Pathways to Discovery

pathways ISSUE 3 Jan. – D ec. 2009

to discovery

pathways to discovery

University of Montevallo Academic Affairs

With the publication of this edition of Pathways to Discovery, I again have the opportunity to express great pride in the accomplishments of our faculty and students.

In addition to a myriad of other significant commitments, UM faculty, along with students in many cases, have continued to passionately pursue their research interests and creative activities in a way that not only advances their disciplines but also enhances their effectiveness in the classroom. Pathways to Discovery serves as strong evidence that our faculty and students are extraordinary people!

It is extremely important that our students observe and work alongside scholars engaged in the work of their disciplines; indeed, some would argue there is no better way to prepare students for subsequent learning and for life after the academy. Below, Dr. Kelly Wacker, our University Scholar for 2009, shares her insights about this relationship between research and creative endeavors and teaching. Indeed, her work, especially that involving her students, helps to define the unique title “Alabama’s public liberal arts university,” which we display with such pride.

Congratulations to faculty and students whose work is included in this edition of Pathways! I hope that, as they read this issue, our faculty and students are affirmed in their efforts and that others gain some sense of the commitment and potential of those who study, work, and serve in our community.

Terry Roberson

Vice President for Academic Affairs

University Scholar K elly Wacker

Given that I work with an incredibly talented and dedicated faculty at the University of Montevallo, I am deeply honored to have been named the 2009 University Scholar.

This designation has offered me the opportunity to pause to consider exactly what it means to be both a scholar and an educator. For me, the two are deeply intertwined.

While my primary role at the University is to be a professor of art history, my research informs and energizes my teaching practice and helps me to be a better mentor. My experiences with developing questions, chasing down the answers, and trying to figure out how best to convey this information continually remind me of what we hope to encourage in our students: intellectual curiosity, the development of analytical and critical thinking, and the acquisition of the skills necessary to successfully resolve research problems. One of my most satisfying moments was when, at the beginning of the semester, a student confessed that she hated research. She later exclaimed, “I love research!” When she realized that research is not a disconnected, dry, academic exercise but a dynamic and personal process that leads us to a deeper and broader understanding of a given topic. I am truly fortunate to experience “eureka!” moments in my own research practice, but even more so when I experience those of my students.

Pathways to Discovery, published annually by Academic Affairs and the Public Relations Office, highlights the scholarly achievements of the faculty and students at the University of Montevallo.

in this issue...

4 College

of

J im M urphy, Profile

A rts & S ciences

7 Collaboration Rosa Stoops

and

S cott M eyer, Profile

8 Stephens College M ichele B unn, Profile

of

B usiness

10 College

of

Education

12 College

of

Fine A rts

J ennifer L awley, Profile

K elly Wacker, Profile

15 C armichael Library C arey H eatherly, Profile

18 Student Pathways UNIVERSITY OF MONTEVALLO

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College of Arts & Sciences

Faculty Endeavors

Presentations Stacey M. Ayotte, “Bridging the Gap: Overcoming

Language Barriers during the Study Abroad Experience,” The U.S.-Brazil Arts and Culture Initiative: Challenges and Achievements in Linguistic, Cultural, and Academic Exchange, Montevallo, Ala.

M ary B. A rmstrong, “Early Identification of Autism

Spectrum Disorders,” Special Needs in the Early Years Annual Conference, Hot Springs, Ark.

M ary B. A rmstrong, “Evidence-Based Practices in

Emergent Literacy,” Special Needs in the Early Years Annual Conference, Hot Springs, Ark.

Nicholas Crawford, “Reviewing Reviewed,” Shakespeare Association of America Workshop, Washington, D.C.

Jeannie D. Duke and Jason M. Newell, “Teaching Practice

L aurel I. Hitchcock and Lorie Chesnut, “The Legacy of

Federal Maternal and Child Health Initiatives on the Health Outcomes of American Indians and Alaskan Natives,” Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs, Annual Meeting of the Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs, Washington, D.C.

K athryn R. K ing, “The Genteel Women of Grub Street,”

American Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies, Annual Meeting, Richmond, Va.

K athryn R. K ing, “Eliza Haywood at the Sign of Fame; or,

The Possibilities of Political Biography,” Notre Dame Gender Studies Program, Gender Studies Research Workshop, South Bend, Ind.

Cynthia P. Tidwell, James L. Connor and C. Michele Davis-

Behaviors Through the Use of the Child Welfare Case Studies,” 8th Annual Alabama Child Welfare Conference, Montgomery, Ala.

McGibony, “Biochemical Analysis of Potential Photodynamic Therapy Agents,” American Chemical Society, 237th National American Chemical Society Meeting & Exposition, Salt Lake City, Utah

L aurel I. Hitchcock “Past Influences on Present Work:

Leonor Vazquez-Gonzalez, “An Anecdotal Description of

Understanding the History of Maternal and Child Health Work for American Indian & Alaskan Native Women and Children,” Southern Association for the History of Medicine and Science, Annual Conference of the Southern Association for the History of Medicine and Science, Birmingham, Ala.

Developing a New Study Abroad Program,” The U.S.-Brazil Arts and Culture Initiative: Challenges and Achievements in Linguistic, Cultural, and Academic Exchange,” Montevallo, Ala.

Leonor Vazquez-Gonzalez, “Popular

Spanish Songs and Games in the Classroom,” Birmingham International Festival 2009, Viva España Professional Development Workshop for Teachers, Birmingham, Ala.

Publications Stacey M. Ayotte, “Promoting Speaking

in the Target Language via Rich Internet Applications,” National Bulletin, 35, 2, 23-4,

Stacey M. Ayotte, “Timed-writing in

the Foreign Language Classroom: Does Practice Make Perfect?” Crisolenguas, 2, 1, 45-58

Stacey M. Ayotte, ”Is There a Place Michael Patton, professor of philosophy and a leader in the creation of UM’s James Wylie Shepherd Observatory, stands near a state-of-the art telescope housed under the dome of the facility. Here he shares his knowledge of the stars with Montevallo students 4

PATHWAYS TO DISCOVERY

for Games in the College Classroom?”

Faculty Focus Special Report: Tips for Encouraging Student Participation in the Classroom, www.facultyfocus.com, Magna Publications, 10-11

FACULTY PROFILE

jim

MURPHY Jim Murphy, associate professor of English and chair of the department of English and foreign languages, has the heart of a poet and the literary success to prove it. In addition to the recent release of a full-length collection of his poetry, titled Heaven Overland, several of Murphy’s works have been published in professional journals.

Murphy’s poem, “Country of Stopped Clocks,” was recently featured in Southern Humanities Review. In addition, “Joy Spring Diamond” was published in Waccamaw, and “Spectacles of 1906” was runner-up for the Mississippi Review Poetry Prize. A prose piece, titled “Unmade Blue,” has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize. Murphy also has two forthcoming publications, “Calamity’s Blacktops,” in Georgetown Review, and “Leticia,” a translation of a Spanish poem by Juan Carlos Galeano, which originally appeared in Mid-American Review.

