FACULTY/STAFF NOTES

Updates on faculty and staff achievements

Three Named Notable Leaders In Region

Over the winter, Milwaukee news outlet Biz Times Media honored three Carthage administrators for their innovative work in southeastern Wisconsin.

Michele Hancock, vice president of college culture for inclusion, was selected for the “Notable BIPOC Executives” feature honoring BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) leaders.

Abigail Hanna, executive vice president for administration, was chosen for the “Notable Leaders in Higher Education” feature.

Highest Staff Honors

In addition to Professor Julie Dawson, winner of the 2023 Distinguished Teaching Award (see feature on page 22), Carthage honored three staff members for their dedication:

Debbie Clark, assistant to the campus pastor, received the Distinguished Staff Award for her indispensable guidance in the Center for Faith and Spirituality since 2001. Nominators praised her as a team player with an eternally positive attitude who empowers student staff members.

Brandon Porter, registrar, and Greg Huss, director of admissions and financial aid, received the Quality of Life Award. This award recognizes employees who enhance life on campus by promoting a common purpose, highlighting an overlooked aspect of the College, or underscoring the best of the Carthage community.

faculty innovation grants: step one

Nine Carthage faculty members were awarded Faculty Innovation Grants in the initial round of funding through the College’s own Donald Hedberg Endowment for Entrepreneurship and Innovation. During the spring semester, each faculty team developed a technology prototype that addresses a particular community challenge.

Angela Dassow/Dana Garrigan (Biology):

John Swallow, president and CEO, was selected for two features: “Notable Leaders in Higher Education” and the “Wisconsin 275,” a list of the most influential executives shaping the state’s economy.

Classroom-friendly bee chalet to encourage interest in STEM fields

Steven Henle/Andrea Henle (Biology):

Low-cost fluorescent and light microscopes for classrooms in high-need districts

Cheryl Petersen/Nancy Reese(Nursing)

K8 Prange (Communication and Digital Media): Spiritual care app to support and connect adults with cancer

Wenjie Sun (Geospatial Science)

Rick Bingen (Computer Science)

Service learning platform to connect community partners and diverse talents from Carthage Teams with successful prototypes are eligible for additional funding. In the second phase of their projects, faculty will involve students and will introduce the proposed innovation to a pilot audience.

Retirements

34 YEARS

Diane Schowalter, director of learning accessibility services

17 YEARS

Joan Volmut, Admissions receptionist and visit coordinator tenure

The Board of Trustees approved tenure for these faculty members, which will take effect this fall:

Cheryl Petersen, associate professor of nursing

Kateryna Sylaska, associate professor of psychological science

Chao Zheng, associate professor of accounting and finance

Eric Hahn, assistant professor of communication and digital media, presented a research paper titled “A Raw Deal: Big Data and the Quality of Digital Cinema” in April at the Society for Cinema and Media Studies conference in Denver.

Andrea Henle, associate professor of biology, received the Young Investigator Award from the American Association of Immunologists for her research into the COVID-19 booster’s effect on antibody levels in breast milk. The award was presented in November at the AAI fall conference in Chicago. Prof. Henle’s work was also published in the Journal of Human Lactation.

Rebekah Johnson, assistant professor of exercise and sport science, was named the statewide Physical Education Teacher of the Year for 2022 at the collegiate level. The Wisconsin Health and Physical Education Association presented the award during its conference in October.

Melanie Nyhof, assistant professor of psychological science, has been awarded a $100,000 grant from the Templeton Religion Trust toward her research in Tana Toraja, Indonesia. The funding allows her to study adult perspectives regarding death, the afterlife, and the ways that ritual contributes to the grieving process.

Colleen Palmer, assistant professor of communication and digital media, presented twice at this year’s Central States Communication Association conference in St. Louis. Prof. Palmer shared how she uses Hofstede’s Cultural Comparison to help PR students craft messages for international audiences, and she was a panelist discussing solutions to burnout in academia.

Nancy Reese, director of nursing, discussed her leadership project at the American Association of Colleges of Nursing deans’ meeting March 26. By building bridges, the project is designed to produce better collaborative outcomes.

Maggie Burk, director of choral activities, composed “Set Me As a Seal,” which the National High School Honor Choir performed in February at the biennial conference of the American Choral Directors Association in Cincinnati. Her graduate mentor, Eugene Rogers (University of Michigan), conducted the choral piece, which Prof. Burk originally wrote for her twin sister’s wedding.

Sarah Cyganiak, assistant professor of modern languages, presented a paper examining a 1930 text by philosopher María Zambrano at the International Conference on Literature and Hispanic Studies in Cartagena, Colombia, on March 11.

Angela Dassow, associate professor of biology, spoke during the International Dairy, Deli and Bakery Association’s webinar series about the value of incorporating insects into a regular human diet. She also published multiple research papers delving further into animals’ vocal communication.

Tim Eckert, professor emeritus of chemistry, wrote a research paper that appeared in the Journal of Chemical Education. The article is intended to help instructors and students in the organic chemistry lab to design and appreciate the solvent systems used to carry out chemical reactions and isolate products.

Adrianna Jones M.M. ’22, adjunct assistant professor of theatre, directed the classic play “A Raisin in the Sun” for two weekends in February and March at the Rhode Center for the Arts in downtown Kenosha.

Mark Mahoney, professor of computer science, gave a live demonstration of his Storyteller tool at the recent Special Interest Group on Computer Science Education conference in Toronto. Prof. Mahoney also presented a paper about the tool, which he’s been developing to guide learners through code examples. Surveys show that his students prefer those code playbacks over programming textbooks and video tutorials.

Rachel Martinez, assistant professor of nursing, earned Psychiatric-Mental Health Nursing certification through the American Nurses Credentialing Center. This achievement signifies her dedication to patient care, safety, and professional development.

Kevin Morris, Klingenmeyer Distinguished Professor of Chemistry, and collaborators received an $85,000 research grant through the National Science Foundation to continue studying amino acid-based surfactants using magnetic resonance spectroscopy and molecular modeling. These molecules are biodegradable, with applications in detergents, cosmetics, and separation science.

Samantha Saalfeld, athletic trainer, volunteered at the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado, for 12 days last winter. Working with athletes on the national wrestling, shooting, swimming, figure skating, bobsled, skeleton, and Paralympic cycling teams, she assisted with rehabilitation, therapy, and evaluation.

Thomas Van Dahm, professor emeritus of economics, received a proclamation from Kenosha County Executive Samantha Kerkman declaring Feb. 20 — his 99th birthday — Thomas Van Dahm Day. Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers and Carthage President John Swallow also honored the retired faculty member, who served in the Army Signal Corps during World War II.

Jojin Van Winkle, assistant professor of art, discussed her experimental film and video work at the Symposium on Arts and Technology in New London, Connecticut, last November. The multidisciplinary symposium brought artists, technologists, and scholars together for dialogue. Her paper was titled “Performance for and with the Camera: Grounded in Humor and Meditative Practice.”