Meet our Foundation Board
Ruth Eren ’71
Dr. Ruth Eren retired from Southern in 2017 as a professor emeritus of special education. She is the cofounder and past director of the Center of Excellence on Autism Spectrum Disorders [ASD] at Southern as well as the former Goodwin Endowed Chair in Special Education, which was the first endowed professorship in the university’s history.
As a former Southern student and professor, Eren has a broad understanding of the university’s operation and its positive impact on students, faculty, and the community-at-large.
She was the creator and area head of the master’s program for teaching children with ASD at Southern; a member of the state task force that wrote the Connecticut guidelines for educating children and youth with autism in public schools; and an active participant in the Special Act No. 08-5 legislative initiative. She has consulted with public school districts for more than 15 years, focusing on individual program development and curriculum design for children with ASD. Eren also shares her expertise as a member of many boards, including the Chapel Haven Adult Program for individuals with Asperger syndrome, the Connecticut Autism Spectrum Resource Center and the Clifford Beers Guidance Clinic. Eren sits on the SCSU Foundation’s development and governance committees.
