COGER'S CORNER
Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs
I imagine that we all have different impressions of this semester. Yet whether you perceive it as one that sped by quickly or one that is taking too long to be done - we are now four days away from ECU’s Spring 2023 Commencement. Commencement is one of my favorite events because it celebrates our students’ success in earning their degrees. I am always inspired by the emotions I observe on the faces of our graduates, their family members and friends – and also by the pride I observe on the faces of our faculty and staff as they salute the students’ accomplishments. I thank you for everything you have personally done to help students in their navigation, and especially for anything you did to help their learning, their sense of welcome and belonging, their access to resources and programs, and/or their preparation for their future professions. I have also had the honor this semester of seeing and applauding the many ways that our University community celebrates the accomplishments of students, faculty and staff. Congratulations Pirate Nation for all you continue to deliver.
Speaking of delivering high, congratulations to all of our academic units that have received positive performance news this semester. While I appreciate that some must honor instructions to keep the information embargoed until the relevant national organization publicly releases the information – I offer my congratulations for the hard work done behind the scenes to achieve that high performance, which ranged from national ratings earned by our academic programs to the passing rates of our students/graduates on required licensure exams. One example in the latter category is associated with our College of Nursing (CoN), which recently received their National Council of State Boards of Nursing results for the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-RN® exam). Passing this exam is required for CoN’s nursing graduates to practice as registered nurses. Not only did the CoN’s Fall 2022 graduates achieve a 96.67% first time passing rate, but the ECU CoN’s strong consistency in 1st time pass rates on this exam makes it North Carolina’s powerhouse (i.e., more than 1290 of ECU’s CoN graduates passed the NCLEX their first time over the last 6 years). ECU’s mission reminds us that our university strives to be a national model in student success, public service and regional transformation. Congratulations to the graduates, faculty, and staff of the CoN on being a model for the state and the nation in this key area of graduate achievement.
I also have the privilege of congratulating Dr. Todd Fraley as he begins service today as the Dean of the Honors College. A special thanks to the dedicated search committee [Dean Bim Akitade (committee chair), Steven Asby, Bhibha Das, Brittany Thompson, and Margaret Turner] for your work. I am also grateful for all those in the ECU community who participated in this search process.
As final exams, grading and evaluations are completed and the semester rushes to its end, many are considering goals for the summer months. Whether yours are focused on research, creative works or teaching deliverables, or on further improving infrastructure, process productivity, and/or efficiencies – I hope you will punctuate the next few months with moments of vacation to ensure that rejuvenation and professional development are part of your plan. As you know, we are experiencing a transition time in higher education that requires collaboration, innovation and vision to facilitate ECU’s continued effectiveness in reaching and educating traditional and non-traditional learners. The multiple pathways our institution offers today to attract learners and our effectiveness in positioning learners to achieve their personal and professional goals, will continue to be extremely important. I simply ask that we commit to ECU being a leader in this space, and that we become even more effective in exchanging ideas, best practices, and strategic action within the Pirate Nation to better serve our students and advance our educational outcomes.
Finally, I thank each of you for all you do to strengthen East Carolina University. It continues to be an honor and a pleasure to work with you. Thank you also for taking time to read the contents of our final First Monday issue before the summer hiatus through September, with a sincere thanks to everyone who made this issue possible.
Go Pirates!
-Robin Coger
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BY THE NUMBERS
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AROUND ACADEMIC AFFAIRS
PIRATE ACADEMIC SUCCESS CENTER
On Saturday, April 1, 30 peer educators from the Pirate Academic Success Center (PASC) traveled to Meredith College to participate in the 2023 NC Peer Educator’s Conference. PASC students presented 11 conference sessions focused on best practices in student success services. The NC Peer Educators conference is held annually and brings together students who serve in learning centers throughout North Carolina’s post-secondary campuses. Special thanks to ECU’s Student Government Association for providing travel funding, and PASC staff members Dylan Moore, Amber Arnold, Davis Searcy, Julian Pinkham, and Elizabeth Coghill who chaperoned the trip.
OFFICE OF GLOBAL AFFAIRS
For the second of three segments of her Fulbright Global Scholar award, Jami Leibowitz spent the past two months at Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST) in Windhoek, Namibia where she worked with both NUST and Durban University of Technology in Durban, South Africa to help build capacity for virtual exchange in the region. While there, she coordinated a Global Understanding class between NUST students and ECU students taking SOCI 1050 taught by Jennifer O’Neill.
This semester, the English Department and the Office of Global Affairs has hosted Fulbright Scholar Eman Baghlaf, from Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University in Saudi Arabia. A linguist by training, Dr. Baghlaf has worked with the ECU Language Academy, is interested in second language acquisition and pragmatics, and is keen to learn more about teaching in the American higher educational system.
This summer, 24 faculty-led study abroad programs will take over 440 students to 21 countries including Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belize, France, Germany, Greece, Jamaica, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Peru, Poland, Portugal, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey, and the United Kingdom. Faculty interested in leading study abroad programs during upcoming semesters, please note proposal deadlines are:
- Spring Embedded 2024, including Spring Break: August 1
- Fall Embedded 2024: August 15
- Summer 2024: August 31
Email us for more information.
The ECU Language Academy is offering a non-credit awarding 5-week Listening & Speaking course for non-native English speakers who wish to improve their communication skills over the summer. The course face-to-face is open to the public and caters to participants with minimal to intermediate listening and speaking skills. To register or for more information, contact Edward Chaffin.
- Dates: May 15 – June 20
- Schedule: Monday – Thursday, 9:00 - 10:15AM
- Location: Main Student Campus (TBD)
- Cost: $200 + book fees (appr. $60)
ACADEMIC ADVISING
ECU’s FINISH Initiative Welcomes Stop-Outs Back to Pirate Nation
“Once a Pirate; always a Pirate” is a motto we strongly believe in at ECU. That’s why ECU’s FINISH Initiative works to bring students back to Pirate Nation to finish what they started—their undergraduate degree.
FINISH is ECU’s version of Partway Home, which is a UNC System-wide program that launched in fall of 2016. The idea behind Partway Home was to assist students who had stopped-out in completing their degree. At the time of the system-wide creation, more than 50,000 students had left a UNC System institution with at least 60 credit hours and no degree. Because many of these students were non-traditional/post-traditional, the path back to their university was even more daunting as they juggled careers, families, and everything else life threw their way. The UNC System strongly believed, and still believes, that bachelor’s degree attainment is beneficial for not just for those students, but also for the community in which they live. Now, as it was in 2016, it is evident bachelor’s degrees allow increased access to job opportunities, increase earning potential, and help stabilize the economy.
At ECU, the names FINISH and Partway Home are used interchangeably, but they represent two different ideas. FINISH operates as an academic concierge, allowing students a single place to connect with ECU staff and faculty. FINISH staff assist students in connecting with admissions, academic advising, financial aid, registrar, or any other needed offices at ECU.
While FINISH works with any student wanting to return to ECU, students wanting to qualify for Partway Home must meet certain requirements. They must have completed 90 or more credit hours without completing their bachelor’s degree, have been away from ECU for the last two consecutive terms, and be in good academic standing with a GPA of 2.0 or above. Students who meet the Partway Home requirements get a waiver of the $35 readmission application fee, a $200 completion grant, and early registration.
Many Partway Home students have well over the needed 120 hours to complete a bachelor’s degree, so FINISH staff work with these students to find creative ways for them to obtain their goals, such as utilizing their original catalog years if that means they can graduate in less time. Over the past academic year, ECU has welcomed home 74 pirates who qualified for Partway Home status. These students will go on to complete their bachelor’s degree because of the FINISH initiative, bettering their community because ECU cared.
