Faculty/Staff Accomplishments 4/12/23

In this issue, we celebrate the accomplishments of faculty and staff in business, career planning, child development, communication, political science, religion, and StrongPoints.

Dean of the School of Business Dr. Kim Burke presented a paper titled “Under Pressure: Faculty at Small Liberal Arts Colleges During COVID,” with her co-author, Dr. Blakely Fender of Millsaps College. Dr. Burke presented the paper at the Academy of Business Research Conference in New Orleans, La. The paper presented the results of a survey conducted during fall 2020 in which faculty members responded to questions about their work environment during the pandemic, the financial effects of the pandemic on their organizations and themselves, the ways in which the pandemic changed their duties and responsibilities, and the degree to which the pandemic altered their retirement plans.  

Assistant Director of StrongPoints Emily Caldwell has become a Certified Financial Education Instructor. She will be using this to help enhance the programming and financial 1:1 coaching the StrongPoints office can offer students. 

Professor of Religion Dr. Shannon Grimes was recently interviewed on the Secret History of Western Esotericism Podcast (SHWEP). She discussed the religious, cultural, and economic contexts of Egyptian alchemy in the Roman period. Listen to the podcast at shwep.net.  

Instructor of Accounting Dr. Nancy L. Johnson presented a session co-authored with Associate Professor of Communication Dr. Lynn Owens titled “Experiential Learning “In”, Paper Writing “Out”: An Accounting and Journalism Collaboration” on March 23  in the North American Accounting Association track at the MBAA International conference, in Chicago, IL.

Professor of Political Science Dr. David McLennan and Associate Professor of Political Science Dr. Whitney Ross Manzo attended the annual meeting of the North Carolina Political Science Association (NCPSA) in Wilmington, N.C., on March 24-25. They presented a paper, “Perceptions of Polarization in North Carolina,” which discussed results from the Meredith Poll on how polarized North Carolinians perceive themselves to be, as well as how polarized they actually are on current issues like Medicaid expansion, abortion, and legalization of marijuana. Two Meredith students also presented at the conference. Liz Sharpe, ’22, and Elena Blackwelder, ’23, presented their senior research projects, both of which also used Meredith Poll data. Sharpe’s study examined the relationship between legislator gender and gun control legislation, while Blackwelder’s examined the discourse surrounding Critical Race Theory and connected it to Moral Foundations theory. Finally, Manzo was re-elected treasurer of the association, and McLennan was elected vice president. They will host the annual meeting of NCPSA at Meredith in spring 2025.

Assistant Professor in Child Development Dr. Pamela Norcross recently attended the Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD) Pre-conference Teaching Institute in Salt Lake City, Utah on March 22. She presented a round table discussion titled Anti-Bias Scaffolding Strategies for Undergraduate Students During Civic Engagement Activities and co-authored a poster with Dr. Betty Shannon Prevatt (Psychology) at the same teaching institute titled Incorporating Undergraduate Research Students in Developmental Science Research. Dr. Norcross also attended the full Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD) conference in Salt Lake City, Utah, March 23-25, 2023. She presented two posters, one that was first authored by Child Development major Abigail Innman titled Effects of COVID-19 Shutdown on Children with Developmental Disabilities and Their Families, and a second poster that was co-authored with Dr. Betty Shannon Prevatt (Psychology) and an undergraduate student Rayna Maleki (Undergraduate Research Assistant on AIMSS project; Math major) titled: Risk Assessment During Pregnancy: Role of Depression Screening. 

Adjunct Instructor in Communication Angela Smedley presented  “Virtual All Hands on Deck: Creating Community at the Center” at the National Association of Communication Centers conference on March 25. The event was hosted by Virginia Tech.

Employer Relations Coordinator Andrea Wogoman, in the Office of Career Planning, was presented with the New Professional Award at the annual North Carolina Career Development Association (NCCDA) conference on March 17. This award recognizes an individual in North Carolina who has made a significant contribution to career development and has been in the profession for five years or less.