what is in our own backyard.”

Bradbeer presently resides in Berwyn, PA.


2017 Compass Award Recipients:

Jerome "Jerry" Zurek, PhD

Jerome "Jerry" Zurek, PhD—affectionately known around campus as JZ—is not only a Professor of English and Communication and the Chair of the Communication Department, he is a pillar of the Communication program and of the Cabrini community.

In 2005, Zurek was named the Carnegie Foundation/CASE Professor of the Year for Pennsylvania. He says that in the 36 years he has been teaching at Cabrini, he has looked forward to coming to work nearly every day.

Over the years, he has continued to learn and develop as an instructor and mentor, and finds inspiration by tapping into the energy generated by his students. He is heavily involved in volunteer work and in championing volunteerism among his students. He has been involved in service learning for 17 years and regularly visits several Philadelphia schools, where his students mentor at-risk children and provide them support to reach their ultimate goal of attending college.

Zurek also works closely with Catholic Relief Services on service-learning projects, and he initiated the the Global Solidarity Network, a national coalition of students and faculty who are passionate about worldwide social justice issues such as immigration, genocide and poverty.

Catherine "Cathy" Yungmann

Catherine “Cathy” Yungmann is a beloved part of the Communication Department who remains very involved in the Cabrini community, despite retiring as Associate Professor of Communication prior to the spring 2017 semester.

Yungmann came to Cabrini in 1983 when Zurek, who had called local radio stations looking for recommendations for a new television production teacher, recruited her.

Winning more awards than we can count in her years of service at Cabrini, Yungmann received much of her recognition for helping students to be multimedia storytellers through promoting social justice and the common good.

“I'm so proud that my senior capstone convergence students have won a lot of national and international awards for their multimedia social justice web sites,” Yungmann said. “Each year, for over a decade, the class has selected a social justice topic to explore in depth for a year.”

She touts Cabrini's rich service-learning tradition leaves students poised for a lifelong commitment to service that extends well beyond graduation, and teaches her classes with an emphasis on creative independence, but with the power of support.


2016: Inaugural Compass Award Recipient

Shirley Walker Dixon (’84, MEd’89)

Shirley Walker Dixon (’84, MEd’89)Shirley Walker Dixon (’84, MEd’89) worked with the Philadelphia Housing Authority for nearly 20 years before transitioning to education, teaching fifth grade and then becoming the first African American to serve as principal at Girard College Elementary School—just one of many extraordinary accomplishments she achieved in
her lifetime.

In 1990, a year after earning her master’s degree in Education from Cabrini, Dixon became the first African American to join the Cabrini College Board of Trustees. In 1992, she accepted a position as an adjunct professor in the Education Department, and four years later accepted a full-time position as Cabrini’s Coordinator of Diversity Initiatives, while continuing to teach. She retired as Assistant Professor in the Education Department following the spring 2014 semester.

“From the moment I stepped on campus in 1979, I knew that Cabrini was going to be a special place for me,” said Dixon.

With unwavering commitment to Cabrini, Dixon has demonstrated wide-ranging and dedicated service to the college’s mission of academic excellence. A current doctoral candidate at Cabrini, Dixon models the value of lifelong learning, focusing her professional and scholarly activities on the integration and transfer of knowledge. Other areas of expertise include innovations in teaching and training (e.g., development of curricular materials and pedagogical methods) and contributions to the science of education, particularly from those groups typically underrepresented in the field.

Dixon dedicated her life to education and improving the lives of students. “Being an educator opened so many doors for me,” she said. In addition to participating in a roundtable at Oxford University, Dixon taught in rural Ghana, where she saw students drinking tainted water; she wrote a paper on the subject and petitioned the United Nations (UN) to make clean drinking water a global human right. In 2004, clean water ranked ninth on the UN’s top priorities; with the help of Dixon’s paper, the initiative moved up to fourth on the list. In 2008, China opened their criminal justice system to outsiders for the first time, and Dixon was there, discussing the legal system with Chinese judges and attorneys.

In 2009, she served as principal for a girls’ school in South Africa. “What I learned from those girls changed my life,” Dixon said. Her achievements also have been recognized by three schools on the continent of Africa.

Dixon continues her work as an educator, presenting lectures, workshops, and trainings and serving as an international consultant in education curriculum design and implementation for in- and out-of-the-classroom learning. She has special interest in teaching culturally responsive pedagogy in cross-disciplinary fashion.

She is active in a variety of civic and cultural organizations, and has received honors from several organizations. Dixon enjoys what she does so much that she claims her vocational activities are almost indistinguishable from her hobbies, which include observing, photographing, studying, writing, and teaching about the love of learning.