College of Health Professions
Dr. Cheryl Gaddis, assistant professor of practice, was selected as a professional development mentor for the Association for Prevention Teaching and Research Paul Ambrose Scholars Program. Dr. Gaddis also served on a panel discussion with faculty from the Mercer Health Sciences Center at the Interprofessional Education Health Care Summit in Savannah on April 10. The title of the panel discussion was “Progress and Pitfalls of Implementing IPE at Mercer University: A Panel Discussion.”
Dr. Mary Mathis, assistant professor of practice, was inducted in the Mercer chapter of Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society, at its annual spring banquet on April 16.
College of Liberal Arts
Dr. Wallace L. Daniel, Distinguished University Professor of History, presented a talk on “Gleb Yakunin: Fighter for Religious Liberty in Russia” for a panel on “The Post-Soviet Challenge Today” at the Michael Bourdeaux Research Center at Baylor University on Feb. 28. He also published “Russia's Fighter for Religious Liberty: Gleb Yakunin Dies at 80” in the Journal of Church and State 57, no. 2 (Spring 2015): 1-4; and “The Keston Archive: From Oxford to Baylor” in the East-West Church and Ministry Report 23, No. 2 (Spring 2015): 9-13.
Dr. David A. Davis, associate professor of English, presented the paper “As I Lay Dying, Bananas, and Hemispheric Modernity” at the Global American South Conference March 28-29 at the University of North Carolina.
Dr. Richard Fallis, emeritus professor of English, authored “'Exotick and Irrational': Opera, Masquerades and Carnival” in Masquerade: Essays on Tradition and Innovation Worldwide (McFarland, 2015), pp. 133-44.
Dr. Sarah E. Gardner, professor of history, gave a public talk on “Reading During Wartime: The Curious Case of Mistress and Maid” at the Harrison Institute for American History, Literature, and Culture at the University of Virginia on April 1.
Dr. Curtis Herink, professor of mathematics, presented “Convolution and Nonhomogeneous Equations” at the 94th Annual Meeting of the Southeastern Section of the Mathematical Association of America, held at the University of North Carolina Wilmington in March.
Dr. Gordon Johnston, professor of English, won third place in the Porter Fleming Literary Competition, sponsored by the Morris Museum of Art in Augusta, for his short story “Sparrows.” The story was chosen by Dr. Cecelia Tichi of Vanderbilt University. Dr. Johnston also brought novelist and playwright Robert Boswell to campus as the Ferrol A. Sams, Jr. Distinguished Writer in Residence for 2015. Boswell taught a 400-level course in fiction writing, offered two new lectures on the craft of fiction that will appear in his next book and read from his award-winning novel Tumbledown.
Dr. Eric Klingelhofer, professor of history, served for the third time on the Irish Research Council's International Advisory Committee, which met in Dublin to assess applications for governmental grants in the humanities and social sciences. He also served as a consultant on the published book Roanoke Island: The Town that Vanished, which is aimed at fifth-graders who are not strong readers. Additionally, the Department of History was featured in April's National History Club News, a newsletter sent to thousands of high school students nationwide.
Dr. Kathryn Kloepper, assistant professor of chemistry, authored, “Stoplight quizzes: A multilevel assessment strategy for lecture and laboratory courses,” in the Journal of Chemical Education, 2015, 92(3): 509-511.
Dr. Achim Kopp, professor of foreign languages and literatures and director of the Great Books Program, attended the 39th Annual Symposium of the Society for German-American Studies April 9-12 in St. Louis, Missouri. He chaired a paper session on “German-American Dialect Survivals,” attended the executive committee meeting and delivered the annual treasurer's report at the general business meeting. Dr. Kopp's second term as the society's treasurer and his membership on the executive board end on June 30.
Dr. Paul Lewis, professor of Christianity, presented “Wisdom Calls: Reading the Hebrew Bible as Invitation to Moral Development” at “Between the Disciplines: From Theory to Practice,” a conference honoring Dr. Peter Brown upon his retirement. The conference was held on campus March 20-21.
Scot J. Mann, associate professor of communication and theatre, directed William Shakespeare's The Tempest, the inaugural Mercer Theatre production in the new Tattnall Square Center for the Arts. He also adjudicated skills proficiency tests for with the Society of American Fight Directors for Florida Atlantic University, Louisiana Tech University and the University of Nebraska's Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film. Mann also served as a master instructor for the Louisiana and Nebraska Stage Combat Workshops.
