Faculty Excellence Archive

July 2024

Dr. Jenny Mueller appeared as an interviewee in "A Bigger Table: 50 Years of the Chicago Poetry Center" a documentary directed by Moyo Abiona. The documentary explores the Chicago Poetry Center's history "from its roots as a platform for censored writers to its present-day mission as the organization continues to build a bigger table for poets in Chicago and beyond." Jenny attended the premiere of the documentary and its accompanying exhibition at the Poetry Foundation in Chicago on July 13, 2024.

Dr. Mueller also read her poetry and displayed a mixed media work at the Residency at the Farm in Argyle, Wisconsin. This public Residency Showcase event took place on June 16, 2024, at the Argyle Public Library.  A subsequent exhibition of work by 15 former artists from Residency at the Farm, including Jenny, runs through August 25 at the Blanchardville Public Library in Blanchardville, Wisconsin. 

 

 

June 2024

During 2023, McKendree University's Athletic Training Staff issued 200+ various Red Cross training certifications. This month the program was recognized with a certificate from the American Red Cross. The recognition "symbolizes the dedication and the patience it took to teach so many, the work that was put in to educating community members in lifesaving skills, and the extraordinary efforts at maintaining a training agency.  Not only has McKendree University made lifelong impacts on the individuals taught, but also, you’ve directly impacted the individuals those certified participants will encounter throughout the rest of their lives."

 

 

 

Dr. Kelly Stewart was the keynote speaker for The Greater Belleville Chamber of Commerce's 100th Anniversry Celebration. Dr. Stewart addressed the crowd about the Power of Positive Leadership. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dr. Tim Ros published an article, "Improving Critical Digital P ving Critical Digital Pedagogy" in the Online Journal for Workforce Education and Development. To access the article, please follow the link below: 

https://opensiuc.lib.siu.edu/ojwed/vol12/iss1/3/

 

 

 

 

Dr. Alan Alewine, associate provost and professor of mathematics, participated in a research study for the College Board. The study was conducted in an effort to ascertain whether the current exams align with college calculus curricula, which can vary across institutions.

 

 

 

May 2024

On May 22, Provost Tami Eggleston and the Office of Academic Affairs hosted the annual Academic Retreat, where faculty and staff gather to plan for the academic future of McKendree. This year's overall theme centered on retention and how the new retention plan runs parallel to the university's recently launched U.N.I.T.E.D Strategic Plan. At each retreat, attendees "travel" to fun locales or embark on an adventure (e.g. Disney World, Mardi Gras, or a treasure hunt). This year's retreat was "held" at a concert.

 

 

McKendree students and faculty presented research at the Midwestern Psychological Association’s Annual Convention on April 19th and 20th in Chicago, IL. Brynne Luebbers (Biopsychology, 24), Philipp Schmidt (Biopsychology, 24), and Mia Wylie (Psychology, 25) were coauthors on two posters with their research supervisor Dr. Guy Boysen. The first poster, entitled “Affordance Management Theory and Variations in Perceived Mental Illness Threat,” outlined variations in people’s beliefs about the threat associated with various types of mental illness. The results showed that perceptions of threat are specific to individual disorders and specific evolutionarily important goals such as physical safety and child protection. The second poster, entitled “Moral Injury Among College Teachers: Prevalence, Types, and Negative Effects,” reported on a national survey of college teachers’ experiences with work-related violations of their morals or ethics. The results showed that 67% of teachers had experienced such violations and that these moral injury events were associated with increased symptoms of posttraumatic stress. The students collaborated with Dr. Guy Boysen on the projects as part of a Psychology Research Practicum course. 

 

 

 

Dr. Jenny Mueller has been awarded a one-week artist's residency at the Residency on the Farm in Argyle, Wisconsin, June 9-15.

 

 

 

Dr. Martha Patterson was awarded a Hutchins Family Fellowship at Harvard University for the Spring 2025 semester. In residence as a Hutchins Family Fellow, Patterson will be at work on two book-length projects: an alternative history of the Chicago Black Renaissance and a crossover popular history of the trope of the New Negro.