FINISH efforts are led in partnership by Dr. Steven Asby in Academic Advising and Dr. Ashley Shivar in the Registrar’s Office. For more information on FINISH, click HERE or contact us. You can read about Craig Matta’s journey to FINISH HERE.
In January, ECU and UNC’s Eshleman School of Pharmacy signed an Early Assurance Program agreement. The implementation team was led by Elizabeth McAllister, Associate Director of Academic Advising & Support. Dr. Allison Danell, Dean of the Harriot College of Arts & Sciences. Dr. Jean-Luc Scemama, Associate Dean for Academic Programs of the Harriot College of Arts & Sciences, and Dr. Stacey Altman, Interim Dean, are members of the oversight committee who worked with McAllister and representatives from UNC to develop the application process and work out details of the agreement.
Three ECU students were invited to apply for the 2023-2024 cohort, and all three were accepted: Autumn Felton (Senior, Biology major), Kaitlin Newcomb (Junior, Biology major), and Victoria Tuzzolino (Senior, Biology Major).
The selected students will participate in monthly seminars hosted by UNC ESOP and network with UNC faculty, alumni, and PharmD residents. The students will automatically be admitted to UNC ESOP when they apply providing they maintain the required GPA and earn the necessary grades on remaining prerequisite courses.
The Academic Advising Collaborative held its annual Advising Awards on April 26, 2023. This is the 11th year of this recognition program. The awards recognize individuals who have demonstrated excellence in advising by going “above and beyond” their expected duties. Nominees are judged on the evidence of qualities and practices that distinguish the nominee as an outstanding leader in advising.
2022-2023 Advising Award Recipients
- Advising Partner: Suzanne Vinson, Career Services
- New Advisor: Ben Reyes, College of Fine Art and Communication - School of Music
- Advisor: Jana Hill, College of Nursing
- Advisor: Peggy Newsome, Thomas Harriot College of Arts & Sciences
- Advising Administrator: John Trifilo, Thomas Harriot College of Arts & Sciences
- New Advisor: Melissa Greenlee, College of Nursing
The academic collaborative awards committee is comprised of the following advising professionals: Melissa Bowers (College of Business), Caroline Hill (College of Education), Kayla Hale (College of Nursing), Mandy Dockendorf (College of Health and Human Performance), Kaitlyn Underwood (College of Fine Art and Communication), Madison Gervais (Student-Athlete Academic Services), Peggy Newsome (Thomas Harriot College of Arts and Sciences), Jordan Skipper (College of Engineering and Technology), and is led by Elizabeth McAllister (College of Allied Health Sciences and Pre-Professional Advising).
OFFICE OF RESEARCH, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT & ENGAGEMENT
Engagement and Outreach Scholars Academy (EOSA) participants from 2009 to present gathered on Friday, April 14 for the very first EOSA reunion. Through networking and presentations, the event highlighted the work of some of EOSA's graduates and offered time for new connections to be made. ECU's EOSA program provides professional development and project support for research that connects the university with communities throughout eastern North Carolina. Faculty selected to the program participate in cohort-based workshops and develop a research project with community partners. Read more HERE. Interested in learning more about EOSA and engaged research? Click HERE.
The Office of Economic & Community Engagement hosted the Purple and Gold Bus Tour Reunion on Thursday, April 27 to recognize six years of collaboration between ECU faculty, staff, and students and community partners throughout eastern North Carolina. The event brought together leaders from the annual bus tour stops, provided opportunities for participants and community partners to discuss ways to strengthen campus, industry, and community collaboratives, and reflected on projects that have transpired because of the bus tour. The group was treated to presentations from partners and tours of the Life Sciences & Biotechnology Building as well as the Health Sciences Campus. Learn more about the Purple and Gold Bus Tour HERE.
The I-Corps spring 2023 cohort completed its program with final presentations from several faculty or student-based innovations. Team projects included:
- Halo: Biomaterial with Antifouling Prosperities; Dr. Robert Hughes, Chemistry, and Arran Wright, Graduate Student, Business
- RSV: Nanotherapeutic for Respiratory Disease; Dr. Lok Pokhrel, Public Health, Dr. Shaw Akula, Microbiology and Immunology, and Mark Foley, Licensing & Commercialization
- Neuro Fingerprint: Early Detection of Neurodegenerative Disorders; Dr. Tonya Zeczycki, Biochemistry, and Jacquelyn Moore, Graduate Student, Coastal Studies
- Care Engagement: Rural Healthcare Platform for Women; Dr. Courtney Caiola, Nursing, and Marianne Congema, Graduate Student, Nursing.
- DNA Damage: Alternative to Traditional DNA Sequencing: Dr. Eli Hvastkovs, Chemistry, Elizabeth LaFave, Graduate Student, Chemistry, and Samantha Brandy, Graduate Student, Chemistry.
- VitalEphx: Therapeutic for Cardiovascular Disease; Dr. Jitka Virag, Physiology.
- Monthlies: Women Health Products; Barry Onsare, Student, Business
- Maggie's Scrubs: Custom Hospital Scrubs; Maggie Stewart, Student, Fashion Merchandising
Continuing & Professional Education Opportunities
- 2023 ECU Spring Pharma Conference, March 16 & 17: We are excited to host national vendors, speakers, and participants from the pharma and bio-pharmaceutical industries to our campus. The conference location is the Main Campus Student Center, second floor. Registration is now open.
- North Carolina Certified Economic Developer (NCCED) Program: Attraction in North Carolina, May 17 - 18: This course will examine best practices for successful attraction and recruitment of new companies, current industry sector trends, and emerging industries. This special session will include a bus tour showcasing Carolina Enterprise Park, Raleigh Executive Jetport, Vinfast Auto Plant, Chattam Park, Wolfspeed in Siler City, and Central Carolina Community College. To learn more about the program or to register for the course, visit our website.
- Nursing Education Educator Development (NEED) Program, May 16 - August 11: The revised Standards for the North Carolina Board of Nursing (NCBN) specify that, “nursing faculty who teach in a program leading to initial licensure have preparation in teaching and learning principles for adult education, including curriculum development, implementation and evaluation.” This preparation can be completed prior to or within the first three years of employment. The NEED program is approved by the NC Board of Nursing and is offered to our faculty and colleagues across the state. Visit our website to register.
The Lifelong Learning Program participated in Pirate Fest 2023, showcasing available programming, upcoming trips, and membership promotion. Our LLP volunteers had a great time engaging with the community, sharing successes from Spring 2023 and announcing our Fall Kickoff date of August 11, 1 - 4PM.
The Lifelong Learning Program is currently accepting content proposals via our website submission form through June 1. If you would like to propose a workshop, lecture, or excursion, please submit your idea.
OFFICE OF UNIVERSITY SCHOLARSHIPS
The Access Scholars continued the annual freshman service project tradition and again adopted the ECU Community School students/faculty as their spring project. The freshmen scholars (along with donations from the upper class scholars) made End of Grade testing treat bags with positive notes for the Community School students and teachers and also sent donations to the school’s food pantry. Several of the scholars delivered the goodies to Tracy Cole, principal. This service project is just a small way Access Scholars can give back to our community and make a difference in the lives of many.
Ms. Cole believes the support of ECU has a positive impact on her students and had this to say when the delivery was made: “Thank you ECU Access Scholars for donating to our food pantry and preparing EOG treat bags. Today’s delivery will be such a blessing to our learning community. I know that the scholars and teachers will be over the moon when they receive the EOG treat bags with attached notes. Knowing that Pirate Nation loves us and believes in us is just the fuel that we need. Thanks again for your kindness.”
