College of Continuing and Professional Studies
Dr. Thompson Biggers, associate professor of communication, recently served as a reviewer of submissions for the annual convention of the Southern States Communication Association. In that capacity, he evaluated research papers and program proposals submitted to the Applied Communication Division and to the Gender Studies Division of the association. He was charged with selecting which programs and papers should be presented and which student papers were nominated for honors.
Dr. Kevin Freeman, assistant professor of counseling, was recently selected to represent Mercer’s Department of Counseling and Human Sciences on the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Certification Board of Georgia. Dr. Freeman will serve as the board’s education chairman.
Dr. Michael Roty, assistant professor of mathematics, presented “Math Phobia: Etiology and Solutions for Student Success,” at the 53rd Annual Georgia Mathematics Conference at Rock Eagle on Oct. 19 in Eatonton.
Dr. Lynn Tankersley, assistant professor of criminal justice, presented “Can Grading Be a Thing of the Past?” at the annual Southern Criminal Justice Association conference, held Sept. 26-29 in Atlantic Beach, Fla. Dr. Stephen Ruegger, associate professor of Public Safety, presented a paper at the same conference. The roundtable was titled “Nontraditional Learning in Criminal Justice” and Dr. Ruegger presented on the topic “When a Bachelor’s Degree Just Isn’t Enough.”
College of Liberal Arts
Dr. Jamie H. Cockfield, Willis Borders Glover Professor of History, was interviewed on camera in Paris on Oct. 6 for a documentary on Eugene Bullard, a Columbus native and America’s first black military aviator. The documentary is being made by Claude Ribbe, a French documentary maker, novelist and historian. Cockfield wrote four articles on Bullard and was instrumental in getting a posthumous commission for him in the United States Air Force.
Dr. Wallace L. Daniel, Distinguished University Professor, gave the opening presentation, titled “Alexander Men’ in Siberia: The Formation of a Russian Priest,” at the international conference, titled “Alexander Men—His Life and Legacy,” held in Moffat, Scotland, Sept. 14-17.
Dr. David A. Davis, assistant professor of English, presented the paper “Coming out of the Kitchen: Reimagining Interracial Domestic Relationships,” at the Southern Women Writers Conference at Berry College Sept. 20-23.
Dr. John Marson Dunaway, professor of French and interdisciplinary studies, presented a paper, titled “‘Art with All Its Teeth’: Can Poetry Matter to God?,” at the American Maritain Association’s annual conference in Philadelphia, Pa., on Oct. 12. Dunaway also spoke to Baptist Campus Ministry on Sept. 20.
Dr. Frank Macke, professor, published an article, titled “Of What Purpose Is a Worldview to the Task of Phenomenology?,” in The American Journal of Semiotics, vol. 28 (2012), pages 73–80.
Scot J. Mann, associate professor, directed “The Merchant of Venice” for Mercer Theatre and choreographed violence for the Georgia Shakespeare Festival’s production of “Macbeth.” The production was directed by Raelle Myrick-Hodges in partnership with National Black Arts Festival.
Dr. Lydia Masanet, associate professor of Spanish, has published a short stories book titled Hacia dentro en femenino, Círculo Rojo Editors Almería, Spain, July 2012.
Darlene Murphy, administrative secretary, will be participating in a joint exhibition at the 567 Center for Renewal on Cherry Street in Macon. The opening reception is Friday, Nov. 2, 6-9 p.m.
Dr. Monika Sawhney, assistant professor, was selected to serve on the review board of the American Journal of Health Behavior. Dr. Sawhney was selected to serve as a track chair of the Healthcare Communication Track for the Seventh International Conference on Healthcare Systems and Global Business Issues.
Dr. Anya Silver, associate professor, gave a poetry reading/discussion of writing at the Crossroads Writers Conference in Macon on Oct. 7 and a poetry reading at Georgia State University on Oct. 11. Her poem, “Vermont, 1981,” was published in Crab Orchard Review (Vol. 17, No. 2), p. 191.
Dr. Margaret Symington, associate professor, gave a colloquium talk on Sept. 25 at Southern Polytechnic State University in Marietta, titled “Euclid and Dehn in the Operating Room.”
