First Monday AN UPDATE FROM THE PROVOST | February 2025

A Message from Interim Provost Chris Buddo

Interim Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs

With this first First Monday of the new semester, I am pleased to welcome everyone back to campus for Spring 2025. As both a faculty member and administrator, I have always embraced the reset opportunity that each new semester brings. It is a time to take stock of our work, refocus, or even chart new pathways. I hope that you will take full advantage of this regular rhythm of “reset” opportunities to reconnect to what brought you here and to renew your commitment to the excellence in teaching, research, creative activity, clinical work, and service that we strive to achieve every day.

There is no question that our shared work is happening in a higher education landscape that is changing at lightning speed. There are many unknowns and we, like you, are working hard to find answers for each new challenge. I believe those answers will come, but it will be important for us to keep the lines of communication and trust open as we face each new challenge together.

As we move forward in this dynamic environment, I would remind each of us that ECU’s guiding values of student success, regional transformation, and service remain unchanged. To that end, I encourage you to review the Chancellor’s message of January 31, 2025 that focuses on student success. The work in this space is our collective responsibility and every person on campus has a part to play.

So, take a minute to catch your breath enjoy reading about the great things happening on our campus, embrace the reset moment, and enjoy Spring 2025.

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BY THE NUMBERS

STUDENT ATHLETE PERFORMANCE SNAPSHOT - FALL 2024

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IPAR DATA BYTE

Did you know that each fall term ECU welcomes, on average, approximately 140 new EHRA Faculty employees (including permanent and temporary faculty)? Visit our Faculty dashboard to view more information about ECU’s faculty.

*Average excludes fall 2020 and 2021 due to impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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AROUND ACADEMIC AFFAIRS

An Award to Strengthen ECU’s Community, Capacity and Funding for Research that Addresses Health Disparities

A National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant to East Carolina University is enlisting the interdisciplinary talents of campus researchers —to improve and invigorate the university’s biomedical research capacity toward addressing health disparities. The two-year, $750,000+ grant funds a new project: Research-focused Assessment of Capacity, Institutional Needs and Growth strategies to Advance Health Equity and Address Disparities (ECU RACING-AHEAD). NIH recognizes that institutions like ECU play an important role in supporting scientific research, particularly on diseases or conditions that disproportionately impact certain groups that experience health disparities, such as underserved rural communities in eastern North Carolina.

“ECU faculty from various disciplines work to understand and reduce health disparities through basic, behavioral, clinical and population science research,” said Dr. Kathryn Verbanac, Professor of Surgery in the Brody School of Medicine and co-principal investigator alongside Dr. Ying Zhou, Associate Provost of Institutional Planning, Assessment and Research. “There is tremendous potential for more synergistic collaborations and shared strategic priorities to significantly increase our health disparities research awards and translate research advances into improvements in health outcomes.”

The project also aligns with ECU’s commitments to public service and regional transformation and calls upon the talents and experiences of an interdisciplinary team of coinvestigators from departments across campus:

• Dr. Jessica Cooke Bailey, BSOM
• Dr. Courtney Caiola, CON
• Dr. Lisa Campbell, HCAS
• Dr. Alice Richman, HHP
• Dr. Lauren Sastre, CAHS
• Dr. Rukiyah Van Dross, BSOM
• Dr. Wanda Wright, SODM
• Dr. Kristen Dreyfus, IPAR

The team is now undertaking a needs assessment to identify ECU’s institutional gaps in research capacity and is scheduling over a dozen focus groups and interviews. which will be followed by a campus-wide survey. They will also engage the non-academic community as partners throughout the project to reveal community-identified needs, inform prioritization of research areas and share lessons learned from community experiences. During the second year of the project, the team will develop an action plan, mapping faculty expertise across the university to identify research strengths and themes and guide strategic priorities.

This research is supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse and National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases under Award Number UC2DA062360. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

LEARNER OPERATIONS

Customer Relationship Management for Learner Success

In 2023, a workgroup was formed and charged with reviewing the Academic Affairs division’s utilization of IT systems and solutions that could inform an institutional approach to communicating with students post-enrollment. The workgroup gained an understanding of departmental needs, tools and systems used, and gaps in service through a series of meetings and a survey. Through that requirements gathering, for instance, the work group found there were significant unmet needs in Student Recruitment around data analysis to gauge effectiveness, in creating custom messaging and communication plans, in Student Engagement to track student interactions, in Reporting and Analytics across several capabilities, and with Alumni and Donor relations.

While the university utilizes Banner as our Entity Resource Planning (ERP) software for campus operations (e.g., student billing, course registration, etc.), no single platform exists to support other operational and strategically focused needs. This has led to software sprawl, a patchwork of dozens of disconnected niche systems, and the use of spreadsheets to manage core business needs causing a lack of insights, automation, and strategic use of university data.

The workgroup’s effort resulted in a formal collection of business requirements in key areas of focus, including Advising, Career Services, Cashier, Experiential Learning, Financial Aid, Graduate School, Registrar, Student Affairs, and Student Success, and a formal Request for Information (RFI) was issued by ECU’s Materials Management department in January 2024. Between February – June 2024, stakeholders from across the university were invited to review vendor responses and provide feedback on the technology solutions demonstrated. Ultimately, the CRM workgroup recommended Salesforce’s Education Cloud and Marketing Cloud as the platforms to enable a 360° view of ECU learners and to communicate with them.

Phase 1 of ECU’s Salesforce journey will begin in 2025 with implementing the Academic Advising and Experiential Learning capabilities, but Education Cloud can support a myriad of business capabilities across the university. In fall 2024, project sponsors and ITCS leadership worked closely with Salesforce Program Architects and stakeholders from across the campus to identify additional opportunities to strategically utilize Education Cloud. This work will inform a multi-phase product roadmap which will be used to guide ECU’s transformational experience. More information will be forthcoming on the product roadmap and on Phase 1 once it begins.

UNDERGRADUATE ADMISSIONS

Ryan Sullivan, technology support analyst, recently received a Treasured Pirate Award for 2024. Ryan is a dedicated member of the Undergraduate Admissions Team. He goes above and beyond on a daily basis to ensure that students have a great experience when they apply to ECU. Congratulations to Ryan on this well-deserved recognition!

The Carolinas Association of College Registrars & Admissions Officers recently named Lyndsey Turner, admissions counselor, as the recipient of the 2024 Myron Burney Rising Professional Award. The award was presented at the CACRAO Annual Conference on December 8, 2024. This award recognizes one person each year for their service to the organization. Lyndsey is the first-ever recipient from ECU. Congratulations Lyndsey and thank you for your dedication to the CACRAO and its mission!

STUDENT ACADEMIC SUCCESS SERVICES

Celebrating Excellence: Honoring Academic Achievement at the 2025 ECU Excels Celebration

The 2025 ECU Excels Celebration, held on Friday, January 24, honored first-semester freshmen and transfer students who achieved a GPA of 3.0 or higher during their first Fall semester. This event underscored the importance of academic excellence, bringing together students, faculty, academic advisors, and campus partners in a unified ceremony to celebrate their success.

With over 700 attendees, students had the opportunity to network with faculty and advisors while being recognized for their accomplishments. Honorees received an ECU Excels lapel pin and decal, and each college presented their Excels Scholars with unique gifts and photo opportunities.

By fostering a sense of community and belonging within Pirate Nation, the celebration highlighted the collaborative efforts of Academic Affairs and Student Affairs in supporting student success. Special thanks to everyone who contributed to making the 2025 ECU Excels Celebration a resounding success!

ECU CONNECT - Faculty Survey 2

The second ECU CONNECT faculty survey opens on February 3, focusing on establishing resource connections. While responding to one of the four semester surveys is convenient, instructors can always raise manual items for your students at any point during the Spring semester. Just go to ECU CONNECT to raise flags, referrals or kudos.

