Faculty/Staff Accomplishments and Departmental News 10/26/16

In this issue, we celebrate accomplishments of faculty and staff in departments of art, business, communication, English, and theatre. We also share news from Tech Services, the Ellen Brewer House, Biology, and the School of the Arts and Humanities.

Studio Art Instructor Holly Fischer currently has work on display in four nationally juried exhibitions:

  • New Directions ’16: 32nd Annual National Juried Contemporary Art Exhibition, Barrett Art Center, Poughkeepsie, N.Y., through November 5, 2016; Exhibiting: Silver Cilia, cast paper and embroidery
  • Rare Earth: National Ceramics Exhibition, Cabrillo Gallery, Aptos, Calif., through November 1, 2016; Exhibiting: Serpent and Tart, ceramic
  • The Nude Figure: Nationally Juried Exhibition, Wayne Art Center, Wayne Pa., through November 19, 2016; Exhibiting: Illusion, ceramic
  • New Fibers 2016: National Juried Exhibition, Eastern Michigan University Gallery, Ypsilanti, Mich., through December 3, 2016; Exhibiting: Butterfly Kiss, Cleavage Furrow, and Whiplash Squid, cast paper and embroidery

Assistant Professor of English Martin P. McNamee presented a paper at the International Conference in Romanticism in Colorado Springs, Colorado. McNamee’s presentation, “Reading Darkly:  Keats’s Poetic Treatments of the Act of Reading,” considers Keats’s poetic representations of reading and considers how the social role of reading in the nineteenth century, the interplay between reading and poetic creation, and growth of the reading class during the period influence those representations.

Meredith College Professor of Theatre Catherine Rodgers won a directing award and Assistant Professor of Theatre Jenni Mann Becker won a designer/technician award for Lysistrata, from the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival. Theatre majors Victoria Mitchell, ’18, Elena Mulligan, ’17, and Allie Sullivan, ’19, were all nominated for Irene Ryan Acting Awards. These students will compete for prestigious scholarships in February at the regional festival.

Associate Professor of Mass Communication Doug Spero wrote an editorial for The Huffington Post about the state of media coverage of the 2016 campaign.

Stations, a short film by Professor of Art Jane Terry, has been named an official selection of the Santa Fe Independent Film Festival to be held October 19-23, 2016. Terry will attend the event as a presenting filmmaker. The mission of the festival is to advance “independent, innovative and cutting edge cinema” and bring “five days of excellence in filmmaking to the inclusive and diverse community of Santa Fe, New Mexico.” Terry’s film is supported in part by a grant from the Tree of Life Foundation.

School of Business Professor Susan Wessels presented a paper on October 21, 2016 at the Academy of Business Research Conference, held in Biloxi, Miss. The paper, “The Relationship of Students’ Perceived Satisfaction and Usage on the Effectiveness of Web-Based Homework in Financial Accounting” is co-authored by School of Business Professor Rebecca Oatsvall. In the paper, they reported on a study in which students were given a choice to buy a web-based homework management system or to submit homework using a traditional paper and pencil format. The results showed that the students who used the web-based homework system reported a high level of student satisfaction with the system. However, holding constant major and hours of study, students who used the web-based homework system were significantly more likely to earn a lower course grade than those students who used a traditional homework method. This research contributes to the literature in accounting education by suggesting that students who choose to use web-based homework systems may view it as a shortcut to completing homework to the detriment of subject mastery.

Departmental News

Sign up for Meredith Security Awareness Training
Don’t forget that faculty and staff are still able to sign up for the Meredith Security Awareness Training – a training that provides knowledge to protect yourself and the College from having its confidential information stolen, or its accounts becoming compromised. This training is a self-paced course that you can complete, on your own time, throughout the year. It will take approximately two hours to complete. When finished, a certificate will be provided to you. To register for the course, please click on the link below and enroll. You will have to be logged into MyMeredith, or the page will state “Access Denied.”

Enroll in Meredith IT Security 

If you have any questions please reach out to Jennie Robinson via email: jlrobinson@meredith.edu

Ellen Brewer House Earns Five Star License
The Child Development Program is pleased to announce that the Ellen Brewer House, the on-site infant toddler program, has again been issued a five-star license during its annual review by the NC Division of Child Development and Early Education. As part of the review process this year an additional assessment, the Infant-Toddler Environment Rating Scale, was completed by the NC Star Rated License Project.  The focus of these assessments is on program standards, compliance with child care regulations, and staff education. A rating of five-stars means that EBH has received the highest rating possible. Congratulations to Carly Lantz and Tierra King for leading this successful evaluation. —Submitted by Kathryn S. Clark, Ph.D., Program Coordinator for Child Development

Students Attend Making Energy Work Conference
On October 3 and 4, Meredith students had the privilege of attending the 2016 Making Energy Work (MEW) Conference, an annual conference that brings together North Carolina clean energy stakeholders to discuss clean energy triumphs, challenges, opportunities, and plans for the future. The four students, Diana Godlevskaya, Imani William, Hannah Hartford, and Matilda Odera volunteered at this event, which gave them access to some of the state’s best resource persons in clean energy – stakeholders in North Carolina that share the vision to elevate the energy out of the political arena. This year’s conference highlighted North Carolina’s capability right now to compete globally in advanced energy technology sectors, the significant growth in the number of North Carolinians opting for clean energy due to reduced prices for energy offered by non-utility companies year after year, and the role of utilities in North Carolina’s clean energy future. It was a very interactive conference for everyone who participated; everyone got a chance to contribute by asking questions or commenting through an app created by the conference – MEW2016 app. It was also a great place for the people who are entering the clean energy field to meet the people behind the growth of clean energy in North Carolina and be mentored. –Written by Matilda Odera

Nominate a Student for the 2017 John Creagh Scholarship Award
Meredith faculty/staff are invited to nominate students for the John Creagh Memorial Scholarship Award. Dr. Creagh was a beloved Meredith faculty member of theater and communication for 23 years, before he succumbed to cancer just before Easter 2007. All students with a demonstrated interest in communication, theater, and literature are invited to apply. Students who contribute to the diversity of the college are particularly encouraged to apply. Thanks to donations from Dr. Creagh’s family, students, friends, and colleagues, a grant of between $500 and $1,000 is anticipated, to be awarded for spring semester 2017.  Applications and nominations should be completed by Nov 11.

To nominators:
In an essay of no more than one page, please explain your sense of how the nominee merits this award and fulfills the stated criteria: “The Fund shall be used . . . for undergraduate students of communication, theatre and literature who have demonstrated financial need and academic merit. Preference shall be given to students who contribute to the diversity of the student body and who embody Dr. Creagh’s inquisitive spirit, thirst for knowledge, commitment to effective communication, love of literature, sense of humor, passionate spirit, unflagging determination, dedication to intercultural communications, and acceptance of difference.”

Each application should consist of an application letter (one page) by the student and also a letter of nomination and support by a faculty or staff member of the Meredith College community. Students may pick up an application form from faculty members in Communication, Theatre, and English. Both applications and nomination letters should be delivered to Betsy Stewart, Administrative Assistant, Dean of the School of Arts and Humanities, Lux 230.

Melyssa Allen

News Director
316 Johnson Hall
(919) 760-8087
Fax: (919) 760-8330

allenme@meredith.edu