Dr. Peggy Perkins Auman, co-Principal Investigator

Dr. Peggy Perkins Auman, co-PI, is a Professor in the Department of Elementary Education at FAMU. She designed the MS in Educational Psychology Program, and assisted in the design of two doctoral programs (PhD in Educational Psychology and PhD in Learning and Technology) at University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Additionally, she revised the undergraduate course in College Success, and designed graduate courses in Evaluation Research Methods I & II, Adolescent Development, Classroom Assessment and Human Growth and Learning. She served as the chair of the Teaching Initiative Committee, which developed the mentoring program for the graduate students who were interested in becoming Teaching Assistants and/or Professors. She also served and/or chaired numerous student committees at the master’s and doctoral levels. Additionally, Dr. Auman is in the process of assisting with the design of an EdD in School Improvement and Reform as an on-line program as part of the Carnegie Project: Education Doctorate Consortium. Dr. Auman’s research has focused on the instructional design process and how it relates to student learning, particularly with young children. She has conducted studies in the areas of alternative assessment procedures, peer tutoring, reading strategies, concept attainment, homework performance and attitudes, self-concept, self-efficacy, and program development and evaluation. She has worked collaboratively with both undergraduate and graduate students resulting in joint national conference presentations and publications in refereed journals. Dr. Auman will oversee PURPOSE website development, supervise FAMU’s graduate assistant and peer mentors, make space requests at FAMU, lead recruitment efforts, and participate in admissions and evaluation processes. She will also serve as a Faculty Mentor, providing research opportunities in years when a match is made with a Fellow. She will teach key proseminars, interface North Florida Freedom Schools regarding research needs, and assist with writing annual evaluations and other reports.

Dr. Novell Tani, co-Principal Investigator

A product of a single-mother household, from a lower socioeconomic background, (Jersey City, New Jersey), Novell E. Tani is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University (FAMU). He earned his B.S. in Psychology and Master’s degree in Applied Social Sciences, with an emphasis on History, from FAMU. He holds an M.S. and Ph.D. in Development Psychology from the Florida State University (FSU). His research interests include teacher perceptions, teacher-student interactions, students’ self-concept/self-efficacies, micro-and macro-level factors that impact academic success. Dr. Tani has worked in various higher education settings before coming to FAMU. He has been awarded graduate directive status within FAMU’s College of Sciences, Arts, and Humanities. As a faculty member within the Department of Psychology, he aids in the mentorship of undergraduate and graduate student research/theses surrounding the academic development of students of color.

For more information on Dr. Tani, please visit his vitae below.