Heaven Overland, Murphy’s most significant project of late, encompasses his longtime fascination with American culture and its ties to music. “My interest in this area is an abiding one, in that I’ve been obsessed with jazz, blues, rock and roll,

and various elements of the American road for as long as I can remember, and these are the themes, more or less, that are approached by the poems in the book,” Murphy said.

According to Jake Adam York, who penned the foreword to Heaven Overland, “Murphy’s choice–or his compulsion– to attend to his community, its geographies and histories, is a gift to all readers: this poetry concerns us as much as anything else. Over the last fifty years, America’s most visible poetry has been a poetry of ego and personality, in which the writer’s self serves as a primary subject–so much so that most readers seem to expect every poem to be a confession or autobiography. But the poetry of community­– of environment, of city, of nation-the poetry of concern has also abided, albeit less visibly, as a counterpoise. Heaven Overland draws from both traditions.”

Murphy said the book is “about figures from our culture, real and imagined, seeking some kind of conditional paradise in the here and now, flawed as that quest may be. The paradox in the title of the book gets at that quest. You can’t get there from here. It doesn’t mean we’re not going to try. That struggle seems to me essentially human and timeless.”

UNIVERSITY OF MONTEVALLO

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Clark E. Hultquist, “Publicis and the French Advertising

World, 1946-1968,” Essays in Economic and Business History, Chapman University’s Argyros School of Business and Economics, XXVII, 2009, 16

K athryn R. K ing, “Review of Elizabeth Kraft, Women

Novelists and the Ethics of Desire, 1684-1814,” Review of English Studies, Oxford UP, 60, 245, 497-498

K athryn R. K ing, editor of “Literature Compass: The

Eighteenth Century,” Literature Compass, 6, Wiley-Blackwell www.literature-compass.com

Jim Murphy, Heaven Overland, Kennesaw State University Press

M ichael F. Patton and Samantha Webb, “Freedom Isn’t

Free, but Freem Is,” Chapter in Stephen Colbert and Philosophy, Open Court Press, 245-258,

Ruth S mith Truss, “31st ‘Dixie’ Division,” Encyclopedia of Alabama, www.encyclopediaofalabama.org

Ruth S mith Truss, “Review of Thomas E. Crew, Combat Professor of English Glenda Conway holds the attention of her audience as she discusses one of her special writing projects.

Robert W. Barone, A Reputation History of John Dee, 1527-

1609: The Life of an Elizabethan Intellectual, The Edwin Mellen Press

John W. Burling and Jill A. Wicknick, Geographic

distribution. Gastrophryne carolinensis, range extension, Herpetological Review, Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles, 2009, 40:107

John W. Burling and Jill A. Wicknick, Geographic distribution. Lampropeltis calligaster rhombomaculata, Herpetological Review, 2009, 40:114

Loaded: Across the Pacific on the USS Tate,“ Military History of the West, 39, 119-120

Leonor Vazquez-Gonzalez, “Destrucción y negación de

la cultura indígena guatemalteca en El tiempo principia en Xibalbá de Luis de Lión,” Monographic Review, XXIV, 123-140

Eric A. Vaccarella, “Influences of Native Language and

Culture on Learning a Foreign Language,” Chapter in Culture and Arts in Brazil and in the United States: A Bridge of Multifaceted Languages, “Editora Arka (Viçosa, Brazil),” 55-62

Samantha Webb, “Diet Studies in the Romantic Period,” Literature Compass, Blackwell Publishing, 6, 5, 989-996

Jill Wicknick and Sally A. Miskelly, “Behavioral interactions

Nicholas Crawford, “Serving Theater in Volpone” Renaissance Papers, Camden House, 2008, 125-135

between non-cohabiting bess beetles,” Odontotaenius disjunctus, (Illiger) (Coleoptera: Passalidae), The Coleopterists Bulletin, 2009, 63:108-116

James S. Day, ”Mining Labor,” Encyclopedia of Alabama,

Jill Wicknick, ”Becoming,” Chapter In Courting the Wild:

www.encyclopediaofalabama.org

L aurel I. Hitchcock, “Coordinated Care for Crippled

Children in New York during the Infantile Paralysis Epidemic of 1916,” Rockefeller Archive Center, Research Reports Online

L aurel I. Hitchcock and Lisa R. Baker, “Disaster

Preparedness as a Part of Discharge Planning for Families of Children with Special Health Care Needs,” Social Work Today

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PATHWAYS TO DISCOVERY

Love Affairs with Reptiles and Amphibians, J.K. Reaser, Ed. Hiraeth Press: Boulder, Colorado, 2009, 197-203

Grants Awarded Stacey M. Ayotte, Research Grant, University of Montevallo, Summer Research, $5,000

Leonor Vazquez-Gonzalez, Legality and Oppression in

Guatemalan Indigenous Literature, Research and Special Projects Grant, $1,800

FACULTY COLLABORATION

rosa

& scott

STOOPS

“There is a special appreciation one can feel for the path of an idea seen in retrospect. From that vantage point there is an inevitable quality that the endeavor takes on as if it were predestined that insights and associations occur at the precise moments they were most necessary. If this is more the norm than the exception at UM, the credit is due to the relatively small school and the high concentration of engaged individuals eager to find common ground between disciplines where it exists. It is, after all, the space between the boundaries of conventional research that is most likely to hold extraordinary potential. This is the place where disparate ingredients are allowed mutual influence and a yield greater than their separate worth. If this all sounds more than a little like alchemy, it is way more than a coincidence,” Professor of Art Scott Meyer said of his recent experience collaborating with Rosa Maria Stoops, assistant professor of Spanish and French.

For the past few years, Meyer has been sculpting large clay crucibles. In his production of these sculptures, Meyer received attention from other artists with interest in vessel forms, and a group of them compiled a “crucible team.” Meyer had some difficulty compiling background information in his research of the crucible, consistently yielding irrelevant material. Wanting to know more about the history of the vessel, Meyer became interested in the concept of alchemy.

Shortly thereafter, he learned via UM’s Wednesday Memo that Stoops, a fellow UM professor, had recently delivered a paper titled “Alchemy in European Literature.”

Meyer then decided to approach Stoops for help. “It was very exciting for me to realize that academically we

MEYER

were meeting right at the intersecting point between art and literature with the theme of alchemy driving us to that point from different directions,” Stoops said. She explained that images of alchemy and the alchemic process in literature are at the center of her research. “Of course, a conversation about images of alchemy in literature always flows naturally to the metaphorical images of the still, the vessel, and the crucible,” Stoops said. “The particular image of the crucible in literature is always present in abstract concepts, never as a tangible object. In my case, I had only seen pictures of crucibles in ancient illustrations; thus when Scott contacted me after I had attended an international conference on alchemy in Spain and I visited his studio, I had the distinctive and wonderful feeling that I was in the presence of the most mystical and sacred of objects. My visual impression was magnified by the beauty and new vitality of the re-interpreted forms in Dr. Meyer’s studio. My aesthetic experience was full of meaning in the presence of these crucibles.”

Stoops said she and Meyer are very excited about the academic and networking possibilities of their collaboration.

At a recent international conference in Madrid, she met a curator from Philadelphia who now has plans to meet with Meyer and his team to discuss possible exhibition of their crucibles. Furthermore, Stoops and Meyer recently participated in an interactive broadcast with the crucible team, put together by UM Vacca Professor Graeme Harper.

