SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Southern Conference named its All-Southern Conference Faculty and Staff Team recently, and Mercer University was represented by Michael Junod, director of the University Center, and Dr. Philip McCreanor, professor and chair of the environmental and civil engineering department.
Begun in 2016, the All-SoCon Faculty and Staff Team consists of two individuals from each of the 10 member institutions who share the common characteristics of demonstrated service to the institution and contributions to campus life and the local community. Faculty members have demonstrated strong contributions to teaching, research and/or service, while staff members are recognized for bringing out the best in others and creating conditions for success.
Junod serves as the director of the University Center and earned the designation of a Certified Venue Executive by the International Association of Venue Managers in 2019. He also serves as the chair of the Board of Appeals, a Title IX investigator and an adjunct professor in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Junod has more than 30 years of experience as a citizen-soldier, retiring from the U.S. Army Reserves in 2017 at the rank of colonel. He held command positions from platoon leader to battalion commander, deploying four times in support of our nation’s conflicts in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq and Afghanistan.
Dr. McCreanor is director of the Engineering Scholars Track of the University Honors Program, is a member of the Tau Beta Pi, Sigma Xi and Phi Kappa Phi honor societies and is a Georgia Governor’s Teaching Fellow. Dr. McCreanor collaborates with the University’s Technical Communication Department, Tift College of Education and Department of Physical Therapy to host GoBabyGo build events – a program for children with disabilities that has provided mobility solutions to 182 children since the program’s inception in 2016. Dr. McCreanor’s professional interests include bioreactor municipal solid waste landfills, unsaturated fluid flow, on-site treatment of residential gray water and adaptive technology, and students working on his gray water research project have received funding from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s People, Prosperity, and the Planet Student Design Competition.
“The Southern Conference loves shining a spotlight on the remarkable faculty and staff at our member institutions,” said SoCon Commissioner Michael Cross. “Each of the honorees is a leader and mentor at their respective school, and we applaud their service and dedication. We are grateful for the way they cultivate the distinctive and exceptional environments found across the 10 SoCon campuses, serve as cornerstones in their communities, and exceed what is expected in their role.”
All-SoCon selections from the nine other conference institutions include The Citadel’s Dr. Sarah Imam and Heyward G. Hutson III; ETSU’s Dr. Taylor Stevenson and Dr. Stacy Cummings-Onks; Furman’s Dr. Tim Wardle and Rolyn Rollins; UNC Greensboro’s Dr. Malcolm Schug and Dr. Kristy Howell; Samford’s JeNorri Armstead; Chattanooga’s Dr. DeAnna Beasley and Terrence Banks; VMI’s Mattie Smith and LTC Shannon Eskam; Western Carolina’s Dr. Ericka Zimmerman and Holli Stillman; and Wofford’s Dr. Jessica Tomkins and Wofford Workday Rockstars.
