Faculty/Staff Accomplishments 4/9/25

In this issue, we celebrate the accomplishments of faculty and staff in Health, Exercise and Sport Sciences, music, social work, physics, and psychology. We also share reminders to register for the Garden Party for Faculty/Staff Appreciation and to complete the Campus Well-being and Engagement Survey.

Dr. Stephanie Little, Associate Professor of Health, Exercise and Sport Sciences, has been honored by the faculty and staff of Western Carolina University’s College of Education and Allied Professions. Dr. Little has been added to the College’s Honor Roll of Peak Performers. This honor was established in 1996 as a unique way of recognizing alumni of the College of Education and Allied Professions who have distinguished themselves in their profession. 

Music faculty members Drs. Kent Lyman and Jean Park participated recently in the National Conference of the Music Teachers National Association, held in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They were joined by their colleague Dr. Moon Choi. On March 18, they gave a presentation at the conference, “From Arirang to BTS: Piano Ensemble Music of Korean Composers.” The program consisted of works by five composers, three of whom are women.  There were works for one piano four hands, two pianos four hands, and two pianos six hands. The works ranged in style from charming pieces written with children in mind to technically demanding works containing high levels of dissonance and rhythmic complexity. To end the program, they included a four-hand arrangement of Butter, by the K-Pop sensation BTS.

Assistant Professor of Social Work Paige Moore had a new publication in Public Administration Quarterly, “Who YA GONNA CALL?” Maybe not the Police: Transgender Peoples’ Perceptions of and Experiences With the Police.”

Associate Professor of Psychology Betty-Shannon Prevatt and Assistant Professor of Psychology Candalyn Rade gave a webinar presentation, “Implementing Positive Psychology Strategies to Improve Student Outcomes,” for the Learning & Growing webinar series presented by Hawkes Learning. Details and access to the recording and a certificate after participation are available at webinars.hawkeslearning.com/recordings.

Professor of Physics Bill Schmidt contributed a session at the Spring Meeting of the North Carolina Section of the American Association of Physics Teachers (NCS-AAPT), at Elon University on March 29.  Schmidt’s presentation was titled “SoTL Ideas for Small Size Introductory Physics Courses.”

News Briefs
RSVP to attend the Garden Party for Faculty and Staff Appreciation
Meredith employees are invited to a Garden Party for Faculty and Staff Appreciation on Wednesday, April 23, from 3:30-5:30 p.m. at the Jones Chapel Gazebo. Refreshments will be provided, and a program at 4 p.m. will allow students to say thank you to all faculty and staff. The Meredith Activities Board (MAB) would like to do this event in honor of you! RSVP online. Please respond no later than Monday, April 14.

Campus Engagement & Well-Being Survey Open Through April 18
The deadline to complete the Campus Engagement and Well-being Survey is fast approaching. This survey is a key part of Meredith’s work with Rankin Climate, a trusted partner helping us better understand our campus community. They specialize in gathering and analyzing feedback to identify what’s working well and where we can grow.

Have questions? Visit the information page on MyMeredith: https://mymeredith.myintranet.com/pages/RPA/campus-engagement-survey

Input from students, faculty, and staff will directly shape decisions that impact all of us at Meredith. The survey takes just 15 minutes and is completely confidential. Take the survey here: https://rcsurvey.live/MeredithCollege