ECU CONNECT + Office of Faculty Excellence offer Spring ECU CONNECT Workshop Series

We’re excited to invite you to the upcoming Faculty Excellence Workshop Series focused on ECU CONNECT! These sessions will provide insight into leveraging ECU CONNECT to enhance student engagement and success. Thank you to the Office of Faculty Excellence for the opportunity to showcase ECU CONNECT! We appreciate the chance to share how this platform can enhance student engagement and success. Your support is invaluable as we work together to empower our faculty and students.

• February 3 - Empowering Academic Growth: The Impact of Grade Feedback and ECU CONNECT Support for Student Success
• March 10 - Navigating the Role of ECU CONNECT in Concerns about Student Progress: Identifying and Addressing Key Issues with Confidence
• April 7 - Data-Driven Success: Tailoring ECU CONNECT Insights for Impact from Classroom to Campus Leadership

To register for an upcoming workshop go to: https://ofe.ecu.edu/office-for-faculty-excellence/ofe-sessions/ecu_connect/.

TrACE: Celebrating Transfer Student Success

TrACE Student Isabela Estigoy serves as the lead stage manager for the new musical “Wild Heart” at ECU/Loessin Playhouse. Isabela, who transferred from Coastal Carolina Community College in the fall of 2023, is set to graduate in December and embark on a professional theatre career as a stage manager. Working on “Wild Heart” has been an incredibly exciting experience for Isabela, as the show is having its world premiere. This unique opportunity allows the team to collaborate directly with the playwright to bring the story of Joan of Arc to life, with no limitations on imagination or expectations. Isabela's role involves building schedules, notating actors' spacing, and leading production meetings. During performances, she coordinates light and sound cues, show starts and set changes. “Wild Heart” is a large-scale production with a big cast and numerous special features, such as turntables and projections, making Isabela's job both challenging and rewarding. The musical is set to premiere in February, and Isabela is ready to showcase her dedication and expertise.

OFFICE OF GLOBAL AFFAIRS

This semester the Office of Global Affairs welcomed 10 new students from Saudi Arabia to study Hospitality Management, more than doubling our enrollment of Saudi students. The students are sponsored by the Saudi Arabian Cultural Mission (SACM) which has elected to award scholarships to students studying at ECU’s program from numerous hospitality options around the country. The incoming international student class is the largest on record for a spring semester.

Global Affairs congratulates Sarah Maness, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Health Education and Promotion, for being selected for the Fulbright Specialist program. Sarah is currently completing her research project in Ecuador, where she is studying gun violence prevention and emergency preparedness.

Congratulations to Alessandro Didonna (ECU's Brody School of Medicine, Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology) for being selected by the Ministry of Science, Research, and Arts of Baden-Württemberg, Germany for a short-term travel grant to establish a new collaboration between ECU and researchers at the University of Tübingen.

OFFICE FOR FACULTY EXCELLENCE

ECU Faculty Resource Community

During the Fall 2024 semester, faculty from 5 different colleges at ECU participated in a Faculty Resource Community (FRC) facilitated by Travis Lewis (College of Education, pictured above). The FRC blends general resources from NCFDD with ECU-specific guidance and is a faculty support and development program where early career, full-time fixed-term and tenure-track faculty receive strategies and skills for academic success. The Fall 2024 cohort included Adrian Lennon (College of Nursing), Taylor Nelson Richardson (College of Nursing), Navid Bargrizan (College of Fine Arts and Communication), Connor Kasten (College of Business), Andy Bowman (College of Business), Sarah Maness (College of Health and Human Performance), Jessica Cooke Bailey (Brody School of Medicine), and Hanna Kassab (Thomas Harriot College of Arts and Sciences).

This spring, Jenna Lee (College of Business, pictured above, left) and Erin Kessel (College of Education, pictured above, right) will be expanding the program and facilitating two additional groups spanning from late-January through mid-April. In addition to receiving strategies and skills for academic success, faculty take part in group accountability check-ins and networking opportunities with mentors and other early career faculty across campus. The program was piloted by Eboni Baugh last year, and FRC participants commit several hours a week to complete all elements of the program. Faculty participating this spring include Alison Cox (College of Arts and Sciences), Danielle Dietz (College of Education), Monica Headen (College of Education), Cynthia Klaess (College of Nursing), Morteza Nazari Heris (College of Engineering and Technology), Lacey Rogers (Academic Library Services), Andrea Trejo (College of Health and Human Performance), Wesley Webber (College of Allied Health Sciences), Avian White (College of Health and Human Performance), and Chris Wolfe (College of Arts and Sciences).

Introduction to College Teaching Mini-Course

Anne Spuches, Harriot College Advancement Council Distinguished Professor in the Natural Sciences (pictured above), is facilitating a program that enables participants to take a fresh look at teaching in today’s college environment. This cohort of faculty have the opportunity to network with colleagues, explore their personal teaching styles and philosophies, examine the nature of students today, and brainstorm ideas for facilitating effective learning environments. Tristan Bench (College of Arts & Sciences), Kristen Daniel (Academic Library Services), Christopher Harrison (College of Arts & Sciences), Devlyn McCreight (College of Education), Mitzi Pestaner (College of Nursing), and Rachel Taylor (College of Allied Health Sciences) are among the participants selected for the Spring 2025 cohort.

Teaching Series Offerings

OFE Faculty Fellow Tim Madden (College of Business) is offering several sessions in the Teaching at ECU series. Register or join the sessions from the links provided below, or learn more about each session HERE. Tim is also available for individual follow-up consultations related to the content of his workshops. This spring the teaching series will include topics like course accessibility and engagement techniques, trauma-informed writing pedagogies, and more.

• Job Crafting in Academia: Class Assignments and Policies that Can Make Teaching More Fun – February 4, 2025 from 11:00-12:00 via Microsoft Teams – Register Here / Join Here
• Create Your Own High-Quality Video Presentations – March 24, 2025 from 3:00-4:00 via Microsoft Teams – Register Here / Join Here
• Create Your Own High-Quality Video Presentations – March 25, 2025 from 11:00-12:00 in Joyner 1001 – Register Here

OFFICE OF RESEARCH

ECU's Graduate School and Office of Research are excited to announce the annual Research and Creative Achievement Week (RCAW) will take place March 31-April 4, 2025. This year’s theme is Innovate - Create - Educate. The week will include in-person podium presentations, performances, showcases, and poster sessions. We'll also have virtual poster presentations featuring the research and creative activities of our undergraduate and graduate students and post-doctoral scholars from across campus.

Students should be working with faculty mentors to decide which projects to submit. Abstracts are being accepted through February 15, 2025. Abstracts can be submitted online at GO.ECU.EDU/RCAW.

Questions can be sent to the co-coordinators of RCAW. Graduate students should contact Dr. Kathleen Cox. Undergraduate students should contact Dr. Tuan Tran.

Make plans to attend the annual Research and Scholarship Awards on Tuesday, March 4 at 5:00PM at Harvey Hall. The celebration honors those who have gone above and beyond in research, creative activity, innovation, and engaged scholarship.

This year, we’re recognizing the following awardees:

• Lifetime Achievement - Dr. Joseph Houmard, Department of Kinesiology
• Five Year Recognition - Dr. Rachel Gittman, Department of Biology
• Scholarship of Engagement - Dr. Jeffrey McKinnon, Department of Biology

We’ll also celebrate our newest Trendsetters, research administration excellence, EOSA cohort, and inventors. Light foods and beverages will be served. Planning to attend? Please RSVP with Special Events.

Research Development Lunch-and-Learn Series: Research Communication

Join us for the next session in our lunch-and-learn series on Thursday, March 6, 12:00 - 1:30PM in the Grand Room at the Health Sciences Student Center. Participants will hear from communication experts at ECU and presentation topics will focus on crafting your research pitch for different audiences, with a focus on talking about your work to the general public. Presenters will include Dr. Pamela Hopkins, Director of ECU’s Center for Communication Excellence, researchers who have had success in translating their research to various audiences, and members from University Communications and ECU News Services. Lunch will be provided for the first 25 attendees.

Questions? Contact Dr. Mary Farwell, Assistant Vice Chancellor for Research Development.