They are also working towards putting together an Alchemy and Contemporary Art panel and possibly an exhibit for the Renaissance Society of America Conference in Toronto in 2011.

Stephens College of Business

Faculty Endeavors

Presentations Nancy S. Bell and Tom J. Sanders, “The Shift from

Business for Profit to the Triple Bottom Line,” Business & Economics Society, Business & Economics Society International Conference, Acapulco, Mexico

Nancy S. Bell, “Serving Millennial Students,” University

of Montevallo Division of Student Affairs, All Staff Retreat, Birmingham, Ala.

Nancy S. Bell, “Capturing the Attention and Potential

Helen M. Moshkovich, A lexander I. M echitov and Luiz A. Gomez, “Decision Support for Real Estate Evaluation,” Southeast Decision Sciences Institute, Annual Meeting, Charleston, N.C. Tom J. Sanders and Thomas L. Powers, “A Comparison

of Selected Characteristics of Magnet and Non-Magnet Hospitals,” Society of Business, Industry and Economics, 2009 Annual Conference, Sandestin, Fla.

Tom J. Sanders, ”Propositions for Studying Adoption and

of Millennial Students,” Southern Risk and Insurance Association, SRIA Annual Meeting, Lake Buena Vista, Fla.

Diffusion of the Magnet Hospital Concept through the Lens of Organization Theory,” Academic Business World International, 2009 Annual Conference, Nashville, Tenn.

J. A. Connell, “A Process to Simplify Class Assessment,”

Tom J. Sanders, “The Relationship of Role Congruence

Americian Accounting Association, 2009 Annual Meeting, New York, New York

J. A. Connell and Ashley Phillips, “A Risk/Return

Comparison Between the Dow Jones Islamic Index and the Wilshire 5000 Index,” Society of Business, Industry, and Economics, 2009 Annual Meeting, Sandestin, Fla.

and Workforce Dynamics: A Contingency Model and Case Study,” Academic Business World International, 2009 Annual Conference, Nashville, Tenn.

Tom J. Sanders, “Staffing for Success: Handling Hiring

and Dismissal Legally and Ethically,” Alabama Society of Prosthetics and Orthotics, 2009 State Meeting, Clanton, Ala.

Business students listen as Tom J. Sanders, assistant professor of business, lectures in a newly renovated classroom in Morgan Hall.

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PATHWAYS TO DISCOVERY

FACULTY PROFILE

michele

BUNN Associate Professor of Business Michele D. Bunn’s research focuses on business-to-business (B2B) marketing, and she strives to tie her research to her teaching.

“I believe some of the best opportunities for our students are with B2B firms. The volume of business is much greater in B2B markets than it is in consumer markets, so there are more jobs in B2B. I, therefore, incorporate business research into my courses so students can learn about the many opportunities available to them,” Bunn said.

Ever-changing technology gives students access to unlimited information via the Internet, an idea that has changed Bunn’s view of the college professor. Her role has changed from what she calls the “conduit of information” to the “facilitator of transferable skills.” “The goal,” Bunn says, “is to equip students with a toolkit of skills that will continue to be useful and effective long after the next technological innovation shakes up the workplace.”

Bunn has developed a teaching tool called BuILDR, Business Information Literacy Data Resource, which teaches students where to find and how to use resources in addition to providing information about different industries and the markets and companies within them. In the program, students complete a series of ten assignments and write briefings about the results of their research. Bunn recently received a summer stipend from UM’s Academic

Development Committee to develop an instrument to assess information literacy competency both before and after the students utilize the BuILDR tool.

The development of the BuILDR tool has benefited Bunn’s own research, most recently in her study of how groups of organizations buy large-scale transportation safety systems that are shared across organizations. “In particular, I am now studying how a transportation department of a city may join with the police, fire and emergency response agencies to put in place a system to be better able to respond to a roadway crash or other serious accident. These systems are known as Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) and encompass a mix of technologies (especially sensors and wireless technology). Because of the multi-disciplinary nature of these systems, the relationships among the various ‘stakeholders’ are very important,” she said.

Bunn serves as a member of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Transportation Safety Advancement Group (TSAG), which requires her to travel to Washington, D.C., several times a year to participate in research and advise on technologies and stakeholder relationships for transportation safety. Her research has been published in the International Journal of Technology Marketing, the Journal of Relationship Marketing and Industrial Marketing Management.

MONTEVALLO RESEARCH

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Tom J. Sanders, “Organization and Management Theory

Revised: A Review and Synthesis of the Literature,” Doctor of Nursing Practice Program, Samford University, Birmingham, Ala.

Tom J. Sanders, “Where’s the Evidence in Scholarly

Journals? A Review of Publication Requirements for Practice Implications,” Academy of Management, 2009 Annual Meeting, Chicago, Ill.

Publications

Russia,” Journal of International Business and Economics, 9, 3, 130-137

A lexander I. M echitov, Helen M. Moshkovich, M arvin J. Narz and R ichard G. Rovelstad, “Adoption of Tax Return

E-filing by Individual Taxpayers: a Pilot Study,” Insights into a Changing World, Franklin Publishing, 2, 50-59

Helen M. Moshkovich, “Conceptual Model for Evaluating

Multiple Criteria Methods and Systems,” Review of Business Research, 4, 169-173, IABE

Nancy S. Bell and Tom J. Sanders, “The Shift from

Tom J. Sanders, “Co-alignment of Observed Versus Expected

Nancy S. Bell and Tom J. Sanders, Guest Essay: “Green

Tom J. Sanders, “Propositions for Investigating Adoption

Business for Profit to the Triple Bottom Line,” Global Business & Economics Anthology, 1, Business and Economics Society, Mar-09, 234-241 Business is Good Business,” Montevallo Today, University of Montevallo, Summer 2009, 23

M ichele D. Bunn, Faiza Azmi and Manuel Puentes,

“Stakeholder Perceptions and Implications for Technology Marketing in Multi-Sector Innovations: The Case of Intelligent Transportation,” International Journal of Technology Marketing, 4, 3-Feb, 129-148

M ichele D. Bunn, William Foxx and Valerie McCay,

“Outsourcing Services in the Healthcare Sector,” Journal of Medical Marketing, 9, 1, 41-55

M ichele D. Bunn and John D. Hansen, “Stakeholder

Relationship Management in Multi-Sector Innovations,” Journal of Relationship Marketing, 8, 3, 196-217

J. A. Connell and Ashley Phillips, “A Risk/Return

Comparison Between the Dow Jones Islamic Index and the Wilshire 5000 Index,” Insights to a Changing World, 2009, 2

Roderick M acPherson, A lexander I. M echitov and Helen M. Moshkovich, “An Assessment of IT Offshoring to Brazil,” Business Journal for Entrepreneurs, Franklin Publishing, 1, 97-104

A lexander I. Mechitov, “Assessment of IT Outsourcing to

Practices in an Organizational Change Initiative: A Qualitative Case Study,” Journal of Case Research in Business and Economics, Academic and Business Research Institute, 2, Fall 2009, 18-Jan and Diffusion of the Magnet Hospital Concept through the Lenses of Organization Theory,” Journal of Management and Marketing Research, Academic and Business Research Institute, 3, Fall 2009, 19-Jan