 

 

 

 

 

Dr. Shelly Lemons, History, was elected to be the 2025 President for the Southwestern Historical Association (SWHA). The SWHA is an affiliate of the Southwestern Social Sciences Association. Dr. Lemons most recently served as SWHA History Program Chair for the annual conference in New Orleans. "I have been participating in this organization since 1997 when I came as a graduate student. It is always good to connect with my peers and share research," Dr. Lemons commented.  Dr. Lemons will preside over the SWHA at the 2025 meeting in Las Vegas.

 

 

 

Dr. Brenda Boudreau's book Abortion in Popular Culture: A Call to Action recently won the Susan Koppelman Award for the Best Anthology, Multi-Authored, or Edited book in Feminist Studies in Popular and American Culture

This award honors Susan Koppelman, a feminist literary historian and  the editor of groundbreaking critical collections of American women’s  short stories. The award recognizes groundbreaking feminist work in popular culture.

 

 

 

 

The Journal of Political Science Education is celebrating its 20th anniversary by recognizing their top ten cited articles. Dr. Brian Frederking's article titled “Simulations and Student Learning” in 2006 is on the list. 

 

 

 

The nursing division hosted Barnes Jewish Christian (BJC) Memorial Hospital Leadership Symposium on April 12^th from 9:00-3:00 pm. BJC is a leading healthcare organization. The nursing division has been working with representatives from BJC Memorial and Shiloh to enhance partnership opportunities for continued growth in the RN to BSN, MSN, and DNP programs. On April 12th, over forty-five leaders from Memorial Belleville and Shiloh were present to engage in the conference and lunch. Nursing faculty, Dr. Kendra Taylor, Dr. Richelle Rennegarbe, and Dr. Angela Gilbreth presented on key leadership components during the conference. Through the collaborative partnership, continuing education credits were obtained and provided to attendees. Excellent feedback from attendees was received during and after the conference. BJC Memorial has already tentatively scheduled the next Leadership Symposium to occur at McKendree University in April 2025. Pictured is Dr. Kendra Taylor presenting on Building Financial Prowess and Writing a Powerful Business Plan. 

 

 

April 2024

On Thursday April 4^th, Ana Cecilia Carvalho (sophomore) and Dr. Tyson Thomas (associate professor of economics) attended the 2024 Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis Women in Economics Symposium.  The purpose of this annual symposium is to highlight the contributions of women in the field of economics.  The event included a mock networking session as well as discussion sessions relating to potential career paths in the field of economics and job search tips for starting a career upon graduation.  Ana Cecilia even had the opportunity to meet the new president of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Alberto Musalem!

 

Ana Cecilia had this to say about the event.  “I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to attend the symposium! It was amazing hearing so many inspiring women and their paths in the economics field! I gained so much knowledge hearing their experiences, and I feel more prepared for when it is my turn to enter the job market! The event opened up my mind about all the possibilities and opportunities that are out there once I graduate! I can’t wait for more opportunities like this symposium in the future!” 

 

 

 

Dr. Ann Collins signed a book contract with Rowman & Littlefield for their American Ways Series. The book, tentatively titled Fear, Fury, and Power: A Concise History of Race Massacres in the United States, will be a general interest book on race massacres throughout American history and their legacy on politics and society today.

 

 

 

 

Dr. Darryn Diuguid, professor of Education, has been invited to join the NCTE Excellence in Poetry Award where the committee will “honor an American poet for their aggregate work for children ages three through 13. The committee will also explore ways to acquaint teachers and children with poetry through such means as publications, programs, and displays.”  Last year, the committee recommended over 15 poetry books along with 7 novels in verse from over 200 possible texts.  Famous poets who have received the individual award include Georgia Heard, Nikki Grimes, Janet Wong, and J. Patrick Lewis.  

