Arizona English Teachers Association, 2005

Distinguished Service Award - Shared

Arizona English Teachers Association, 2008, 2016

Distinguished Service Award

Distinguished Professor of the Arts and Sciences

Moral Courage Award, Nominee

English Department Outstanding Teacher Award

Current Reviews for Academic Libraries (CHOICE), 2001

Outstanding Academic Title Award for Mentoring Beginning Teacher: Guiding, reflecting, coaching

Arizona PARCC

Assembly on Literature for Adolescents of the National Council of Teachers of English

The Council of Colleges of Arts and Sciences

Editorial Review Board, The ALAN Review,

International Reading Association

National Council of Teachers of English

NCTE Standing Committee on Affiliates

SCOA Affiliate Excellence Award Committee

SCOA Student Affiliate Awards Committee

The Young Adult Assembly of the National Council of Teachers of English

Designed for mentors, administrators, and teacher educators, Mentoring Across Boundaries builds on the foundations of the authors' previous book, Mentoring Beginning Teachers, to explore many of the specific issues that impact the mentoring relationship. While there are general mentoring strategies that apply to nearly all programs, the success of any individual mentoring situation is affected by the relationship between mentor and mentee, the school environment, the mentee's stage of career, and other influences. Among the issues the authors explore are: age, gender, and culture in the mentoring relationship; new teachers in urban or rural school environments; veteran teachers moving across buildings or into a new school; teachers working with at-risk students; mentoring “burned-out” teachers; self-mentoring; working with struggling teachers; mentoring through technology. The most recent report from the National Commission on Teacher and America's Future states that “The conventional wisdom is that we can't find enough good teachers. The truth is that we can't keep enough good teachers.” Mentoring has proven one of the most effective ways to keep teachers in the field. With Mentoring Across Boundaries in hand, mentors and administrators will find the guidance they need to navigate many of the rough spots that have the potential to derail successful mentoring.

Mentoring Across Boundaries: Helping Beginning Teachers Succeed in Challenging Situation

The first edition of Mentoring Beginning Teachers was named an Outstanding Academic Title by the American Library Association's Choice magazine in 2000. The expanded second edition — packed with insights, anecdotes, and updated research — provides mentors with a road map for helping new teachers become confident, reflective educators. The collaborative model outlined in the book is enlightening and rewarding for the mentor and the novice alike.The authors have incorporated the latest findings on all aspects of mentoring —from preparing to be a mentoring guide or coach to school culture and parent outreach. Teachers will find five new chapters on working with ELL students, working with parents, curriculum mapping, school culture, and the role of administrators within an effective mentoring system.Organized around a series of questions, the book allows mentors to quickly locate practical advice to match any mentoring situation. The range of resources includes: recommendations for pairing mentors and teachers, questions to jump-start conversations, ideas for teacher reflection, and answers to the most commonly asked mentor questions.Mentoring Beginning Teachers, Second Edition provides a comprehensive and tested plan for helping mentors guide new teachers in moving beyond the basics of plan/teach/evaluate to a higher level of joint assessment and inquiry.

Mentoring Beginning Teachers, second edition: Guiding, Reflecting, Coaching

Southern Utah University is a caring campus community where students come to explore their interests and prepare for meaningful careers and life experiences. With more than 145 undergraduate programs* and 18 graduate and certificate programs across six academic colleges, SUU proudly offers world-class, project-based learning opportunities where students gain professional experience before entering the job market.

Located in the world’s best backyard, SUU is the University of the Parks thanks to its close proximity to several outdoor recreational areas and its educational partnerships with the National Park Service. SUU’s safe, residential campus allows students - more than 10,000 - to create lifelong friendships along with once-in-a-lifetime outdoor adventures in conjunction with innovative academic endeavors.

Southern Utah University

Dr. Jean Boreen is the Dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at Southern Utah University. She is responsible for the oversight of the programs in anthropology, communication, criminal justice, English, languages, history, philosophy, political science, psychology, public administration, secondary education, and sociology. Dr. Boreen is a strong advocate for the humanities and social sciences and is dedicated to helping students understand why a degree from this college is an excellent foundation for their future.

She has over two decades of experience in administration and service at the university level, with past academic appointments including Associate Dean for the College of Arts and Letters, chair of the English Department, and coordinator of the English education program at Northern Arizona University.

As faculty in the English education program, Dr. Boreen taught methods courses focused on the teaching of literature in the secondary classroom and was instrumental in securing national recognition for the program during NCATE/CAEP accreditation. Dr. Boreen’s scholarship has focused primarily on the mentoring of beginning teachers, both during the student teaching experience and in the first three years of teaching; she has co-authored several books and articles on this topic. Dr. Boreen also has a deep knowledge of young adult literature and has authored several articles on its use in secondary classrooms. 