Tom J. Sanders, “Report: Research on the Early History of

Personnel Administration,” Networking, 2008-2009, Year-inReview, Stephens College of Business, 2009, 11-Oct

Grants Awarded A lexander M echitov, University of Montevallo Research

& Special Projects Grant for research on TODIM Decision Analysis Method at the IBMEC Business School in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, $1,500

Tom J. Sanders, University of Montevallo Research & Special Projects Grant for research on the Ordway Tead papers at the Kheel Archives at Carruthers Library of the School of Labor Relations at Cornell University in Ithica, NY, $1,200

Awards Tom J. Sanders, Best Presentation Award, Academic

Business World International 2009 Conference, Conference Presentation: “The Relationship of Role Congruence and Workforce Dynamics: A Contingency Model and Case Study”

College of Education

Faculty Endeavors

Presentations Jennifer A. L awley, Kristy T. Black, Priscilla Foster and Xia Chao, “Issues in Teacher Education: Inside and Outside the Classroom,” Mid-South Educational Researcher, 38th Annual Meeting Program, Baton Rouge, La. 10

PATHWAYS TO DISCOVERY

Jennifer A. L awley and A nna McEwan, “How to Develop

Civic-Minded Citizens in the Intermediate Grades,” Social Studies Council of Alabama, Fall Conference, Birmingham, Ala.

FACULTY PROFILE

jennifer

LAWLEY

Jennifer “Ji Ji” Lawley, assistant professor of elementary education, is committed to praxis-oriented research that will enhance the Teacher Education Program at UM. This year she worked collaboratively with a fifth-grade teacher at Montevallo Elementary School to engage students in a social studies inquiry project titled, “Developing Civic-Minded Citizens in the Intermediate Grades.”

A pre-survey was used to assess the students’ understanding of what it means to be civic-minded. Lawley then helped students research current needs in their community by reviewing city council meeting minutes on the City of Montevallo’s website. The class voted to participate in a project that would advance the city’s recycling efforts. Over the course of several weeks, the children gathered information from the mayor, a faculty member who coordinates the University’s recycling program, city council members, and the UM facilities manager.

Next, Lawley led the students in creating a survey that was distributed to all MES families. The survey solicited their opinions about and interest in a citywide recycling program.

The students worked in groups to tally the results of 324 surveys and to create spreadsheets and graphs to display their findings. They also created recycling posters that were

displayed throughout the city. Finally, the students were invited to present their research at a city council meeting.

A post-survey of the students’ knowledge indicated a significant increase in student understanding of what it means to be a civic-minded citizen. Although not measured, Lawley believes that the project positively impacted student interest in and enthusiasm for city government. Mayor Ben McCrory complimented the students’ efforts, saying that the city council had not received that much information on a single cause in six years. To honor the contributions of the fifth graders, the council contributed $500 to support the school’s recycling program. Currently, the city’s decision about community-wide recycling is an ongoing discussion.

Lawley was invited to present her project at the Alabama Council of Social Studies conference in Birmingham, and she recently submitted a manuscript for publication in Social Studies Research and Practice. She also presented a paper at the Mid-South Educational Research Association conference in Baton Rouge, LA. Lawley is currently completing her doctoral degree in elementary education at the University of Alabama, where her research is beginning to coalesce around factors that affect the relationship and communication between interns and their cooperating public school teachers.

UNIVERSITY OF MONTEVALLO

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College of Fine Arts Faculty Endeavors

Presentations Sally Bennett Bell, “The Dynamic Nature of

Narrative and Metaphor: A Case Study of Reframing Internal Conflict and Identity Transformation in Alcoholics Anonymous,” Southern States Communication Association, 78th Annual Southern States Communication Association Conference, Norfolk, Va.

David S. Callaghan, Miriam Mills, Anthony Abeson and Bill Esper, “Hybrid Approaches to Contemporary Actor Training,” Association for Theatre in Higher Education, Association for Theatre in Higher Education Annual National Conference, NYC

S herry G. Ford, “In Times of Conflict: Factors

Influencing Argumentation and Verbal Aggression,” Southern States Communication Association, Annual Conference, Norfolk, Va.

Sherry G. Ford and George S. Ford, “Economic

Misty Bennett, associate professor of art, explains a painting technique Benefits of the Internet: Does Internet Use to a student working at an easel in the newly renovated art facility, Improve the Mental Health of the Elderly?,” TPRC: Peterson Hall.

Telecommunications Policy Research Conference, Telecommunications Policy Research Conference’s R aymond R. Ozley, Joann Keyton and Ryan S. Bisel, 37th Research Conference on Communication, Information Recasting the Link Between Applied and Theory Research: and Internet Policy, Arlington, Va. Using Applied Findings to Advance Communication Theory Development, Communication Theory, International Emily Gill, Hair: Design Expo, USITT, National Conference, Communication Association, 19 146-160 Cinncinnati, Ohio

M in S. Lee, “Designing a Nutritional Packaging System

for End Stage Renal Disease Patients,” International Design Principles and Practices, The 3rd International Conference on Design Principles and Practices, Berlin, Germany

Publications Lori A rdovino, “Classic Solos for Winds” - Compact Disc Review, “The Clarinet,” March Issue

Sally B. Bell, S herry G. Ford and R aymond R. Ozley,

Guide to Communication at The University of Montevallo, (2nd ed.), Fountainhead Press

David S. Callaghan, Review of West Side Story at The Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Theatre Journal, Johns Hopkins Press, May-09

S herry G. Ford, Edited,“Retroactive Imagined Interactions, Compensation, and Bereavement,” Imagine That: Studies in Imagined Interaction, Hampton Press 12

PATHWAYS TO DISCOVERY

M in S. Lee, “Designing a Nutritional Packaging System

for End Stage Renal Disease Patients,” Design Principles and Practices: An International Journal, 3, 2, 381-386

Performances Lori A rdovino, Guest Artist, Clarinet Recital, collaborated with L aurie M iddaugh, piano, University of Oklahoma Clarinet Symposium, Norman, Okla.

Lori A rdovino, Guest Artist Clarinet Recital, collaborated with L aurie M iddaugh, piano, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, Ga.

Joseph P. A rdovino, Chad Bates, Skylar King, Lindsey

Folsom and James Vamce, UM Trumpet Ensemble, Western Carolina Trumpet Festival, Western Carolina University, Cullowhee, N. C.

Joseph P. A rdovino, Conducted All-State Blue Band, AllState Band Festival, Auburn University, Auburn, Ala.

FACULTY PROFILE

kelly

WACKER Kelly Wacker, associate professor of art, is an art historian specializing in the study of land and environmental art and whose teaching expertise spans the period of the Baroque through contemporary art. She has wide-ranging interests and is the editor and contributing author of an anthology, Baroque Tendencies in Contemporary Art. She has written essays on diverse topics including David Bowie’s reflections on postmodern contemporary art trends, geo-politics in the work of Mel Chin, and social and political issues reflected in contemporary wood sculpture in Zimbabwe.

