Center for Human and Social Development
Contact Information
Center for Human and Social Development
Patricia Heindel, Ph.D.
Santa Rita Hall 409
Phone: (973) 290-4102
About the Center
The Center for Human and Social Development is a community resource for individuals,
families, schools, and other organizations in need of support in order to thrive and
achieve their goals. The activities of the Center provide opportunities for members
of SEU's community of learning to experience and learn from service to others.
The academic disciplines that drive the programs in the Human and Social Development
Area are united in their interest in improving the human condition for all members
of society in each of the environments in which they find themselves; be that home,
school, or workplace.
The current focus of the Center is promoting the social emotional learning (SEL) and
character development (CD) of children and the development of positive and respectful
school cultures and climates in K-12 schools. To achieve this objective, the Center
has established a School Culture and Climate Assessment Lab and engaged in three Initiatives.
Learn more about each of these below.
Academy for Social-Emotional Learning in Schools
Supported by a grant from the NoVo Foundation, which is committed to children's social-emotional learning, SEU has partnered with Rutgers University to create the Academy for Social-Emotional Learning in Schools.
School Culture and Climate Initiative
The School Culture and Climate Initiative provides school districts in northern New Jersey with the means to improve their culture and climate resulting in an environment where children can thrive.
School Culture and Climate Assessment Lab
The Center's School Culture and Climate Assessment Lab provides assessment and data collection support on an individual basis to schools who want to assess their perceived culture and climate.
SEL and CD Training Initiative
This initiative trains future teachers, educational leaders, and school counselors to incorporate skills development in children's SEL and CD as well as how to assess and address school culture and climate.