Dr. Matt Marone, associate professor of physics, presented a paper, “Ancient Chinese Science and Technology-A Vehicle for Teaching Introductory Physics,” at the 2015 Asian Studies Development Program National Conference in Branson, Missouri, on March 21. He also demonstrated a solar telescope as part of the Atlanta Science Festival in Centennial Olympic Park on March 28, and he presented a talk on “The Great Solar Eclipse of 2017” as part of Ingram-Pye Day at Mercer. This event was sponsored by the Tift College of Education on March 27.
Dr. Anya Silver, professor of English, gave a poetry reading at the Associated Writing Programs Conference on April 12 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Dr. Amy Wiles, associate professor of biology, published an article, titled “Ethical Dilemmas in the Biology Undergraduate Classroom: Role-Playing Congressional Testimony,” in the Journal of Microbiology and Biology Education, December 2014.
Dr. Fletcher Winston, associate professor of sociology, published an article, titled “Reflections Upon Community Engagement: Service-Learning and Its Effect on Political Participation After College,” in the Journal of Higher Education Outreach & Engagement, Vol. 19 (1).
College of Pharmacy
Dr. Jennifer Knaack, assistant professor, was appointed to the editorial board of SM Journal of Pharmacology and Therapeutics. Dr. Knaack was also appointed as an associate editor for MOJ Bioequivalence & Bioavailability.
Dr. Susan Miller, professor, published “Ethical and Socioeconomic Considerations” in Fundamentals of Geriatric Pharmacotherapy, 2nd Ed, American Society of Health-Systems Pharmacists Publications, Bethesda, Maryland; 2015.
Dr. Maria Thurston, clinical assistant professor, was named an invited peer reviewer for The Permanente Journal.
Dr. Samuel Peasah, assistant professor, co-authored “The cost of acute respiratory infections in Northern India: a multi-site study” in BMC Public Health, 2015, 15:330.
Eugene W. Stetson School of Business and Economics
Jody Blanke, Ernest L. Baskin Jr. Distinguished Professor of Computer Information Systems and Law, had an article, titled “Frank Miller's Sin City College Football: A Game to Die For and Other Lessons About the Right of Publicity and Video Games,” published in the Washington and Lee Law Review, Vol. 72. He also presented a paper, titled “Resilient Cities, Big Data, and the Brittleness of Privacy,” at the Colloquium on Legal and Ethical Dimensions of Predictive Data Analysis at the University of Indiana, sponsored by the Kelley School of Business, Department of Business, Law and Ethics and the Poynter Center for the Study of Ethics and American Institutions.
Dr. Susan Gilbert, dean, and the Stetson School of Business and Economics will appear in the May issue of Biz Ed under the Ideas in Action section in a discussion of an executives in residence program.
Dr. Nicolas P. Marudas, associate professor of accounting, authored “Do donors implicitly ignore fixed assets when assessing nonprofit organization wealth?” in the Journal of Finance and Accountancy (2015) 15: 1-10.
Dr. J. Michael Weber, associate dean and professor of marketing, joined the editorial board of the International Journal of Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Marketing. He has also completed his fifth year as the president of the Association of Marketing and Health Care Research, an international research association celebrating its 35th year. In addition, his article, “The Development of a Scale for the Measurement of Internal Marketing in Service Firms,” was published in the Academy of Marketing Studies Journal, 2015, Vol. 19, No. 2.
Georgia Baptist College of Nursing
Dr. Cynthia Rubenstein, associate professor and associate dean for the undergraduate program, co-authored “Student evaluations of teaching tools: A qualitative examination of student perceptions” in Nurse Educator, 31(6), 274-279.
Dr. Freida Payne, professor, Desireé Clement, clinical instructor, and Elaine Harris, clinical associate professor, along with other members of Mercer's IPE Committee, presented “Progress and Pitfalls of Implementing IPE at Mercer University: A Panel Discussion” at the Interprofessional Health Care Summit on April 10 in Savannah.
Penfield College
Dr. Caroline Brackette, assistant professor of counseling, was appointed to serve as a professional member of the American Counseling Association Professional Standards Committee from July 1 through June 30, 2018.
Dr. Tim Craker, associate professor of comparative literature and philosophy, presented a paper, titled “Globalization, the U.S. State Department, and the 21st Century University,” at the ninth annual Cultures and Languages Across the Curriculum Conference April 16-17 at Denison University.