 

 

 

Dr. Angela Gilbreth presented at the Sigma Theta Tau Creating Healthy Work Environments 2024 Conference. I was invited to present at the Sigma Theta Tau Creating Healthy Work Environments 2024 Conference held in Washington D.C. Presentation included the use of technology to support the health of the work environment and support safe communication practices during healthcare staffing challenges.

 

 

 

 

Claire Reinert (library) published an article, "The Picts: A Lens for Teaching Through Evidential Uncertainty" in the journal Art Education (vol. 77, no. 2).  This article is about using the archaeological artwork of the Picts in the K-12 classroom as a way to creatively engage with the artwork of poorly understood civilizations and to familiarize students with critically navigating evidential uncertainty.

 

 

 

 

March 2024

Dr. Michael Downton's EDU 401 - Methods of Teaching Fine Arts  As part of their final project, students are asked to pick a social justice issue as it relates to education (e.g., education access disparity) and represent it in some artistic medium.  Students must research the topic and then decide how it will represented. Students in EDU 401 will display their work during the last week of April or first week of May for the Bearcat community!

                                

 

 

 

Dr. Angela Gilbreth was invited to present at the Sigma Theta Tau Creating Healthy Work Environments 2024 Conference held in Washington D.C. Presentation included the use of technology to support the health of the work environment and support safe communication practices during healthcare staffing challenges. 

 

 

 

Dr. Darryn Diuguid completed his work on the 2024 Caldecott Award Committee. 

 

The Caldecott Award is widely considered to be among the most prestigious in children’s literature. Books selected by the committee will become part of the canon of distinguished children’s books for years to come. The award has international recognition, representing the professional experience and
critical discernment of the librarians who serve on the committee each year.

Over 20,000 trade books are published for children in the U.S. annually, and many are picture books, eligible for consideration for the Caldecott. Dr. Diuguid committed to and fully participated in the intense and time-consuming selection process: reading, evaluating, discussing, and selecting the year’s most distinguished picture books. The Committee Chair had the following to say about Dr. Diuguid "I was impressed by his focused engagement and excellent, insightful observations. He was instrumental in maintaining the distinguished traditions of the Caldecott Award." 

 

 

 

The Utah State Board of Education has invited Dr. Katie Alford from the McKendree School of Education to share her work on teaching listening in the English Language Arts classroom on Wednesday, March 13th. Teachers from around the state of Utah will take part in a workshop designed by Dr. Alford titled:   "Why YOU Should Teach Listening Explicitly & How to Do It Well."

 

 

The St. Clair County Historical Society Board of Directors elected Dr. Shelly Lemons to serve a two-year term as President of the organization. Dr. Lemons is the 31^st President of the St. Clair County Historical Society.

Dr. Lemons plans to focus on connection, collaboration, and community as her Presidential priorities and goals. She says, "Local history is so important to who we are as a community. I really hope that I can help to encourage people, especially first-time visitors, to see their part in the story of St. Clair County."

 

 

 

Dr. Brian Frederking  was the "word guy" for the St. Louis Regional Scripps Spelling Bee on Saturday, March 2. The winner of the Spelling Bee goes to the national spelling bee broadcast each year on ESPN. This is Dr. Frederking's eighth year giving definitions and alternate pronunciations and using the words in sentences during the bee.

 

 

 

 

 

Our MBA in Digital Marketing program has been ranked #4 in TechGuide's prestigious 2024 rankings!   This achievement is a testament to our faculty, students, and alumni's hard work, dedication, and passion. We believe it reflects the exceptional quality of education we strive to offer at our institution.  A huge thank you to everyone who contributed to making this program successful. Let's continue innovating, inspiring, and leading in digital marketing!  For more details on the ranking and what makes our program stand out, check out the link: https://techguide.org/mba/digital-marketing/   

 

 

February 2024

Dr. Brenda Boudreau has two new publications in 2024:

“On the Road to “Happy Abortions”: Reclaiming Sexual Agency for Young Women Through the Abortion Narrative.” Accepted for publication in Teens Onscreen.  Edited by Tim  Shary.