Dr. Charlotte Thomas, professor of philosophy, served as a discussion leader for “Reconsidering Alexis de Tocqueville’s Democracy in America,” a conference sponsored by Liberty Fund in Montreal, Canada, Sept. 20-23.
Eugene W. Stetson School of Business and Economics
Jody Blanke, professor of computer information systems and law and undergraduate program director for Atlanta, had his most recent article, titled “No Doubt About It, You’ve Got to Have Hart: Video Simulation Games May Redefine the Balance Between and Among The Right of Publicity, The First Amendment, and Copyright Law,” accepted for publication by the Boston University Journal of Science & Technology Law.
Dr. Kimberly A. Freeman, assistant professor of management and director of undergraduate studies for business in Macon, and Katherine C. Jackson, BUS ’10, published “In Pursuit of Happiness, Bhutan Opens to Globalization and Business,” in the International Journal of Business and Social Research, October issue, Vol. 2(5), p. 132-143.
Georgia Baptist College of Nursing
Dr. Tara F. Bertulfo, clinical instructor, received first place for her poster at the Nurse Practitioners in Women’s Health 15th Annual Women’s Healthcare Conference on Oct. 13. Dr. Bertulfo has also been selected as the National League for Nursing Ambassador to Georgia Baptist College of Nursing of Mercer University.
Dr. Susan S. Gunby, professor, was the keynote speaker at the Georgia Association of Nursing Students annual convention in Atlanta on Oct. 18.
Elaine Harris, clinical associate professor, has been selected as a reviewer for “Morton’s Critical Care in Nursing” textbook.
Fran Kamp, clinical associate professor, was guest speaker at the Georgia Association of Nursing Students annual convention in Atlanta on Oct. 20. Kamp also participated in the recent Atlanta campus Health Science Day.
Dr. Laura P. Kimble, professor, was inducted as a fellow in the American Academy of Nursing on Oct. 13.
Dr. Tanya Sudia-Robinson, professor, has been selected as a reviewer for the Journal of Nursing Education.
Kelli P. Shugart, clinical associate professor, attended the recent Georgia Association of Nursing Students Annual Convention in Atlanta. Shugart was recently inducted into the Alpha Zeta Chapter of Kappa Delta Pi Education Honor Society.
McAfee School of Theology
Dr. Thomas B. Slater, professor, has been appointed by the College of Bishops of the Christian Methodist Episcopal to a task force to update and/or revise the Articles of Religion. The Articles of Religion, originally written by John Wesley in 1784, have been at the foundation of Methodist doctrine since the denomination’s inception. This task force will constitute the first time that any branch of Methodism has considered a revision of any kind.
School of Engineering
Dr. Susan Codone, associate professor, presented a paper, titled “Megachurch Website Design: Faith-based Expressions of Organizational Identity & Purpose,” at the IEEE Professional Communication Society Conference in Orlando, Fla., Oct. 8-10.
School of Medicine
Dr. Paul Gallant, associate professor, presented two workshops recently. The first, titled “Narrative Therapy with Couples,” was given at the Tallahassee Association for Marriage and Family Therapy in Tallahassee, Fla., on Sept. 21. The second, titled “Help with Very Challenging Problems: Unlocking New Potential with Narrative Therapy,” was given at The Narrative Therapy Center in Silver Spring, Md., on Oct. 19.
Dr. Edward C. Klatt, professor of pathology and director of the Biomedical Problems Program, served as the Journal of Pathology Informatics electronic scientific poster judge at the Pathology Informatics 2012 conference held in Chicago, Ill., Oct. 9-11.
Dr. Edward C. Lauterbach, professor emeritus of psychiatry and neurology, recently published, “Psychotropic drug effects on gene transcriptomics relevant to Parkinson’s disease,” in Progress in Neuropsychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry 2012;38(2):107-15.
Shirley Powell, technical director histology curricular support laboratory, presented a workshop, titled “How to Prepare Macro Sections,” at the National Society for Histotechnology in Vancouver, British Columbia, on Sept. 29. Powell is on the founding board of National Society for Histotechnology and is also a co-founder of the Georgia Society for Histotechnology (1973). The Georgia Society for Histotechnology recently honored Powell with the Billie Swisher Lifetime Achievement Award and also recognized her 50-year career in Histotechnology.
