Robert A. DeLossa
Personal: Citizenship: U.S.A. Website: http://www.robertdelossa.net
Education:
University of Massachusetts, Lowell; Framingham State University, Westfield State College, Endicott College, et al. individual graduate-level courses in pedagogy, history,
and public education administration.
University of Massachusetts, Lowell. Massachusetts Institute for New Teachers. 2002.
Harvard University, Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures. M.A. 1988. Doctoral examinations passed. ABD.
Princeton University, Dept. of Slavic Languages and Literatures. B.A., magna cum laude, 1985. Phi Beta Kappa.
-- Program Certificates in Latin American Studies and Russian Studies.
Leningrad State University (USSR), 1984. Summer Program in Russian Language.
Certification Status: Massachusetts Initial teaching license #374074 in History, Political Science/Political Philosophy, and English for grades 8-12. Also certified as a Principal/Assistant Principal for grades 8-12.
Employment History:
Teaching and Educational Administration
6/09–8/09 :Building Administrator, Summer School Program Lowell High School. Hire and supervise 40 teachers and paraprofessionals. Develop operations and discipline structure for approx. 400 students. Provide liaison for parents and the community. Administer approx. $150K in grant funds for multiple programs. Oversee timesheets and reporting for professional staff. Oversee student registration and final grade disposition. Provide grant-mandated reports for all aspects of the programs.
8/07–6/09 :Administrative Intern, C-House Lowell High School. Provide half-time assistance to the Housemaster in the fulfillment of her responsibilities. Provide support to approximately 50 teachers and 720 students.
8/07– :11th- and 12th-grade U.S. History, Psychology, and Social Sciences Teacher Lowell High School. Teaching within the Communications Academy two sections (11th-grade US History and 12th-grade Communications Science and Psychology) and one non-Academy US History (1877- present) honors level class.
8/06–6/08 :Mentor Lowell High School. Mentor teachers new to Lowell High School for the Lowell Teachers Academy.
9/04– :Faculty Advisor for Academic Decathlon and the DaVinci Society Lowell High School. Volunteer position to prepare students for Academic Decathlon, accompany students to competitions, and provide general cultural enrichment and academic/college counseling throughout the academic year.
9/03–6/07 :11th- and 12th-grade U.S. History, Psychology, and Social Sciences Teacher Lowell High School. Teaching within the Communications Academy two sections (11th-grade US History and 12th-grade Communications Science and Psychology) and three non-Academy US History (1877- present) classes (honors and non-honors).
8/03–9/03 :9th-grade English Teacher Lowell High School. Teaching within a ninth-grade cluster, responsible for two honors-level classes and two college-prep (non-honors) level classes. Also responsible for one section of "Freshman Seminar" a reading- and writing-skills based reinforcement class.
8/02–6/03 :9th-grade World History Teacher Lowell High School. Teaching within a ninth-grade cluster, responsible for two honors-level classes and two college-prep (non-honors) level classes. Also responsible for one section of "Freshman Seminar" a reading- and writing-skills based reinforcement class.
6/02–7/02 :Lead and Assistant (Student) Summer School Teacher Lowell High School. Lead teaching British Literature (12th grade) and assistant teaching American Literature (11th grade) through University of Massachusetts MINT (Massachusetts Institute for New Teachers) program.
9/87–6/93 :Teaching Fellow Harvard University, Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures. Courses taught: Elementary Russian, 1987–1988, Spring 1989, 1989–1990; Intensive Elementary Russian, Summer 1989; Intensive Intermediate Russian, 1990–1991; Comparative Slavic Culture (discussion sections and research assistant), 1990 (Spring); Elementary Ukrainian, 1992–1993. (Certificate of Distinction in Teaching, Harvard University Danforth Center for Teaching, 1989.)
Experience with elementary age children in summer enrichment program, summers 1982 and 1983 at Ft. Shafter, Oahu. (1982 as a counselor for second graders; 1983 teaching a drama class for elementary and junior-high aged children.)
