March 13, 2009
Health Education and Recreation chair named
CARBONDALE, Ill. -- Joyce V. Fetro, professor in the Department of Health Education and Recreation at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, has been named chair of her department, having served as interim chair since Jan. 1. Former chair David A. Birch moved on to East Carolina University in Greenville, N.C., at the end of fall semester.
Kenneth Teitelbaum, dean of the College of Education and Human Services, said he chose Fetro for the interim post based on her scholarly and teaching abilities but discovered, once she took the reins, that her leadership skills also commanded respect, not only from her faculty, staff and students but from her college peers as well.
“She was definitely not a default choice,” he said.
“The other two candidates, from other universities, were well qualified, but Joyce was clearly the most qualified of all. We're very fortunate to have her continuing as the permanent chair.”
Fetro, who joined the faculty in 1997 and was promoted to full professor in 2001, teaches undergraduate foundation courses and graduate research methods courses. Her research focuses on young people; she specializes in the link between development and resilience and in youth’s risky behaviors that endanger health. She received an award of excellence from the Centers for Disease Control for developing health education and prevention programs related to HIV.
Before coming to SIUC, Fetro supervised school health programs in San Francisco, where she also worked as a health education curriculum specialist. Prior to that, she served as a senior research associate and director of research at ETR Associates, a non-profit provider of health-related products and services aimed at teachers and school districts as well as departments and agencies of local, state and federal government.
Fetro is the American Association for Health Education’s 2009 scholar, an award based on her publication and presentation record and her communication skills. She previously was honored as SIUC’s outstanding teacher and as the American School Health Association’s outstanding educator.
Fetro’s professional memberships include the American School Health Association, the American Association for Health Education and the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Born in Chicago, Fetro grew up in North Chelmsford, Mass. She earned her bachelor’s in 1971 from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and her master’s and doctoral degrees in 1985 and 1987 respectively from SIUC. She lives in Carbondale.