Abortion in Global Popular Culture: The Decision Heard Round the World. Co-edited with Kelli Maloy. Contract with Lexington Books. Publication anticipated for Fall 2024.

 

 

McKendree University has again won the Greater St. Louis stock contest organized by Scout Investments, and received an award of $5,000. Students of undergraduate Investment class of 2021 chose a portfolio of twenty stocks to hypothetically invest a total of $1,000,000.

A stock portfolio chosen by a McKendree University investment class in 2016 outperformed those of four other local institutions to take the $10,000 top prize in the St. Louis Area Stock Contest. Guided by Dr. M. Faisal Safa, Associate Professor of Finance, each student selected two competing stocks from the same industry and conducted a detailed financial and market risk-return analysis over two months. In November 2021, McKendree University submitted the list of stocks, and the investment was held for two years.

At the contest’s conclusion in December 2023, the McKendree University portfolio had grown to $1,083,853. The participating students were Ratik Khanna, Jacob Gall, Logan Boente, Kyle Steve, Tyler Christy, Trevor Wolf, Elliott Prott, Ethan Larson, Charles Fraser-Allen, Noah Fishel, Kenzie Meadows, Samuel Mueth, Nikita Sokov, Garrett Herring, Robert Tedesco, Samuel Steimel.

 

Psychology student Peyton Osgood (23) and faculty member Dr. Guy Boysen have published a new study about how the test formats can affect students’ ability to self-assess their learning. Testing students to help them learn is a standard, evidence-based practice in education. However, Osgood and Boysen showed that students think they know more after taking a multiple-choice test compared to when they take an open-ended test. Multiple-choice tests seem to cause overconfidence in learning because they are relatively easy – students only need to recognize the correct answers rather than produce them from memory.     The article “Test Format, Learning Confidence, and Perceptions of Teaching Effectiveness,” in press at Teaching of Psychology, is currently available online  (https://doi.org/10.1177/00986283231226187). Teaching of Psychology is the official journal of the Society for the Teaching of Psychology, which is a division of the American Psychological Association. The article represents Osgood and Boysen’s fifth journal publication together.

Peyton Osgood was also a MITACS-Fulbright Scholar in 2022 and received the Technos International Prize from McKendree University in 2023.  

 

Dr. Mike Louison presented the results of a research project on microplastic

 pollution, entitled "Differential foraging response to multiple microplastic types by bluegill Lepomis macrochirus" at the Society of Integrative and Comparative Biology's annual conference in Seattle, WA. This research was done in collaboration with the National Science Foundation's Research Experiences for Undergraduates program, with the students selected separately to work with Dr. Louison at the National Great Rivers Research and Education Center in East Alton, IL.

 

January 2024

The School of Business hosted the FBLA Southwestern Area Conference on January 11.  Approximately 287 students were in attendance from area high schools.  

 

The Illinois Board of Higher Education awarded the Division of Nursing $150,000 for the FY24 Nursing School Grant. The grant funds will be used to provide tuition assistance to twenty new RN to BSN students from Illinois Critical Access Hospital Network members (ICAHN) and Southern Illinois Public Health Consortium (SIPHC) members. Each student will be awarded $7500 towards their tuition. The purpose of the Nursing School Grant Program is to increase the number of registered nurses graduating from Illinois institutions of higher learning. The Division of Nursing focused on individuals who live and work in rural areas in Illinois and providing those individuals with access to higher education.

 

Dr. Angela LaMora received a publishing contract with Cognella for her

 book Thinking Your Way thru A&P. The book showcases Dr. LaMora’s critical thinking riddles with an instructor guide containing the learning objectives and information scaffolding needed to help students solve each question. The book should be published by 2025.

