Faculty/Staff Accomplishments and Departmental News 2/20/19

In this issue, we celebrate the accomplishments of faculty and staff in education, foreign languages and literatures, music, sociology, and theatre. We also share important dates from the Undergraduate Research Program.

Professor of Sociology Lori Brown and Assistant Professor of Sociology Kris Macomber presented at the North Carolina Criminal Justice Association Meeting in Raleigh, on Friday, Feb. 8. The title of their presentation was “Public Perceptions of Police in the Trump Era: The Immigration Effect.” During the conference, Lori Brown was also elected to the Board of Directors for NCCJA.

Associate Professor of Education Tisha Duncan has had a book chapter recently published on the topic of pre-service teachers and constructivist teaching practices as part of a larger handbook of research. Her chapter, “Creating disequilibrium: Building confidence in pre-service teachers using constructivist methods,” is included in the Handbook of Research on Critical Thinking Strategies in Pre-Service Learning Environments.

Director of Athletics Jackie Myers was featured in the Greater Raleigh Sports Spotlight on February 13. Read the article detailing her leadership, background, and impact as an athlete, coach, director, and community advocate on the Visit Raleigh website.

The journal Crusades has recently published a critical edition of ‘La Terre des Sarazins: the amplified version’ by Brent A. Pitts, professor of foreign languages & literatures. The article includes a review of literature, a study of the text’s historical context and Anglo-Norman language, and a new translation of this version into modern English. La Terre des Sarazins presents as a Crusader intelligence report sent by an unnamed patriarch of Jerusalem to Pope Innocent III (1198-1216). The version contains compelling details of the household of Sultan Saladin’s brother, Saphadin, including his practices in his harem; also, pertinent details of Holy Land topography. The version sends up one of the most hopeful statements on record regarding the harmonious coexistence of the people of the book–Jews, Muslims, and Christians–in medieval Alexandria, Egypt. Crusades 17 (2018), 131-69. Hard copy to be deposited in the College Archive.

Professor of Theatre Catherine Rodgers and Director of Instrumental Activities Jim Waddelow in the Music Department were interviewed on the “Light’s Up!” radio program on Wednesday, February 6, concerning their production of Annie Get Your Gun.

Rodgers and Sarah McCabe, Costume Shop Supervisor, accompanied 11 students to Spartanburg, S.C., to attend the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival for Region IV from February 7-10. Two of the theatre students won prestigious awards, despite competing with other larger institutions and graduate students. Senior Theatre major Allie Sullivan was one of ten students who won the Stagecraft Institute of Las Vegas One-Week Internship Award, and she received the Allied Design and Technologies Award for her work on last semester’s production of She Kills Monsters.  Freshman MacKenzie Ulibarri received second place for her Lighting Design for the same show, as well as the 3-D software design program VectorWorks.  Four of the students, Laura Austin, Leslie Castro, Gracie Glenn, and Allie Sullivan, performed a ten-minute scene from Marie Antoinette for the Saturday evening Gala. There were only three other schools invited to perform for this final event at the festival.

Jim Waddelow, Director of Instrumental Activities, conducted the top 50 high school orchestra students of Onslow County in a weekend of rehearsals and a concert with the All-Onslow Jacksonville Senior High Honor Orchestra, February 1-2.

Departmental News

Undergraduate Research Program Dates to Remember
The following dates and deadlines are important for those who are planning on participating in CSA Day and Summer Research:

• February 20 through February 27 at 4 p.m.: Call for Abstract Submission Period
• Thursday, February 28: Deadline for Departments to submit events to occur on CSA Day
• Wednesday, March 12: Summer Research Partnership Applications Due
• Monday, March 25: Presentation workshop with Dr. Gaia Cantelli (from Duke University) in Harris 110 from 10-10:50 a.m.

For more information: contact research@meredith.edu.