ONLINE LEARNING, ACADEMIC OUTREACH AND ACADEMIC INNOVATION
Jennifer Horne (above, center), Coordinator for Off-Model Credit Programs, was awarded The Distinguished Service Award from the College of Health and Human Performance at their recent HHP Philanthropy and Service Event on April 14. The Distinguished Service Award was presented to Jennifer for her assistance with establishing a path for a sustainable opportunity for experiential learning alongside HHP faculty and staff, Drs. Stacy Warner and Andrea Buenano for their event management course, Super Bowl LVII Event Management class.
Jennifer stated that “This was a really fun program to help work out logistics and to help HHP faculty’s vision of a Super Bowl experience happen for their students. During the award ceremony, I was ecstatic to meet Molly King, one of the student participants, and see and hear her beam about the experience. After our conversation, I think both our cheeks were sore from smiling.”
“I knew this type of experiential learning had the potential to be transformational for our students. It was amazing to hear how this experience impacted her (Molly) as a student, personally and professionally. I look forward to our continued relationship with HHP and other colleges in creating high-impact, innovative learning experiences in the future!”
Charlene Lee, SARA Compliance Specialist, attended and represented ECU, The UNC System Office and North Carolina at the National Association of State Administrators and Supervisors of Public Schools (NASASPS) Annual Conference in Phoenix, AZ. The conference provides attendees the opportunity to meet with state regulators, professional licensing board and Department of Education representatives as well as collaborate with colleagues across the country. Topics included postsecondary Education in a Divided Congress, Updates on the US DoE’s Regulatory Agenda, Improving SARA and State Authorization, updates on the proposed DoE Regulatory changes, and Ensuring professional licensing outcomes. For information, please visit SARA Compliance.
QUALITY ENHANCEMENT PLAN (QEP)
QEP Director Purificación Martínez & Associate Director Laura Levi Altstaedter are collaborating with Director of Student Transitions Karen Slough Smith and four COAD 1000 instructors in designing an intercultural competence module for the first-year seminar. The instructors working with the QEP Directors are: Assistant Director of Academic Success Center Amber Arnold, Executive Director of College of Business Student Success Center Karen Kus, Director of Housing Operations Aaron Lucier, and Assistant Director of Disabilities Support Services Davis Wilson. The group will present the module during the orientation for COAD 1000 instructors, which will take place May 11 and July 20. The module will be incorporated into all first-year seminar sections in Fall 2023.
The 2023 Intercultural Competence Summer Institute will take place May 8 - 12. The Institute is supported by the QEP and organized in conjunction with the Office of Faculty Excellence. The Office of Global Affairs will support projects related to Global Understanding and International Virtual Exchange. Faculty and staff will work on designing their own individual intercultural projects. The participants are Mark Bowler (Psychology), Michael Daniels (Social Work), Anna Froula (English), Erika Johnson (Communications), Bomna Ko (Kinesiology), Magalí Krosl (Foreign Languages and Literatures), Rose Malone (Office of Global Affairs), Sachiyo Shearman (Communications), Jennifer Sisk (English), and Erin Taylor (Office of Global Affairs). The participants will implement their projects during next academic year. The Institute will begin with a keynote presentation by Dr. Aletha Stahl. The presentation, titled “Beyond the global cliches: Intercultural learning for equity and inclusion,” is open to the ECU community and will take place on May 8 at 9:00 am in Joyner 2409 or via Teams. Provost Robin Coger will open the inaugural Intercultural Competence Summer Institute and introduce the speaker.
Drs. Purificación Martínez & Laura Levi Altstaedter presented their research on intercultural competence at the 2023 Eastern Education Research Association Annual Conference, the 2023 AAC&U Conference on Diversity, Equity & Student Success, and the 2023 Southeastern Council of Latin American Studies. Bethany Martin, QEP Graduate Assistant, presented results of her research on domestic immersion learning at the 2023 Eastern Education Research Association Annual Conference and the 2023 ECU Research and Creative Activity Week.
Undergraduate students Nina Marlyn Carrillo Corujo & Julia Marie Kohake discussed different aspects of their project, “Digital Buenos Aires,” at the 2023 Southeastern Council of Latin American Studies and the 2023 ECU Research and Creative Activity Week. Lily Johnson (Foreign Languages and Literatures) provided the technology support to design “Digital Buenos Aires.” Dr. Mauro Falasca (Business) was co-director of the study abroad program where the project began development. All three students were mentored by Dr. Laura Levi Alstaedter, who worked with them on incorporating an intercultural competence framework into their research and study abroad experiences.
FACULTY SENATE
The last 2022 - 2023 Faculty Senate meeting date is May 2 (Organizational Meeting for 2023-2024). For more about ECU Faculty Senate, click HERE.
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COLLEGE UPDATES
ALLIED HEALTH SCIENCES
The Chancellor’s Horizon Awards for Service recognized several staff members in the College of Allied Health Sciences. Deborah Robinson, Business Officer and Human Resources Manager in the Dean's Office, received the Diversity and Inclusion Award as the staff recipient. Brandon Stroud - '21 Nutrition and Dietetics graduate, Public Health student, and Assistant Director of the Farm to Clinic and Fresh Start programs in the Department of Nutrition Science - was nominated for the James R. Talton Jr. Leadership Award. Teresa Tripp was honored by Staff Senate with the distinction of Staff Emeritus. Ms. Tripp retired in 2022 as the college's Executive Director of Administration and Finance.
Two faculty in the Department of Addictions and Rehabilitation Studies were honored for their contributions during the university's annual Research and Scholarship Awards Ceremony.
Dr. Myshalae Jamerson-Euring, Assistant Professor, was recognized for her membership in the Engagement and Outreach Scholars’ Academy (EOSA) 2022-2023 cohort. The EOSA creates an opportunity for faculty to partner with community as well as receive professional development and project support.
Dr. Leigh Atherton, Associate Professor, received the inaugural Trend Setter (mid-career) Research Award. Dr. Atherton leads Engage ENC: Workforce Development and Engage ENC: Minority AIDS Initiative with funding support in the form of two, 5-year, $2.5 million awards from Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).
Both Drs. Atherton and Jamerson-Euring presented at the EOSA Scholar’s Reunion.
The Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSDI) hosted an Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) Vendor Day intending to introduce students as well as other allied health professionals to some of the devices and methods available to patients. Vendor representatives brought trial devices to the Health Sciences Building which attendees could experience. Knowing that they are commonly used by patients, the event organizers wanted to equip future clinicians with the ability to locate and understand AAC devices.
Imani Gilbert, a PhD student in Rehabilitation Sciences with concentration in CSDI, planned the event and organized vendors with support from Professor Emily Brewer, Teaching Assistant Professor and Master’s Program Director. Additional assistance came from student moderators, including Megan Bowling, Savannah Boyd, Kathryn Fennie, and Lydia LaFevers.
AAC Vendor Day came about through conversation by Emily Brewer and myself. UNCG had done a similar event and we thought it would be great to offer our students the same opportunity. - Imani Gilbert
Dr. Ashley Burch, Assistant Professor in the Department of Health Services and Information Management, received a grant from the Preparedness and Treatment Equity Coalition (PTEC) to research what prevents patients from receiving a diagnosis and starting management of hypertension. PTEC seeks to decrease healthcare inequality and supports projects that examine the effects of systemic racism. Only three $50,000 awards were given this year, to researchers at ECU, Harvard, and Rutgers. Dr. Burch's interprofessional collaborators include members of the College of Nursing and Brody School of Medicine. Using focus groups, they want to identify key barriers that prevent engagement with the healthcare system and develop culturally tailored interventions to explore in future studies.