Mid-career faculty program launches to catalyze interdisciplinary proposal submissions

The Mid-Career Opportunities for Research Expansion (MORE) program was developed by Office of Research’s faculty fellow Dr. Karen Litwa to support faculty who are interested in connecting with others to use their skills on interdisciplinary projects. Associate deans for research in each college and school nominated potential participants, and the program launched with its first session on January 24. Participants heard presentations from Dr. Litwa, Corporate and Foundation Relations Terah Archie and Katy Johnson, the Library’s Jeanne Hoover and Jamie Bloss, and Assistant Director of the University Writing Program Kerri Flinchbaugh. Following the program, participants networked with each other and Trendsetters at Coastal Fog. Participants will continue to work on proposals through writing groups starting in February.

Other mid-career faculty are welcome to join the writing groups. For this program, mid-career faculty are defined as individuals who have achieved tenure/associate status and do not plan to retire within the next five years. For more information on the program, please contact Dr. Litwa.

Click HERE to select your writing group time and location preferences.

Trendsetter Award Applications Accepted through Feb. 10

Recognizing the importance of highlighting faculty who are highly effective in their research and creative activity output, the Office of Research developed the Trendsetter Award to identify noteworthy scholars in three categories:

• Early Career Achievement, with 2-6 years of service
• Mid-Career Achievement, with 5-9 years of service
• Eminent Career Achievement, with 10 or more years of service

Applications are open for the 2025-2026 Trendsetter Award. All faculty (including clinical), regardless of tenure status, department, school and/or college and field of study are welcome to submit their nomination application, consisting of a current CV and Chair letter.

Applications are due by February 10, 2025. Awardees will be announced during the annual Research & Scholarship Award Ceremony in March.

Find more information and application submission material on our website.

SPARC Applications Due March 3

Applications are now available for the Sponsored Activities and Research Catalyst (SPARC) Program. Our office launched the SPARC program in an effort to support scholarly activities that lead to submission of competitive extramural proposals. This program will provide seed funding for projects to build the capacity to enhance and support proposal development and submission.

Proposals are due March 3, 2025. Applications must be submitted via Smartsheet. Submissions will be evaluated on the rubric by a panel of grant-experienced faculty from across the campus.

Additional program details can be found online at REDE.ECU.EDU/SPARC.

Questions? Contact Dr. Mary Farwell, Assistant Vice Chancellor for Research Development.

Register now for the Grants: Proposals, Processes and People series which will continue throughout the spring semester. This series of workshops will help you submit stronger grant applications and help you better progress through the proposal writing process.

Upcoming Workshops:

• Writing Data Management Plans, February 15
• Collaboration in Research, February 11
• Critical Friends Peer Review for Grant Writers, February 12
• IACUC: Overview of ECU Resources and Processes, February 13
• All About Effort: Proposing the appropriate amount of effort on a grant application, February 18
• Project Budget Building Fundamentals, February 24
• NIH-approved Generalist Repositories: Workshop on Open Science Framework & Dataverse, February 26
• Critical Friends: Peer Review Workshop for Grant Writers from the Health Sciences, March 19
• View from the Inside: Lessons from NIH Grant Reviewers, March 20

Register for these and more on the OFE website.

ECU Sophomore Receives Statewide Undergraduate Research Award

ECU sophomore and biochemistry major Ariana Collins recieved the 2024-25 George T. Barthalmus Undergraduate Research Award during the State of North Carolina Undergraduate Research & Creativity Symposium (SNCURCS) this December. She was one of only three students statewide to receive this honor, which promotes early involvement in research by providing financial support for sophomores to design and lead their own research projects.

Collins' research focuses on cryptochromes, proteins that help animals sense the Earth’s magnetic field for navigation. She is studying how proton movement within these proteins, triggered by light, causes structural changes that support biological signaling, and comparing these properties to proteins that regulate circadian rhythms.

Her work is part of Dr. Adam Offenbacher’s research program, which explores the role of quantum mechanical phenomena in biological functions. Collins is a member of ECU’s LSAMP cohort and conducts research in Offenbacher’s chemistry lab.

Collins’ research project will be featured at SNCURCS 2025.

OFFICE OF INNOVATION AND ENGAGEMENT

Applications for the SECU Public Fellows Internship (PFI) program are now available at GO.ECU.EDU/PFI.

PFI is a paid summer internship opportunity for undergraduate students focused on strengthening eastern North Carolina communities by placing talented students in professional environments. This program combines a traditional internship experience with the community-engaged mission of the university, partnering students with local government and nonprofit organizations to address identified priorities.

If you know a student who would be a good fit for this paid summer internship, please direct them to our website. Applications are due by March 10.

Innovator of the Month for February: Dr. Emily Yeager

The Innovator of the Month was established by the Office of Licensing and Commercialization to recognize faculty that have developed novel innovations that can have a major impact on eastern NC and beyond. Nominees are selected by members of the ECU Patent Committee, which chose Dr. Emily Yeager, Assistant Professor in the Department of Recreation Sciences and Interim Director of the Crisp Small Business Resource Center, for this month’s spotlight.

Yeager is the driving force behind the Blue Economy Corridor (BEC), which fosters collaboration and recognition among local communities, businesses, and policymakers to capitalize on the region’s coastal and waterway resources. As part of this work, Yeager and her team have received a certification trademark for the BEC to assist in mapping and identifying assets that contribute to the local blue economy.

Do you have an idea or innovation that can have impact? Contact us.

Purple & Gold Bus Tour, March 10-11

The 2025 Purple and Gold Bus Tour is setting sail across eastern North Carolina March 10-11. This unique experience allows participants to explore the culture, heritage, economy, and geography of the region, all while connecting with a diverse group of faculty, staff, and administrators from across the university. The goal is to foster collaborations that will spark mutually beneficial research, scholarship, and partnerships between ECU and the local communities, paving the way for long-lasting impact across eastern North Carolina.

Space is limited, but if you’re interested in attending, contact program manager Cassie Keel.

Continuing and Professional Education (CPE)

ECU’s Office of Continuing and Professional Education supports non-credit continuing education courses for university faculty and for industry partners. If you would like to offer non-credit continuing education courses, please contact our office to discuss options.

Featured CPE Programs:

• K-12 Educator Programs – Courses begin February 6 – View Programs
• 2025 ECU Spring Pharma Conference, June 3 & 4 – Register to attend (Starting February 21)

Lifelong Learning Program (LLP)

Open to those 18 and older, the Lifelong Learning Program offers affordable learning experiences in a relaxed atmosphere, without entrance requirements, exams, or grades. Our purpose is to connect, engage and inspire the eastern North Carolina community by providing stimulating presentations; enriching courses, workshops and lectures; special events; enjoyable trips; and more!

Registration is open for spring sessions, trips, and events. View the catalog and register online.

Featured LLP Offerings:

• Valentine’s Wine Tasting Event at Firefly Wine Shop – February 13
• Airlie Gardens Guided Walking Tour – March 7
• North Carolina Museum of Art, Special Exhibit: Artists Reframe the Black Figure – March 21
• Tour of the Coastal Studies Institute and Roanoke Island Maritime Shad Boat History – May 2

FACULTY SENATE

Remaining 2024 - 2025 Faculty Senate meeting dates are as follows:

• February 25, 2025
• March 25, 2025
• April 22, 2025
• April 29, 2025 (Organizational Meeting for 2025-2026)

For more about ECU Faculty Senate, click HERE.

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COLLEGE UPDATES

ALLIED HEALTH SCIENCES

One of our Masters of Occupational Therapy alums was recently profiled on the San Diego Voyager website, a site dedicated to finding ‘the amazing souls that breathe life into our communities.” Carly Castillo (’21) works for a state-funded early intervention occupational therapy program for kids three and younger.

Castillo said that her time at ECU was part of the training that helped her to overcome imposter syndrome and recognize the impact that occupational therapy can have on children and their families.

