Education

Bio

Tomasz Herzog was awarded a Ph.D. in Educational Studies and Master’s degree in Sociology at Adam Mickiewicz University (Poznań, Poland). He also completed postgraduate studies in Civic Education and Educational Leadership at Georgetown University and The George Washington University.

He has been a Professor of Social Foundations of Education and Social Studies Education at the University of Maine at Presque Isle since 2006. Previously, he has also held research and teaching positions at Adam Mickiewicz University (Poland), SUNY at Buffalo (Buffalo, NY), Empire State College, and Gratz College (USA).

Areas of Expertise

Social foundations of education Social studies Civic education Multicultural education Political and social post-Holocaust Polish Jewish history Holocaust education

Community Involvement

In Poland

• co-founder – the Poznań chapter of the Poland-Israel Friendship Association,
• co-founder – “Otwarta Rzeczpospolita” (Open Republic – Association against Anti-Semitism and Xenophobia).

In the USA

• Board of Directors member – the Maine Council for the Social Studies
• Dr. Herzog actively participates in the life of the Jewish community in Maine

Scholarly Activities

• Affiliated Faculty – Judaic Studies, University of Maine (Orono)
• MA thesis advisor – Holocaust and Genocide Studies, Gratz College
• Review Board member of the following peer-reviewed journals:
  • “Dyskursy Młodych Andragogów” (publisher: University of Zielona Góra, Poland); -“Collaborations: A Journal of Community-based Research and Practice” (publisher: Miami University, OH & Rutgers University, USA)
  • “The Journal of Social Studies Research” (publisher: The International Society for the Social Studies, USA).
  • Former International Advisory Board member – a peer-reviewed “Przegląd Politologiczny” (Political Science Review), (publisher: Adam Mickiewicz University, Poland).
  • Former International Advisory Board member – the Maryland Council for the Social Studies, – Former Academic Advisor – The Mark and Gail Appel Program in Holocaust and Antiracism Education – “Learning from the Past, Teaching for the Future” (The Centre for Jewish Studies and The Canadian Centre for German and European Studies, York University in Toronto, Canada).

Education

Bio

Dr. Wendi Malenfant has dedicated her career to the field of Education. She is a proud graduate of the teacher preparation program at the University of Maine at Presque Isle and taught in the Presque Isle school system for 17 years. She served as Easton Elementary School principal for five years and has been teaching in the teacher preparation program at UMPI since 2015. Dr. Malenfant did her doctoral dissertation on mathematics anxiety in first-generation pre-service teachers and aspires to help mitigate that anxiety in her students in order to break the mathematics anxiety cycle. She believes building relationships with students is the first crucial step in educating tomorrow’s leaders, and she looks for ongoing opportunities to immerse her students in the field to interact with teachers and students in local public schools. Dr. Malenfant is passionate about teaching and learning and strives to inspire her students to learn and grow along with her. She lives in Westfield with her husband, Kevin, who is also an educator and University of Maine at Presque Isle graduate.

Areas of Expertise

Elementary Education Early Childhood Education Educational Leadership/Administration Math Anxiety in Pre-Service Teachers

Scholarly Activities

• Ph.D. in Educational Leadership: “A Quantitative Study of Mathematics Anxiety in First-Generation Pre-Service Teachers”