ARTS & SCIENCES
Jeff McKinnon, professor of biology, guided 14 undergraduate students on a spring break study abroad trip to Costa Rica this year. During this field intensive, students advanced their understanding of fundamental biological principles by studying coral reefs and tropical rainforests, and collecting citizen science data that will be valuable for conservation and basic research. The course was designed to be inexpensive, inclusive and accessible for a wide range of students. Read more HERE.
Carter Stancil, a first-year graduate student in the Interdisciplinary Doctoral Program in Biology, Biomedicine, and Chemistry (IDPBBC), has been selected as a recipient of the prestigious National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program. Stancil is co-advised by Dr. April Blakeslee and Dr. Michael Brewer. Her research will investigate the evolutionary ecology and eco-physiology of an invasive body-snatching parasite that creates “zombie crabs” by eliminating host reproduction and changing behavior. Read more HERE.
Elizabeth LaFave was analyzing samples for the Country Doctor Museum in Bailey in 2019. The relationship soon revealed the museum was suffering the effects of COVID-19 with few patrons. That experience inspired LaFave to create Invenire, an app that presents virtual tours of small museums helping grow their audience and expand their reach beyond those within driving distance. This innovative thinking led her to a first-place finish in this year’s Pirate Entrepreneurship Challenge (PEC), sponsored by the Miller School of Entrepreneurship, where she was awarded $15,000 in prizes and in-kind services. Read the full article HERE. Read about LaFave’s research at the Country Doctor Museum HERE.
Nathan Schunk, an economics alumnus (M.S. in Economics, with a concentration in quantitative economics and econometrics '23; B.S. in Economics, with a concentration in quantitative economics '22), has been accepted into the Ph.D. in Forestry and Environmental Resources, with a minor in Economics, at NC State. In addition, Schunk also accepted a fellowship with the Southeast Climate Adaptation Science Center at NC State to help further research into climate change. "I want to sincerely thank everyone for all the support and mentorship over all my time at ECU," Schunk said. "The opportunities I was given at ECU were beyond anything I ever thought I was capable of. Thank you again."
This spring, Harriot College’s Department of Geography, Planning and Environment and the Integrated Coastal Programs’ Department of Coastal Studies, hosted its first-ever collaborative research symposium at the ECU Outer Banks Campus and Coastal Studies Institute in Wanchese, NC. During the seminar, students, faculty and post-doctoral scholars from geography, geological sciences, and coastal studies, shared their research, networked with peers, and identified opportunities for future cross-departmental collaboration. Read more HERE.
Morgan “Lea” Nobles, alumna (B.S. Political Science ’20) has been selected as managing editor of the Florida State University Law Review.
A pair of EC Scholars, Tierney Rierdon(left), seeking dual majors in political science and philosophy, with a minor in religious studies from Harriot College, and Aurora Shafer (right), seeking an entrepreneurship degree from the Miller School of Entrepreneurship, will spend the summer developing leadership skills as part of an UNC System program. The Marian Drane Graham Scholars program gives students a chance to examine the challenges facing higher education. Read more HERE.
Sharing in ECU’s mission, the University Writing Center (UWC) strives to serve the public and assist in student success, a goal that the faculty, staff and students are celebrating this spring during the center’s 10th anniversary. Read more HERE.
BRODY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
Dr. Kathryn Verbanac, professor in the Brody School of Medicine’s Department of Surgery, Division of Surgical Oncology, has been named interim director of the East Carolina University Brody School of Medicine Center for Health Disparities. She joined ECU after earning a PhD in Biochemistry at the University of Iowa and following five years in biotechnology research. Verbanac’s focus on translational biomedical research has resulted in numerous peer-reviewed publications and over $5 million in extramural funding as PI/Co-PI, including a current award from the American Cancer Society. Her teaching responsibilities included medical and graduate courses via her adjunct appointment in microbiology and immunology. Verbanac has been consistently engaged as a research advisor and mentor for dozens of undergraduate and graduate students as well as medical residents, fellows and junior faculty.
Verbanac served as assistant vice chancellor for research development and director of the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs from 2014-2022. In that role, she fostered faculty development and facilitated interdisciplinary research bridging ECU campuses. Verbanac also co-authored and advised grant proposals for programs to increase the access of students and faculty from underrepresented groups to biomedical careers. Her research includes projects to identify and address barriers and disparities in breast cancer education, screening, treatment and outcome in eastern North Carolina. Verbanac has served on the Internal Advisory Board of the Center since 2018.
Dr. Rachel Roper, Brody professor of microbiology and immunology and Chair of the Global Virus Network Monkeypox Virus Task Force, served as lead and corresponding author on “Monkeypox (Mpox) requires continued surveillance, vaccines, therapeutics and mitigating strategies,” in the journal Vaccine. “We strongly urge governments and agencies to take note that viral outbreaks and pandemics will keep occurring, as they have been occurring throughout the history of our species, often with devastating consequences,” the paper concluded. “… pandemic preparedness should not be seen as a contingency, but as a necessary sustained effort worldwide. We should learn from the current outbreak.”
Roper and the task force shared recommendations for health officials and governments on monkeypox. She attended a national monkeypox meeting at the White House in March and was keynote speaker on monkeypox at Respi Dart Conference in Los Cabo, Mexico, late last year. Roper has also given recent presentations on gender bias, women in science and leadership, including “Bias in Science and Medicine: Data and Proven Interventions” at Brown University, a talk during the 119th North Carolina Academy of Science Women in STEM in April, a “Women’s Equity panel sponsored by the Association of Mexicans in North Carolina and a panel discussion, “Women Leaders at ECU,” among other presentations.
Students in the Brody School of Medicine — as well as students from other health sciences disciplines — shared their research and networked with other students and faculty during a celebration of health professions education on April 4.
“Creative work, innovation and interprofessional collaboration are all happening right here at the Brody School of Medicine and we are highlighting those efforts here today,” said event moderator Jill Sutton, a clinical associate professor in Brody’s Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. “It is an exciting time to be in medical education and all of it can benefit our learners as well as our community and our stakeholders.”
The ninth annual Medical Education Day showcased 26 undergraduate and graduate projects related to health care and research. The event, held at ECU’s East Carolina Heart Institute, featured innovative projects by faculty, staff, students and residents in areas including curriculum, teaching and educational research and leadership.
Medical students and patients were reunited April 6 at the Hilton in Greenville during the Legacy Teachers Celebration, a tradition presented by Brody and ECU Health that gives students a chance to honor a patient they met during third-year rotations who taught lessons about care, compassion and communication that they will take with them into their careers as physicians. In total, 20 third-year medical students shared their stories at the luncheon, which featured gift baskets, a photo station and remarks from Brody and ECU Health leaders. At the end, legacy teachers placed custom pins on the students’ white coats to commemorate the significance of the occasion and serve as a reminder of the lessons learned — lessons that they will carry with them through their medical careers.
“As physicians, these stories fuel our hearts and purpose for servant leadership in our pursuit of medicine,” said Christina Bowen, ECU Health chief well-being officer. “The connections we make with patients help us learn the art of practicing medicine. We’re here to honor these sacred relationships and celebrate our legacy teachers.”
Dr. Lisa Domico, Dr. Johanna Hannan and Dr. Karen Litwa were honored with Scholar-Teacher Awards during the university’s 2023 University Teaching Awards ceremony. The awards recognize faculty who effectively integrate research and creativity into their teaching roles.
Dr. Rukiyah Van Dross, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, was awarded a REDE Trendsetter Award in the Mid-Career category. The award recognizes the research and creative work of faculty who have the expertise and enthusiasm to forge a path and inspire their peers.
