Fulbright Scholar and Fulbright Specialist
Two legal studies faculty members were selected to teach as part of the U.S. Department of State’s Fulbright Scholar Program. Joanne Katz, professor of legal studies, received a Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program award to Vietnam to teach mediation and restorative justice this fall. David Tushaus, professor of legal studies, was appointed as a Fulbright Specialist to assist the University of The Gambia Faculty of Law with its clinical legal program this past summer.
Katz is teaching at the School of Law at Foreign Trade University in Hanoi. A Missouri Western faculty member since 1991, she has conducted training and workshops, received grants and published on the subject of restorative justice across the globe for almost two decades.
Two professors awarded NSF Grants
Dr. Corey White, assistant professor of psychology received a $566,000 CAREER grant from the National Science Foundation and Dr. Julie Jedlicka, assistant professor of biology, and faculty colleagues at Humboldt State University in California were awarded a $249,424 NSF grant.
Dr. White’s project, “Validating and Applying a New Class of Drift-diffusion Models for Investigating Individual Differences in Executive Control,” will develop and test new mathematical models of executive function (thoughts, impulses, etc.) to provide new analytical tools for investigating individual differences in cognitive function.
The five-year grant will fund four $3,200 scholarships for undergraduate students each year and also provide funding for travel to professional conferences to report on their research.
Dr. Jedlicka and her colleagues will study the roles of birds, insects and climate change in the ecology of coffee production in Kenya. The grant, “Birds, Beans and Bugs: Modeling a Warming Climate’s Effect on the Natural Enemies Hypothesis,” will allow the researchers and students from each university to travel to Kenya for five weeks each year for the next three years.
Justin Ross, a Bachelor of General Studies student from St. Joseph, will travel to Kenya in December as part of the research project.
State Association honors social worker
Dr. Pam Clary, assistant professor of social work and director of the BSW program, was named Missouri Social Worker of the Year by the state chapter of the National Association of Social Workers.
The Social Worker of the Year Award honors a member of the NASW Missouri Chapter who exemplifies the best of the chapter’s mission through extraordinary and specific professional accomplishment in areas such as leadership, advocacy, adherence to the Code of Ethics and promotion of the profession.
Professor earns Distinguished Service Award
Marsha Dolan, professor and coordinator of the Health Information Management program, received the Distinguished Service Award from the Missouri Health Information Management Association during its annual meeting this past spring.
The Distinguished Service Award is MoHIMA’s highest honor. It is awarded to an individual whose record in the HIM field over many years is truly exceptional.
Dolan, at Missouri Western since 1995, served as the coordinator of the health information program since 1997. She retired this past summer.
Musician serves in Kazakhstan
Dr. Nathanael May, associate professor of music, travelled to Almaty, Kazakhstan for several events this past spring. He was a featured clinician for the five-day Central Asian Honors Music Festival, held at the Almaty International School, where he presented a series of lectures, workshops, lessons and a recital to high school students from the region.
He was also a guest lecturer at the Kurmangazy Kazakh National Conservatory, where he presented a solo recital of American music and gave a piano master class. At the Author School of Musician Jania Aubakirova, he served as a music education consultant. The school is a K-12 private school for gifted students with intensive music.
Mentor of the Year
Faculty athletics representative Dr. Regan Dodd was named 2017 MIAA Student Athlete Advisory Committee Mentor of the Year in June.
Dr. Dodd has served as Missouri Western’s representative since 2015, and is the second winner from Missouri Western to receive the award in the past three years. Dr. Brenda Blessing received the distinction in 2015. Dr. Dodd was nominated by members of the Missouri Western Student Athlete Advisory Committee board who noted her infectious positive attitude and complimented her tireless efforts in mentoring student athletes.