Kayla Campbell, a student in our Physician Assistant program, was recognized recently by the Palliative care team at ECU Health for her exemplary patient care during her rotation. Clinical rotations provide our students with invaluable real-world skills training that empowers them during their time at ECU and once they graduate and see their own patients.

Some of our Communications Sciences and Disorders faculty and students attended the The CARE Project 7th Annual Parent Professional Collaborative in Wrightsville Beach Jan. 17 and 18. The CARE Project is a non-profit organization based in North Carolina, and run by Pirate audiologist Johnnie Sexton, who has worked for decades to help children and families to deal with the challenges of hearing difficulties.

ARTS & SCIENCES

Dr. Rebecca Asch, Associate Professor in the Department of Biology, and Dr. Cynthia A. Grace-McCaskey, Associate Professor in the Department of Anthropology and research associate at the Coastal Studies Institute, are two of 22 women science leaders selected as 2024 NSF-EPF Ocean Decade Champions. Champions are awarded by the National Science Foundation in collaboration with the Every Page Foundation. Each champion is associated with a project funded by the NSF Coastlines and People program, which focuses on coastline and community research that integrates natural and social processes and creates new or adapts existing technologies to bolster coastal resilience. Find out more about these leaders.

Dr. Erin Clark, Associate Professor in the Department of English, has been selected by the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) as a recipient of the 2025 Conference on College Composition and Communication (CCCC) Outstanding Book Award in the Monograph Category and a 2025 CCCC Technical and Scientific Communication Award for her monography, “Feminist Technical Communication: Apparent Feminism, Slow Crisis, and the Deepwater Horizon Disaster.” Clark will receive both awards at an awards ceremony held during the CCCC annual convention in Baltimore, Maryland, in April. The CCCC is a constituent organization within the NCTE. For more information about the awards visit the CCCC website.

Dr. John Hoppenthaler, Professor in the Department of English, has been awarded a 2025 Artist Support Grant from the United Arts of Wake County. These grants support a broad range of talented artists in the disciplines of visual arts, performing arts, literary arts and interdisciplinary arts. They fund professional and artistic development for emerging and established artists to create work, improve their studio operations or bring their work to new audiences. Hoppenthaler’s award will subsidize a residency fellowship this summer. Learn more about the award at the United Arts of Wake County.

Caramia Landis, an undergraduate majoring in the Community and Regional Planning program and seeking a minor in geography, has received the 2024 Community Impact Student Award from the NC Campus Engagement. Landis was chosen as one of 16 recipients from campuses around the state. The award is presented to students who “demonstrate a deep commitment to addressing community issues and an outstanding ability to lead and inspire fellow students to engage.” Landis said civic engagement and service have been a huge part of her life since she was young. “My mother would take me with her to the voting booth. My sister would take me to lobby North Carolina Congress, advocating for change. Here at ECU, I’ve channeled my passions into making ECU a better place for all students.” At the award ceremony, Landis spoke about why civic engagement matters now more than ever. Harriot College is proud of Landis, and her service showcases how our majors #MakeAMajorDifference! Watch Landis’ video acceptance at the award ceremony. ECU’s BS in Community and Regional Planning is the first and oldest planning program in North Carolina. Additionally, it is one of only 16 undergraduate planning degree programs in the nation and the only undergraduate planning program in North Carolina accredited by the Planning Accreditation Board.

Harriot College faculty shared their expertise and broadened the minds of 300 young students during four days of “Meet-the-Scientist” events at ECU, showcasing how #HarriotCollegeWorks. The events were sponsored by the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences in Greenville and A Time for Science through their Lab R.A.T.S. (Research and Advancements in Technology and Science) program. Lab R.A.T.S. is an Office of Naval Research grant-funded initiative led by ECU principal investigator Dr. Cameron A. Schmidt, Assistant Professor in the Department of Biology, to promote early exposure to STEM for Pitt County middle school students, which includes a series of outreach events focusing on physics, engineering, computer science and mathematics. Chicod, Wellcome, Grifton, and Bethel seventh graders traveled to ECU before the holidays to meet the scientists, explore labs and participate in demonstrations or activities directed by the professors. Seen in this photo from Dr. Robert Hughes, Associate Professor in the Department of Chemistry, students learned about the science of chromatography and participated in an activity with food dye led by Hughes. “None of this would have been possible without you all, and we are grateful that you shared your expertise and time with us,” said Allison Dixon, Lab R.A.T.S. education coordinator and environmental educator. Harriot College faculty helping to #MakeAMajorDifference during the visits included Dr. Charlie Ewen (Anthropology); Drs. Rebecca Asch, Ariane Peralta, and Cameron Schmidt (Biology); Drs. Sambuddha Banerjee and Robert Hughes (Chemistry); Drs. Tisha Emerson and Lester Zeager (Economics); Dr. Eric Horsman (Geological Sciences); Mr. Jorge Montero-Vallejo (Mathematics); and Drs. Regina DeWitt, Xin-Hua Hu, Ziwei Lin, and Jeff Shinpaugh (Physics).

The Department of Psychology is thrilled to share that the Pediatric School Psychology concentration in the Health Psychology PhD program has been reaffirmed for accreditation through 2034 by the American Psychological Association (APA). The APA Commission on Accreditation is the primary programmatic accreditor in the United States for professional education and training in psychology. This recognition reflects the ECU psychology program’s continued excellence and commitment to upholding the Standards of Accreditation for Health Service Psychology. Congratulations to the faculty, staff and students who make this success possible.

BRODY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE

The 41st annual Dr. Andrew A. Best Senior Recognition Banquet honoring Dr. Andrew Best was held Saturday, Jan. 18. Dr. Best helped desegregate East Carolina College and Pitt County Memorial Hospital. His legacy of fairness, academic excellence and medical access was honored during the event, sponsored by members of the Brody School’s Student National Medical Association (SNMA).

The third Future Health Professionals Conference was held Nov. 23, when 100 students from 11 counties in central and eastern North Carolina made the trip to Greenville and the Health Sciences Campus of East Carolina University for the event hosted by ECU Health and the university. Students listened to medical professionals speak about their career arcs, then walked to nearby schools of medicine, dental medicine and nursing to tour facilities and experience hands-on curriculum at training stations and simulations.

Donors and medical students gathered late last year during a scholarship luncheon, sharing their stories of supporting and receiving scholarships, respectively. The luncheon was a chance for donors and students to meet, network and hear each other’s stories. Last year, 71 unique scholarships were awarded to Brody medical school students resulting in 103 scholarship awards totaling over $706,000.

Dr. Thomas “Tom” Irons, a retired East Carolina University Brody School of Medicine professor whose lifetime commitment to rural health care earned him a place in the state of North Carolina’s Order of the Long Leaf Pine, was honored last month with the Spirit of Free and Charitable Clinics Award from the state association of the same name. Irons is revered for his enterprising work driving specialized care into unhoused populations, the underinsured and rural families. A pediatrician by training, Irons began educating future doctors at the Brody School of Medicine in 1981. He retired in 2022 as an associate vice chancellor for health sciences.

2024 was a year of expanded health care access to care for the people of eastern North Carolina. The Brody School of Medicine, ECU Health and ECU Health Physicians, welcomed many mission-driven providers committed to serving more patients and delivering care closer to home. During 2024, ECU Health added 198 new providers and added more than 900 new primary care appointments per week.

The classmates of Dr. Roger McMurray, a three-time ECU graduate and Brody School of Medicine alumnus who tragically passed away in 2023 after he stopped to help with a car accident and was struck by a passing vehicle, honored him by setting up a scholarship endowment in his memory. The scholarship will provide financial support to future medical students who demonstrate the same commitment to community and heart of service Dr. McMurray exhibited every day. This scholarship allows Dr. McMurray's legacy to live on at Brody by supporting deserving medical students.

Five PhDs, two DPHs, nine MPHs and 12 Ethnic & Rural Health Disparities certificates through the Brody School of Medicine were conferred during December’s ECU Commencement ceremonies. Congratulations to these talented graduates as they embark upon careers through which they can make a difference.