Dr. Suneetha B. Manyam, associate professor of counseling and human sciences, presented on “Graduate Student Narratives of a Cultural Immersion Experience to India” and co-presented with master's student Caroline Fernandes on “Integrating Eastern Energy Modalities into Counseling” at Mercer's Atlanta Research Conference on April 11. Dr. Manyam co-presented with two other faculty members on “The State of Counseling in India: A Cultural Immersion Experience,” at the American Counseling Association on March 15 in Orlando, Florida. She also presented on “Role of Counseling on the Human Development and Well-being” at the International Conference on Human Development and Well-being on Nov. 25 in Aligarh, India. Additionally, Dr. Manyam co-presented with doctoral student Walter Hughes on “Stigma and Shame Associated with Men seeking Counseling and Mental Illness,” co-presented with doctoral student Tara Overzat on “Global Aspirations: College Counseling's Potential Benefits to Indian Universities and Their Students,” co-presented with Fernandes on “East meets West with Holistic Healing and Well-being,” and co-presented with master's students Fernandes, Aminah Abdullah and Brittany Phillips on “Crossing the Cultures between the Countries” at the International Conference on Emerging Role of Guidance and Counseling in Health and Well-being on Nov. 18-19 in Udaipur, India.
Dr. Richard H. Martin, professor of public safety leadership, co-authored an article with recent Mercer graduate Amy D. Wheeler titled “A case study of a city-county law enforcement consolidation: Perceptions of sworn personnel in an office of the sheriff model” for Law Enforcement Executive Forum. The article was accepted for publication in April. Dr. Martin also reviewed an article, titled “Students Are Not Highly Familiar with Astronomy Concepts – but What about the Teachers?,” for the Journal of Education and Training Studies.
Dr. David Purnell, assistant professor of communication, will present two papers at the International Conference of Qualitative Inquiry at the University of Illinois on May 20. The papers are titled “Funny that way: Humors role in popular culture of beginning conversations on polarizing issues” and “Food and Community.”
Dr. Theresa Reese, associate professor of counseling and human sciences, served as a faculty adviser for the HIV Monologues presented by Disability Recognition Education and Advocacy Movement (DREAM) on March 23. Also participating in this event was the Student National Pharmaceutical Association (SnPhA) as one of its initiatives is HIV awareness. Dr. Reese presented on “HIV and a Changing World: From Death to Chronic Illness” at the Licensed Professional Counseling Association, Student Affiliate Organization on March 28. She also sponsored five graduate students in the Clinical Rehabilitation Counseling Program who presented at the annual Atlanta Research Conference on April 11. James Elliott presented on self-disclosure of sexual orientation with various counseling populations; Lisa Aguilar presented on melodic healing, the power of music therapy; David Johnson presented on the heart of therapy, counseling for cardiac patients; NiShe'e Queen presented on blurred lines of a new counselor, personal honesty versus professional veracity; and Keomi Dorsey presented on spirituality and motivational interviewing, treating addiction from a global perspective.
Dr. Kevin B. Williams, assistant professor of healthcare leadership, served on a panel, titled “Public Health Professions Enhancement Programs,” on April 17 during the National Negro Health Week to National Minority Health Month: 100 Years of Moving Public Health Forward Health Summit at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Tom Harkin Global Communications Center in Atlanta. In addition to participating on the panel, Dr. Williams served as one of the judges for the graduate student health professionals poster session. One of the notable presenters at the summit was Dr. David Satcher, the 16th U.S. Surgeon General and a former director of the CDC.The program was sponsored by the CDC Office of Minority Health and Health Equity, Morehouse School of Medicine and Tuskegee University.
School of Engineering
Dr. Susan Codone, associate professor of technical communication and director of the Center for Teaching and Learning, co-presented “Multidisciplinary Student Engagement Techniques: Lessons Learned from the Governor's Teaching Fellow's Program” at the University System of Georgia's Teaching and Learning Conference at the University of Georgia on April 9. Dr. Codone presented with Governor's Teaching Fellows colleagues from Piedmont College and Georgia Regents University.
Dr. Behnam Kamali, Sam Nunn Eminent Scholar of Telecommunications and professor of electrical and computer engineering, jointly published an article, titled “On Proper Selection of Multihop Relays for Future Enhancement of AeroMACS Networks,” at the IEEE Integrated Communications, Navigation, and Surveillance (ICNS) Conference, held in Washington, D.C., in April. The paper was co-authored by two NASA aeronautical communications researchers and was presented by Robert Kerczewski of NASA Glenn Research Center.