Dr. Eric K. Shaw, associate professor, co-authored, “The role of the champion in primary care change efforts: From the State Networks of Colorado Ambulatory Practices and Partners (SNOCAP)” in the Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine, 25(5), 676-85.
Dr. Samuel Shillcutt, professor, co-authored the article, “Role of melatonin in mood disorders and the antidepressant effects of agomelatine,” which was named the Editor’s Choice in the October 2012 journal Expert Opinion on Investigational Drugs.
Staff and Administration
Dr. Marc Jolley, director of Mercer University Press, led a workshop on the short story and presented on a panel about book publishing at the Chattahoochee Valley Writers Conference on Sept. 29 in Columbus. He presented on a panel on the state of publishing on Oct. 6 at the Crossroads Writers Conference in Macon and he gave a lecture and presentation on publishing at Kennesaw State University’s Publishing Seminar on Oct. 20.
Tony Kemp, associate director of academic and advising services, was elected to another four-year term on the executive committee of Phi Eta Sigma National Honor Society at the 41st Convention and Leadership Workshop. Later in the month he, along with Julie Strecker, assistant director of international education, presented one of the 76 sessions at the 2012 Bi-Regional Conference of the Association of International Educators.
Tift College of Education
Dr. Lucy Bush, assistant professor; Dr. William Lacefield, professor; and Dr. Diana Beverley, a Ph.D. graduate, presented “Early Development of Number Sense in Bilingual Amish Children” at the annual conference of the Georgia Council of Teachers of Mathematics, held Oct. 17-19 at Rock Eagle Conference Center in Eatonton.
Dr. Martha Lee Child, assistant professor of education at the Newnan Regional Academic Center, and Julie Poole, coordinator of center library services and assistant professor in the Division of Library Services, gave a presentation, titled “Teaching for Tomorrow: Empowering Students through Collaborative Support Services,” at the Columbus State University Distance Learning Conference held in Columbus on Sept. 27-28.
Dr. William Lacefield, professor, Dr. Jeffrey Hall, assistant professor; and Dr. Lucy Bush, assistant professor, presented “Nurturing Mathematics Education Research in Doctoral Programs” at the annual conference of the Georgia Council of Teachers of Mathematics Educators, held Oct. 17-19 at Rock Eagle Conference Center in Eatonton. Dr. Lacefield also presented “Multiple Ways to Multiply: Moving Beyond Traditional Algorithms” at the conference.
Dr. Elizabeth Lilly, associate professor, Dr. Martha Lee Child, assistant professor, Dr. Karen Davis, associate professor, and Dr. Dana H. Lilly, professor, all members of the Georgia Reading Association (GRA) Community Projects Committee, were on hand when Gov. Nathan Deal, who has two degrees from Mercer, signed the inaugural “Come Read with Georgia” Proclamation at the Capitol on Sept. 26. October was proclaimed “Come Read with Georgia” month dedicated to increasing literacy, citizenship and pride in the state through sharing quality literature about Georgia with primary through secondary students. All four faculty members also presented “Come Read with Georgia” at the Georgia Council of Media Organizations and the Southeastern Library Association’s 24th Annual Conference in Macon on Oct. 5.
Townsend School of Music
Dr. Douglas Hill, professor, performed at First Baptist Church of Christ in Macon on Sept. 16 as a member of the Colony IV Brass. Dr. Hill also adjudicated high school marching bands at the Burke County Marching Band Invitational on Sept. 29. Nine bands competed from several counties across Georgia. Several music education students, along with Dr. Hill, provided information about the formation of the new Mercer University Marching Band at the Heart of Georgia Marching Band contest in Warner Robins at McConnell-Talbert Stadium. More than 20 high school bands from around the state participated. On Oct. 21, Dr. Hill performed in the Chamber Orchestra with the Middle Georgia Choral Society, conducted by Dr. David Keith, interim dean, in their performance of “Handel’s Te Deum.” Dr. Hill also performed in the Colony IV Brass at First Presbyterian Church in Macon on Oct. 28. Dr. Hill was recently invited to conduct the Banda Simfonica de la Unio Musical d’Alaquas in Valencia, Spain, in January 2013.