The Brody School of Medicine lends an expert to shed light on a new study about the harmful effects of lead in gasoline linking to mental health disorders. Dr. Mary Katerine Donovan, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology teaching instructor, shared her knowledge in a WITN-TV report recently, explaining how lead impacts the brain.

Congratulations to alumna and ECU Health family medicine physician Dr. Karen D. Coward, who delivered remarks in December at the one-year anniversary of the state expansion of Medicaid alongside then-NC Gov. Roy Cooper, N.C. Department of Health and Human Services’ Kody Kinsley and Brody School dean and ECU Health CEO Dr. Michael Waldrum. “Medical school at East Carolina University reinforced my desire to stay [and] serve this community. Eastern North Carolina is where my heart is, and being here allows me to live out my calling – caring for my neighbors regardless of their ability to pay,” Coward said.

BUSINESS

Congratulations to RMI students Kooper Ashmore and McKayla Knauss (pictured). Both were selected for the prestigious and very competitive WSIA (Wholesale & Specialty Insurance Association) summer internship program in 2025. Additionally, Raquan Stanley, Kadyn Pleasants, and Katelyn Batten are all May 2025 graduates who have already secured great jobs with Amwins. "I'm so proud of these students," said Dr. Brenda Wells.

Five College of Business Supply Chain majors attended the Specialty Tools & Fasteners Distributors Association (STAFDA) 2024 Annual Conference in Nashville, Tennessee, Nov. 9-12. The attendees were all supply chain management majors in the College of Business: Evan Lambert, Jaxon Rose, Rodney Bonilla, Reece Harvey and Kyle Hadley. More than 3,000 conference attendees gathered at the event. The students competed in the Supply Chain Challenge, finishing in the top 10. Students also participated in speed interviews with companies such as Diablo Tools, Diamond Products, DCI Global, & Drill American. In addition, the students were hosted for a Next-Generation luncheon, where they interacted with a panel of industry executives/owners. What did the students think of this opportunity? Read HERE for more to the story.

Thanks to the Blacksail Fund, 28 College of Business students representing the COB's American Marketing Association and the Dean's Student Leadership Council once again descended on New York City in the fall of '24 and gained valuable experiences to add to their career quiver. What happened on the trip? Read the A recap: COB's fall visit to NYC.

Opex University Day is an annual, alumni-driven event sponsored by Courtney Humphrey (BSBA '96 & MBA '98) and the company he founded, Opex Technologies, a technology advisory firm based in Raleigh. Initially, the event was structured so that students from ECU's College of Business and Elon University could hear from entrepreneurs and business leaders who spoke about career challenges and successes and shared their insights into what makes for a successful career. Now in its second year, Opex University Day, held in November, invited students from NC State to join the COB and Elon. New to this year's event was a panel of young alumni who also spoke of expectations and possibilities when starting a career. How did students receive the event? Find out by reading Alumnus designs event that brings together alumni with COB students.

The spring's successful TechSummit spurred an idea. The student-led event brought together 18 business and technology experts on ECU's campus who addressed technology trends, business strategies, leadership development, and what jobs look like today and tomorrow. About 250 students from the College of Engineering and Technology and the College of Business attended the summit. One of the event's organizers was Cole Miller, a COB double major (finance and accounting) and a fall '24 graduate. Upon meeting with COB finance majors Pierce Elwell and Gregory Sharafanski, the three borrowed from the TechSummit model and created the inaugural Finance Conference, or FinCon, held in November, an all-day event featuring mostly COB alumni and headlined by keynote speaker Kelly King, former CEO of BB&T. An opening fireside chat featuring IMB Power CFO Michael Howard kicked off the event. A fireside chat with Wells Fargo executive director Michael Crooke closed the events. What did King and Howard have to say? Check out First College of Business Finance Conference deemed a success.

The Crisp Small Business Resource Center co-developed and sponsored the SBA Town Hall in partnership with the Greenville ENC Alliance. Crisp Center Director Dr. Emily Yeager facilitated a panel on Pitt County small business resources with SBA Region IV Administrator Allen Thomas (BSBA '92), Pitt County Manager Janis Gallagher, and Greenville City Manager Michael Cowin (Accounting '95, MBA' 01).

David Loomis, a teaching instructor with COB's Department of Marketing and Supply Chain Management, has been named the interim director of the Professional Services and Executive Education Center in the COB's Office of Expert Services. He will lead the development and promotion of the College of Business's professional and executive development service offerings. Loomis will play a vital role in the college's mission of supporting regional transformation by developing programs and initiatives that leverage faculty and staff expertise in leadership development, employee skill building, organizational problem-solving, and workforce development across the region. As an instructor, Loomis specializes in delivering engaging and impactful instruction in foundational marketing principles, entrepreneurial marketing, and persuasive sales concepts. He is committed to creating a learning environment designed to help students and professionals achieve their academic and career goals.

DENTAL MEDICINE

The first ECU Smiles for Veterans event held in Ross Hall was a resounding success in December, with 26 area veterans receiving close to $12,000 worth of care. Students, faculty, staff and community members volunteered during the event. The ECU Smiles for Veterans initiative began in 2018 at the school’s community service learning center (CSLC) in Sylva. Since then, the event has expanded to seven of the eight CSLCs across the state and provided $220,000 worth of care for more than 400 veterans. The program began in partnership with the Veteran Smiles Foundation and local veterans’ organizations and has expanded to be sponsored by other supporters and groups over the years. The Ross Hall event was sponsored by the Service League of Greenville.

The Class of 2027 surprised faculty members Dr. Paul Lindauer and Dr. Maggie Pafford with a request to be their coaters during the class’s White Coat Ceremony slated for February. They said yes! The “ask” is one of the most beloved School of Dental Medicine traditions, when the D2 class plans a unique way to ask their two chosen faculty members serve as their coaters.

During the ECU- and ECU Health-sponsored Future Professionals Conference last fall, Dr. Scarlett Walston led a video lecture on the anatomy of the mouth for prospective health sciences students from across the region. “I knew I wanted to be a dentist from about 10 years old, but I didn’t get to do anything like this, and no one in my family was in the medical or dental field,” said Walston, a clinical assistant professor in the School of Dental Medicine. “I think it’s really cool just for them to be able just to explore. Maybe one of them falls in love with dentistry, and maybe we’ll see them in the application cycle in a few years.”

The school received two significant gifts recently to support patients in Greenville, Ahoskie and beyond. The Service League of Greenville established the Laughinghouse Patient Care Fund in the School of Dental Medicine in 2023 to support dental care needs for Pitt County residents. The recent gift invests an additional $20,000 into the Laughinghouse Fund and directed $5,000 for the Ross Hall ECU Smiles for Veterans event. A first-time $39,000 gift from the Roanoke Chowan Foundation — through the ECU Health Foundation — has allowed the school to secure equipment and resources to offer moderate sedation at the Ahoskie CSLC. Additionally, funds will be used to purchase a new Primescan Connect camera, which will update digital dentistry capabilities, and for nitrous carts, to help with care for pediatric patients.

In January, the school hosted a remote research seminar as part of Development of Opportunities for Research at Dental Schools (DOOR), a collaboration with the University of Florida School of Dentistry through the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Second-year dental students, residents and faculty in Ross Hall and at some of the school's community service learning centers, as well as colleagues from the University of Florida, tuned in for a presentation on “Literature Reviews and Their Importance” by Rachel Priesman Marquez, liaison librarian with Laupus Health Sciences Library. In 2023, the ECU School of Dental Medicine and the University of Florida College of Dentistry received a five-year, $3.7 million grant from the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) to establish an academic multidisciplinary practice-based research network within and between their respective dental schools.

Last month, the school’s Office of Student Affairs hosted Your Profession Starts Here, a traditional event that welcomes students who have been invited to join the Class of 2029 at the ECU School of Dental Medicine. Students and their families spent last Friday afternoon hearing from current students, faculty and staff, learning from a student panel discussion, touring Ross Hall and mingling during the closing reception. We enjoyed welcoming this talented group of potential students and their families.