 

 

Dr. Martha Patterson, professor of English, has been offered an advanced contract with Princeton University Press for The New Negro:  A History, 1887-1933.  Dr. Patterson will be the lead co-editor with Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. for a groundbreaking anthology of period essays tracing the evolution of arguably the most important anti-racist figure in African American history.

Dr. Patterson has also been offered a contract for The Harlem Renaissance Weekly: Reading the New Negro in Jazz Age Black Newspapers with Cambridge University Press.  Her book traces the figure of the New Negro in popular African American fiction published in Black newspapers during the 1920s. Dr. Patterson shows that it was not Alain Locke’s implicitly male New Negro who defined the Harlem Renaissance Weekly, but rather the New Negro Woman, who, almost invariably in the context of a heteronormative love plot, propelled narratives, spurred sales, and defined a distinctly modern Black socio-political consciousness.

Both books should be published in 2025.

 

Dr. Darryn Diuguid, professor of education, recently completed two presentations at the NCTE National Conference in Columbus, Ohio. For the roundtable presentation, Creating Pathways by Using Pronouns: Exploring 

Children’s Books about Pronoun Usage and How Teachers Incorporate the Topic, Dr. Diuguid surveyed educators to see how they incorporated pronouns in the general education classroom, and he shared the results with colleagues. Additionally, the participants explored children’s books as tools to start conversation around the topic. For his second presentation, Classroom Idea Exchange: Critical Analysis of a Library Resource Center, Dr. Diuguid shared one of his project-based assignments which has students analyzing young adult library spaces in terms of representation, accessibility, and appearance. In addition, Dr. Diuguid reviewed conference proposal for this national conference.

 

 

Dr. Tami Eggleston, Provost, completed her recertification as a Certified Mental Performance Consultant through the Association for Applied Sport Psychology.

  

 

 

December 2023

Brian Frederking's 2023 book Renegotiating the Liberal Order: Evidence from the UN Security Council received an excellent review from Perspectives on Politics, the official publication of the American Political Science Association that reviews new books in the discipline. The review, which included a second book, concludes: "These are books for our time. Both represent the types of thinking needed for renegotiating the liberal order. Tatum’s historical overview deepens our vision of liberalism, its troubling drift into paternalism and arrogance, and its future possibilities. Frederking’s rigorous data-making effort produces concrete, social-scientific understandings of how liberal institutions have worked in the past. Both theoretical vision and systematic evidence will prove essential in addressing the shortcomings of the current liberal international order."

 

 

Angela Gilbreth, Assistant Professor of Nursing, recently shared her research through a poster presentation at Memorial Hospital's 2023 Research Symposium. This one day event offered the opportunity to engage with fellow healthcare professionals regarding evidence-based practice initiatives to guide the advancement of healthcare. Angela presented her poster on Incivility, the Impact, and the Ability to Overcome. Her research supports the use of technology to engage healthcare professionals with organizational initiatives to enhance patient outcomes and a conducive working environment.

 

McKendree's Robotic Club led by Dr. Ahed Elmsallati offers students the opportunity to master various sensors and explore different operating systems and interfaces. The club provides a dynamic environment to broaden your knowledge and practical experience. Students not only gain valuable insights into cutting-edge technologies but also develop problem-solving skills and creativity essential in today's rapidly evolving tech landscape.

 

 

McKendree University's cybersecurity MBA program is ranked #19 in Cybersecurity Guide’s 2024 rankings. Please see the rankings below: https://cybersecurityguide.org/programs/cybersecurity-mba/

 

 

November 2023

Dr. Brian Frederking will have a chapter in a forthcoming book titled "Short Games and Active Learning in Political Science: Beating the Clock" published by Taylor and Francis. The book includes dozens of simulations and games that professors can use in one class period. The chapter is titled "Campus Speech Code Committees," and it describes a simulation about a variety of free speech issues.

In addition to his forthcoming book chapter, Dr. Frederking, along with several McKendree students, hosted McKendree's fall Model United Nations conference on November 13-14. Sixteen high schools and nearly 400 students attended the conference. This was the 52^nd annual fall conference. McKendree has the sixth longest running Model United Nations conference in the country. 