Kay Craven, clinical nutrition services director, received the inaugural Educator of Distinction Award April 26. The award is designed to recognize excellence in education for staff members. The honor is presented by the Master Educator Committee to one non-faculty recipient each year.
Brody student Dana Shefet is working with the community to address Head Start parents’ understanding of their children’s growth and risk for obesity. Shefet has been working with Head Start in eastern North Carolina since her freshman year of undergraduate studies, giving weekly nutrition lessons to children and participating in health fairs, as well as conducting interviews with Head Start programs to help bridge communication between the program leaders and parents. The program has led to a partnership between North Carolina and Ohio to explore these issues more broadly.
Dr. Alessandro Didonna, assistant professor in anatomy and cell biology, received the R03 grant from the National Institutes of Heath/National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke for a project titled, “Development of a conditional ataxin-1 knockout mouse line.” Didonna proposed to generate a new mouse model that allows study of the role of ataxin-1 in selected cell populations and developmental stages. The novel research tool will be critical to dissect the function of ataxin-1 in the immune system upon an autoimmune attack.
Brody faculty members Dr. Paul Bolin, Department of Internal Medicine; Dr. Kelsey Fisher-Wellman, Department of Physiology; Dr. David A. Tulis, Department of Physiology; and Dr. Jeffrey Eells, Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, received the 2023 Brody Brothers Endowment Grants. The Brody Brothers Endowment are as follows: The fund was established to assist with research projects being conducted by the medical school in the areas of cancer, diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, and other prevalent health problems found in eastern North Carolina. The fund provides supplemental research funding to enhance the medical school’s various initiatives in medicine, related to BSOM’s established mission and vision.
BUSINESS
The Thomas D. Arthur Graduate School of Business (Arthur School) has announced its inaugural Thomas D. Arthur Teaching Fellowship cohort. The fellows include:
- Dr. Cynthia Deale, School of Hospitality Leadership
- Dr. Brenda Killingsworth, MIS
- Dr. Christine Kowalczyk, marketing and supply chain management
- Dr. Tim Madden, management
- Dr. Dennis O’Reilly, accounting
- Dr. April Reed, MIS
Arthur Teaching Fellows are expected to research, train, adopt, implement, and deploy innovative learning techniques or other pedagogical innovation in their graduate teaching and to share applicable knowledge with others in the College of Business. For more information, click HERE.
Hospitality Financial Management seniors earned a 100% pass rate for the Certification in Hotel Industry Analytics (CHIA). Additionally, Master of Science in Sustainable Tourism and Hospitality graduate students also took advantage of the opportunity to earn the certification and passed the CHIA exam. A total of twenty-five students earned the certification. Hotel analytics have become an increasingly important skill for such professionals as revenue managers, general managers, corporate staff and research professionals. The CHIA is the only hotel-related certification that recognizes the skill and knowledge that these professionals have and is offered in partnership with STR, the global source for benchmarking and forecasting data. For more information, click HERE.
Dr. Jon Kirchoff has been named the new chair for ECU and COB’s Department of Marketing and Supply Chain Management. Kirchoff joined the College of Business in 2011 after receiving his Ph.D. from the University of Tennessee. Before academia, he worked 15 years in global purchasing and logistics management at Fortune 500 companies, including Mercedes-Benz U.S. International and Dish Network. Kirchoff’s current appointment includes teaching, research, and service. His responsibilities as chair will also include administrative and academic leadership, as well as support for excellent education programs and scholarly contributions. For more information, click HERE.
Chemistry doctoral student Elizabeth LaFave took home first place and $30,000 in cash prizes for winning the sixth annual Pirate Entrepreneurship Challenge on April 6, 2023. Her idea, Invenire, is an app that presents virtual tours of small, rural museums looking to grow their audience and expand their reach beyond those within driving distance. After competing against five teams representing three ECU colleges with ideas ranging from technology, clothing, fitness and social enterprises, Invenire won the night and a chance to “elevate small museum content by bringing it to the front,” LaFave said.
For more of her story and this year’s Pirate Entrepreneurship Challenge, click HERE.
When applications opened for the first cohort of the Copeland Diversity and Inclusion Fellowship, Mark Copeland (’96) and his wife Tracy (‘95) wanted to provide a program for College of Business students that celebrated and encouraged a culture of diversity and inclusion. Another goal was for the program to build upon the legacy started by COB’s leadership and professional development curriculum. On April 14, the first cohort of the Copeland Fellows – Jonathan Coleman, Evelyn Gonzalez, Aurora Shafer and Grant Smith – presented their last deliverable as Copeland Fellows in the Ledonia Wright Culture Center on the campus ECU. After two years in the program, their projects demonstrated what they learned.
Click HERE to learn more about two students' experiences as Copeland Fellows.
DENTAL MEDICINE
On March 25, Ross Hall buzzed with more than 100 faculty, staff, students and residents who volunteered for the school’s third annual Sonríe Clinic that provides oral health care for migrant farmworkers. Sponsored by the school’s chapter of the Hispanic Student Dental Association (HSDA), the event is a link between health care resources and members of one of eastern North Carolina’s most vulnerable populations.
Twenty-four patients received treatment through almost 185 procedures including fillings, cleanings, extractions, a root canal and other services, totaling nearly $8,600 in care. The event was co-sponsored by the North Carolina Dental Society Foundation, the Association of Mexicans in North Carolina, Inc. (AMEXCAN) and other community partners.
“This clinic was a success thanks to the excellent organization from HSDA and the support from volunteers, students and faculty,” said Acela Martinez Luna, the dental school’s division director of clinical implantology, clinical associate professor and one of the event’s faculty organizers. “Everybody had a role and worked together as a team to provide the best treatment possible.”
SODM hosts special care conference
The School of Dental Medicine hosted the “Special Care Basics: Teaching and Practice” conference at Ross Hall April 22 for dental faculty and practitioners. The event was led by SoDM faculty; a keynote address was given by Dr. Henry Hood, founder and chief clinical officer of Kramer Davis Health and associate professor at the University of Louisville School of Dentistry.
The conference included topics on caring for dental patients with special needs and special populations including geriatric and pediatric patients. SoDM conference faculty included Dr. Ford Grant, Dr. Michael Webb, Dr. Mark Moss and Dr. Sukyung Moon as well as Access Dental Care President Dr. Bill Milner and Access Dental Chief Operating Officer Betsy White.
Part of the School of Dental Medicine’s mission is to improve access to care for underserved populations, including special care patients. In 2020, the school received a $3.1 million grant, one of the largest in school history, to enhance resident training in the care of patients with special needs in eastern North Carolina and across the state.
Dr. Margaret Wilson, vice dean, received the Creed Award for Integrity this spring. The Office of the Dean of Students recognizes students, faculty and staff who are nominated by their peers and selected for categories related to the ECU Creed—integrity, diversity, responsibility and citizenship – with the Creed Award.
Drs. Danny Harris and Bill Lee were recently honored for their service to the School of Dental Medicine, as they both retire after 10 years as part of the faculty. Dr. Michael Garvin retires after more than five years as assistant director of the school’s community service learning center in Sylva.
Dr. David Paquette, chair of the Department of Surgical Sciences and interim associate dean for research, received the Centennial Award for Excellence in Leadership during the Chancellor’s Horizon Awards for Service ceremony this spring.
Dr. Nicole Beasley, SoDM class of 2016 and assistant director of our community service learning center in Ahoskie, who was named to ECU's 40 Under Forty Class of 2023 and honored during a ceremony on Saturday. The Division of Student Affairs' 40 Under Forty Leadership Awards recognize outstanding leaders under age 40 who have used their ECU experience to make an impact in their respective professions, local communities or around the world.