Members of ECU's Board of Visitors recently toured Ross Hall, engaging with students, learning about educational and patient care technology and taking a closer look at the facility. Some of them visited with D1 students in the simulation lab, hearing about the students' curriculum and experience in dental school so far.

Dr. Raymond Cohlmia, executive director of the American Dental Association, recently visited the school and spoke to the Class of 2026 about the efforts and advocacy of the ADA — and what it means to be a professional. “The White Coat Ceremony is my favorite ceremony, because you make one of the biggest statements of your life when you don a white coat,” he told the students. “That statement is this: The lives that you serve many times are more important than your own. It means you pledge your life and soul to improve people's lives. When a person comes to you, they see a white coat as safety, as knowledge, as comfort and as help.”

Part of the strength of North Carolina's dental community comes from being there for colleagues and providing support when and where it's needed. The NC Caring Dental Professionals honored our dean, Dr. Greg Chadwick, alongside Dr. Ben Brown — two of its program's founding fathers — during its Board of Directors meeting in Mooresville in December. Dr. Chadwick and Dr. Brown were awarded the inaugural Chadwick-Brown Meritorious Service Award for their work in the NCCDP. The NCCDP assists licensed professionals who may be struggling with a substance use disorder, alcoholism or mental illnesses. Congratulations to Dr. Chadwick and Dr. Brown for this well-deserved honor in an important arena within the dental profession, community and state.

Members of the school's chapter of the Student National Dental Association recently attended fall meeting hosted by the Old North State Dental Society, where they networked, reconnected with alumni and old friends and learned about topics in dentistry. The school is home to many student organizations that are active in the community, across the state and beyond.

EDUCATION

Dr. Julie Stanley and Dr. Mary Huffman presented at the National Council for Social Studies Conference in Boston. There was standing room only for the presentation, “The Greatest Inquiry Investigations Ever Explored.”

Dr. Crystal Chambers was featured as part of a December Christian Science Monitor article on rural students and college choice.

Faculty have had several publications:

• In their latest article, Dr. Ran Hu and Dr. Xi Lin dive into the integration of ChatGPT into asynchronous online discussions in a graduate-level literacy course. Check out their article in the International Journal of Artificial Intelligence in Teaching and Learning.
• Dr. Mary Huffman’s newest article explores how exciting new strategies are redefining how we teach history. By combining STEM with social studies, elementary students can explore history using primary sources like photographs, maps, memoirs, and scientific data. Check out the entire article in the Oregon Journal of Social Studies.
• Dr. Matthew Militello recently published his 7th book “Leading and Learning Together: Cultivating School Change from Within.”
• Dr. Carrie Lee was the lead editor for a new book, “Promoting equity in approximations of practice for mathematics education.”

Dr. Rachelle Savitz served as the keynote speaker at the American Reading Forum Annual Conference this December, delivering a compelling presentation titled "Trauma-Sensitive Literacy Instruction: Supporting Student Learning and Instruction in ELA Classrooms." Drawing on insights from her work, Trauma-Sensitive Literacy Instruction: Building Student Resilience in English Language Arts Classrooms, Dr. Savitz explored how literacy instruction can be adapted to support students who have experienced trauma. Her session addressed the profound impact of adverse childhood experiences on students' cognitive, emotional, and academic development. Attendees gained practical strategies for creating safe, supportive learning environments, integrating trauma-sensitive approaches into ELA instruction, and fostering resilience through thoughtful literacy practices. With a hands-on component, participants left with actionable tools to promote both academic success and emotional growth in their classrooms. Savitz was recognized by the organization in 2018 with the Gary Moorman Early Career Literacy Award.

Dr. Rachelle Savitz and Dr. Christy Howard presented at the Literacy Research Association Conference and Dr. Savitz was recognized by the organization with an Outstanding Service Award for “Top Reviewer.”

AmeriCorps volunteers went to River Oak Assisted Living for the MLK Day of Service to enjoy bingo, smores, music and dancing with the residents. Thank you to Dr. Loni Crumb and Nichelle Shuck for their work with AmeriCorps and CARE Corps.

Dr. Rebecca Stallkamp was accepted as one of 20 Teach Access Fellow for 2025 from universities and colleges across the nation. The fellowship engages educators and administrators to create purposeful communities of action for teaching and advocating for accessibility.

Dr. Patricia Slagter van Tryon received the Association for Educational Communications and Technology Presidential Service Award.

ENGINEERING & TECHNOLOGY

Dr. Teresa Ryan begins 2025 as the new chair of the Department of Engineering. She had been serving previously as the department’s interim chair. Ryan graduated from Georgia Tech with a bachelor’s degree, worked in industry and taught in high school before getting advanced degrees and coming to ECU in 2013. She has served as the director of engineering research as well as an associate research scientist at the Coastal Studies Institute.

Dr. Ricky Castles, associate professor in the Department of Engineering, is the new interim associate dean for student affairs in the College of Engineering and Technology. In his new role, he will serve as the director of the college’s Student Success Center. With undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees from Virginia Tech, Castles started at ECU in 2010 and helped spearhead the PIRATES engineering scholars program.

The Center for Sustainable Energy and Environmental Engineering has received a grant from the Environmental Protection Agency to enhance sustainability and prevent pollution in North Carolina manufacturing facilities. The $652,664 grant will allow the center to provide technical assistance to businesses in and adjacent to communities with environmental justice concerns, according to the EPA. Read more HERE.

Dr. Amin Akhnoukh, professor in the Department of Construction Management, has published research that describes a more sustainable process to produce concrete. Working with Natrx, a Raleigh sustainable technologies company, Akhnoukh helped show how dredged river clay could result in stronger concrete that is friendlier to the environment. Read more HERE.

FINE ARTS & COMMUNICATION

Tansy OBryant, second-year MFA candidate and Ceramics Studio 1 instructor with the School of Art and Design, was selected as a finalist in the Manifest Gallery Season 21 Grand Jury Awards. Manifest is based in Cincinnati, Ohio. OBryant entered her painting, “Discovering Delicate Things With Claws,” into the TAPPED exhibition, which pairs the work of an artist with their current or former instructor. In OBryant’s case, that was ECU Associate Professor Beth Blake.

“My painting was done for her class, and came to fruition under her expertise and encouragement,” OBryant said. “I hope she feels this accomplishment is hers as much as it is mine.”

OBryant’s painting was exhibited with the six other top works from Dec. 13, 2024 to Jan. 10, 2025. Her piece was created using ink, watercolor, and colored pencils. It is about a young woman discovering the beauty and perils of her sexuality. The recognition places OBryant’s work among the highest-ranking pieces from an estimated 10,000 submissions across the gallery’s season. View all of the finalists and learn more on Manifest’s website.

CFAC was thrilled to host a variety of alumni in January, who shared their careers with our ECU community:

• Lisa Cordileone ’04 is an actor, writer, and producer, developing narrative TV and film inspired by true events into relatable stories focused on tech ethics. Joining us on Jan. 29, she hosted an interactive workshop for our students called “How-to-Multi-Hyphenate,” developing personalized strategies and tools to green-light their work as artists. They explored methods of developing an authentic voice, and give clarity to their creative visions. The workshop emphasized organization, prioritization, team building, financing, and deadlines, to empower students who have a story to tell with tools to build a business model around a creative idea, and execute from idea to screen.
• Tony Gentile ’04 is an independent filmmaker, editor, and director and runs production company Blue Water Post in Los Angeles. He co-directed the documentary film “Shaping the Future” about surfboard shaper Lance Collins and his impact on Southern California culture and his unique surfboard brand, Wave Tools. The film earned Best Action Sports Film at the 2024 Newport Beach Film Festival, and Gentile visited his hometown of Greenville to share his experiences with students on Jan. 23, and present an exclusive screening of the film on Jan. 24 at Golden Ticket Greenville.
• Anne Pärtna ’07 runs Blue Hen Pottery in Seagrove, N.C. with Adam Landman ’07, who is the project manager at STARworks NC, a nonprofit organization that promotes community and economic development by providing outstanding artistic educational programs in Star, N.C. Pärtna, who earned her MFA with a concentration in Ceramics from ECU, and is from Estonia, joined visiting scholars from the Estonian Academy of Arts to tour ECU’s School of Art and Design Ceramics facilities and spend time with our students. With funding in part by the Erasmus+ program, we welcomed Kaja Altvee, Kersti Laanmaa, Maria Elise Remme, and Christopher Siniväli.

