Faculty/Staff Accomplishments and News Briefs August 2023

In this issue, we celebrate the accomplishments of faculty and staff in accounting, English, history, human resource management, and psychology. We also share News Briefs with updates from the Office of Research, Planning and Assessment, and about the Meredith Autism Program’s inclusive preschool classroom.

Ghanaian poet and Pushcart Prize winner Kwame Dawes has accepted Dr. Zach Linge’s poem, “Petition with Apocalypse,” for a forthcoming issue of Prairie Schooner. Notable contributors to Prairie Schooner include Truman Capote, Rita Dove, Joyce Carol Oates, and Tennessee Williams. Linge is an assistant professor of English.

Dr. Darren Masier, assistant professor of human resource management, was interviewed by WRAL TechWire for their article “Getting employees back in the office: Employers wield both carrots and sticks.” Masier gave his advice on how to address the flexible work needs of millennials and how HR professionals can respond to the requests. Read the article for more information on how some companies are handling the switch back to in-person work environments. 

Dr. Candalyn Rade, assistant professor of psychology, attended and presented at the Society for Community Research and Action (SCRA) biennial conference in Atlanta this summer. The first presentation, Perceptions and Stereotypes of Job Applicants with Criminal Histories, was co-authored with fellow Meredith College psychology faculty member Dr. Jenna McChesney. Rade also presented as part of a Community Psychology for Strategic Transformation of Institutional Community Engagement Efforts Town Hall.

Dr. Brian Routh, assistant professor of accounting, had an accepted manuscript in “Accounting Educators’ Journal” and the paper was entitled: “A Process Costing Simulation: Experiential Learning in the Introductory Managerial Accounting Course.” “A process costing simulation: Experiential Learning in the Introductory Managerial Accounting Course” is an in-class, small-team, active learning simulation that is designed to assist introductory managerial accounting students in their understanding of the process costing topic. Students work in production teams and departments to produce a product that is not familiar to them. Results from pre- and post-simulation assessments suggest that the activity improved higher order thinking in students. Qualitative data suggests that students enjoy the activity and believe that it does enhance their understanding and comprehension of the process costing topic. 

Professor of History Gregory Vitarbo, a specialist in Russian military history, recently commented on the march to Moscow by Yevgeny Prigozhin and the mercenary group Wagner in the ongoing Russian war against Ukraine for a Newsweek article titled “Was the Prigozhin Mutiny Staged by Putin? What We Know,” written by Brendan Cole. The article says “Gregory Vitarbo, a history professor at Meredith College in North Carolina, said that the optics of Prigozhin’s advance on Moscow making Putin look weak left the idea that the mutiny was stage-managed ‘the least likely possibility.’ Even in a restricted Russian media environment, ‘the contrast between Putin making an extraordinary national address promising ruthless resistance…only to then acquiesce to a deal brokered by his junior partner Lukashenko, cannot but be lost on a domestic audience.”

In spring 2022, Dr. Vitarbo and other faculty in the Department of History, Political Science, and International Studies hosted an information session on the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The department is planning a similar event in the fall of 2023 to address the global political implications of the ongoing conflict.

News Briefs

Office of Research, Planning and Assessment (RPA) Updates

The Office of Research, Planning and Assessment (RPA) supports and facilitates assessment processes and provides institutional research data for continuous improvement. Recently, we have made some staffing changes that we believe will help us to continue meeting the campus’ data needs efficiently and effectively.

Lori Miller is reducing her work hours to 3/4 time starting from the beginning of July. Lori will remain our “go-to” person for institutional research, but Dianne Raubenheimer will take over some of her tasks. Dilnavaz Sharma will assume some of Dianne’s assessment tasks and has been promoted to Assistant Director of Assessment. Dil will also continue to oversee our survey research work.  In the fall, RPA will also welcome Bolla Iskandar as our graduate assistant. Bolla will be starting his first year as a graduate student in the Industrial and Organizational Psychology program.

For further information about RPA and to access online assessment resources, please visit the RPA My Meredith site. –Submitted by Dianne Raubenheimer, Director of Research, Planning and Assessment

Inclusive Preschool Classroom

Help the Meredith Autism Program (MAP) spread the word about their Inclusive Preschool Classroom. MAP is currently enrolling community peers (without a diagnosis of autism) for the Inclusive Preschool Classroom for the 2023-24 school year. The new year starts September 5.  

Check out the program’s Facebook page, @ExplorersInclusivePreschool, to see all of the wonderful activities. 

Visit meredith.edu/autism/explorers-preschool-classroom/ or contact Crystal Lester at ext. 8707 for more information.