Dr. Todd Watkins, assistant dean for education and informatics, was recognized by Chancellor Philip Rogers, Provost Robin Coger and Acting Chief Research and Engagement Officer Sharon Paynter at the 2023 Research and Scholarship Awards Ceremony for his induction as a
Dr. Malik Johnson '21 joined us at Ross Hall to share some wisdom with current students about what he's encountered within the profession since graduating. Alumni are often involved in events and activities at Ross Hall and across the state to showcase the school’s mission in action.
Earlier this semester, D1s Haley Debnam, Tiffany Kurian, Lindsey Clevenger and D3 Omar Taha represented ECU at the ADA's Lobby Day. Taha finished his term as a National Legislative Coordinator for Districts 4 and 5.
EDUCATION
Three of the four Discoveries in Earth Science students — Brysen Harris, Shane Harris and Owen Muir — participated in regional science and engineering fairs this year. Shane Harris competed in the region 3A science and engineering fair at the elementary level. At the region 1 science and engineering fair Brysen Harris earned 3rd place at the junior level in the Earth and environmental science category and Owen Muir earned 2nd place at the junior level in the Earth and environmental science category. Owen Muir also competed at the state level competition in Raleigh in March.
Dr. Matt Militello received the ECU Trend Setter award and was recognized as an “outstanding scholar” for his research and scholarly work.
Ray Mock in the COE Office of Research and Innovation ran in the Boston Marathon in April. He finished with a time of 3:04:53 and a pace of 07:38. Congrats Ray!
The Department of Interdisciplinary Professions awarded 3 2022-2023 Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Awards to graduate students this semester. The recipients are Dylan Ward (library science), Chelsea Hewett (counselor education), and Kalen Delapp (adult education).
Education Community of Scholars and Education Living-Learning Community sophomores visited Beaufort County Schools to experience first-hand the engagement and lessons taking place.
ECU hosted the North Carolina Council of Teachers of Mathematics in April. The conference offered professional development and networking for K-16 mathematics educators in eastern NC. Dr. Charity Cayton is the eastern region president and led the organization of the event. Current ECU MAEd mathematics education graduate students shared their capstone research projects during the conference, under the guidance of Dr. Tony Thompson.
ENGINEERING & TECHNOLOGY
The Department of Technology Systems is training the next generation of cyber sleuths through its cybersecurity concentration in the information and computer technology (ICT) program. The National Security Agency redesignated the program as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense, a designation the university has had since 2005. Read more HERE.
Angela Allen, a 1982 computer science graduate and a retired executive at IBM, was invited to campus to speak to computer science, technology and business students, offering them career advice and telling them of her career path. Read more HERE.
The Eastern Region Pharma Center hosted two dozen middle school students as part of the Grow Local campaign, which is designed to show younger students career possibilities that exist right here in Pitt County. The students participated in an experiment in which they separated the compounds in coffee using chromatography. Read more HERE.
Senior engineering students tackled a wide variety of capstone projects, but the overall theme of the Engineering Capstone Symposium centered on making things better for people and the environment. Read more HERE.
AWARDS AND RECOGNITIONS
- Dr. Natasha Bell, assistant professor in the Department of Engineering, received a Scholar-Teacher Award during ECU’s University Teaching Awards ceremony. The award recognizes faculty who effectively integrate research and creativity with their teaching roles.
- Dr. Sunghan Kim, engineering associate professor, was honored during ECU’s Research and Scholarship Awards Ceremony for obtaining a patent. Kim was a National Academy of Inventors inductee in 2021.
- Dr. Alex Vadati, engineering assistant professor, received a Trendsetter Award from the Office of Research, Economic Development and Engagement. This award in the early career category honors the research and creative work of faculty who have the expertise and enthusiasm to forge a path and inspire their peers.
- Kaitlin Southern and Hannah Blackburn, students in the Department of Engineering, and their mentors were honored during Research and Creative Activity Week. Southern, mentored by Dr. Stephanie George, received a podium presentation award in the graduate student division while Blackburn, mentored by Dr. Teresa Ryan, received a podium presentation award in the undergraduate division.
- Sigma Lambda Chi, the international honor society for construction, has recognized ECU’s IOTA II chapter with a Silver Level chapter award for 2023. Construction management teaching instructor Chelsea Buckhalter serves as the chapter faculty advisor.
- Dr. Carol Massarra, assistant professor and graduate program director in the Department of Construction Management, was inducted into the ECU chapter of the Phi Kappa Phi international scholars honor society.
- Brian Miller, teaching instructor in the Department of Technology Systems, was inducted into the ECU Beta Mu chapter of the Epsilon Pi Tau honor society, which recognizes outstanding professionals, scholars and students in technology.
- Scott Cooper, a national accounts manager at Caterpillar, received the Department of Construction Management Cornerstone Award during the Industry Advisory Board meeting. Cooper, an ECU graduate, has served as president of the advisory board for 16 years.
- Brittany Cline ’16, Antonia “Toni” Dingeman ’20 and Aaron-John “A.J.” Malicdem ’11, all of whom are ECU engineering alumni, received ECU 40 Under Forty Leadership Awards during a reception on April 22.
FINE ARTS & COMMUNICATION
CFAC ABIDE Committee was recognized as the outstanding team for the ECU Group Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion award at the Chancellor’s Horizon Awards for Service Ceremony. The ABIDE committee was organized during the Summer of 2020. Since its inception, the committee sought to be an advocacy resource for members of the college through the development of its mission statement and through a college website created as a place for members of the college to find resources related to equity, belonging, and inclusion. The committee website also provides information on upcoming college and unit events. In addition, it serves as a source of connection for and between units regarding issues and events in diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Membership includes:
- Bryan Conger / Assistant Professor SoTD
- Robin Haller / Associate Professor SoAD
- Jin-Ae Kang /Associate Professor SoC
- Jen-Scott Mobley / Assistant Professor SoTD
- Adrienne Muldrow / Assistant Professor SoC
- William Staub / Director of Bands SoM
- Jim Tisnado / Associate Professor SoAD
- Andrea VanDeusen / Assistant Professor SoM Chair of ABIDE Committee
Lisa Beth Robinson was recognized as one of the winners of the Exemplary Trendsetters Award during East Carolina University‘s seventh annual Research and Scholarship Awards Ceremony in April. This award honors faculty members whose works have led to important discoveries and impactful inventions and who have engaged the community and external partners for transformative collaborations.
Journalism students Makayla Perkins and Abbie Clavijo have been recognized with national awards from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association. Makayla received a first-place award in the “Non-fiction Interview” category for her story about an ECU graduate who started a successful national business making and selling customized sorority apparel and gifts, a business she started while still a student. Abbie received a Certificate of Merit award in the “Non-fiction Article” category. Abbie’s story was about an ECU student who is studying to become a child life specialist—a professional who counsels the family of a child with a serious medical condition—as a result of her own sister’s childhood leukemia diagnosis.
The articles were published in the May 2022 issue of Countenance, a feature magazine produced annually by the School of Communication since 2017. The same issue was recognized by CSPA with its highest Gold Medal recognition. Student magazines from only three other universities (University of Miami, Savannah College of Art & Design, and Southwestern College, California) received a Gold Medal rating.
The awards came in the Columbia Scholastic Press Association’s print news and print magazine competitions. The entries came from publications produced by students at colleges and universities throughout the United States and overseas that follow an American education plan.