“Having developed fully in the 19th century, art history as a field of study is one of the youngest disciplines within the humanities and it is highly interdisciplinary as it draws upon existing methods of inquiry. This aspect of art history has always appealed to me. In my research I seek to find connections, sometimes in seemingly unlikely places,” Wacker said.

As a specialist in the study of Land and Environmental Art, her research examines the transformation of the modernist movement from its inception in the 1960s and 70s, typified by massive earthworks emphasizing the role of the individual, into the ecological and social-activist art that is characteristic of the current period. “Massive earthworks projects found in remote places and intended for solitary viewing are no longer being constructed,” Wacker explains; “Artists increasingly are seeking ways to use their skills in complex problem-solving, communication and

design solutions to work within communities for social and environment benefit. Art that cleanses contaminated soil and water, promotes reduction of energy and natural resource consumption and that develops sustainable community gardens are just some of the types of artist-developed and driven projects that are increasingly a part of contemporary artistic practice.”

Wacker has strong personal interests in sustainability, conservation issues and bio-diversity. She is the curator of a photography exhibition, “Range, Furrow, Grove: Images of Florida Agriculture,” for the University of Florida held in conjunction with the Florida Food Summit. She is currently working on curating an exhibition focusing on artist-naturalists and continuing to study “eco-art” and the intersections of art and civic agriculture.

Wacker considers Montevallo an ideal location to continue her work. “I am fortunate to work with students, faculty, staff, and administrators who share my concerns and interests,” she said. “UM has recently implemented a recycling program, instituted a sustainability committee and has just implemented an interdisciplinary environmental studies minor. Wacker, who serves on the environmental studies faculty council, helped develop that program. A member of the UM faculty for the past nine years, Wacker was named 2009 University Scholar, the University’s most prestigious faculty award.

MONTEVALLO RESEARCH

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Joseph P. A rdovino and Craig Hultgren, Solo Cello,

conducted Red Mountain Chamber Orchestra, Cathedral of the Advent, City Stages, Birmingham, Ala.

Joseph P. A rdovino and UM Jazz Ensemble, directed UM Jazz Ensemble Concert, Cathedral of the Advent, City Stages, Birmingham, Ala.

William T. Clow, Scenic Design, Scene Painter, A Christmas Carol, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, La Crosse, Wis.

Jay L. Cofield, Zek Grayson, Dorothy Sherman, Cody

Roderick George, Principal Artist, Gérald in Delibes’

”Lakmé,” Union Avenue Opera Company, St. Louis, Mo.

Roderick George, Featured Soloist, American Spiritual

Ensemble, Asbury United Methodist Church, Washington, DC

Roderick George, Featured Soloist, American Spiritual Ensemble, Salisbury University, Salisbury, Md.

Roderick George, Featured Artist, American Spiritual Ensemble CD recording, titled The Spirit of the Holidays

Massey, Chazz McLemore, Hunter Tinsley, Max Greene, Tommy Smith, Jessica Lansford and Lindsay Creamer, “Mass Communication Becoming Commercial,” Webcast, TV

Roderick George, Guest Artist Recital, Brock Recital Hall,

Roderick George, Principal Artist, Sportin’ Life in

Annunciation Catholic Church, Columbus, Miss.

Gershwin’s “Porgy and Bess,” Opera Theater of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pa.

Roderick George, Guest Artist Recital and Masterclass, Jacksonville State University, Jacksonville, Ala.

Roderick George, Guest Artist Recital, Tennessee State University, Nashville, Tenn.

Roderick George, Faculty Solo Recital, University of Montevallo, Montevallo, Ala.

Roderick George, Guest Tenor Soloist, Mendelssohn’s “Elijah,” Jemison Concert Hall, Alys Stephens Center, Birmingham, Ala.

Samford University, Birmingham, Ala.

Roderick George, Guest Tenor Soloist, Handel’s “Messiah.”

M in S. Lee, “Peacock Symbols,” Art & Design: Some of Our Own, Foster Gallery, Haas Fine Arts Center, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, Eau Claire, Wis.

M in S. Lee, “Salon Des Refusés: An Exhibition of

Heartbreak,” Graphic Design, Rejected Work Gallery, AIGA Birmingham Chapter, Birmingham, Ala.

Grant Funded M in S. Lee, “The Skinny on Design Curriculum and

Strategies for Designing a Photo Kiosk Navigation System,” University of Montevallo Research and Special Projects Committee Grant, $2,364

Directing with his baton, Joseph Ardovino, professor of art, conducts students in concert in Palmer Hall.

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PATHWAYS TO DISCOVERY

FACULTY PROFILE

carey

HEATHERLY

Carey Heatherly serves UM’s Carmichael Library as assistant professor, reference librarian and archivist, working with students and faculty across academic disciplines while simultaneously engaging in his own research endeavors.

Heatherly has a B.A. in history from Samford University and a Master of Library and Information Studies degree from the University of Alabama. He is the first person to be solely responsible for the archives at UM. “As the archivist I often find myself working closely with students on projects highlighting some aspect of UM’s history.

Collaboration is at the center of what I do as an archivist,” Heatherly said. He described a recent project with Professor Ruth Truss’s introduction to public history course: “Working with her students was great, but I also got to work with Dr. Truss on designing a couple of the aspects of the class.”

Along with library faculty Patsy Sears and Amanda Melcher, Heatherly coordinated an event to honor professor emeritus Eugene B. Sledge, author of With the Old Breed: at Peleliu and Okinawa to coincide with HBO’s miniseries, “The Pacific,” based in part on Sledge’s book. With more than 200 attendees, the event promoted interaction among a wide variety of UM community members.

Heatherly authored a proposal for a preservation assistance grant and was awarded $6,000 from the National Endowment for the Humanities. “The grant allowed the library to hire a consultant to investigate and report on both

the short-term and long-range problems and solutions of our archive materials and our archive room. This report has allowed me to tackle many of our issues in a prioritized structure,” Heatherly said. He keeps his own notes about problems that arise in the archival process and how he ultimately solves them. “I hope to turn these notes into a best practices article because they offer unique insight into the creation process of an archive collection.”

Heatherly’s personal research interest is in Captain Henry Clay Reynolds, the first president of the Alabama Girls’ Industrial School (now the University of Montevallo). “I’ve traveled to the Alabama Department of Archives and History on several occasions to research Captain Reynolds. I’ve read his personal letters to his wife (written while serving in Fighting Joe Wheeler’s Confederate cavalry) and was able to copy some items that gave me a perspective of Reynolds as a citizen of Montevallo. In addition to being a businessman and the driving force behind Montevallo’s efforts to obtain the Girls’ Industrial School, Reynolds is linked to Booker T. Washington, Thomas Edison and Henry Ford,” Heatherly said.

He also continuously explores the history of the UM campus, with particular interest in its involvement in World Wars I and II. “In the coming months,” Heatherly said, “Dr. Clark Hultquist (UM professor of history) and I plan to work collaboratively on a photographic history book of Montevallo.”