Dr. Michael MacCarthy, assistant professor of environmental engineering, co-authored the article “Lead (Pb) Contamination of Self-Supply Groundwater Systems in Coastal Madagascar and Predictions of Blood Levels in Exposed Children,” which was recently published in Environmental Science & Technology, 2015, 49(5), pp 2685–2693.
Dr. Richard O. Mines, professor and program director of M.S.E. and associated M.S. programs, was elected a fellow of the American Society for Engineering Education. The 2015 induction of ASEE fellows will take place at the organization's annual awards ceremony on June 15 in Seattle, Washington.
Dr. Scott Schultz, associate dean and associate professor, was elected president of the Southeast section of the American Society of Engineering Education (ASEE) during the April 2015 ASEE-SE conference held in Gainesville, Florida. Dr. Schultz will serve as president during the 2015-16 academic year. Also during the 2015 ASEE-SE conference, Dr. Schultz co-authored and presented the paper “Review of Service Research Within Industrial Engineering” with master's student Kayla Dunbar.
School of Medicine
Dr. Jennifer L. Barkin, assistant professor of community medicine and obstetrics and gynecology, co-authored an invited editorial, “Feeling Around in the Dark,” with Mercer colleagues Dr. Kristina C. Hawkins and Dr. David C. Parish as well as 2010 School of Medicine graduate Dr. Tiffany Stanfill-Thomas. The editorial was accepted for publication at the SM Journal of Depression Research and Treatment.
Dr. Gretchen Bentz, assistant professor of microbiology, and Dr. Jaehwa Choi, assistant professor of physiology, were inducted in the Mercer chapter of Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society, at its annual spring banquet on April 16.
Dr. Christy Bridges, associate professor of histology, Dr. Rudy Zalups and Dr. Lucy Joshee recently published “Toxicological significance of renal Bcrp: Another potential transporter in the elimination of mercuric ions from proximal tubular cells” in Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology.
Dr. Steve Carpenter, professor and chair of internal medicine, was appointed to the Education Subcommittee of the American College of Gastroenterology.
Dr. Meghan W. Cody, assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, presented two posters with doctoral student Laura McKenzie at the Southeastern Psychological Association meeting in Hilton Head, South Carolina, in March. They were titled “Memory specificity of trauma narratives: Preliminary psychometrics of a new coding system” and “Relationship of overgeneral autobiographical memory to depressive and traumatic stress symptoms: A pilot study.” Dr. Cody also co-authored “Understanding the role of dysfunctional post-trauma cognitions in the co-occurrence of posttraumatic stress disorder and generalized anxiety disorder: Two trauma samples” in Behaviour Research and Therapy, and “Correspondence between self-report measures and clinician assessments of psychopathology in female intimate partner violence survivors” in the Journal of Interpersonal Violence.
Dr. Marie Dent, associate professor of community medicine, Jennifer Boryk-Ratner and Teri Schell, executive director of the Forsyth Farmers Market, participated in a panel discussion, titled “Promoting Student Interest in Preventive Medicine: Community-Campus Collaboration,” on March 16 at the annual meeting of the Association of Prevention Teaching and Research. Additionally, Dr. Dent, Boryk-Ratner and Dr. T. Philip Malan, dean of the Savannah campus, presented a poster, titled “Distinction in Service to the Community: A Program to Promote Service Learning among Medical Students,” at the meeting.
Dr. Jack Eades, associate professor, recently finished eighth in worldwide completion at the Offshore World Championship invitational fishing tournament in Quepos, Costa Rica, as part of an angling team from Savannah. Dr. Eades is a 1992 graduate of the School of Medicine.
Dr. Dan Hagan, professor of physiology, presented an invited presentation during a symposium on biting flies of Georgia, titled “Bionomics and pathogens vectored by Lutzomyia spp. phlebotomine sandflies (Diptera: Psychodidae),” at the Georgia Entomological Society annual meeting on Jekyll Island.
Dr. Kristina Hawkins, assistant professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, student clerkship director and director of assisted reproductive technology, has achieved board certification in reproductive endocrinology and infertility.
Dr. Steve Livingston, director of behavioral services, published an article, titled “Physician Burnout: Effective Assessment and Prevention,” in the Florida Medical Association's spring 2015 magazine.
