Faculty/Staff Accomplishments and News Briefs 11/17/21

In this issue, we celebrate the accomplishments of faculty and staff in business, economics, education, English, fashion merchandising and design, interior design, music, political science. We also share news briefs about the Meredith Campus Store holiday sale, Honors Colloquium proposals, supporting accessibility on campus, and a recent graduate’s teaching award.

Director and Instructor of the Hospitality and Tourism Management Program Michael Altman, Professor of Management and Entrepreneurship Kristie Ogilvie, and Assistant Professor of Operations Management Yunsik Choi collaborated on Phase II of a previous study, “Why Women Are Not in the Live Poker Room and the Evidence on How this Can Change.” The paper was presented at the 2021 IABPAD conference in Las Vegas and published in the Journal of Gambling Business and Economics (B level) 2021 Vol 14 No 1 pp 3-14. 

Members of the Department of Education Heather Bower, Courtney George, Jennifer Olson, Monica McKinney, Cindy Morton-Rose, and Christoph Stutts applied for and were accepted to participate in the Zinn Education Project’s Teaching for Black Lives book study group. Through this initiative, they have received free copies of the book Teaching for Black Lives as well as copies of the New York Times’ 1619 Project and will be meeting at least five times over the course of the year to discuss the book’s implications for their practice, and will have access to other opportunities through the Zinn Education Project. Learn more about these study groups. 

Dr. Rebecca Duncan, Mary Lynch Johnson Professor of English, spoke on “Professional Life at a Small Private College” in a session on “Life Hacks” at the South Atlantic Modern Language Association (SAMLA) conference on November 4. She is grateful to Meredith colleagues Dr. Julie Schrock (Education and Faculty Development), Dr. Phillip Andreae (Math), and Dr. Jayme Ringleb (English) for sharing their perspectives as she prepared the presentation. 

Dr. Ali Howell, Assistant Professor in Fashion Merchandising and Design, mentored two students, Amelia Darnell and Ava Baumgartner, on a research project, An examination of fashion influencers participation in racial equity movements on social media during the summer of 2020. This study was presented at the International Textile and Apparel Association annual conference on November 6, 2021. 

Professor of Music Kent Lyman was elected president of the North Carolina Music Teachers Association (NCMTA) at the conclusion of the organization’s Virtual State Conference on October 23, 2021. For two years prior to that, Dr. Lyman served as president-elect of NCMTA. The job of the president-elect is to plan the annual state conference, which ended up being a virtual conference in both 2020 and 2021. The 2021 conference featured Dr. Peter Mack as the conference artist. Dr. Mack is the President-Elect of the Music Teachers National Association. Although the conference was virtual, Dr. Mack decided to come to Meredith College to give his sessions via live stream from Carswell Concert Hall to his virtual audience. The Department of Music was pleased and honored to host him for the weekend of October 22-23. His presence on campus brought much positive attention to Meredith College.

On Monday, October 25, Dr. Lyman joined other faculty members who teach for the North Carolina Chamber Music Institute in a Faculty Showcase Concert entitled Beethoven and Beyond. NCCMI is a program that provides young people in the Triangle Area the opportunity to learn and perform chamber music under the tutelage of the area’s leading musicians. This concert marked the first major public offering of NCCMI since the pandemic started. Dr. Lyman was pianist for a performance of a work by Meredith alumna Chrissy Cain Ricker (BM ’00; MM ’04) titled Intergalactic Suite. Scored for piano, two violins, and cello, it is a work written for intermediate level students and tells the story of intergalactic travel to another planet. Dr. Lyman was also the pianist for a performance of the concluding work on the program, Beethoven’s Trio Op. 11, for Clarinet, Cello, and Piano. Meredith faculty member Jimmy Gilmore was clarinettist in this performance. The concert was professionally recorded and is available to view for a limited time on the NCCMI Youtube Channel.