MONTEVALLO RESEARCH

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Academic Initiatives

March 8, 2010 •Wills Master C lassroom

Session I: Ready, Steady, Action: Fashioning Self and Social Constructions Through Word, Image & Gesture

Chair: Stephanie Batkie

1. Sherry Ford (Coms) “Your Mama Wears Combat Boots!: The Influence of Temperance and Emotional

Intelligence on Communication During Interpersonal Conflict”

2. Michelle Duran (Art) “The Ideology of Identity: Imaging Sovereignty in the Reign of Giovanna I, 1343-82”

3. Kathy King (English) “Eliza Haywood (1693(?)-1756): A Life without Facts; Or, Sad Stories from the

Would-Be Biographer”

4. Karen Graffeo (Art) “re:re:re:fwd:fwd:Forward” Session II: New Millennial Strategies: The Art & Business of Pedagogy in Higher Education

Chair: Tom Sanders (Business)

1. Nancy Bell (Business) “New Challenges in Our Classrooms”

2. Alexander Mechitov (Business) “The Roles of Emerging Markets and Higher Education in the 21st Century”

3. Min Sun Lee (Art) “Strategies for Designing a Photo Kiosk Navigation System” Session III: The langue and parole of it: The Role of Language in the Contemporary Classroom and Social Practice

Chair: Mary Beth Armstrong (CSD)

1. Samantha Webb (English) “‘Food for Fickle Tastes’: Romanticism, Mass Culture, and the Consuming

Pleasures of Books”

2. Claire Edwards (CSD) “Maternal Language & Literacy Practices & Toddlers’ Emergent Literacy Skills”

3. Stephanie Puleo (Counseling) “From Haiti to Huntsville: What to expect and how to help in the aftermath of crisis.”

4. Stacey Ayotte (French) “’Mashups’ and the Foreign Language Classroom” 16

PATHWAYS TO DISCOVERY

Faculty R esearch Symposium

Session IV: Yes, Virginia, There is a Universe: Explorations in the Art of Science

Chair: Michael Patton

1. Cindy Tidwell (Chemistry) “Porphyrin Synthesis and Characterization at UM”

2. Melanie Styers (Biology) “Going Postal: Explorations in Protein Trafficking”

3. John Herron (Mathematics) “The Invariant Subspace Problem and the Theory of Spectral Radius Algebras”

4. Kelly Wacker (Art) “The Great Divide: Contemporary Artists Working Between Culture and Nature” Session V: Lost or Hidden Treasure?: The Importance of Documenting Our Cultural Past

Chair: Carey Heatherly (Library)

1. John Bawden (History) “Interested Observers: Military science in Chile, 1945-1980”

2. Leonor Vazquez-Gonzalez “Destruction and Annihilation of Guatemalan Indigenous Culture in El Tiempo

(Spanish) principia en Xibalba de Luis de Lion”

3. Jim Day (History) “’Diamonds in the Rough’: A History of Alabama’s Cahaba Coal Field”

4. Kathleen Lowe (Library) “Dr. John R. Steelman: Alabama College Professor and Secret Investigator of

Mob Violence for the Commission on Interracial Cooperation” Session VI: The Art of Art: Thinking About Form and Content in the Work of Contemporary Alabama

Chair and Respondent: Graeme Harper (Vacca Chair)

1. Misty Bennett (Art) “Works on paper: Consumer Highs”

2. Scott Stephens (Art) “Collaboration: Scott Stephens and Canadian artist Judy Major-Girardin at work

on new prints of Ebenezer Swamp.”

3. Collin Williams (Art) “Works on paper: Distortion, Deception and Protection”

4. Scott Meyer (Art) “Readings from With Fire, The Uncommon Journey of Richard Hirsch” UNIVERSITY OF MONTEVALLO

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Meeting

Minds A Celebration of Academic and Creative Excellence

Presenters (Faculty Advisers) Title

ART Mercedes Jones (M. Duran) Living Gods, Living Ritual: The Role of Candomblé in Brazilian National Art & Identity Oriana Padron (K. Graffeo) Intimacy: From Me to You

BIOLOGY, CHEMISTRY, MATHEMATICS A mbree Gober (M. Styers) Characterization

of Membrane Trafficking in Schizosaccharomyces Pombe Alisha Schmitt (M. Styers) Characterization of Membrane Trafficking in Schizosaccharomyces Pombe Alisha Schmitt (K. Hope & S. Bellis) Detection of Mesenchymal Stem Cell Proliferation on Electrospun ThreeDimensional Nanofibrous Scaffolds

BUSINESS Wes Archer (J. Connell) The Net Thirty

Credit Solution: A Teaching Case on Accounts Receivable Danielle Barnes (J. Connell) A Penny Saved is a Penny Earned: A Case Study on the Time Value of Money Jordan Barrios (J. Connell) The Net Thirty Credit Solution: A Teaching Case on Accounts Receivable Patrick Batey (J. Connell) UM Football--Is it Worth It?: A Case Study in Cost Benefit Analysis Brian Baulch (J. Connell) You’ve Won the Lottery, Now What?: A Case Study in the

Time Value of Money R achel Brown (J. Connell) UM Football--Is it Worth It?: A Case Study in Cost Benefit Analysis Tripp Cash (J. Connell) The Net Thirty Credit Solution: A Teaching Case on Accounts Receivable Jason Elrod (J. Connell) The Net Thirty Credit Solution: A Teaching Case on Accounts Receivable Ritchie Franklin (J. Connell) A Penny Saved is a Penny Earned: A Case Study on the Time Value of Money Kevin Garcia (J. Connell) Where to Expand?: A Case Study in Capital Budgeting John Gothard (J. Connell) You’ve Won the Lottery, Now What?: A Case Study in the Time Value of Money M allory Grauel (J. Connell) Dreams Meet Reality: A Case Study in Financial Planning Colby Green (J. Connell) Dreams Meet Reality: A Case Study in Financial Planning Brooke Grissom (J. Connell) Dreams Meet Reality: A Case Study in Financial Planning Justin Headley (J. Connell) You’ve Won the Lottery, Now What?: A Case Study in the Time Value of Money Renee Hope (J. Connell) A Penny Saved is a Penny Earned: A Case Study on the Time Value of Money M allory Keith (J. Connell) The Net Thirty Credit Solution: A Teaching Case on Accounts Receivable

Cindy King (J. Connell) Dreams Meet

Reality: A Case Study in Financial Planning Kelly L angele (J. Connell) UM Football--Is it Worth It?: A Case Study in Cost Benefit Analysis David McCord (J. Connell) Where to Expand?: A Case Study in Capital Budgeting A manda Minnifield (J. Connell) Where to Expand?: A Case Study in Capital Budgeting Jonathan McQueen (J. Connell) UM Football--Is it Worth It?: A Case Study in Cost Benefit Analysis Jonathan Moseley (J. Connell) UM Football--Is it Worth It?: A Case Study in Cost Benefit Analysis Jessica Parker (J. Connell) A Penny Saved is a Penny Earned: A Case Study on the Time Value of Money Joe Prokop (J. Connell) Where to Expand?: A Case Study in Capital Budgeting Michelle Schneider (J. Connell) Dreams Meet Reality: A Case Study in Financial Planning Brett Terry (J. Connell) The Net Thirty Credit Solution: A Teaching Case on Accounts Receivable Kelly Thomas (J. Connell) A Penny Saved is a Penny Earned: A Case Study on the Time Value of Money Casey Willis (J. Connell) Where to Expand?: A Case Study in Capital Budgeting Allison Wood (J. Connell) You’ve Won the Lottery, Now What?: A Case Study in the Time Value of Money

STUDENT RESEARCH COMMUNICATION SCIENCE AND DISORDERS Mya McGee (M. Salas-Provance) The

Effects of Dialect on the Everyday Lives of Alabamians

COMMUNICATION STUDIES Jessica Mitchell (S. Bell) Perpetuating

Feminist Stereotypes in Bitch Magazine: The Vixen vs. the Feminazi Jennifer Woodbery (S. Bell) Jenson vs.

