Greetings!

I have created this web site to help document my journey through a Ph.D. program in Education, with an emphasis on Special Education at the University of California, Riverside (UCR). This site is currently under development (as I was just accepted into the program) but will serve as a receptacle for my studies, interests, and experiences at UCR.

When I first learned that I had been accepted into the Ph.D. program in Education with an emphasis on Special Education at the University of California, Riverside (UCR), I was immediately speechless: I was not only greatly honored to have been considered in the first place, but also humbled and awestruck at the prospect of attending a 1st tier research institution, as well as being greatly excited about pursuing a very long-held dream. My next reaction was, "Oh my God, what have I done?!" Not to worry - it was just one of those fleeting moments of panic that occur when dreams are realized and you have to pinch yourself in order to realize that you're really awake. Just the same, I've literally been happier about this sudden turn of events than about anything that's happened to me in many, many years (and I mean that in the most literal sense). It is truly an answer to my prayers.

While I have given a slight bit of thought about what should appear here (as evidenced by the navigation and design of this site which I created over the course of just one day, during the frantic madness before my return to school), I thought I would develop this site while I still had a chance (i.e., before classes begin); I doubt I'll have much time for anything else once I hit the books. More than likely, I'll post materials that pertain directly to my studies at UCR, along with other materials relevant to my UCR experience. I have also created a blog (off-site as students don't have access to database programs that will permit the use blog applications here) to document my journey through the realm of piling higher and deeper. The blog will serve as a informal commentary on my experiences at UCR while this site will, hopefully, focus on more academic and professional pursuits.

Mentioning "academic and professional pursuits," I tend to have a rather interesting sense of humor and, as unbelievable as it may be, I had no idea as to what UCR's mascot was (a bear) so, I decided to create this site as one way to help me remember it - "Jeff's Growls." Rather embarrassingly, I've been associated with UCR for many years (okay, for more than two decades) as both a student (I used UCR's library when I earned my Master's Degree from Cal State San Bernardino - that was so long ago that I commuted between the schools using the pterodactyl express) and as an instructor for the Institute on the Study of the Multiple Intelligences through UCR's great Education Extension Program since 1992.

With my acceptance into the UCR Ph.D. program, I hope to use the experiences and skills I've acquired over the (ahem) decades, along with the new knowledge I will obtain at UCR to contribute to making life better for millions of special needs students and adults, all of whom are entitled to reach their potential that only a quality education can provide.