Associate Professor of Political Science Whitney Ross Manzo was published earlier this year in an edited volume titled Pedagogy Through the Research Process, eds. Daniel J. Mallinson, Julia Hellwege, and Eric D. Loepp. Her chapter, “Excel, in More Ways than One,” discusses how Dr. Manzo has developed the political science research methods class (POL 334) over time to emphasize more career-ready skills while students learn about how to do social science research in preparation for their senior capstone project. On November 4, she presented “The Rise of the Unaffiliated Voter in North Carolina,” written with Drs. Michael Bitzer (Catawba College), Chris Cooper (Western Carolina University), and Susan Roberts (Davidson College), to the Bliss Institute of Applied Politics’ virtual conference on the State of the Parties: 2020 and Beyond. Their paper documents the historic rise in the number of registered Unaffiliated voters, who will likely become the largest group in N.C. politics next year, and also uses Meredith Poll data to examine Unaffiliated voters’ policy preferences, to determine if they are truly independent of the traditional parties or if they could be better characterized as partisan “leaners.” Their research found that Unaffiliated voters lean slightly closer to Republicans but can be considered a true bridge between the Democratic and Republican parties.

Instructor of Education and Geoscience Manley Midgett was awarded the Herman and Emma Gatling Award by the North Carolina Science Leadership Association at a ceremony on November 3. The award was for Outstanding Science Leadership in North Carolina and was sponsored by the Carolina Biological Supply Company. It is the highest honor the association gives for leadership in science education.

Associate Professor of Interior Design Laura Prestwood, Associate AIA (American Institute of Architects), has been selected as one of the 2021-22 Mentors for Emerging Professionals. Dr. Prestwood’s involvement includes co-leading Mentoring Pods via Zoom, portfolio and resume critiques, and career planning. 

Director of Instrumental Activities Jim Waddelow served as guest clinician and conductor for the 2021 New Hanover County Senior High All-Region Honor Orchestra on October 29-30. On November 4, he served as guest clinician and conductor for the Moore County Senior High All-Region Orchestra and served as guest clinician and conductor for the orchestras at the Durham School of the Arts on November 5. 

Professor of Economics Anne York was recently interviewed for the Aging Matters podcast, which is also featured on WPTF radio. Dr. York explained the cost of living adjustment to social security payments and how our pandemic economy has impacted senior citizens. Listen to the interview. 

News Briefs
Campus Store Holiday Sale
The Meredith Campus Store is having a Holiday Sale from November 17-21. Receive 20% off your purchase of $50 or more! Also available online at shop-meredith.com. Use code HOLIDAY21. Please note the in-person store will be closed 11/20-11/21. Online sales only 11/20-11/21 ~ Use coupon code mentioned above. —Emily Kelleher, ’17, Campus Store Manager

Honors Colloquium Proposals
The Honors Program is seeking proposals for Honors Fall 2022, Spring 2023, (Fall 2023 is full), Spring 2024, Fall 2024, and Spring 2025 Colloquium courses. Individual or dual-taught course proposals will be accepted. The Honors program will cover adjunct relief for 3-hours for each Colloquium course. If you have an interesting or unique course idea, please reach out to Jennifer McMillen (mcmillen@meredith.edu). Proposals can be presented next to the Honors committee on January 14 or 28, 2022. —Jennifer McMillen, Honors Program Director

Help Make Meredith More Inclusive for Students with Disabilities
Have you read the recent article in The Meredith Herald about accessibility at Meredith? One concern expressed in the article is “the regular dysfunction of the door opening buttons.” Every member of the Meredith community can support individuals with disabilities in this situation. Whenever you notice that the automatic door openers to the buildings you visit and work in are not functioning properly, please notify Facilities Services at ext. 8560. Thank you. —Carolyn Koning, Assistant Director for Disability Services 

Alumna Receives Outstanding Student Teaching Award
Marissa Thomas, ’21, received the N.C. Outstanding Student Teaching Award in Science from the North Carolina Science Teachers Association at a ceremony on November 4, 2021. Thomas was nominated by Professor Emerita Janice Swab. —Instructor of Education and Geoscience Manley Midgett