Eveleth: A Look at Second Wave Feminism through Film

EDUCATION Will Davis (J. Moore) An Analysis of

Gender Differences and Performance in the Elementary School Classroom Heather Renea M artin (A. Rooker) Case Study Candyce Osburn (H. Cost) Identifying Preferred Modes of Communication Between Parents and their Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders Erica Russell (E. Thrower) The Role of Music Therapy: Rehabilitation of Verbal and Nonverbal Communication Skills of the Elderly

ENGLISH Shernita Little (P. Mahaffey) Transience and Racial Masking in New Orleans’ African American Poetry

HISTORY Jesse Cosper (C. Hultquist) Dressing the

French Revolution: Fashion’s Pivotal Role Dallas Hanbury (R. Truss) Southern Honor and the Brooks-Sumner Affair

Lynda Tidmore (C. Hultquist) Madame de Pompadour: More Than Just a Mistress

KINESIOLOGY Jennifer Zimmerman (C. Miller-Kirby)

Massage Therapy Improves Quality of Life: Why This Therapy Needs to be Incorporated in a Health and Wellness Program

MASS COMMUNICATION K alyn Wolfe (S. Thompson) You’ve Been Poked: Social Media and Authenticity

PSYCHOLOGY Megan Crisler (J. Burling & K. Gilbert)

Assessment of Stress and Coping in College Students: Does a Sense of Humor Help?

Allison M archase (J. Burling & K. Gilbert) Assessment of Stress and Coping in College Students: Does a Sense of Humor Help?

Nathaniel Douglas (J. Burling & K. Gilbert) Assessment of Stress and Coping in College Students: Does a Sense of Humor Help?

Ursula Nixon (J. Burling & K. Gilbert) Examining Test Anxiety in College Students: Does Motivation and Self Efficacy Matter?

Alexander Scott (J. Burling & K. Gilbert) Examining Test Anxiety in College Students: Does Motivation and Self Efficacy Matter?

POLITICAL SCIENCE Terry Hughston (C. Doerfler)

Demographics and Voting Patterns in Montevallo SGA Elections

SOCIOLOGY Carrie Robbins (S. Parker) Surveying the

National Conference Christoph Berentotto (R. Truss) The

Green Revolution: Its Socio-Economic And Environmental Effects In Mexico And India Jesse Cosper (C. Hultquist) Dressing the French Revolution: Fashion’s Pivotal Role Megan Crisler (J. Burling & K. Gilbert) Assessment of Stress and Coping in College Students: Does a Sense of Humor Help?

Allison M archase (J. Burling & K. Gilbert) Assessment of Stress and Coping in College Students: Does a Sense of Humor Help?

Nathaniel Douglas (J. Burling & K. Gilbert)

on

Educational Department at Lovelady Center

GRADUATE RESEARCH Beth Ansley (C. Bentley) A Research Study

on How Investigations and Everyday Math Promote of Foster Math Computational Fluency Leanne Craft (C. Bentley) A Research Study on How Investigations and Everyday Math Promote of Foster Math Computational Fluency Emily Heisler (C. Bentley) A Research Study on How Investigations and Everyday Math Promote of Foster Math Computational Fluency Carla Johnson (C. Bentley) A Research Study on How Investigations and Everyday Math Promote of Foster Math Computational Fluency Christopher Loftin (C. Bentley) The Factors Affecting Secondary Students’ Decision to Join Choir Emily McCaffety (P. Mahaffey) The Myths that are Better than History: Placage, Quadroon Balls, and Miscegenation in New Orleans Emily McCaffety (P. Mahaffey) The “Life” of the Author: Kurt Vonnegut’s Novelistic Surprises and Authorial Roles K aren Vann (C. Bentley) A Research Study on How Investigations and Everyday Math Promote of Foster Math Computational Fluency Cynthia Quinn White (G. Conway) In a Darkroom The Eye Begins to See: Writer’s Spaces of Composition and Development Teresa Whiting (G. Conway) Praise: A Vital Necessity in Teacher Responses to Student Writing

Undergraduate R esearch

Assessment of Stress and Coping in College Students: Does a Sense of Humor Help?

Gregory Dye (C. Tidwell) Examination of the Effectiveness of Environmentally Friendly Solvents in Porphyrin Metallation and Purification Processes Dallas Hanbury (R. Truss) Southern Honor and the Brooks-Sumner Affair Mercedes Jones (M. Duran) Living Gods, Living Ritual: The Role of Candomblé in Brazilian National Art & Identity Mya McGee (M. Salas-Provance) The Effects of Dialect on the Everyday Lives of

Alabamians

Ursula Nixon (J. Burling & K. Gilbert)

Examining Test Anxiety in College Students: Does Motivation and Self Efficacy Matter?

Alexander Scott (J. Burling & K. Gilbert) Examining Test Anxiety in College Students: Does Motivation and Self Efficacy Matter?

Jennifer Zimmerman (C. Miller-Kirby) Massage Therapy Improves Quality of Life: Why This Therapy Needs to be Incorporated in a Health and Wellness Program

GRADUATE STUDENT PROFILE

college of

ARTS & SCIENCES

Emily Bauer

McCaffety Graduate student Emily Bauer McCaffety, who is pursuing a Master of Arts degree in English, presented two papers at the UM Meeting of the Minds Symposium in March.

Her papers, “The Myths that are Better than the History: Placage, Quadroon Balls, and Miscegenation in New Orleans” and “The ‘Life’ of the Author: Kurt Vonnegut’s Novelistic Surprises and Authorial Roles,” were both inspired by classes she took at Montevallo. One was a literary history of New Orleans and the other was an introduction to the novels of Kurt Vonnegut. Associate Professor of English Paul Mahaffey taught both courses. “He has been a great inspiration and is the source of my interest in both African American and Southern literature, two areas that I hope to continue to study,” McCaffety said.

McCaffety attributes her passion for literature to her

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PATHWAYS TO DISCOVERY

grandmother, Sarah W. Vines. “She read to me endlessly as a small child, and often expressed her love for poetry, especially John Milton’s “On His Blindness.” She told me more than a few times that she wished she had been able to attend college and study literature, and I think she was pleased when I chose to do just that. She saw me earn my bachelor’s degree but has since passed away. She would have been thrilled to know I received the honor of being in this publication and, even more so, to see me graduate on the lawn at Flowerhill one more time.

