Provost’s Symposium welcomes W faculty for research presentations
Eight Mississippi University for Women faculty members will present their research at the annual Provost’s Faculty Symposium on The W’s campus, Thursday, Nov. 6 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. in the Culinary Arts Institute event room.
“I am incredibly proud that The W is once again showcasing the groundbreaking, discipline-advancing research of our faculty,” said Dr. Scott Tollison, provost and executive VP for academic affairs. “The eight presentations selected for this year’s Symposium exemplify the real-world applications that enrich our classrooms and inspire our students every day.”
Thomas Haffey, instructor of marketing and management, will kick off the first session with a presentation titled, “The Essential Role of Strategic Marketing for Student Recruitment in Higher Education.”
“This in-progress project explores the essential role of strategic marketing in student recruitment at small regional public universities in the southeastern United States,” Haffey said in the description of his presentation.
Anita Pintado, access services librarian and assistant professor, will present “Building Career Readiness: Integrating NACE Competencies into the Library Student Experience.”
“In support of the (Quality Enhancement Plan), the Fant Memorial Library has incorporated the NACE Career Readiness Competencies into the Student Library Experience to intentionally connect on-the-job learning with professional skill development,” she said. “This presentation will share our model, outcomes and lessons learned to help other departments interested in developing their own competency-based approaches to hiring, training and supervising student workers.”
Dr. Jianwen Crump, assistant professor of Speech-Language Pathology, will give a presentation titled, “Beyond the Ear: Visualizing Speech Movements with Ultrasound Visual Feedback.”
“This presentation examines the integration of Ultrasound Visual Biofeedback (UVB) technology in the field of Speech-Language Pathology for assessment and treatment purposed of speech sound disorders,” Crump said in the description.
Michael Dodson will close out the first session with a presentation titled, “Ethnobotanical Educational Experiences and Their Effect on Plant Awareness Disparity.”
“Using a framework of posthumanism and critical plant studies, this qualitative and quantitative study explores the intersection of ethnobotanical and educational experiences that accompany the inquisitiveness of wondering how plants have been used historically, culturally, biologically and beyond,” Dodson said in the presentation description.
Dr. Renae Hopple, instructor of graduate nursing, will begin the second session with her presentation, “Hidden in Plain Sight.”
Her presentation will discuss how health care workers being on the front lines of the war on human trafficking. “I will share the results of my research, some statistics specific to human trafficking in Mississippi and a few engaging stories of human trafficking identification from my clinical practice,” she said.
Next, Dr. Entidhar Al-Rashid, assistant professor of English-world literature, will present, “Arab American Identity, Trauma and Nonlinear Storytelling in ‘Crescent’ by Diana Abu-Jaber.”
“This paper will examine Diana Abu-Jaber’s novel ‘Crescent’ to explore the representation of Arab American identity, trauma and nonlinear storytelling, with particular attention to the challenges of living between two worlds,” reads the description.
The penultimate presentation will be given by Dr. Kristy Alpe, associate professor of health care management/MIS. It is titled, “The Power of Communication During a Pandemic.”
The presentation encompasses Alpe’s research into the perceptions of university administrators and the influence Covid-19 has had on communication approaches.
The final presentation will be given by Dr. Kelly Ballard, associate professor of education, and Dr. Hope Durst, assistant professor of education. The two will present, “From Plans to Possibilities: Transforming Lesson Design Through AI-Integrated Practice at The W.”
“This research presentation will highlight the development of the AI-Integrated lesson planning and preparation process, the role of stakeholder collaboration in shaping its design and our ongoing data collection to evaluate its impact on planning quality, time efficiency and teacher candidate confidence,” reads the description.
The Provost’s Symposium began in 2014 as an opportunity for junior faculty to showcase their research. It has since expanded to include senior faculty as well. Faculty give their presentations in one of two sessions, and each session is followed by a 10-minute Q&A panel featuring the faculty from that session.