Dr. Suzanne SooHoo served as the Jack H. and Paula A. Hassinger Chair in Education until her retirement in 2019. She is currently a professor emeritus of education in the Attallah College of Educational Studies. Visit her faculty page for a full bio.
Attallah College of Educational Studies
» History of the Jack H. & Paula A. Hassinger Chair in Education
Paulo Freire & the Freire Archive
Paulo Freire was awarded a Chapman University honorary doctorate in 1998. His bust is part of Chapman’s institutional intellectual genealogy and is a daily reminder of intellectual excellence, ethical concern, and deep commitment to the creation, nurturing, and sustainability of fair and just communities. During Dr. Suzanne SooHoo's tenure, the Hassinger Chair re-envisioned the philosophy of Freire and brought forward local and global partnerships, dialogical spaces for critical and relational consciousness, historical responsibility through archival contributions and recognition of cultural workers, both individual and institutional, who dare to teach/act via a commitment to love.
Chapman University's Leatherby Libraries is proud to be home to the Paulo Freire Archive. This archive contains collections and papers relating to Paulo Freire (1921-1997), his pedagogy, and leading scholars in critical pedagogy.
A significant portion of the archive consists of the records from the Paulo and Nita Freire Project for International Critical Pedagogy with a highlight being the professional papers of scholars, Peter McLaren (b. 1948) and Joe L. Kincheloe (1950-2008).
Paulo Freire Democratic Project
The Paulo Freire Democratic Project (PFDP) is a collection of local, regional, and international initiatives based in Chapman University’s Attallah College of Education Studies. These initiatives reflect the political, pedagogical, and ethical imperatives of the great Brazilian educator, Paulo Freire, and captures his democratic struggle for social justice.
Community and Collaboration
During Dr. Suzanne SooHoo's tenure, Jack H. and Paula A. Hassinger Chair in Education brought projects to the attention of the Attallah College community that address educational problems (equity, achievement of minoritized groups, etc.) within local and/or international contexts. The success of these collaborations is determined mutually and often results in greater understanding, new learning, improved practice, and scholarship.
Padres Unidos
Padres Unidos is a grassroots nonprofit organization devoted to parent education and school readiness. With a holistic family-based approach, Padres Unidos serves more than 4,500 low-income Latino students and their families in Orange County each year. The partnership between Padres Unidos and Attallah College has grown stronger over time due to shared goals and the focus of both organizations on serving local communities, schools, teachers, students, and parents by developing and executing programs that support capacity building, affect real change, and make a positive difference.
As part of Chapman’s extended education program, the Attallah College and Padres Unidos developed the curriculum for a two-year Community Worker Award program.
International Partners
The Hassinger Chair and Attallah College forged an international partnership with the University of Waikato in New Zealand to increase opportunities for scholarly collaborations within an international context. The two universities have a working relationship and maintain a collaborative partnership. Partners co-publish and co-present at international conferences.