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Faculty/Staff Class Notes
Aleka Akoyunoglou Blackwell (English) published A Linguistic Guide to Sentence Structure in American English. The interactive ebook allows students to read the text of each chapter and engage with learning activities all within a single system. The text equips English teachers-in-training with grammatical knowledge and skills to instruct native and non-native English speakers of diverse linguistic backgrounds and levels of English mastery.
Claudia Barnett (English), pictured above, published Aristotle’s Wife: Six Short Plays About Women in Science. Each play in this collection explores an imagined moment in the life of a little-known scientist sidelined by gender. Six brilliant women—Pythias of Assos, Susanna Lister, Cecilia PayneGaposchkin, Lise Meitner, Esther Lederberg, and Barbara McClintock— vibrantly inhabit these pages (and stages) at points where their personal and professional selves intersect.
Laura Clippard (Honors advisor and undergraduate fellowships specialist) presented “Demystifying JET and MEXT: A Guide for New Advisors” at the National Association of Fellowships Advisors biennial conference in Washington, D.C.
The SEASECS has awarded Bridget Donnelly (English) the 2025 Martha F. Bowden Teaching Prize for Eighteenth-Century Studies. Her innovative course had students collaborate on a critical edition of The Abbey of Clugny, an 18th-century novel by Elizabeth Meeke. Developed with the help of four students funded through MTSU’s Undergraduate Research Experience and Creative Activity (URECA) program—Brittany Eidemiller, Karsen Gray, Heather Sandefur, and Brynlee Wolfe—the project is set to be published in Routledge’s Chawton House Library: Women’s Novels series.
Ron Kates (English) was selected for the Faculty Student Success Award for 2025 from the College of Liberal Arts.
Robin E. Lee (Honors strategic communications specialist), pictured above, co-presented “Culture and Community in Harmony: Elevating Multiple Sources of Identity in Scholarship Personal Statements” at the annual National Collegiate Honors Council conference in Kansas City.
Collin McDonald (Aerospace), a former Buchanan Fellow, was awarded a Distinguished Instructor Award through the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association Foundation. He is also the 2025 recipient of the King Schools/National Association of Flight Instructors Flight Scholarship, providing him with $5,000 to further his flight instructor training and lifetime access to King Schools’ extensive course library and to Flight Instructor Refresher Courses.
Joan McRae (World Languages, Literatures, and Cultures) received two nationally recognized honors last fall. In early October, she landed a $121,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. The French language professor also received the National Online Teaching Award from the Distance Learning Special Interest Group of the American Council on Teaching of Foreign Languages.
Tom Neff (Video and Film Production), pictured above, completed a documentary titled Clemmie G.: Unfiltered about Clemmie Greenlee about her transformation from abused street addict to selfless champion of youths on the street and of mothers whose sons have been senselessly murdered by street violence. A preview screening took place at Nashville’s Belcourt Theatre.
Nancy Prescott (Honors student engagement coordinator) and Dianna Rust (University College) were presented with statewide Harold Love Outstanding Community Service Awards. Rust, with over 30 years of experience in higher education, is the coordinator for MTSU’s Integrated Studies and Professional Studies programs. Prescott has significantly promoted civic learning on campus.
In Memoriam
Kevin E. Smith an Honors faculty member and Anthropology professor, died at age 61 on March 14, 2025. Smith won many awards over his career, focusing on African and Native American archaeology and anthropology. He also co-authored a book, founded the electronic journal Tennessee Archaeology, served on the governor’s Archaeological Advisory Council and State Review Board, and published numerous peer-reviewed research papers. In 2017, Smith won the prestigious Career Achievement Award from MTSU for his work and service to the Blue Raider community. In 2024, the Southeastern Archaeology Association annual conference featured lectures on his work and presented him with a lifetime achievement award.
