Newsmakers

HINCK RECEIVES FACULTY AWARD

Robert Hinck

Robert Hinck, assistant professor of communication studies, received the prestigious Gundersen Junior Faculty Scholarship Award for his groundbreaking research, which resulted in an upcoming book about the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

A member of the development and alumni staff since 2010, she will serve as backup to the vice president, while also maintaining a portfolio of donors and prospects.

The Gundersen Award is presented annually to a Monmouth faculty member who has fewer than four years of service and has engaged in exemplary scholarship, research or creative work. The award includes a $1,500 stipend.

Hinck is co-author of Contesting Strategic Narratives in a Global Context: The World Watches the 2016 U.S. Election. Set to be published in 2019, the work’s other co-authors are Randolph Kluver and Skye Cooley, both of whom are professors at Oklahoma State University.

The book is a product of Hinck’s grant work with the Strategic Multilayer Assessment community, which focuses on examining foreign media reporting on issues critical to U.S. strategic interests.

MAHER, ALCORN EARN PROMOTIONS

Hannah Maher

Hannah Maher has been promoted from director of development and alumni engagement to associate vice president for development and college relations.

Also receiving a promotion was Gena Alcorn ’88, who was named senior development officer. She previously served as director of alumni programs from 1995-2000 and as development and major gifts operations officer since 2013. In her new capacity, she will supervise the College’s major gifts effort, including donor relations and stewardship, legacy giving, and prospect research.

MASOOD NAMED ASSOCIATE VICE PRESIDENT

Mohsin Masood

Mohsin Masood has been named associate vice president of student affairs. Previously associate dean of students, he has been a member of the student affairs staff since 1995.

Masood leads the College’s intercultural life team, its international Student and Exchange Visitor Information System activities and the All of Us Together Committee, all part of an effort to amplify the College’s welcoming climate. He will be a key member of an ad hoc group of faculty and staff who will work on a strategic plan for diversity in 2019.

SHIMMIN RETIRES FROM COACHING

Kari Shimmin ’97

After being involved with Fighting Scots volleyball for 25 years, Kari Shimmin ’97 has announced her retirement as the program’s head coach in order to devote her time to teaching at Monmouth.

The winningest and longest-serving coach in Monmouth volleyball history, Shimmin will continue her responsibilities as an instructor of kinesiology at the College. During her 21 years as coach, Shimmin’s teams won 337 matches and a Midwest Conference championship.

As a student, she was a four-year letter-winner in volleyball, and a two-time All-Midwest Conference selection at outside hitter, which earned her induction into the M Club Hall of Fame in 2011.

Shimmin coached Monmouth to seven 20-win seasons, setting the program record with 26 wins in 2002.

KOPINSKI RECOGNIZED FOR HELPING HOMELESS

Mark Kopinski ’79

Mark Kopinski ’79, chairman of the Monmouth College Board of Trustees, was honored in December as a member of City & State’s “Responsible 100” in New York for 2018.

The Responsible 100 recognizes New York’s most outstanding responsible executives and influencers who are setting new standards of excellence, dedication and leadership in improving their communities and making transformative change.

Kopinski was honored for his work as board president of the Jericho Project, a nonprofit organization that helps formerly homeless or at-risk individuals and families lead independent lives. The organization provides more than 400 units of supportive housing in New York City, as well as life-changing services to vulnerable adults and children. A member of the Jericho board since 2008, he was elected its president in 2013.

City & State is a non-partisan political journalism organization dedicated to covering New York’s local and state politics and policy.

HINRICHSEN PUBLISHED IN ACADEMIC JOURNAL

Megan Hinrichsen

Megan Hinrichsen, assistant professor of anthropology, is the author of a recent article in the peer-reviewed journal Research in Economic Anthropology for its special issue on individual and social adaptations to human vulnerability. Titled “Living within the Narrative of Microfinance: Vulnerability, Well-Intentioned Debt, and the Individualization of Social Problems in Quito, Ecuador,” the article is part of her ongoing research in the South American city.