It has been 20 years since renowned musician Billy Taylor lent his name to a jazz festival in his native Greenville. The festival is going strong at East Carolina University, where Taylor once served as the Robert L. Jones Distinguished Professor of Music. Held during Jazz Appreciation Month to celebrate the genre and its contributions to music, ECU music professor and the festival’s artistic director Carroll V. Dashiell Jr. led the week-long event (April 17-22) featuring four free concerts with guest artists Benny Green, piano, and Sean Jones, trumpet.
Recordings on ECU School of Music Live below:
Caitlyn Leach (BFA ’18) and Talen Piner created “SCOUTS,” an original musical about gender, inclusivity, and Mothman that is premiering this summer off-Broadway.
The main premise of the musical is that two troops — brother and sister Scouts — are fighting to win the Troop of the Year title when one of the scoutmasters goes missing while trying to find Mothman. One of the sister Scouts, Alex, who doesn’t fit in with the other feminine sister Scouts, decides to prove they can be a brother Scout by finding the scoutmaster. Alex’s best friend rallies troops to find the scoutmaster and Alex before the Mothman strikes.
After receiving the call that “SCOUTS” would be off-Broadway, Leach and Piner began thinking of ways to connect back with ECU. The result was a fundraiser showcase in April featuring numbers from SCOUTS. Leach and Talen collaborated with the 5th Street Players, an organization for students in the School of Theatre and Dance.
More about SCOUTS, HERE.
HEALTH & HUMAN PERFORMANCE
This fiscal year, the College of Health and Human Performance has been awarded $7.5 million in new grant/contract funding that advances our mission of regional transformation, student success and public service. Only the Brody School of Medicine has received a higher dollar amount of awards. The portfolio of grants had a combined budget of $18.7 million, as of April 11.
Dr. Deeonna Farr from the Department of Health Education and Promotion was selected for funding among award winners from the 2023 Consortium for Cancer Implementation Science call for proposals to support the development of public goods. Farr’s funding is titled, “Supporting Community-Driven Implementation Science Research by Assessing and Addressing the Needs of Community-Based Organizations and Advocates (Community Participation in Implementation Science),” and will feature interviews with 20 community groups nationwide that have served as partners in a cancer-focused, community-based participatory research project. Data gathered from this work will guide the development of tools to support community-directed implementation science research.
Dr. Emily Yeager was announced by the Miller School of Entrepreneurship as interim director of the Crisp Small Business Resource Center. Yeager, an assistant professor in the Department of Recreation Sciences, has focuses on rural community development, rural tourism and small-town entrepreneurship.
ECU’s Research and Scholarship Awards Ceremony included Dr. Jacquelyn Mallette, associate professor in the Human Development and Family Science Department, named a trendsetter winner in the mid-career category, and Dr. Stacy Warner, professor in the Department of Kinesiology, a trendsetter winner in the exemplary category.
Dr. Leslie Cofie (pictured with Dr. Anne Ticknor, right) and Brian Cavanaugh (pictured with Chancellor Rogers, left), faculty in the Department of Health Education and Promotion, each were honored during the 2023 University Teaching Awards ceremony. Cofie was one of the Scholar-Teacher Award winners for recognition of faculty who effectively integrate research and creativity with their teaching roles. Cavanaugh won the Robert L. Jones Teaching Award, which recognizes those who demonstrate characteristics of exemplary teaching at ECU.
Members of the Department of Interior Design and Merchandising were involved in the 19th annual Apparel and Interior Design Merchandising Organization fashion show held April 18 at Black Box Theater in the Main Campus Student Center.
HONORS
Honors student Matt Blount received the IFC Council Member of the Year award and the Undergraduate Greek Hall of Fame award for the 2022-23 year. Blount is also vice president of Delta Tau Delta which took home Outstanding Philanthropy Project, Outstanding Collaborative Program, Pirate Service Award, and Greek Week Winner Trophy.
Several Honors students took home awards during the 2023 RCAW Awards luncheon. Congratulations to Kyra Porter, Emily Lagnese, Hannah Blackburn, Emily Bronson, Peyton Harrelson, Nandini Vishwakarma, Grant Smith, Aurora Shafer, Samantha Odell, Anna Schulz, Shannon Dugan, Sarah Elliott and Lindsay Swain for their hard work!
Dr. Anne Spuches (right) in the Thomas Harriot College of Arts and Sciences and Dr. Joseph Lee (left) in the College of Health and Human Performance were the two recipients of the Honors College’s Outstanding Mentor Award. This award recognizes exemplary faculty who are committed and dedicated to their students and research.
Graduating senior Ethan Patel received the Michael Bassman Honors Thesis Award, which recognizes excellence in research and writing by students in the Honors College.
Honors alumna Kristen Martin received the Phi Sigma Pi National Honor Fraternity Tau Chapter Outstanding Alumnus Award. This award recognizes outstanding service to mankind through scholarship, leadership and fellowship.
EC Scholar Fosua Dadson became Miss Upsilon Zeta during the 2023 Miss Omega Psi Phi Scholarship Pageant.
The Honors College celebrated the 189 students who graduated during the 2022-2023 academic year during the April Medallion ceremony.
INTEGRATED COASTAL PROGRAMS
Integrated Coastal Sciences (ICS) Ph.D. student Samantha Farquhar recently co-authored a paper about study abroad programming. As study abroad programs becoming increasingly common, a wide range of program designs are offered. However, very little data exists on how effective study abroad programs are—for both the participant and the host community. This study investigated 72 college students who participated in different youth outreach activities while studying abroad in the Turks and Caicos. We found that students in a mentorship role in a youth outreach program increased the probability of perceived personal growth in college students by 27% relative to unstructured outreach activities in the same location.
Farquhar has also been awarded the Department of Defense (DOD) SMART-for-Service Award to work with the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency. This all-inclusive award will cover the rest of her tuition, stipend fees, etc., until her Ph.D. studies are complete.
ICS Ph.D. student Shalimar Moreno (above) has also received lots of great news in the past month.
- She has been selected by the Ecological Society of America for the 2023 Graduate Student Policy Award. This award provides graduate students with policy training and the opportunity to meet with congressional policy makers in DC. She will be traveling to DC later this month for the workshops and meetings alongside 14 other students.
- Shalimar was also awarded the International Women's Fishing Association Research Scholarship. This awards grants $3000 for research projects focused on marine science and will help support her field research in Bermuda.
- Finally, Shalimar was also recently awarded a Grant-in-Aid from the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences (BIOS) in the amount of ~$4000 to conduct her coral reef research in Bermuda alongside BIOS scientists.
Drs. Rachel Gittman (holding her award, above left) and Sid Narayan (middle, above right) received awards at ECU’s Research and Scholarship Awards Ceremony. Dr. Gittman was the recipient of the Scholarship of Engagement award for her contributions toward creating mutually beneficial relationships with community partners. Dr. Narayan was one of three early career category award winners.
Drs. Sid Narayan and Nadine Heck (Coastal Studies) were awarded a highly competitive research grant from the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), to explore ways to upscale mangrove restoration for coastal protection in the Volta Delta, Ghana. Details about the project can be found HERE.
Drs. Reide Corbett and Mike Muglia were recently featured in a Public Radio East news segment about the Ocean Observatories Initiative’s Pioneer Array. The ocean observing array which was most recently located off of Cape Cod is moving to the Southeast and is scheduled to be fully deployed off the coast of Nags Head, NC in Spring 2024. The array’s move is exciting to many scientists and ocean enthusiasts in the mid-Atlantic as it will likely bring new opportunities and collaborations. Listen to the broadcast HERE.
The Coastal Studies Institute celebrated Earth Day and its 10th anniversary on the ECU Outer Banks Campus by hosting their annual Open House. Nearly 300 people from all over the region visited campus and spoke with faculty, staff, and volunteers from CSI, ECU, and our community partners.
