Provost’s Symposium welcomed W faculty for research presentations
Eleven Mississippi University for Women faculty members presented their research at the annual Provost’s Faculty Symposium on The W’s campus, Thursday, Nov. 5 in the Culinary Arts Institute event room.
“It’s a privilege to celebrate our faculty’s remarkable research at this annual event, bringing colleagues from across our academic programs together for an evening of energizing discovery and conversation,” said Dr. Kim Whitehead, interim provost and executive vice president for Academic Affairs.
Dr. Kelly Ballard, associate professor of education and chair of the Department of Education, and Dr. Hope Durst, assistant professor of education, kicked off the first session with a presentation titled, “Beyond the Spreadsheet: Turning Data into Decisions That Drive Enrollment.”
“This presentation explores how The W’s Department of Education used data to inform program improvements and targeted marketing, contributing to an almost 20% enrollment increase,” read the description of the presentation.
Rachel Damms, collections librarian and assistant professor, presented “Neo-Censorship by the Numbers: A Quantitative Collection Analysis of Censored Databases in an Academic Library.”
“In March of 2025, the Mississippi Library Commission announced the removal of two complimentary index databases from state consortium offerings. In this study, the authors use the context of censorship in higher education to quantify this loss,” Damms said in her description of the presentation.
Lisa Griffin, assistant Professor of nursing, gave a presentation titled, “The Hidden Curriculum of Nursing Education.”
“This presentation explores the hidden curriculum of nursing education, highlighting the unspoken expectations students must navigate to succeed in nursing school and transition into professional nursing practice,” Griffin said in the description.
Dr. Cecilia Brooks, associate professor of family science, and Dr. Andrew Pham, associate professor of psychology, closed out the first session with a presentation titled, “Trust Me, I’m an Influencer: Stealing Thunder and the Socialization of Young Adults.”
“Using a convenience sample of college students, we examined how an influencer’s deceptive actions affect likeability, integrity and trust in both the influencer and the company whose product they are promoting,” the duo said in the presentation description.
Thomas Haffey, visiting assistant professor of marketing and management, began the second session with his presentation, “Findings of ‘The Essential Role of Strategic Marketing for Student Recruitment in Higher Education.’”
“Findings will be discussed from the qualitative single case study that explored the strategic marketing challenges facing small regional public universities in the southeastern United States as they seek to recruit prospective students amid a shrinking pool of traditional college-aged applicants due to the enrollment cliff,” he said.
Next, Dr. Brooks and Dr. Michael Dodson, assistant professor of biology, presented, “Interdisciplinary Team Teaching: Science is for Everyone!”
“In Spring 2026, Biology and Family Science faculty offered a special topics course, Human Dimensions in Natural Sciences,” read the description. “… We will address the roadblocks students experienced during the project-based learning activity, the impact of guest speakers on the learning experience and career exploration and the development of a scientific professional identity through the ‘why do we science?’ perspective.”
The penultimate presentation was given by Amy Mobley, assistant professor of nursing. It was titled, “Exploring the Relationship Between Academic Buoyancy and Academic Success Among Undergraduate Nursing Students.”
“The doctoral dissertation investigated the relationship between academic buoyancy and academic success among undergraduate nursing students, guided by Jeffreys’ Nursing Universal Retention and Success (NURS) model,” she said in her description of the presentation.
The final presentation, , “Arab American Identity, Trauma and Nonlinear Storytelling in ‘Crescent’ by Diana Abu-Jaber,” was given by Dr. Entidhar Al-Rashid, assistant professor of English.
“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,” read 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.