Dr. Boreen has been a leader in professional organizations at the state and national level related to the teaching of English/Language Arts; further, she obtained approximately $500,000 in funded grants in support of professional development for Arizona English teachers.

Dr. Boreen earned a BA in English and an MA in English (Literature) from Iowa State University. She earned a Ph.D. in English Education from The University of Iowa.

Methods of Teaching Literature in Higher Education

Methods of Teaching English

Female Protagonists in Adolescent Historical Fiction

Student Teaching, English Education

Teaching Literature to Adolescents

Language Arts

First Three Years of Teaching

Young Adult Literature

Mentoring New Teachers

Methods of Teaching Literature

Teaching Young Adult Literature

LinkedIn Profile

Episode 61 - Summer Book Club Book 4: Pride and Prejudice

These 5 books will challenge your teen’s view of the world

SUU names new dean for College of Humanities

Jean Boreen: First Female Dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences

Senior Transition Module Project

ELA Higher Ed/K-12 CCRS Regional Workshops

Sir Ken Robinson Workshop

After School Literature Circles

Faculty Activity Reporting System

Young Authors Camps for the Flagstaff Community

suu-to-host-international-interdisciplinary-conference

Dean of Humanities and Social Sciences

Southern Utah University is honored to host the 43rd Annual Association for Interdisciplinary Studies Conference October 14-16, 2021. The conference attracts teachers, administrators, graduate and undergraduate students, and independent scholars with an interest in developing research and instruction around interdisciplinary studies. This year’s conference will be the first fully virtual AIS conference.“We are very excited about hosting the international Association for Interdisciplinary Studies virtual conference at SUU, especially in light of all of the interdisciplinary opportunities we are working to create for faculty, staff and students on the SUU campus,” said Dr. Jean Boreen, dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at SUU. “Our new degree in filmmaking, all of the activities around being the University of the Parks, and our undergraduate and graduate degrees in Interdisciplinary Studies are just some of the wonderful initiatives we look forward to sharing with others, even as we are eager to hear how programs and opportunities at other universities may further inspire our work.”A few highlights of this year’s conference will be a keynote address by Virgil Johnson, Native American activist, educator, member of the Confederated Tribes of the Goshute Reservation, former Chairman of the Utah Tribal Leaders, and graduate of Southern Utah University. His work focuses on bringing Native-American voices to the forefront of discussions about governance in the State of Utah, and the United States. There will be virtual tours showcasing the Utah Shakespeare Festival, Best Friends Animal Sanctuary and ones showcasing Southern Utah’s famous National Parks as well as other scenic attractions."Our SUU 2021 AIS Conference Committee, consisting of 30 members, from six different regional universities, has been working on this conference since the spring of 2018,” said Dr. Cynthia Kimball Davis, Master of Interdisciplinary Studies Program director at SUU and lead co-director of the SUU 2021 AIS Conference. “We're excited to welcome a world-wide audience of interdisciplinarians to this AIS first-ever fully virtual conference."For those who would like to submit work to the AIS conference, proposals are due May 15, 2021 and can be submitted here. To learn more about the 43rd Annual Association for Interdisciplinary Studies Conference or to register, visit the website at www.suu.edu/ais/.

SUU to Host International Interdisciplinary Conference

suu-introduces-new-bfa-degree-in-filmmaking

Southern Utah University recently received accreditation approval for a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in Filmmaking. A collaboration between SUU’s College of Humanities and Social Sciences and the College of Performing and Visual Arts, this degree program will be available beginning in fall of 2022."Our interdisciplinary filmmaking degree will be the only BFA in the state of Utah; this is exciting because it means that all of the students in that major will leave SUU with a discernible skill connected to the film industry,” said Dr. Jean Boreen, dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at SUU. “Further, the combination of courses our students can choose from will guarantee that they can appreciate the history of and theory around film even as they learn the techniques they will need to be successful in the field.”The filmmaking program will have film studios, a digital lab, recording studio, and classrooms housed in the SUU’s new general classroom building, which will be open for classes in spring of 2023. Students interested should reach out to their advisor for more information.Southern Utah University is an accredited member of the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD) and Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU). More information about the BFA program for filmmaking will be made available closer to the official launch in fall of 2022.

