(L-to-r): Marnie Reed, Jane Lannak, Janine Bempechat, and Ellie Friedland

News

Four BU Wheelock Faculty to Retire

Janine Bempechat, Ellie Friedland, Jane Lannak, and Marnie Reed “represent the very best of BU Wheelock,” says Dean David Chard.

Four longtime BU Wheelock faculty members are retiring following the 2024–25 academic school year. Janine Bempechat, Ellie Friedland, Jane Lannak, and Marnie Reed have all made a tremendous impact on BU Wheelock, conducting groundbreaking research and guiding the next generation of leaders in education and human development. All four have been granted emeritus status.

“The faculty colleagues who are retiring this year represent the very best of BU Wheelock,” says Dean David Chard. “Each has been dedicated for decades to improving practice through their teaching and scholarship and leave an enormous legacy. They have touched the lives of literally thousands of students and likely hundreds of thousands of young people through their work in early childhood education, human development, and language education. We are very grateful for their tremendous contributions.”

Janine Bempechat, Applied 人类发展

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Ellie Friedland, Early Childhood

Clinical associate professor Ellie Friedland has designed and taught many undergraduate and graduate courses in the Early Childhood Education program and was a primary designer of the master’s degree in Leadership, Policy & Advocacy for Early Childhood Well-Being. She offers professional development for teachers in anti-bias education and in supporting LGBTQ+ students, families, and staff.  She also teaches Social Change Through Theatre of the Oppressed in the BU School of Theatre and elsewhere. She volunteers in Guatemala with public school teachers and with a unique program of education and career preparation for child laborers.

Jane Lannak, Early Childhood

Jane Lannak, a clinical associate professor, focuses on the application of child development theory and research to the care and teaching of young children. She has established programs for early childhood educators and presented at national and international conferences on topics such as learning environments, quality childcare and children’s literature. She served on the governing board of the National Association for the Education of Young Children and has worked with Horizons for Homeless Children, the Home for Little Wanderers and the Boston Psychoanalytic Society and Institute to support young children, their parents and teachers. As director of the Early Childhood Learning Laboratory at Boston University, she played an integral role in establishing scholarships for preschool children. She initiated Boston University’s Early Childhood Education Program Overseas and served as the academic coordinator.

Marnie Reed, TESOL

Marnie Reed is a clinical professor whose research centers primarily on second-language acquisition, specifically in applied phonetics and phonology.  Her current area of interest and research is in the role of metacognition in cross-linguistic awareness of the pragmatic functions of intonation. She has been the program coordinator for the graduate TESOL certificate, an advisor for the graduate TESOL program, and a faculty advisor to the EdM and EdD in Language Education. She also served as a representative to the Boston University Faculty Council and chaired the Awards Committee.