Faculty/Staff Accomplishments 10/7/20

In this issue we celebrate accomplishments of faculty in business, history, music, and political science, and share an update about study abroad.

Professor of History Dan Fountain was interviewed by WJCT public media for a story about potentially renaming Jacksonville, Florida’s Robert E. Lee High School. Fountain was sought out for the story as an alumnus of the school and a historian.

Professor of Political Science David McLennan spoke with Associate Professor of History Angela Robbins to the Chatham, Durham, and Orange County Chapter of the League of Women Voters on the historical and contemporary meaning of the 19th Amendment. He also spoke to the Young Professionals at the Raleigh Chamber of Commerce about the 2020 elections and to the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at North Carolina State University on the topic “Is Chaos the New Normal for Electoral Politics.“ In addition, he published at op-ed in Real Clear Politics on the the electoral challenges of North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis and another op-ed in The Hill about ending the presidential debates.

Director of Instrumental Activities Jim Waddelow has published new sheet music reviews of a string quartet version of Katy Perry’s Firework and a piano trio titled Let us Break Bread Together in the American String Teacher Journal, Volume 70, No. 2.

Last academic year was the School of Business faculty’s most productive research year of the past 10 years. The School had 10 faculty members publish 14 collective articles. One article was in an A+ journal, and four others were A-level. An A-level journal is usually a top three journal in the field as rated by the ABDC Journal Quality List and has an acceptance rate of 5-10%.

News Briefs

Study Abroad Updates from the Office of International Programs
Nearly 150 students attend the recent Study Abroad Virtual Showcase. The Office of International Programs (OIP) is thankful to faculty and staff who encouraged students to attend. Here are a few relevant updates as we begin this unusual application season:

• Study abroad brochures and applications for summer 2021, fall 2021, and spring 2022 are now live. They are available at meredith.edu/study-abroad/meredith-abroad-programs.
• The entire application process is online this year with no paper-based materials being turned in to our office. Faculty reference forms and advisor recommendations can be submitted online as well.
• Please note that most Meredith Abroad summer programs offer rolling admission, and some programs fill early. A student’s application will not be reviewed until it is complete.
• If students indicate an interest in study abroad, please encourage them to book a virtual advising appointment with Liz Yaros, Callie DeBellis, or Tammi Dittmar on the OIP website.
• OIP also offers virtual general advising sessions to review the study abroad process (including COVID-19’s impact on travel), as well as funding workshops to discuss scholarships, financial aid, and smart budgeting. Students can sign up for both workshops on meredith.edu/studyabroad.
• COVID-19 Cancellation Commitment: While we are committed to designing top-notch study abroad programs for summer 2021, we are ever-mindful of the impact COVID-19 could have on travel. Therefore, we’ve developed our COVID-19 Cancellation Commitment to help ease student financial worries about applying for study abroad in such an uncertain time.
• Decisions about summer 2021 programs will be made no later than mid-March 2021. We are monitoring conditions around the world and at home daily.
• Backup Plans: We are also encouraging study abroad applicants to connect with their advisors to make backup plans in the event that we are unable to fly this summer.

Faculty and staff may contact OIP staff with any questions about Meredith Abroad summer, Meredith in Italy semester, or Meredith Affiliate study abroad programs. Thanks for your support in this unprecedented time.