Participating schools included Althoff, Belleville East, Belleville West, Chirstian Brothers College, Freeburg, Gibault, Highland, Lebanon, Litchfield, Mascoutah, O'Fallon, Okawville, Pana, Springfield, Triad, and Valmeyer.

 

Dr. Tami Eggleston was on the Keynote speaker panel at the annual Society for College and University Planning Conference in St. Louis Missouri. Their presentation was entitled, "Independent but interrelated: A panel discussion with three institutions."

 

 

 

Dr. Eric Abrams took students from his Economics of Pizza and Other Victuals class to Peel Pizza in O'Fallon, IL, where they heard from co-owner Patrick Thirion. Delicious pizza was enjoyed by all.

 

Dr. Darryn Diuguid and colleagues Tadayuki Suzuki and Barbara Ward, published the journal article “Taking a Closer Look at the American Library Association’s 2022 Rainbow Book List” in Multicultural Education.   The researchers reviewed 16 picture books and then suggested ways for academics to be “innovative educators” when working with and talking about the LGBTQIA + population.  Specifics included queering your space, analyzing your book collection, using new digital tools to diversify your library, and adding book talks to your teaching repertoire.  The group then analyzed missing identities in the latest Rainbow Book List and made suggestions to publishers, authors, and educators. 

 

 

Dr. Ann Collins contributed a chapter to a new edited book, Red Reckoning: The Cold War and the Transformation of American Life. The chapter focuses on race relations during the Cold War, specifically the hypocricy of the United States in promoting democracy across the world as it denied equal political and economic rights to some of its own citizens.

 

 

 

Two faculty presented at the 22nd Annual Focus on Teaching and Technology Conference at UMSL. Dr. Shelly Lemons presented #certifiablycurious: Using Pop-Ups to Engage Creativity and Curiosity. In the session, the audience learned how Pop-Up Exhibits from the world of public history can be applied to classroom, the campus, and beyond for building community and a sense of belonging. Pop-Ups are relevant, educational, and fun while also being simple, engaging, and easy to implement.

Dr. Sara Frank joined a panel of award-winning faculty from FTTC sponsoring institutions who offered insights and practical examples to illustrate ways to hold students' attention and focus on learning.

 

 

October 2023

Dr. Richelle Rennegarbe, DNP Program Director and Professor of Nursing and Dr. Jennifer Harre, Chief Nursing Officer/Vice President Patient Services at Southern Illinois Healthcare (SIH) presented “Achieving System Strategic Goals Through Agile Learned Experiences” at the 2023 Illinois Organization of Nurse Leaders 2023 Annual Conference in Naperville, IL. The presentation focused on the academic-practice partnership used agile learning experiences for an innovative and unique opportunity to support the partnering healthcare system in meeting their strategic goals.

 

 

Dr. Allie Helfrich was selected to speak on the Social Media Learning Strategies panel at the Marketing Management Conference in Orlando, Florida.

 

 

Angela Gilbreth DNP, RN, CLS, EBP-C attended the Illinois Organization of Nurse Leaders (IONL) annual conference. Angela is an IONL director for regions 4/5. During the conference she presented her research on Incivility, the Impact, and the Ability to Overcome through a poster presentation. Excellent conversation occurred through the presentation to advance healthcare through the use of technology.

 

 

Dr. Tim Ros attended the AAACE Conference in Lexington and participated in a panel discussion hosted by the Commission on Workforce and Professional Development on AI. The panel session was titled “Revolutionizing Adult and Workforce Education: Harnessing the Power of AI.”