The ECU Chamber Singers, the premiere vocal ensemble in the School of Music, has received an international jury invitation to compete in the 19th International Chamber Choir Competition Marktoberdorf 2025, in Marktoberdorf, Germany, June 6-10.

This is one of the most prestigious competitions for chamber choirs worldwide. It is intended to bring together choirs from all over the world on a globally excellent level, to provide them with the opportunity not only to compete with each other, but also to discuss choral literature from their individual countries, interpretation, styles, voice training, and techniques. The competition aims to be a forum for choirs from different countries to experience music as their common language.

GRADUATE SCHOOL

• 1/21/2025: Travel Funding for Graduate Students - Where to Refer Them for Resources
• 2/4/2025: Faculty Volunteering Opportunities with RCAW and how can faculty support RCAW?
• 2/11/2025: Incompletes, Withdrawals & Leaves of Absence - Helping students use them when needed
• 2/25/2025: Graduate Faculty Status - Updating the Process
• 4/8/2025: Update on Policy Revisions & More

ADA Accommodation: 252-737-1018 or ada-coordinator@ecu.edu.

• 1/23/2025: Tips and Tricks for being a Great Graduate Teaching Assistant
• 2/6/2025: Research & Creative Achievement Week (RCAW) - Questions & Answers about participating & submitting your proposal by the deadline of Feb. 15
• 2/13/2025: Getting Engaged with ECU activities, clubs & more!
• 3/27/2025: Thesis & Dissertation Submission & Graduation Details for Spring, Summer, or Fall 2025
• 4/10/2025: Campus Employment Options for Graduate Students
• 4/24/2025: Resume vs Curriculum Vita (CV) - Which One or Both?

ADA Accommodation: 252-737-1018 or ada-coordinator@ecu.edu. More information available at the Graduate School website.

HEALTH & HUMAN PERFORMANCE

The HHP Experience fall 2024 newsletter recapped the last semester and highlighted many accomplishments by students, faculty, staff and alumni from each of the HHP units.

Dr. Zac Domire, associate professor in the Department of Kinesiology and Performance Optimization Lab director, was nominated as co-chair of the American College of Sports Medicine Biomechanics Interest Group.

Dr. Tony Kulas served as award presenter for Dr. Tom Raedeke, who received an ECU Award for Achievement in International Research. Raedeke is a professor in the Department of Kinesiology who has received global recognition for research on athlete burnout assessment and its consequences.

Students Annelise Billings, Caroline Tumulty-Ollemar and Jadalee Eyma wrote an award-winning essay on a national level. Their group submission, representing the Department of Human Development and Family Science and the marriage and family therapy program, earned them first place in the ninth annual American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy Student Ethics Competition. Dr. Andy Brimhall was their faculty mentor.

Public health student Chloe Cannon (above, left) and Dr. Andrea Buenaño (above, right), an assistant professor and coordinator of the sport management undergraduate concentration in the Department of Recreation Sciences, represented HHP in January in Pirate Profiles with ECU News Services.

HHP dean Dr. Nicole Bromfield secured continued funding and is the ECU coordinator in a partnership with Arizona State University, offering an AmeriCorps opportunity to provide financial support for masters-level students. Five HHP students at ECU joined, each receiving a stipend/education allowance of $6,817 for their participation in the program. They joined a cohort of students from across the U.S., working closely with intimate partner violence experts to build capacity in local agencies to improve knowledge about domestic violence and the use of evidence-based interventions for survivors of domestic violence.

Dr. Christine Habeeb with the Department of Kinesiology and her colleagues, Drs. Sarah Stephen and Robert Eklund, were notified their article “Team Efficacy Profiles: Congruence Predicts Objective Performance of Athlete Pairs,” published in the Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, won the Excellence in Research Award that recognizes the most outstanding article in the 2024 annual volume of JSEP.

The first-ever ECU College of Health and Human Performance pickleball tournament, held Dec. 3, 2024, at Wimbledon Recreation Center, was a Sport and Community Development Lab event and the concluding practicum for sport management grad students Luke Stewart, Nick Trevino, Emma Brook and Erin Wool. They were charged to create an HHP faculty, staff and student pickleball club, intended to improve faculty, staff and student interactions through sport. Their faculty mentors were Drs. Stacy Warner, Melanie Sartore-Baldwin and Andrea Buenaño. Wool wrote in her reflection: “While working with Luke, Nick and Emma was easy, it showed me how important it is to have a positive relationship with your team members in order to achieve success. We had to delegate tasks, coordinate participants and manage responsibilities. We each had to learn when to take the lead and when it was time to step back.”

Dr. Eric Soule, associate professor in the Department of Health Education and Promotion, was interviewed by The National Desk. He discussed possible legislation that could make tobacco products less addictive.

Drop-off child care options at ECU can assist student-parents, faculty and staff, including evening drop-off care with the five-star Nancy Darden Child Development Center at the Rivers Building. Email docc@ecu.edu with questions or for more information.

HONORS

Fourth-year Brinkley-Lane Scholars visited New York City over MLK weekend. While there, they visited NYC staples such as Times Square, Grand Central Station, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, 5th Avenue, Rockefeller Center and Central Park. They also watched the Tony Award-winning musical, The Outsiders and met with local ECU alumni.

Dr. Diane Majewski, director of programming, received a 2024 Treasured Pirate Award. This award recognizes the exemplary efforts made by faculty and staff in one of the following categories: innovative spirit, engagement, servant leadership, student success, public service, or regional transformation.

At the end of the fall semester, our Art Makers had a small showcase for fellow students to see a sample of the portfolio they are creating during the year-long residency. Students will showcase their entire portfolio during a showcase this spring.

Honors student Peyton Disser presented her research at the Annual Neuroscience Symposium, where she was awarded the Dr. Larry Means Award for Best Undergraduate Poster.

Several December Honors College graduates received recognition as outstanding seniors/graduates in their home departments, including:

• Macy Sanderson, Exercise Physiology – Exercise as Medicine
• Camryn Landreth, Environmental Health
• Aaron Albrecht, Entrepreneurship
• Kylie Kresho, Fashion Merchandising and Consumer Studies

Brinkley-Lane Scholar Caramia Landis is the recipient of the 2024 Community Impact Student Award. She was chosen as 1 of 16 recipients from campuses around the state of North Carolina. This award is presented to students who "demonstrate a deep commitment to addressing community issues and an outstanding ability to lead and inspire fellow students to engage."

Honors student Kooper Ashmore was selected as a NextGen Scholarship recipient. This scholarship promotes higher education opportunities for students interested in careers within the risk management and insurance industry.

Several Honors College students had the chance to attend the Leo Jenkins Society luncheon which celebrates university donors, scholarship recipients, and members of the Jenkins family.

This December, Honors alumna and current communications specialist Kristen Martin graduated with her master’s in communication from ECU’s School of Communication.

INTEGRATED COASTAL PROGRAMS

Integrated Coastal Sciences (ICS) Ph.D. student Jaquelyn Moore is the most recent recipient of the ECU Coastal Studies Scholarship. The award supports students planning to spend at least one full semester at ECU’s Outer Banks Campus. While on campus in Spring 2025, Moore plans to assist with Semester Experience at the Coast classes as a guest lecturer and teaching assistant for her primary advisor, Dr. Mike Muglia (Coastal Studies), while also mentoring undergraduate students through internship opportunities. Additionally, she is participating in the Engagement and Outreach Scholars Academy (EOSA) as an NSF Research Traineeship (NRT) scholar in Spring 2025. Her research will focus on wave energy implementation in North Carolina, partnering with Jennette’s Pier to explore sustainable energy solutions. This project builds on her dissertation research, where she is developing an observation-based algorithm to characterize regional wave energy and conducting a cost-benefit analysis of deploying and maintaining wave energy converters.

