Rose Helen Merrell-James, ED.D
Department of Counseling and College
Student Personnel
Shippensburg University
1871 Old Main Drive
Shippensburg, PA 17257
Email: rmjames@ship.edu
Phone: (717) 477-1673
Office: 105 Shippen Hall
Rose Helen Merrell-James joined Shippensburg University in 2011 after serving over 25 years as an educator and administrator in K-12 schools throughout Upstate New York and Pennsylvania. She completed her ED. D. in Counseling and Human Development with an emphasis on school counseling at the University of Rochester in Rochester, New York in May 2004. Her research topic was quantitative in nature and addressed the use of drama to reduce the incidence of bullying in schools with a focus on the bystander.
Dr. Merrell-James holds three Masters Degrees in various areas including Family and Consumer Studies which she earned from the City University of New York at Herbert H. Lehman College, School Counseling from the State University of New York at Brockport, and Administration and Supervision from the University of Scranton in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Her career experiences range from teaching, school counseling and serving as an administrator for diverse populations in K-12 public and private schools. Some of her greatest accomplishments include planning and implementing a school, home, and community program designed to address the needs of a school-age transitory population along with advocating for parent education in schools, promoting programs that support school and community safety, and using a drama-in-education format to enhance the social skill development of youth.
Her current research interests include investigating college equity, access, and maintenance of diverse populations into higher education. She also plans to work closely with professional State and National organizations to support the role of the Professional School Counselor in the K-12 arena. Dr. Rose (as she is affectionately called) is quickly developing a wonderful reputation by engaging students in active learning through incorporating her experiences, knowledge, and background into lessons, assignments, and research agendas.