Faculty/Staff Accomplishments and News Briefs August 2021

In this issue, we celebrate accomplishments of faculty and staff in disability services, psychology, retention and student success, and the School of Business. We also share news from the Office of International Programs about their new staff member.

Assistant Director for Disability Services Carolyn Koning was interviewed for the YMCA’s Camp Sea Gull/Camp Seafarer website over the summer. Topics included her role at Meredith College and how her camp experience influences her work. Read the interview on the camp website 

Associate Professor and Program Director for I/O Psychology Joseph Mazzola was quoted in a News & Observer opinion piece about the impact of COVID on the workforce in North Carolina. The piece was published on July 31, 2021.

Provost Matthew Poslusny and Director of Retention and Student Success Brandon Stokes presented “Is It Time for a Retention Audit?” on July 28 for the virtual National Small College Enrollment Conference. In this session, they discussed several important factors to consider that contribute to an institution’s retention and graduation rates and walked participants through one way to review their campus’s retention strengths and weaknesses. The presentation also briefly mentioned some successful strategies implemented at Meredith College to bring retention rates from the low 70s to the mid 80s and graduation rates from the upper 40s to mid 60s.

Professor of Economics Anne York was interviewed for a WRAL Techwire story on the N.C. Department of Commerce’s strategic economic development plan. The story was published on July 23, 2021. 

News Briefs

New Staff Member in International Programs
Jennifer Glass has joined Meredith’s Office of International Programs as its new assistant director. In this role, she will advise Meredith students from international backgrounds (F-1 visa holders, DACA recipients, and others), implement programs to support their success, and serve as a resource on international student issues for colleagues throughout campus. Glass will also provide support for Meredith’s out-of-state students through a combined “Welcome to NC” First Year Experience (FYE) course. Glass has been working with international students at U.S. colleges and universities for 15 years and was most recently a senior international student advisor at the Office of International Services at NC State.