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Faculty/Staff Accomplishments and Departmental News 11/22/16

In this issue we share accomplishments of faculty and staff in art, biological sciences, communication, economics, education, English, fashion, history, music, political science, religious and ethical studies, and sociology. We also share the new Communication program video, and report results from SGA’s Hurricane Matthew food drive.

Professor of Biological Sciences Francie Cuffney attended the Fall American Dental Educators Association (ADEA) meeting in Houston October 25-29 as liaison for National Association of Advisors for the Health Professions (NAAHP).  She was asked to participate in a group presentation on Strength Finder for the Section on Dental School Admissions Officers, Student Affairs, and Financial Aid (AFASA), and spoke about how Meredith College has integrated Strength Finder into the curriculum and across campus. Cuffney also attended an NAAHP Executive Council meeting in Champaign, Ill., as president-elect of NAAHP, a role she assumed as of August 1, 2016.

Associate Professor of Education Tisha Duncan was interviewed for a poll conducted by WalletHubon the topic of best places to raise a family in North Carolina.

A second piano student of piano faculty member Margaret Evans has been invited to perform in Carnegie Hall.  Pre-college student Andy Dai will perform there this December as his prize for winning first place in the American Protégé International Talent Competition. Dai joins his studio mate Kenny Hoang as recipient of this wonderful honor; Hoang won the International Competition for Romantic Music, and will perform in Carnegie in April 2017.

Instructor of Studio Art Holly Fischer has a sculpture included in UMLAUF Prize Retrospective Exhibition at the UMLAUF Sculpture Garden and Museum in Austin, Texas.  She was the recipient of this prize in 2004, and her sculpture Pandora will be on display from through January 2017.

Associate Professor of History Dan Fountain was quoted in a Christian Science Monitor article about the “post-truth” election. Oxford Dictionary named “post-truth” the word of the year, and Fountain provided historical context for dishonesty in political campaigns.

Senior music majors Chelsea Huber and Victoria Peach, as well as Director of Choral Activities Shannon Gravelle, sang with the North Carolina Symphony Orchestra on November 17, 18, and 19. The singers performed “Neptune” from Gustav Holst’s The Planets at the Meymandi Concert Hall in downtown Raleigh and an outreach performance at the Wilson Center in Wilmington.  The Meredith performers were three of 18 singers who rehearsed once as a choir before singing a dress rehearsal with the orchestra.

Assistant Professor of Fashion Merchandising and Design Ali Howell presented at the International Textile and Apparel Association (ITAA) annual conference held November 8-12, 2016 in Vancouver.  Her presentation, “A Model for Creating Sustainable Corporate Partnerships in Design and Merchandising,” was about a corporate partnership between United Airlines, Re:new Project, and Alto Mayo Carbon Project to create a completely sustainable design process for merchandising and design education.

Erin Lindquist, Associate Professor of Biology and Environmental Sustainability, participated in the National Association of Biology Teachers (NABT) conference in Denver, Colorado on November 3-5. She and her colleagues in the QUBES Math Attitudes and Anxiety Mentoring Network shared and received feedback on their modules which strive to incorporate potentially challenging mathematical tools into biology curriculum while minimizing student anxiety.

Visiting Assistant Professor of Sociology Kris Macomber was interviewed on the BBC World Service radio show, World Have Your Say on November 2. The interview was about Bono being named Glamour Magazine’s first “Man of the Year.”

Visiting Professor of Political Science David McLennan spoke to residents of Fearrington Village and Windsor Point, as well as members of the Cary Rotary Club about the 2016 election. In addition he was the keynote speaker at the 40th anniversary of the Women’s Forum of North Carolina, where he spoke about how women have changed North Carolina in the last 40 years and the opportunities going forward. Finally, he was part of a North Carolina Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NCICU) panel analyzing the 2016 election and its implications on state and national policies.

Instructor of English Jason Newport’s essay “Why Magic?” on the fantastical and supernatural in literature appears in the current Meredith Magazine, in the special section on this summer’s Zombie Institute suite of summer classes.Other faculty who contributed to the article were Rebekah Velazquez, Jeff Martinson, Lori Brown and Leslie Maxwell.

Associate Professor of Mass Communication Doug Spero was interviewed by The News & Observer about WRAL’s muting of portions of Saturday Night Live. 

Associate Professor of Fashion Merchandising and Design Eunyoung Yang’s design submission, “Jogakbo Rose,” was accepted for juried gallery exhibition at the International Textile and Apparel Association (ITAA) annual conference, held November 8-12, 2016 in Vancouver.This submission was awarded the Sandra Hutton Award for Excellence in Fiber. She also presented two other designs in the juried gallery exhibition. “Les Nymphéas: Trees Reflections” was co-designed with Mia Whang at Centenary University and constructed by Yang.  “Reminiscence of Redingote, Versatile Coatdress” was co-designed and constructed by Whang. Both designs were inspired by Monet’s Water Lilies. During the conference, Yang also served as a juror for undergraduate design submissions.

Associate Professor of Economics Anne York and Assistant Professor of Religious and Ethical Studies Steven Benko published “Interviewing Business Leaders to Develop Critical Thinking about Market Structure” in the Journal of Economics and Finance Education.  York also presented this research at the 15th Annual Economics Teaching Workshop sponsored by UNC Wilmington in October.

Departmental News
New Communication Program Video Released
Meredith’s newest video showcases the Communication major. Meredith’s program, located in a top 25 media market, focuses on real-world learning through professional internships and hands-on experience in the classroom. The video was produced by Meredith Marketing in partnership with the Department of Communication. Watch the new video on Meredith’s YouTube channel

SGA Drive Supports Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina
After Hurricane Matthew, Meredith’s Student Government Association sponsored a food drive to support the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina. The campus community donated 562 pounds of food and supplies, which equals approximately 473 meals.

Melyssa Allen

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

allenme@meredith.edu