Selected Specialized Teacher Training and Committee Work:
MSSAA New Assistant-Principals Conference, January 2009
Discipline and Behavior Subcommittee, School Climate Committee, LHS, AY 2008–2009
Lowell Administrative Intern Seminar, AY 2008
Lowell Teacher Academy (Mentoring Course), AY 2008
“Stalin and Stalinism,” Curriculum Development Workshop, Harvard University, June 2007
Lowell Teacher Academy (Mentoring Course, 3-credit graduate course), AY2007
Common Assessment co-facilitator (US History II), AY 2007
Cold War and Culture Wars: America from the Sixties to the Eighties (at Primary Source), March 2005
Using Primary Resources, K-12 (at Primary Source), February 2005
SIT/ACCESS (Advanced SIOP training, 3-credit graduate course), Spring 2005
SIOP (Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol), June 2004
Curriculum Committee for NEASC Accreditation, Lowell High School, AY 2003, 2004
MINT (please see above), Summer 2002
L2 Pedagogy and the Practice of Teaching Russian (graduate courses at Harvard), 1987–1988.
Non-Teaching
7/96–6/02 :Director of Publications Harvard University, Ukrainian Research Institute.
• Oversight of staff of five (professional, support, and student staff).
• Responsibility for all aspects (from acquisitions through contractualization, editing, and layout, to distribution) of book production for five monograph series. Production of brochures and ads for promotion.
• Strong desktop publishing component (as well as local area network and user support responsibilities as Institute liaison to University Computer Services, 1996-2001).
• Oversight of website development and upkeep (www.huri.harvard.edu)
• Promotion, development, grant writing, drafting correspondence, and outreach work as dictated by needs of program and tasks assigned by Director of the Institute.
7/96–6/97 :Assistant Director Harvard University, Ukrainian Research Institute.
• Responsible for efficient day-to-day operation of institute and support for other senior management.
• Oversight of personnel issues and hiring (student, casual, staff).
• Other duties at the discretion of the Director. (Temporary position; after one year, full-time executive director position created, whereupon I assumed responsibility as full-time director of publications.)
10/90–6/96 :Managing Editor, Harvard Series in Ukrainian Studies Harvard University, Ukrainian Research Institute.
• Responsible for all aspects (editorial, desktop publishing and typesetting, in-house distribution and distribution through Harvard University Press, legal, design, administrative, financial) of managing four academic monograph series from solicitation to vendor procurement for printing.
• From 10/94 Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS) IT/Networking representative.
• Co-founded Harvard Small Publishers’ Roundtable during this period.
Non-Teaching Professional Achievements/Strengths:
Co-authored prize-winning college textbook and wrote first published article (in U.S.) on Ukrainian-language pedagogy at the university level. Produced thirty-nine books and four journal issues (the books received seven national and international academic awards in the field and two industrial awards for design). Lead national academic organization and helped organize international academic congress. Helped organize and publicize international scholarly petition for human rights in Ukraine; organized series of lectures that in part influenced change in U.S. policy toward Ukraine. Provided background information and support for national media during Gongadze crisis and papal visit to Ukraine. Started two academic web sites and a listserv. Extensive contacts in the fields of Ukrainian and East European studies and literature/culture. Varied and adaptable skill set. Strong synthetic and patterning skills.
Management Training:
The New FAS Supervisor. (Faculty of Arts and Sciences Pilot course offered Spring 1996; five weeks, one three-hour session per week; topics included personnel management, fiscal resources, hiring/discipline/firing; interpersonal relationships and communications; unit infrastructure; productivity optimization). Numerous single-event classes at Harvard within the FAS. Extensive self-training.
Computer Training:
Harvard Office for Information Technology and FAS Computer Services courses on networking, basic HTML, graphics and photo manipulation (including scanning and Photoshop), and web management and design (based on Claris Homepage). Extensive self-training.
Programs Utilized:
MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), MakingTheGrade (electronic grading and classroom management), Sandvox (Web publishing and weblogging), Fetch (FTP client), FileMaker Pro (database), MS Project, Amadeus II (sound editing), PageMaker (layout), Photoshop, Illustrator, full array of Internet clients (with or without Cyrillic capability), Acrobat, NisusWriter, Norton Utilities (and numerous anti-virus and diagnostic tools necessary for desktop maintenance). I have experience on both Windows and Mac platforms.
Public/Community:
Co-coach, 3rd Grade Girls Soccer (“Rovers”), Wayland Youth Soccer, Fall 2007
High School Study Committee, Town of Wayland, 2003
Sunday School Teacher/Superintendent of Sunday Schools, First Baptist Church, Weston 2000
Cub Scout Den Leader, 1998
Metrowest YMCA Youth T-Ball Coach, 1997
Town Meeting (local legislative body) elected member, Town of Arlington, 1995-1996
Languages:
Russian and Ukrainian (reading: near native; speaking: excellent)
Spanish (reading: near native; speaking: good)
French (reading: near native; speaking: fair)
Polish and Serbian (reading: good; speaking: fair)
Church Slavonic, German, Italian, Latin (reading ability at different levels)
Native language: English | Professional translation experience from Russian, Spanish, and Ukrainian into English
Recent Organizational Positions:
Veterans Outreach Committee, Edwards United Church of Christ, 2011-
List-owner and moderator, aaus-community-list, 2008–
Chair, Communications Committee, American Association for Ukrainian Studies, 2006–
Executive Committee, American Association for Ukrainian Studies, 2002–
Program Committee, Vth World Congress of Ukrainian Studies, 2001–2002
Co-editor, The Ukraine List (internet digest), 2001–2002
List-owner and moderator, aaus-list, 2000–
President, American Association for Ukrainian Studies, 2000–2002
Member, Executive Board, International Association for Ukrainian Studies, 1999–2002
Recent Institutional Affiliations:
American Association for the Advancement of Slavic Studies
American Association for Ukrainian Studies: board member
Association for the Study of Nationalities
Council of Editors of Learned Journals
Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies, Harvard University: research associate, 2003-2006
International Association for Ukrainian Studies: board member
Grants, Scholarships, Awards:
American Association of Teachers of Slavic and East European Languages, 2007
Book Prize for Best New Work in Slavic Pedagogy and Language Instruction
Honorary Recognition (“Invited Teacher”), Lowell High School Class of 2005
Materials Development Grant (for elementary Ukrainian textbook; Professor
Michael Flier, principal investigator), Consortium for Language Teaching and
Learning, 1993, 1994
Materials Development Grant (for elementary Ukrainian textbook; Professor
Michael Flier, principal investigator), Ukrainian Studies Fund, 1994
Stefurak scholarship in Ukrainian Studies, Harvard University, 1988
Nicholas Bachko, Jr. Scholarship Prize in Slavic Languages and Literatures,
Princeton University, 1984
Publications:
2008 Audio files for Rozmovliaimo (see below). Available online at http://www.robertdelossa.net/rozmovliaimo
2005 R. DeLossa, R. Koropeckyj, R. Romanchuk, A. Isaievych Mason, Rozmovliaimo [Let’s Talk!] A Basic Ukrainian Course with Polylogs, Grammar, and Conversation Lessons. Bloomington, IN: Slavica, 2005.
2002 “Epilogue: Mnohaya Lita, Ukraino!” Ukraine Lives: In Commemoration of the Proclamation of Ukraine’s Independence, ed. Roma Hadzewycz et al., pp. 258–62. Parsipanny, NJ: Ukrainian Weekly.
2001 Review. “Ambassador of a Generation: Melnyczuk’s New Novel of the Ukrainian American Experience.” The Ukrainian Weekly 17 June: 13.
2000 “Collegiate Ukrainian Language Teaching and Material Development in the United States in the Late 1990s.” In The Learning and Teaching of Slavic Languages, ed. Olga Kagan and Benjamin Rifkin. Bloomington, IN: Slavica, 2000, pp. 627-54. Also available online at: <http://www.slavica.com/teaching/DeLossa.html>
1999 R. De Lossa, ed. New Voices in Ukrainian Studies. [=Special edition of the journal Harvard Ukrainian Studies, 21(1/2).]
1992 Review of Ukrainian-English/English-Ukrainian Dictionary, by Leonid Hrabovsky, Harvard Ukrainian Studies 16(1/2): 199–200.
1990 “The Ukrainian dispalatalization of the Old Rusian Ci and Ce revisited.” Harvard Studies in Slavic Linguistics 1: 19–36.
1992– 2002 Numerous publicistic pieces for Slavistic and Ukrainian-American academic and general press. Online op-ed pieces in several lists. Newsletter work and editorials for several organizations.
Presentations:
April, 2002 Discussant, “Domestic Politics in Ukraine.” Association for the Study of Nationalities International Conference, Columbia University, New York.
October, 2001 Organizer, moderator, and discussant, “Women in Contemporary Ukraine: NGO’s, Social Organizations, and the Government.” The Washington Group Leadership Conference, Washington, DC.
August, 2001 Keynote speaker, Ukrainian Independence Day Flag Raising, Boston City Hall Plaza.
April, 2001 Organizer, chair, and moderator, “The Gongadze Case, the Press, and the Current Political Crisis in Ukraine.” Association for the Study of Nationalities International Conference, New York. Available online at:
<http://www.brama.com/news/press/010416gongadze_aauspanel.html>
April, 2000 Chair and moderator, “Institutions and Elites in Ukraine.” Association for the Study of Nationalities International Conference, New York.
November, 1997 “The Language of Politics and Politics of Language in a Post Independence and Post Constitutional Ukraine.” American Association for the Advancement of Slavic Studies Annual Conference, Seattle.
Feb.–May 1997 Co-organizer of symposium series on NATO enlargement (sponsored by Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute and Davis Center for Russian Studies at Harvard University).
February, 1997 “Saint Nicholas and the Politics of Translation.” Seminar in Ukrainian Studies, Ukrainian Research Institute, Harvard University.
August, 1996 “Ukraïns'ki doslidzhennia v SShA: Suchasnyi stan ta perspektyvy [Ukrainian Studies in the United States: Current Trends and the Future].” Third International Congress of Ukrainianists, Kharkiv, Ukraine.
April, 1994 “What’s in a Name? St. Nicholas and the Slavs.” Harvard Slavic Linguistics Colloquium, April, 1994.
April, 1993 “On the Construction of a New Textbook in Ukrainian.” (Concerning the current status of Ukrainian-language teaching and pedagogical materials in the U.S., and my work on a new textbook.) Seminar in Ukrainian Studies, Ukrainian Research Institute, Harvard University.
December, 1991 “The Rise of Ukrainian Geminates.” Harvard Slavic Linguistics Colloquium, December, 1991 and Panel: Ukrainian Linguistics, AATSEEL.
December, 1990 “Kandinsky, Color, and Sound: A Linguist’s Perspective.” Panel: Russian Modernism and the West, AATSEEL.
December, 1989 “The Ukrainian dispalatalization of Old Rusian Ci and Ce revisited.” Harvard Slavic Linguistics Colloquium, Harvard University. December, 1989.
Ongoing Research:
“The Cult of St. Nicholas in Two Cultures in the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries: St. Nicholas and the Polemics of Union in Ruthenia, and the Evolution of the Offices of St. Nicholas in 17th-Century Muscovite Printed Books.”
Media, technology, and learning.
I also have experience as a children’s storyteller and as a lay minister.