University Libraries
Amy Gratz, instructional services librarian, Andrew Shuping, emerging technologies and services/interlibrary loan librarian, Amy Tureen, reference services librarian, and Lee Twombly, outreach and assessment librarian at Jack Tarver Library, presented “May The Magic Be With You: How We’re Using the Force to Bring Students to the Library” at the Georgia Council of Media Organizations 24th Annual Conference at the Macon Centreplex on Oct. 4.
Julie Poole, coordinator of center library services and assistant professor in the Division of Library Services, gave a presentation, titled “Building Confidence and Student Retention Rates Among Non-Traditional Students,” at the Georgia Council of Media Organizations Conference held in Macon, Oct. 3-5.
Florence Tang, public service librarian and liaison to the College of Continuing and Professional Studies at the Monroe F. Swilley Jr. Library, presented “Should Libraries Invest in eBooks and eReaders? Pros and Cons” at the Georgia Council of Media Organizations Conference in Macon on Oct. 4.
Geoffrey P. Timms, electronic resources and web services librarian, published a book chapter, titled “Gathering, evaluating, and communicating statistical usage information” in Managing Electronic Resources: A LITA guide (Chicago: American Library Association TechSource). Timms and Jeremy M. Brown, head of library systems, presented a paper, titled “Where’s that Book? Transforming Bibliographic Data into Item-Level Collection Maps in the Web Public Access Catalog,” at the Library and Information Technology Association National Forum in Columbus, Ohio.
Walter F. George School of Law
Scott R. Bauries, visiting professor and Robert G. Lawson Associate Professor of Law at University of Kentucky, will have his article, titled “The Education Duty,” published in the Fall 2012 issue of the Wake Forest Law Review. Bauries’ article “American School Finance Litigation and the Right to Education in South Africa” will appear in the Winter 2013 issue of the Southern African Public Law Journal. Bauries will also present his work in progress, currently titled “State Constitutions and Public Employee Speech,” at the annual meeting of the Education Law Association in early November.
Daisy Hurst Floyd, professor of law and ethical formation, presented “Cultivating Self-Reflection and Lawyer Integrity” at the Conference on The Development of Professional Identity in Legal Education: Rethinking Learning and Assessment, sponsored by the Educating Tomorrow’s Lawyers Consortium at the University of Denver School of Law in Denver, Colo., on Sept. 29. Floyd also presented, “The Wise Practitioner: Learning from Professionals Who Act Ethically,” at the Symposium on Empirical Professional Ethics at the University of St. Thomas Law School Holloran Center for Ethical Leadership in the Professions in Minneapolis, Minn., Sept. 21. Floyd also presented “Legal Education and the Formation of Professional Identity: Past and Future,” at the American Bar Association’s 38th National Conference on Professional Responsibility held in Boston, Mass., June 1.
Jeremy Kidd, assistant professor, had his work, titled “To Fund Or Not To Fund: The need for second-best solutions to the litigation finance dilemma,” published in the Journal of Law, Economics and Policy, Issue 8.3. in October and “Survival of the Fittest? The Origins and Evolution of the Substantial-Similarity Doctrine,” published in the Wayne Law Review, Issue 57.2 in September. Kidd also presented “The Need for Caution in Liberalizing Litigation Financing” at a panel discussion at the Congressional Civil Justice Caucus Academy held in Washington, D.C., Oct. 26. Kidd also presented “Litigation Financing and Tort Reform” to students at Berkeley Law in Berkeley, Calif., Oct. 24, and “Rich, Smart, Honest?: Does Success Lead to Unethical Lawyering?,” at the Holloran Center on Ethical Leadership in the Professions Symposium on Empirical Professional Ethics held in Minneapolis, Minn., on Sept. 22.
David Ritchie, professor of law and philosophy, delivered a lecture on Sept. 21, titled “The Kill Lists,” as part of the philosophy department’s lecture series. Ritchie hosted a group of federal judges from Brazil at the Law School from Oct. 15-19. Ritchie also organized the 2012 Concerned Philosophers for Peace conference on the Macon campus Oct. 26-27.
Jack Sammons, Griffin B. Bell Professor of Law, will have his article, co-authored with Linda Berger, titled “The Law’s Mystery,” published in the British Journal of American Legal Studies, Spring 2013.