SUU Introduces New BFA Degree in Filmmaking

five-books-to-challenge-your-teens-view-of-the-world-

While many people have shared their top books to read in 2019, Dr. Jean Boreen of Southern Utah University is going beyond just the typical “to read” list to offer a list of books that speak directly to our youth and the unique world problems they face today. Focusing on powerful topics like school shootings, mental health issues, and racism, she offers five books that not only provide a strong foundation for the future but give young adults a path to have a more compassionate view of the world and a deeper understanding of themselves. Dr. Boreen, dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at SUU, has over two decades of higher education service and understands the trials that today’s youth are facing. “My recommendations focus on young adult literature books that deal with young people reclaiming their identities after dealing with a major crisis in their lives. These crises conspire to tear down the protagonist(s) of the story; how that young person responds to the crisis and its aftermath provides stories that resonate with teens and adults alike.”In her own words, Dr. Boreen outlines her top picks for today’s young adult readers: The Hate U Give, Angie Thomas (NY: Balzer and Bray, 2017)Starr Carter moves between her urban black neighborhood and the suburban prep school she attends on a daily basis and while there is always a tension between the moves, it is one she has learned to handle. However, when she is the only witness to the shooting of a black teen at the hands of a white police officer, the tension goes off the scale.This book provides an unflinching look at the “sides” of the issue through Starr’s relationship with her parents and family, her police officer uncle, her friends in the neighborhood as well as those at the prep school, society, and her white boyfriend. This is an exceptionally strong book with voices we all know and relate to, and should definitely be read by older teens.A Heart in the Body in the World, Deb Caletti (NY: Simon Pulse, 2018) Annabelle needs to run, and while her decision to run across the country—Seattle to Washington, DC—is met with no small amount of consternation by her friends and family, she knows she needs to do this. Her inability to deal with the tragedy that has befallen her as well as her knowledge that “The Taker” is still out in the world, propels her focus on how her body responds to the miles she runs every day. With support from her Grandpa Ed, who follows her across the country in his RV, to the support she receives from her brother, her friends, and the people she meets along the way, Annabelle begins her climb back out of the abyss of pain that she has been dealing with for months; but can she really exorcise her demons when one of them is still such a real part of her life.  A high school read.I Have Lost My Way, Gayle Forman (NY: Viking, 2018)Freya is an up-and-coming singer who has lost her voice; Harun is a young man in love who wonders if his family will accept his choice, and Nathaniel is an emotionally and physically scarred teen who has come to New York City with a backpack and a fuzzy plan for the future. When Freya trips and literally falls off a bridge onto Nathaniel and then Harun comes over to help, each of the teens has to decide how much of his/her emotional pain to share as they work together to support each other as the rest of that fateful day unfolds. Their interactions help each of them to better understand their own losses even as they are propelled to a stronger sense of who they are and who they can be in the world. A high school read.The Parker Inheritance, Varian Johnson (NY: Arthur Levine Books, 2018) Candice Miller has always been curious, but nothing intrigues her like the letter she finds in a box in her grandmother’s attic in Lambert, South Carolina. The letter contends that something unjust happened in Lambert years ago and exhorts Candice’s grandmother to solve the puzzle of the injustice in order to win a fortune. Candice knows that not only did her grandmother not solve the puzzle but that she was encouraged to give up her job and leave town because of it. So, with the help of her neighbor, Brandon, Candice begins unraveling the mystery of the letter. This is a solid middle school read.That's Not What Happened, Kody Keplinger (NY: Scholastic, 2018)Three years have passed since the school shooting that took the lives of nine teens at Virgil County High School. For the survivors, though, there are issues with the ‘truth’ of some of the events that occurred around the shooting, especially in conjunction with Sarah McHale, who was said to have died proclaiming her faith. Her best friend, Leanne, knows that the story isn’t true because she was huddled with Sarah in a bathroom stall. But Sarah’s parents are planning to write a book about their daughter and are not pleased when Leanne tries to tell them the truth, especially as it has been three years since the tragedy. Leanne herself isn’t sure why she didn’t try to set the record straight in the beginning, because the lie has impacted another survivor in a negative way. Hoping to get to the truth of the matter, Leanne enlists other survivors in helping her compile written thoughts on those who perished: who they were and why their lives mattered. Along with that understanding, though, comes the realization that there are many truths in any given situation and how one comes to terms with that is part of defining who one can be going forward. Strong high school read.Dr. Boreen has over two decades of experience in administration and service at the university level, with past academic appointments including Associate Dean for the College of Arts and Letters, chair of the English Department, and coordinator of the English education program at Northern Arizona University.She is familiar with the media and available for an interview. Simply visit her profile. 

Five Books to Challenge Your Teen's View of the World 

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