Alberti Center for the Prevention of Bullying Appoints Advisory Council

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The University at Buffalo's Jean M. Alberti Center for the Prevention of Bullying Abuse and School Violence has appointed an advisory council to guide the activities and research of the center.

The advisory council's first meeting will be held tomorrow, May 2, at UB and will include the participation of UB Graduate School of Education Dean Mary H. Gresham and Jean M. Alberti, a clinical and educational psychologist based in Chicago, whose gift to launch the center was the largest in the school's history.

"We have assembled an impressive advisory council, whose membership reflects the integration of research, practice and advocacy," said Amanda B. Nickerson, PhD, director of the Alberti Center and associate professor in the UB Department of Counseling, School and Educational Psychology.

"The members of the advisory council represent a combination of higher education and professional communities, such as medicine and law, human relations/service agencies and P-12 education," Nickerson says. "We also have international representation from outstanding scholars in the field of bullying and violence prevention."

The Jean M. Alberti Center for the Prevention of Bullying Abuse and School Violence is in its first year of operation, following the appointment of Nickerson last summer. The center presented seminars in support of gay and transgendered youth, offered numerous conferences with local educators and organized community activities such as a screening of the documentary "Bully."

Nickerson said the advisory board will help formulate the center's long- and short-term goals and objectives, which will include:

- Offering an annual conference in September with a focus on cyberbullying

- Conducting research on topics to include crisis prevention and intervention program effectiveness; bullying, victimization and perceptions of school climate; factors related to students' bullying roles; bullying, victimization and personality characteristics; and past victimization

- Creating the Alberti Center awards to honor outstanding research in the field and innovative school/educational agency programs.

- Broadening the reach of the center's Colloquium Series to include national experts

- Conducting presentations for local and national audiences

The members of the 14-member advisory board are:

-- Helen R. Aronoff, MD, associate professor of psychiatry, UB School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences

-- Lana D. Benatovich, president, National Federation for Just Communities of Western New York

-- Vito Borrello, president, Every Person Influences Children

-- Anna R. Cieri, assistant superintendent for exceptional education and student services, Williamsville Central School District

-- Dewey G. Cornell, PhD, professor of education and endowed chair, University of Virginia

-- Janice L. DeLucia-Waack, PhD, UB associate professor of counseling, school and educational psychology

-- Dorothy L. Espelage, PhD, professor of child development and educational psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

-- Bruce Goldstein, senior partner, Goldstein, Ackerhalt & Pletcher

-- Jane Ogilvie, division director, community youth development, Erie 1 BOCES

-- Jamie M. Ostrov, PhD,UB associate professor of psychology

-- Debra Pepler, PhD, distinguished research professor, York University

-- Amy L. Reynolds, PhD, UB associate professor of counseling, school and educational, psychology

-- Reed Stewart, executive vice-president, Child and Family Services

-- Susan M. Swearer, PhD, professor of educational psychology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln