Awards
NECC® Staff Members Receive Awards
Vincent Strully, Jr., Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters
Western New England College
Western New England College (WNEC) has awarded Vincent Strully, Jr., Chief Executive Officer and Founder, an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree. Mr. Strully delivered the Commencement Address at the college’s commencement exercises on Saturday, May 16, 2009. For over 38 years Mr. Strully has worked to establish NECC as an internationally recognized leader in autism intervention, research and professional development. Other honorary degree recipients have included: CNN correspondent Wolf Blitzer; Boston College Chancellor Rev. James Donald Monan; U.S. Congressman Richard E. Neal; and 11-time NBA champion William Russell. In 2008 Western New England College launched a Ph.D. Program in Behavior Analysis with courses offered onsite at The New England Center for Children®. The program is taught by the college’s own full-time tenured or tenure-track psychology faculty as well as clinical adjunct faculty from NECC. This program developed in response to the increasing demand for scientists and practitioners in the area of autism and related disabilities, and its curriculum is designed to foster the development of leaders in the field.
Emily Bennett, Myrna E. Libby Scholar Award
Christina Donatiello, Myrna E. Libby Scholar Award
In 2009, a scholar award was developed to honor NECC’s long time friend and colleague Myrna Libby. The Myrna E. Libby Scholar Award will be awarded yearly to two NECC masters degree students whose work most exemplifies Myrna’s vision that research guides the education and treatment of individuals with autism and so improves their lives. On May 20, 2009, the first scholar awards were announced and given to two graduate students at an all-school event by NECC’s Chief Executive Officer and Founder, Vincent Strully, Jr. Award Scholar Christina Donatiello is a Simmons College graduate who excelled in her coursework and practicum, showed a high level of professionalism in her position as residential coordinator on the West Hill Road residential team, and is dedicated to using empirically validated strategies to promote student success. Award Scholar Emily Bennett is a Northeastern University graduate whose dedication to promoting student engagement and skill acquisition, as well as her ability to work with her residential team to achieve these goals, is impressive. She admirably carried on her research after Myrna’s passing about comparing strategies for teaching behavior chains. Both Award Scholars recently completed their respective masters degrees and continue to work at NECC in the residential program.
William Ahearn, Ph.D., BCBA
Outstanding Applied Research Award
Eileen Roscoe, Ph.D., BCBA
B.F. Skinner New Researcher Award
American Psychological Association, Division 25
On August 6, 2009, two of NECC’s staff received awards from Division 25 (Behavior Analysis) of the American Psychological Association at the annual conference held this year in Toronto, Canada. Bill Ahearn, Director of Research, was bestowed the Outstanding Applied Research Award for innovative and important research on applications of behavioral principles to address socially significant human behavior. The title of his acceptance address was “Can an applied researcher follow Skinner’s advice? Looking at one thing, finding another.” Eileen Roscoe, Assistant Director of Research, received the B. F. Skinner New Researcher Award for innovative and important research in behavior analysis conducted within the first seven years of receiving a doctorate. The title of her acceptance address was “Refinements in functional analysis methodology.” Congratulations to both of these researchers for their dedication to improving the lives of our students.