Dr. Andrea Meyer, assistant professor, assistant program director and clinic director for the Family Therapy Center of Macon, was an invited panel member for “I can't breathe: Preparing our children to survive and thrive in a culture of rules and laws” on Feb. 24 at the Peyton Anderson Health Education Center. The panel discussion was sponsored by the North Central Health District, Governor's Office for Children and Families, Georgia Department of Human Services and the Next Level Community Development Center. In addition, Dr. Meyer was appointed by Judge Thomas J. Matthews of the Macon-Bibb County Court Juvenile Court System to serve on the Judicial Citizen Review Board. The mission of the board is to “ensure the best interests of children in Bibb County foster care are being met by holding citizen review panels, made up of trained volunteers, that occur periodically to ensure that every child in Bibb County foster care and their families are provided the best possible services within the context of available resources, and that these children are protected from all forms of maltreatment.”
Dr. Scott C. Purinton, assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology, passed his sub-specialty boards in gynecologic oncology. Dr. Purinton is double-board certified in obstetrics and gynecology and gynecologic oncology.
Dr. Christopher Senkowski, chair of surgery, was the invited grand rounds speaker for the Department of Surgery at the University of Utah. His lecture, “Understanding the RVU: how we value a surgeon's work in 2015,” was presented in March.
Dr. Eric K. Shaw, associate professor of community medicine, served as a research consultant for an Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality (AHRQ)-funded research conference that brought together representatives from primary care practices from across the U.S. who were identified as being exemplar patient-centered medical homes and have implemented innovative health care service in the areas of substance abuse and cancer survivorship. The conference was held April 20-23 in Denver, Colorado.
Dr. Jimmie H. Smith Jr., assistant professor of practice and liaison for Academic Health Department, was awarded the Al Dohany Award for Community Service by the Georgia Public Health Association on April 14 during the 86th Annual Meeting and Conference in Atlanta. Established in 1999, this award is presented annually to an individual who has made a positive contribution to community health through collaboration with the community and its leaders. This contribution involves encouraging a collaborative approach with existing community entities that is essential to realizing the long-term health outcomes of a community while recognizing the importance of communities and celebrating the diversity that makes a community vital. During the awards luncheon, it was stated that “Dr. Smith provides opportunities for Mercer MPH students to complete internships, community service hours and capstone projects while collaborating with community organizations. He is training and mentoring the next generation of public health leaders in engaging urban and rural communities. Mercer MPH students learn by observing Dr. Smith actively working with community groups. He moves seamlessly from meeting with health professionals, to digging in a garden with community members, to teaching and mentoring public health students, to meeting with school system administrators. Under his leadership, the North Central Health District has had an increase in the number of MPH students completing internships. This helps extend public health reach into the community and promotes academic preparation for public health practice.”
Dr. Mike U. Smith, director of AIDS education and research and professor of medical education, served as a reviewer April 7-9 for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Special Emphasis Panel: FOA RFA DP15-007: “Effectiveness of Teen Pregnancy Prevention Programs Designed Specifically for Young Males,” on the behalf of the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (NCCDPHP). He was named as an associate editor for the Journal of Research in Science Teaching from 2015-2018, and as a section editor for the Electronic Journal of Science Education from 2015-2018. Dr. Smith co-authored “GAENE (v.2.0): Further refinement of the Generalized Acceptance of EvoltioN Evaluation (GAENE),” presented at the annual meeting of the National Association for Research in Science Teaching in Chicago. He also co-authored “Mendel in the Modern Classroom” in Science & Education, 22(8):151-172.
Dr. Ajay Srivastava, division chief of nephrology and assistant professor in the Department of Internal Medicine, gave an invited lecture on April 20, titled “Transforming Renal Care: Harnessing the Power of the Multidisciplinary Team Approach to Achieve Dialysis Targets,” for the American Nephrology Nurses Association's 46th National Symposium in Orlando, Florida. The lecture was nationally recognized in a news brief by Nephrology News & Issues.
Dr. Robert Visalli, associate professor of microbiology, recently participated in two grant review panels. The first was for the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Special Emphasis Panel to review R13 grant applications for National Institutes of Health (NIH) support for conferences and scientific meetings related to microbiology/virology. He was also one of only 30 reviewers selected nationwide to participate in review of American Society for Microbiology (ASM) Undergraduate Research Fellowships (URF). The URF provides undergraduate students the opportunity to conduct microbiological research during the summer under the mentorship of an ASM member. Dr. Visalli has contributed more than 10 years of service to this ASM review panel.