The final two Science on the Sound events of the academic year will be held on May 18 and June 15. These free, public lectures will be held in person on the ECU Outer Banks Campus and will also be live streamed on the CSI YouTube Channel. A representative from carbon capturing company Vesta will speak in May, and Joe Madison will give a presentation about the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Red Wolf Recovery Program in June.
JOYNER LIBRARY
Teaching Resources Center education reference librarian Vatoyia Gardner and interlibrary loan and document delivery manager Ammini Thompson attended the Association of Southeastern Research Librarians Black, Indigenous and People of Color Retreat in Miami. They participated in several sessions during the retreat, including mindfulness practices for librarians and chair yoga, along with touring universities and libraries in south Florida.
The exhibition “Angels at the Blackboard” is on view in the Janice Hardison Faulkner Gallery on the second floor of the main campus library through July 15. Come to see an overview and panels documenting many of the principals and teachers who served as valuable and influential early educators for Princeville Graded School (later renamed Princeville School) in Princeville, N.C. The exhibit spans across academic years 1883 through 1964 and was curated by Saundra Heath Stanley (pictured above, right), who was born in Tarboro, N.C., and graduated from Princeville (Elementary) School.
Academic Library Services and the Phoenix Historical Society: African American History of Edgecombe County (N.C.) hosted viewings of the documentary film “We can do Better” in Tarboro and on ECU’s campus at the Black Box Theater. “We can do better” was the slogan used in the mid-1990s by the Citizens for Responsible Zoning during a public campaign that prevented Iowa Beef Processors, Inc., from installing a hog-processing plant in Kingsboro, a predominantly Black community between Rocky Mount and Tarboro. Open access to the film is provided through the ECU Digital Collections website and can be viewed HERE.
Congratulations to Dan Shouse on his upcoming retirement. Shouse first joined the faculty here in August of 1992 and was tenured in 1998. He worked in Reference and the Teaching Resources Center before transitioning to his current role as collection development librarian. Shouse has worked on a variety of projects managing and assessing the library’s collections, and wrote or co-authored nine articles, three conference proceedings and a book chapter. Among the highlights of his tenure was the opportunity to travel to Russia twice—once in 2001 and again in 2002—as part of a delegation for the ECU-SSU Partnership Project in Education.
LAUPUS HEALTH SCIENCES LIBRARY
The Country Doctor Museum has been named to the 2023 cohort of the Museum Assessment Program (MAP) by the American Alliance of Museums (AAM), the only organization representing the entire scope of the museum community. The Country Doctor Museum, a medical history museum located in Bailey, North Carolina, is managed by ECU’s Laupus Health Sciences Library and is one of 79 museums from across the country to participate in the 2023 national program.
By participating in MAP, museums often gain clarity on an institutional roadmap or strategic plan and see positive impacts to their visitor experience or community response to their museum. They also increase their ability to identify their strengths and challenges, and gain valuable assistance with updating museum policy, successes in fundraising and other benefits. Established in 1967 as one of the first museums in the country dedicated to the history of rural medicine, the Country Doctor Museum is managed as part of Laupus Library’s Collections and Historical Services department.
“I am excited for our museum to participate in the MAP organizational assessment,” said Annie Anderson, museum director. “Our team here at the Country Doctor Museum and at ECU’s Laupus Library looks forward to working through this yearlong process to learn how we can make the museum stronger and more responsive to our guests.”
Laupus Associate Director Roger Russell and Liaison Librarian Jamie Bloss and colleagues from ECU’s Health Education Promotion department and NC State’s Applied Ecology department participated in the NC Farmworker Institute in Durham on April 20. They presented information on their Institute of Museum and Library Services $750,000 agricultural worker digital equity and health literacy grant, conducted onsite research data collection, and engaged with the community of providers from across the state who support and serve the farmworker community.
Laupus sponsored the annual Spring Fling Diversity Fair. Over 200 students and employees from Health Sciences Campus gathered to learn more about service opportunities from campus organizations, enjoyed food from our co-sponsoring colleges and schools, and tested out our mobile VR headsets (which are available for loan to all ECU students and employees).
Dr. Jason Hack, chief of the Division of Medical Toxicology in the Brody School of Medicine, is sharing his exhibit “Momentary Certainty” with the health sciences campus in the library’s 4th floor Evelyn Fike Laupus Gallery. The exhibit explores the artist’s 25 years of intensive medical study and deliberation, with a thematic tie-in to the point-in-time knowledge found in a health sciences library. Exhibit is up for viewing through the summer.
NURSING
Dr. Kim Larson, an East Carolina University professor of nursing, learned in February that she would be the first member of the College of Nursing to receive a Fulbright Scholar award, a prestigious federally-funded award that will support her research on how health care professionals can best support the needs of the war-driven diaspora from Ukraine. Larson’s Fulbright project, a partnership with Polish nursing colleagues, will determine how to best prepare European nurses to care for the Ukrainians who were forced to flee their homes after the Russian invasion in February 2022.
Dr. Bimbola Akintade, the dean of the College of Nursing, takes particular pride in Larson’s work. ECU’s motto is ‘Service,’ Akintade noted, and Larson is shifting that spirit of service from ECU’s campus in eastern North Carolina to the global stage.
Dr. Courtney Caiola, assistant professor in the Department of Nursing Science, was awarded a Scholar-Teacher Award during ECU’s University Teaching Awards Celebration April 11. The annual Scholar-Teacher Awards recognizes faculty members who effectively integrate research and or creative activity with their teaching roles.
Susan Lally of the Department of Baccalaureate Education was nominated for the Board of Governors Distinguished Professor for Teaching Awards and was honored April 11. The awards honor excellent teaching and instruction.
The College of Nursing was well represented at the North Carolina Nurses Association Spring Symposium. The annual state nurse practitioner meeting was held in Wilmington and featured speakers from the CON included Drs. Torica Fuller, Alex Hodges, Michelle Taylor Skipper, Wendy Smith and Chandra Speight. Also in attendance to promote programs and recruit preceptors were Drs. Ann Bell, Megan Dillon and Jan Tillman, and clinical placement team Debby Naughton and Caroyn Borel.
Dr. Mark Hand, professor at the ECU College of Nursing, had the opportunity to present his research poster, “Graduating Nursing Students Preparedness and Comfort Level in Caring for the LGBTQ+ Patients,” during the 9th Annual Brody School of Medicine Medical Education Day at the East Carolina Heart Institute April 4. Dr. Shannon Powell served as one of the judges.
Some of our faculty and students participated in Nurses Day at the Legislature in Raleigh Tuesday. The goal of the day was to engage North Carolina’s lawmakers with current and future nurses from across the state (but especially Pirate Nurses) to reinforce the value of the nursing profession to the state and to give our students a better understanding of the state’s legislative processes.
Dr. Shannon Powell has been named interim chair of the Department of Advanced Nursing Practice and Education. She will work closely with Dr. Robin Corbett, who is retiring, to ensure the day-to-day leadership of the Department is bridged until Powell officially assume the position August 1. Powell has been a registered nurse in North Carolina for more than 20 years, beginning at the University Health Systems of Eastern North Carolina, Chowan Hospital and Bertie Memorial Hospital in emergency nursing, ICU, medical-surgical unit, and outpatient services for over 16 years. She started her career at the CON in January 2011. She received the ECU 40 Under 40 Leadership Award, the DAISY Faculty Award, Beta Nu Excellence in Teaching Award, Beta Nu Outstanding Mentor Award and was a two-time finalist for the University ECU Alumni Teaching Award.
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