Denise Kavin Headshot

Denise Kavin

Assistant Dean and Ex Director Outreach Placemnt Special Projects

National Technical Institute for the Deaf

585-286-5244
Office Location

Denise Kavin

Assistant Dean and Ex Director Outreach Placemnt Special Projects

National Technical Institute for the Deaf

Education

BS, Gallaudet University; MS, Northwestern University; Ed.D., Northern Illinois University

Bio

Denise Kavin has been with the National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID), a college of the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) in Rochester, New York for over fifteen years. She presently serves as Assistant Dean for Outreach, Placement and Special Projects and co-principal investigator with DeafTEC: Technological Education Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students, a National Science Foundation Advanced Technological Education National Center of Excellence. In her work, she also provides oversight of NTID’s new Regional STEM Outreach Center, a partnership with the Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blind, serving the 9-state Southeastern region.

In addition, Denise is an instructional faculty member with NTID’s Department of Liberal Studies. Previous positions that Denise has held at NTID include Special Assistant to the NTID President for Strategic Decisions 2020 and Study Abroad Programming; Associate Director, Postsecondary Education Programs Network- Northeast; Senior Project Associate, Postsecondary Education Network-International; and Employment Advisor, Center on Employment. She also served for nearly ten years as Coordinator of Deaf/ hard of hearing services at Harper College in Palatine, Illinois.

Denise Kavin holds an Ed.D. in Leadership and Educational Policy Studies from Northern Illinois University, a M.S. in Education and Social Policy from Northwestern University, a M.S. in Secondary education of the Deaf, from NTID/RIT, and a B.A. in Communication Arts and Psychology from Gallaudet University. She also holds certification from the Training Program on Administration of Programs serving Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and Late Deafened Adults at San Diego State University.

585-286-5244

Personal Links

Select Scholarship

Invited Keynote/Presentation
Kavin, Denise, Jessica Cuculick, and Susan Lane-Outlaw. "Language Use in Academic and Research Settings." Biennial Conference of the National Association of the Deaf. National Association of the Deaf (NAD). Louisville, KY. 1 Jul. 2012. Conference Presentation.

Currently Teaching

LEAD-200
3 Credits
This course provides an introduction to ethical theories, concepts, and practices as they relate to community development and inclusive leadership. Some of the topics in this course include: ethical definitions and ethical literacy, individual and group ethics, ethical principles and codes of practice, moral reasoning and behavior, ethical decision-making formats, leadership and followership, intersectionality, and accessibility. These topics will be approached through the use of ethical theories, including: Utilitarianism, Deontology/Kant’s Categorical Perspective, Rawl’s Justice as Fairness, Aristotelian, Confucianism, and Altriusm. Students will learn how to apply these theories using a pluralistic approach. With a focus on ethical leadership experiences and decision-making, students will engage in self-analysis and reflection to develop a deeper ethical self-awareness and cultural awareness in this course.
LEAD-306
3 Credits
This course will introduce historical and current issues regarding leadership and the Deaf/Hard of Hearing (D/HH) community. Students will learn about D/HH leaders in the Deaf community over the years, examine movements that have impacted the lives of D/HH individuals, and finally, learn about influential organizations of, by, and for D/HH individuals.
LEAD-308
3 Credits
This course includes an overview of the current trends in community development and leadership. Content includes best practices and topics for community development and leadership, as well as pertinent laws, policies, resources and information. Students will participate in and critique a designated set of lectures, roundtable discussions and presentations on topics covering current trends in community development and inclusive leadership. The goal is to engage students in discussion of current trends with their peers and with experts in the field.
LEAD-500
0 Credits
The experiential learning (EL) requirement may be fulfilled through a variety of methods, such as co-op, undergraduate research, summer research experiences, study abroad relevant to the major, or another activity approved by the experiential learning coordinator.
UWRT-100
3 Credits
Critical Reading and Writing is a one semester, three-credit course limited to 15 students per section. This course is designed to help students develop the literacy practices they will need to be successful in their First-Year Writing course. Students will read, understand, interpret, and synthesize a variety of texts. Assignments are designed to challenge students intellectually, culturally and rhetorically. Through inquiry-based assignment sequences, students will improve their writing by developing academic research and literacy practices that will be further strengthened in First-Year Writing. Particular attention will be given to critical reading, academic writing conventions, and revision. Small class size promotes frequent student-instructor and student-student interaction. The course also emphasizes the principles of intellectual property and academic integrity in academic writing. This course fulfills a Gen Ed free elective.

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