 

September 2023

Dr. Guy Boysen will be serving as the Editor for a special issue of the Journal Teaching of Psychology focusing on the impact of AI for the field. A description of the special issue and the journal can be found here: https://teachpsych.org/resources/Documents/top/ToP%20AI%20Special%20issue%20Call.docx.pdf

 

McKendree psychology students published research on the instruction of exceptional students. Peyton Osgood (Psychology, 23) Marissa Barauskas (Biopsychology, 24),) were coauthors with Dr. Guy Boysen on the paper entitled “Methods of Engaging With Psychology’s Best Students: A Survey of Teachers at 4-year Colleges and Universities,” which will be published in the Americ

an Psychological Association’s journal Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in Psychology. The students completed the research as part of a Psychology Research Practicum course with Dr. Boysen. In previous research, Dr. Boysen had explored how teachers handle difficult students in the classroom. As a follow-up, this research examined how teachers engage with their best students. For the study, psychology faculty from 4-year colleges and universities completed a survey about their best students, those students who they find most rewarding and enjoyable to work with. Teachers described their best students as being engaged and motivated, as possessing strong intellectual abilities, and as having positive personality traits. The most common methods teachers used to engage their best students were providing research opportunities, personal contact, and enriching classroom activities. However, the teachers also reported that they had less time than they would like to spend engaging their best students because of the high demands placed on them by other students.

 

Dr. Tami Eggleston was an invited speaker for a consortium of community colleges sharing best practices in the assessment of student learning outcomes. Tami Eggleston was involved with a variety of Higher Learning Commission (HLC) activities this summer including being a team Chair for a university on their open pathway year four review, participating on a Review Panels for Quality Initiative Proposals for colleges, and being on Federal Compliance Panel.

 

 

August 2023

Greater St. Louis Stock Contest is focused on student participation in stock choice for investment. Students analyze and choose 20 stocks and the organizer puts a virtual $1 million (equally distributed) on these 20 stocks and observes the investment for two years. This particular contest Started May 2021 and ended April 2023.

 

Students of Dr. Safa’s ‘Investment’ class at both undergraduate and graduate level and ‘Financial Market and Institutions’ class participated in this contest. Students in these classes carry out a project where they choose two stocks for a complete analysis, including financial analysis, market trend analysis, Industry analysis, risk-return analysis, and current investment news analysis. At the end of the project, each student suggests one of the two stocks to invest in. These stocks are further reviewed by all students in the class with the guidance of the professor. The selected 20 stocks were selected: Tesla, Inc., Alibaba Group Holding Limited, Microsoft Corporation, Apple Inc., Alphabet Inc., Amazon.com, Inc., Meta Platforms, Inc., The Walt Disney Company, AT&T Inc., Twitter, Inc., NIO Inc., General Electric Company, Bank of America Corporation, Exxon Mobil Corporation, Pfizer Inc., General Motors Company, Verizon Communications Inc., Berkshire Hathaway Inc., Mastercard Incorporated, Walmart Inc.

 

The investment of $1 million resulted in $794,369 at the end of April 2023.

 

McKendree also won this contest in 2019, 2012, and 2010.

 

Dr. Nichole DeWall

McKendree University Professor of English Dr. Nichole DeWall recently assumed the role of contributing editor at one of the largest international publications of teaching and learning in higher education, The Teaching Professor. In this capacity, she will write a monthly feature that will reach more than 10,000 educators at universities and colleges worldwide. Her first essay, “Too Exhausted to Take Students to An Event? Do It Anyway,” appeared in the August 2023 edition of the journal.

 

Founded in 1987 by pioneer of the scholarship of teaching and learning Maryellen Weimer, The Teaching Professor is a source of cutting-edge information and inspiration for more than 10,000 educators at universities and colleges worldwide. DeWall joins world-renowned experts Stephen L. Chew, Regan A. R. Gurung, Paul Hanstedt, and Mays Imad.

 

 

July 2023

Dr. Richelle Rennegarbe, Professor of Nursing was chosen to complete exam development and item writing for the Certified Professional in Patient Safety (CPPS) Examination through the Institute for Healthcare Improvement & PSI Services. Dr. Rennegarbe successfully gained the CPPS in June 2021.