After earning her master’s degree, McCaffety hopes to teach English in an adjunct position while pursuing a Ph.D. in English. “I would dearly love to have an opportunity to work in the English department at Montevallo eventually.

This school has held a large part in making me who I am today, and I hope to someday return the favor.”

GRADUATE STUDENT COLLABORATION

college of

EDUCATION

Elizabeth Ansley, Leanne Singleton Craft, Emily McR ae Heisler, Carla Kelly Johnson and K aren Vann Five Mt. Laurel Elementary School teachers decided together to pursue educational specialist degrees in teacher leadership, not only to further their own education but also to help their school. Elizabeth Ansley is a second grade teacher, Leanne Singleton Craft is the gifted resource teacher, Emily McRae Heisler teaches third grade, Carla Kelly Johnson teaches first grade and Karen Vann teaches kindergarten. These women conducted “A Research Study on How Investigations and Everyday Math Promote or Foster Math Computational Fluency,” which they presented at the Meeting of the Minds Symposium in March.

Heisler said, “We came to the University of Montevallo for the chance to work in a cohort with other members of our faculty. We liked the idea of learning from each other while helping our school.”

Craft explains the inspiration behind their study: “The topic of our research project came from our Continuous School Improvement Plan. Our math scores in addition and

subtraction had declined. Our objectives were to find out which of our two math programs promoted math fluency, if either, and to set a benchmark for each grade level in addition fluency.”

“We did not set out to prove how teacher pedagogy impacts student learning; however, that’s exactly what our research led us to discover,” Vann said. “Our research led us down paths of discovery that we had not even considered, for instance, realizing that math fluency benchmarks had not been set for our county and perhaps even the state.”

Johnson values the support she has received from Mt. Laurel Elementary and Shelby County Schools. She said, “(The administration is) constantly challenging me and all of our teachers to be better, innovative and more caring teachers.”

The UM faculty has played a part in the success of their research as well. “Dr. Courtney Bentley has been a positive influence in our research project as she exhibits great knowledge and enthusiasm for educational research,” Ansley said.

UNIVERSITY OF MONTEVALLO

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UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT PROFILES

Alisha Schmitt

College of Arts & Sciences Alisha Schmitt, a senior biology major, aspires to achieve a career in research and academia. “I would like to be thought of as a respectable member of the scientific community and a researcher who always holds discovery and scientific advancement as the deep-seated fundamentals in my career and love of science.”

Schmitt has conducted two biological studies in the labs of UM and UAB, which she has shared locally in addition to presenting at the COPLAC regional conference at the University of North Carolina at Asheville. Her studies are titled “Detection of Mesenchymal Stem Cell Proliferation on Electrospun Three-Dimensional Nanofibrous Scaffolds” and “Characterization of Membrane Trafficking in Schizosaccharomyces Pombe.”

“The professors at UM have expanded beyond measure my love and thirst for knowledge in science,” Schmitt said.” I would especially like to thank Dr. Scott Peterson and Dr. Melanie Styers for providing invaluable insight and supporting me in my decision to enter the field of biological research.”

Schmitt also attributes her passion for learning to her parents, Wayne and Carrie Schmitt. “When I didn’t know something, they would tell me to go find the answer myself. As I got older, my passion for learning grew, and so did my appreciation for my parents’ support of my educational endeavors.” Furthermore, as she contemplates graduate school, Schmitt appreciates the encouragement of her boyfriend, Chad Ezell. “He has encouraged me to follow my calling of research and has shown me that my love of science brings me great joy,” she said.

Steven Hallman

Stephens College of Business Senior management major Steven Hallman was awarded “Best Overall Research Project, 2009” for his study titled “Politico-Economic Bias Mapped to Myers Briggs Temperaments: How Type Factors Influence Policy Beliefs.”

Hallman says he’s been interested in personality type for several years.

“Specifically, I have thought about the reasons people think of economics as boring, how no one ever has their mind changed by political debate and the difficulties of teaching economics. I began thinking about what makes two people hear the same speaker and come away with different opinions.

I decided to see if there is an inherent bias rooted in personality type, and if identifying this can actually help in bridging communication on policy disagreements and teaching economics in ways that can appeal to people’s differing but valid values.”

Among Hallman’s influences are his UM professors. “Dr. Tom Sanders was a great educator and communicator, and his persistent attention to creating comprehensive functioning models of management relationships, and even soliciting student input in improving these, was inspiring. Dr. Harry Hamilton and Dr. Tracy Payne’s constant support, and ‘shoot for the moon’ encouragement was fundamental,” Hallman said.

Hallman is interested in a career as a business consultant. He says, “The combination of psychology, the melding of marketing and supply chain and the speed and flexibility of the digital age will all be 100 percent crucial to the next stage of American business, and anyone who doesn’t get that will be, not ‘may be,’ but will be left behind.”

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UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT PROFILES

Willie Davis III College of Education

Senior early childhood/elementary education major Willie Davis III was compelled to research gender differences in elementary school students when traits he observed in the field contradicted trends he’d heard about in the classroom.

Davis presented his research, “An Analysis of Gender Differences and Performances in the Elementary School Classroom,” at the Meeting of the Minds Research Symposium in March. It originated as a summer research project he conducted through the McNair Scholars Program and completed in July 2009. Davis went on to share his research at the COPLAC Regional Research Conference at the University of North Carolina at Asheville in November 2009. His article was published in the fall 2009 issue of Metamorphosis, the COPLAC Undergraduate Electronic Journal.

“As a future teacher, I believe that learning is a life-long process and that all teachers should model this trait to their students,” Davis said. As a senior in high school, he participated in an internship at an inner-city elementary school in Birmingham, an experience that inspired him to become a teacher. “I saw that there was a critical need for students to be exposed to positive male role models in elementary school.”

While he attributes all of his success to God, Davis says the two most influential people in his life are his mother, Constance Davis, and his faculty mentor, Jenifer Moore. “Dr. Moore has been a great role model to me. I have learned so much since working with her.”

Davis intends to pursue a Master of Science degree in Education and a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership.

Mercedes Jones College of Fine Arts

Mercedes Jones, a junior pursuing a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree with a concentration in drawing and a minor in art history, had the opportunity to spend six months studying in Brazil. That experience abroad heavily influenced her decision to research the Brazilian religion Candomblé and its impact on the country’s art. She presented her research, “Living Gods, Living Ritual: The Role of Candomblé in Brazilian National Art and Identity,” at the Meeting of the Minds Symposium in March and at the National Conference on Undergraduate Research in April.

While in Brazil, Jones was inspired by her visits to Salvador da Bahia and the Rubem Valentim exhibition at Pinacoteca do Estado in São Paulo. Ultimately, it is her art history professors at UM, who focus on the social and cultural implications of art, who challenged Jones to look more closely at art’s effect on society. She said, “They led me to look at the connection between Candomblé and its effect on the art being produced by Brazil.”

Jones, the daughter of Cherri and Reginald Jones, is from Guntersville. After completing her BFA, she hopes to pursue a Master of Fine Arts degree in art history or studio art. She is also interested in museum studies.

UNIVERSITY OF MONTEVALLO

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