Dr. Yudan Wei, professor in the Department of Community Medicine, gave two presentations and served as chair for the epidemiology session at the 54th Society of Toxicology Annual Meeting held March 22-26 in San Diego. The first presentation was titled “Examining the association between urinary concentrations of 2,5-dichlorophenol and blood pressure in US adults.” The second presentation was titled “PAHs and PM2.5 emissions and female breast cancer incidence in metro Atlanta and rural Georgia,” and was co-presented with Puja Parikh, a second-year medical student who has conducted research with Dr. Wei since last summer.
Dr. William N. Wessinger, professor of surgery, was elected coroner for Chatham County in the November 2014 election, capturing more votes than any other candidate for all positions on the ballot.
Dr. Christopher Wixon, assistant professor of surgery in the Division of Vascular Surgery, presented three lectures as part of the national annual meeting of the Outpatient Endovascular and Interventional Society in Chicago in April.
Tift College of Education
Dr. Anthony Harris, professor of education, was honored on April 12 by the Commerce (Texas) Library for his achievements as an author. A brick bearing his name was placed at Author's Corner, which honors the work of local and area artists and writers. Dr. Harris' book titles are Gifts of Moments: Being somebody to somebody, Ain't Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me 'Round, Fruits of a Disgraced Legacy, and It's What's on the Inside. He will publish two additional books this year, a biography of his late mother and a second children's book.
Dr. Carol Isaac, assistant professor, co-authored Breaking the Bias Habit®: A Workshop to Promote Gender Equity. WISELI and the Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System (2015). This work was also featured in two papers, “Promoting institutional change through bias literacy.” Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, 5(2), 63–77 (2012) and “The Effect of an Intervention to Break the Gender Bias Habit for Faculty at One Institution: A Cluster Randomized, Controlled Trial.” Academic Medicine, 90(2), 221–230 (2015).
Dr. Joseph R. Jones, assistant professor of education, edited a new book, titled Under The Bleachers: Teachers' Reflections of What They Didn't Learn in College. The book is a unique text because the chapters offer insight into the daily chaos of teaching. The chapters are written by practicing educators and provide advice to both future educators and current teachers. The text is not an avenue to criticize teacher education programs; rather, it opens a dialogic space in which all educators can begin discussing and reflecting on the realities of the schooling process. Four Tift College of Education faculty members contributed chapters: Dr. Anne Hathaway, professor, “Preparation—Or Not;” Dr. Sharon Augustine, assistant professor, “Grief and Teaching: The Unnatural Order of Things;” Dr. Sybil Keesbury, assistant professor, “Kees Krew Learns the Tango: A Journal Entry for New Teachers;” and Dr. Vince Youngbauer, assistant professor, “Will There Be a Third Year? The Trials (Literally) and Tribulations (Fashion Police and Addiction) of My First Two Years of Teaching.” The book is published by Sense Publishing, an international academic press.
Dr. Justus Randolph, associate professor, and Rose Pre-Jean Harris, a graduate of the Curriculum and Instruction Ph.D. Program, were invited speakers at a distinguished paper session of the 2015 annual meeting of the American Education Research Association. The presentation was titled “The Negative Consequences of Using Percent of Free and Reduced Lunch as a Measure of Poverty in Schools: The Case of the State of Georgia.”
Dr. Tracey Wofford, director of graduate admissions, presented at the National Association of Graduate Admissions Professionals (NAGAP) 2015 annual conference on April 9 in New Orleans. Her presentation, titled “Admissions vs. Administration: How Graduate Enrollment Became Strategic and Student-Focused at One College of Education,” was shared with more than 100 session attendees and more than 1,000 conference attendees for NAGAP's 28th conference, which was focused on the theme “GEM Defined: A New Kind of Rhythm.”
Townsend School of Music
Dr. Douglas Hill, professor, performed in the Colony IV Brass Quintet performed at the 10th Annual Organ and Brass Concert at St. Joseph Catholic Church as part of the Macon Cherry Blossom Festival on March 23. Dr. Hill participated on the Small College Band Literature Panel at the College Band Directors National Association National Conference at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, March 26-28. He hosted an edTPA Workshop, presented by Dr. Patty Nelson, assistant professor of music at Shorter University, on April 16. Dr. Hill was also the invited clinician for the Southeast Bulloch and Richmond Hill high school symphonic bands on April 28. He attended Music Signing Day at Starr's Mill High School in Fayetteville on April 30, where Jon Grizzle received a music scholarship. Dr. Hill will perform in the Colony IV Brass Quintet at Ingleside Baptist on May 23 for First Presbyterian Day School's commencement.