ICS Ph.D. student Sam Farquhar was recently mentioned in an NPR article and commented on a future Marine Protected Area near the featured community in Madagascar.

Dr. David Griffith’s (Coastal Studies) latest article, “McGillis’s points: Commercial fishing narratives of knowledge and power in the Southern United States,” was recently published in Human Organization. The article demonstrates how small- and medium- scale commercial fisheries “can persist and offer viable livelihood alternatives during a time of increasing skepticism of neoliberal economic agendas and more severe effects of climate change.”

The Coastal Studies Institute will once again offer STEAM-focused summer camps with hands-on experiences and field trips around the Outer Banks. Each week of camp will feature a particular theme and will run Monday - Friday, 9:00AM - 3:30PM starting on June 9. Visit the camps website for more details including dates, themes, and age requirements. Registration is $400 and will open online on March 1.

JOYNER LIBRARY

Look back at all that was accomplished with the 2024 Academic Library Services Year in Review. This Year in Review provides the opportunity to celebrate accomplishments and reflect on the ways the library delivers on impact, while contributing to larger campus success and goals.

Kelly Spring, head of manuscripts and digital curation, and the documentary “We Can Do Better” were featured as the LSTA Spotlight in the latest Library Development Newsletter from the State Library of North Carolina.

StoryWalks in Greenville officially opened January 18 with a celebration and ribbon-cutting at Wildwood Park. Laura Bright and Eryn Staib represent ECU Libraries as project co-principal investigators, with support by grant funds from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, under the provision of the federal Library Services and Technology Act as administered by the State Library of North Carolina. Stories will rotate seasonally at Wildwood Park and Greensprings Park, promoting literacy, physical activity and children’s reading.

First-year and student transitions librarian Walter Lanham was nominated by a student as an influential figure in their success at ECU. Lanham’s nomination and role in support and guidance is part of the ECU Excels program and celebration that recognizes first-semester freshmen and transfer students who earned a GPA of 3.0 or higher in their first fall semester.

The Friends of Joyner Library publishing and writer’s workshop is Feb. 21 from 9:00AM - 12:30PM in the main campus library, providing writers the opportunity to network with others, meet publishers and hear from experts sharing traditional and nontraditional paths to publication. A focus will be on creativity in writing memoirs and helpful information will be shared by experts in the field. Visit the site to register and learn more.

A recording of the Nooherooka 3000 Wampum Belt Exhibit talk from November 2024 is available to view at digital.lib.ecu.edu/90750. David Locklear spoke about the importance of wampum belts to his North Carolina community. Also, Joey Crutchfield discussed the importance of powwows to indigenous communities in North Carolina and Virginia, and ECU graduate student Travis Dunn discussed his digital humanities project, South Atlantic Powwow Archive, he created for a public history class.

Led by William Gee, Arwen Parris and James Stroud with ECU interlibrary loan, plus ILL student employees, the ILL team was recognized again by OCLC for delivering exceptional service. This kept ECU as a member in OCLC’s Express Delivery program. OCLC is a global organization that provides shared technology services, original research and community programs for its membership and library communities.

The 17th annual School of Art and Design Graduate Student Art Exhibition is on display in the Janice Hardison Faulkner Gallery on the second floor of the library. A reception and awards ceremony is planned for Feb. 20 at 4:00PM and open to all guests to attend. The participating artists are: William Aley, Katelyn Davis, Paul Edwards, Denton Fae, Heather Fraccalvieri, Sam Gorritz, Austin Irby, Rachael Lowman, Ryan McDowell, Haley McElroy, Tansy O’Bryant, Narges Sedaghat, Ada Smolen Morton, Autumn Standbridge and Savannah Willis.

LAUPUS HEALTH SCIENCES LIBRARY

Laupus will host its annual Love Data Week, Feb. 17–21. Love Data Week is an international event intended to engage researchers in dialogues around issues and methods in data creation, analysis, and visualization. As federal and foundation funders increase their focus on rigor and reproducibility, conversations about data are more important than ever.

Nine sessions will be in-person in the Evelyn Fike Laupus Gallery, 4th Floor Laupus Library and live streamed on Panopto or Webex. Several virtual training sessions will be delivered virtually: Basic REDCap, Intermediate REDCap, and Qualtrics. All sessions are open to ECU Faculty, Staff, and Students. More information and livestream links are available here: https://hsl.ecu.edu/2025/01/16/love-data-week-2025/.

Join us for a Medical History Interest Group lecture on Feb. 10 in the Evelyn Fike Laupus gallery, “Entering a White Profession: African American Physicians in the Late 19th and Early 20th Centuries.” The lecture will be presented by Todd L. Savitt, PhD, a historian who has written extensively on African American medical history, including topics such as slave health, black medical schools, sickle cell disease and black physicians. He has taught for the past 42 years at the Brody School of Medicine, where he also served as assistant dean of diversity for four years. He has also chaired the History of Medicine Grants Panel for the National Library of Medicine of the National Institutes of Health and served as Secretary/Treasurer of the American Association for the History of Medicine.

Tyrell Darrell Wilson, graduate student in the College of Education’s Library Science program, is a current student employee in the History Collections department and talks about why working in library archives has provided him with goals for his future career. Laupus loves providing opportunities for ECU students and building foundations for their future success. Read more on Ty, HERE.

NURSING

A group of midwifery students recently took part in a hands-on training program to help them learn how to support patients going through the heartbreaking experience of miscarriage. A training program, developed by Dr. Madeline Fernandez in collaboration with Dr. Alison Swift, midwifery faculty, several ECU graduate research assistants (GRAs), and our community partner Hope In The Waiting, focused on the emotional and mental health needs of patients. These topics aren’t usually a significant part of midwifery and women’s health education, but they are essential for teaching students how to provide compassionate care.

The program included 10 online learning modules, a case study, and two types of simulations. In the first simulation, students practiced talking with patient actors in real-life scenarios to build confidence in having difficult conversations. In the second simulation, students worked through the same scenario using a virtual simulation. This version puts students in a first-person view, allowing them to make choices about how to respond to the patient actor. Each choice led to a short video showing the outcome and immediate feedback on whether their response was helpful to the patient or not.

Drs. Fernandez and Swift are studying whether this training improves students’ skills, confidence, and knowledge when handling these difficult situations. They are also comparing how students respond to the face-to-face simulation versus the virtual one to see which method works better. Student feedback so far has been very positive, and the team plans to use insights from this first group to make the training even better for future students.

Our midwifery program is embracing an innovative educational practice to enhance learning and professional development: student reflection circles. These gatherings foster a supportive environment where students reflect on their experiences, share challenges and triumphs, and connect deeply with one another.

This initiative is part of clinical instructor Belinda Lashea's doctoral work, which explores the role of reflective practices in cultivating cultural humility and advancing midwifery education. As a part-time faculty member in the program, Lashea facilitates both virtual and in-person reflection circles, introducing students to reflection as a vital tool for survival in both midwifery school and practice. The journey begins during the midwifery immersion, where students are first introduced to the Bass Model of Holistic Reflection. Through virtual groups and reflective writing assignments, students practice and refine this skill throughout the program.

This innovative practice underscores the program's commitment to creating reflective, culturally humble, and resilient practitioners who are well-prepared to meet the challenges of modern maternity care. The warmth of the fire mirrors the connections forged among peers, reminding all participants of the vital role of community in midwifery practice.

A new pathway for Army Special Forces Medical Sergeants, Special Operations Independent Duty Corpsmen and other qualified Special Operations Medics to attain a bachelor's degree in nursing (BSN) was recently announced. The goal is to provide highly training military medics with an opportunity to transfer their education and experience to post-military care.

The application window runs from March 15 through June 15 with the program's first cohort beginning the program in January 2026, with graduation in December 2026.

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