Amy Schwartz Moretti, director of the Robert McDuffie Center for Strings, associate professor and Caroline Paul King Strings Chair, presented a recital at the Day Chapel in the State Botanical Garden of Georgia in Athens on April 8 with pianist Elizabeth Pridgen, G. Leslie Fabian Piano Chair, performing works by Dvorak, Beach, Fauré and Christopher Schmitz, composer and associate professor of music theory. Moretti and Pridgen also performed for the Georgian Chamber Players closing concert “The French Violin” at Trinity Presbyterian Church in Atlanta on April 19, presenting Fauré Violin Sonata in A Major, Op. 13 and Debussy-Heifetz Beau Soir.
University Libraries
Laura M. Botts, associate professor in the Division of Library Services and associate director for special collections, is currently serving as president of the Association of Librarians and Archivists at Baptist Institutions. She presided over the group's annual meeting April 22-24 in Nashville, Tennessee. The meeting's theme was “Here in the Real World: Understanding and Serving Our Users.”
Lien-Tai Linda Chen, library system coordinator, attended the Innovative Users Group Annual Conference, April 13-16, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Conference highlights included sessions relating to application program interfaces, system administration on the Innovative Library System, and other practical and informative topics. The conference featured collaborative exchange of ideas on the use of the library system software.
Walter F. George School of Law
Zack Buck, assistant professor of law, had his article, titled “Overtreatment and Informed Consent: A Fraud-Based Solution to Unwanted and Unnecessary Care,” accepted for publication in 43 Florida State Law Review (forthcoming 2016).
Jessica Feinberg, associate professor of law, had her article, titled “Gradual Marriage,” accepted for publication in 19 Lewis & Clark Law Review (forthcoming 2015).
Linda Jellum, Ellison C. Palmer Professor of Tax Law, had her article, titled “Dodging the Taxman, Why the Treasury's Anti-Abuse Regulation is Unconstitutional,” accepted for publication in 70 Miami Law Review (forthcoming 2015).
Mark L. Jones, professor of law, published an article, titled “Fisherman Jack: Living in 'Juropolis' – The Fishing Village of the Law,” in the Symposium issue of the Mercer Law Review dedicated to “The Scholarship and Teaching of Jack Sammons,” 66 Mercer Law Review 485-512 (2015).
Jennifer Sheppard, associate professor of law, had her article, titled “Once Upon A Time, Happily Ever After, and In A Galaxy Far, Far Away: Using Narrative to Fill the Cognitive Gap Left by Overreliance on Pure Logic in Appellate Briefs and Motion Memoranda,” in 46 Willamette Law Review 255 (2009), accepted for reprinting in Legal Writing Institute Monograph Series, Vol. 4 (forthcoming 2015).
Gary Simson, senior vice provost for scholarship and Macon Chair in Law, published “Religious Arguments by Citizens to Influence Public Policy: The Lessons of the Establishment Clause” in 66 Mercer Law Review 273 (2015).
Scott Titshaw, associate professor, spoke on “Judging the Competition Among State Powers, Federal Powers and Individual Rights in U.S. Immigration Law and LGBT Family Law” at the Congress on the Tyranny of Sovereignty at Université de Picardie Jules Verne in Amiens, France, in April. He also spoke on “Necessary Harmonization of Migration and Immigration Law in a Union Without Borders: One American's Opinion” at the International Colloquium: Existe-t-il une 'identité démocratique' européenne? at Université de Picardie Jules Verne, Centre Universitaire de Recherches sur l'Action Publique et le Politique, Epistémologie et Sciences Sociales in Amiens, France, in April. He is set to speak on “Fam-migration Law for LGBT Families in the U.S. and the E.U. at the University of Strathclyde Law School in Glasgow, Scotland, in May. Titshaw had his article, titled “Same-Sex Spouses Lost in Translation? How to Interpret 'Spouse' in the E.U. Family Migration Directives,” accepted for publication in 34 Boston University International Law Journal (forthcoming 2016).