 

 

 

 

June 2023

Dr. Jenny Mueller published "Lisel Mueller, 27240 N. Longwood Dr.," in New Territory magazine as part of its Literary Landscapes web series. To read Dr. Mueller's work please visit this link: https://newterritorymag.com/literary-landscapes/    

 

Dr. Mueller also had the following poems accepted for publication: "Antler" and "To close the book" will be published in 2023 by Poetry Salzburg Review (University of Salzburg, Austria) and the long poem "From 'The Large Glass'" will be published in 2023 by Allium: A Journal of Poetry and Prose (Columbia College-Chicago).

 

Over Memorial Day weekend, Breanna Sampo (Psychology, ‘23) and Charlee Taylor (Psychology, ‘23) accompanied Dr. Michael Hahn to the 2023 Association for Psychological Science Annual Convention in Washington, D.C. Breanna and Charlee presented a poster entitled, “The Effects of Yoga on Mental Health Outcomes” during a Friday’s poster session. The project was originally a research proposal submitted by Breanna for an assignment in Dr. Hahn’s Research Methods course. The three worked collaboratively over the course of the 2022-2023 academic year to prepare the IRB materials, collect and analyze data from an international sample, and create the poster. While Breanna and Charlee graduated this past spring, they still plan to work with Dr. Hahn this summer to submit a manuscript of their research to a peer-reviewed journal. 

 

Dr. Shelly Lemons, History, presented at the Agricultural History Conference in Knoxville, TN, June 8-10, 2023.  Her presentation, "Sew What? Fashioning Self-Identity Through Home Demonstration and 4H Club Wardrobe Planning in 1930s Cimarron County, Oklahoma" was part of a panel--"Creating It Ourselves"--that included Dr. Jenny Barker-Devine, Illinois College, and Dr. Steve Kite, University of Arkansas-Fort Smith.

Dr. Lemons explored the ways in which Great Depression-era rural women used their domestic spaces as laboratories for female leadership and self-expression.  The research examined ways in which wardrobe programs in Home Demonstration (HDC) and 4-H Clubs functioned not only as a means to secure material necessities but also to showcase personal style and expressions of self-identity.  Lemons explained, "At first, I was trying to figure out if these women were trying to emulate middle class, urban style. But what I found was that they often sewed whatever patterns they were given. Did they look like the middle class? Maybe. But so what? The pride they expressed in their own textile work and products was much more meaningful to them. I guess that makes the title a bit of an inside joke!"

As shown in HDC report narratives and photographs, women and girls expressed their personality and identity through clothing; honed their sewing skills to create outfits and dresses, often from repurposed materials; and coached one another in methods of textile construction as well as in beauty and physical appearance. Through their work in HDCs and 4-H, rural Oklahoma women made dresses considered both flattering and practical. Modeling their finished textiles, they shared their creations with one another at club meetings, through local wardrobe reviews, and in state fair competitions. For women in Cimarron County during the 1930s, wardrobe demonstration programs were also set against a backdrop of the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl. Using government programs promoted by Department of Agriculture Extension Services, Oklahoma Panhandle women used wardrobe demonstrations to shape their own lives and fashion their own self-identity. 

Fun fact: while putting the finishing touches on her visual slides, Lemons discovered that a pair of her favorite thrifted shoes were featured in advertisements for 1930s attire. "As soon as I saw that, I knew what shoes I had to wear for my presentation," commented Lemons. Paired with a vintage 1930s street dress, she literally modeled her research subject at the conference.  "People noticed. It was fun to be able to share that side story with the audience, too." 

What's next? Lemons hinted at bigger plans, saying, "This piece is part of a larger idea for a book project that Dr. Kite and I are developing. We are really excited to see where this work takes us!" 

May 2023

Dr. Kelly Stewart was the speaker at the Illinois principles Association, Southwestern division, student recognition, breakfast. Pictured is Gabby Cotto, O’Fallon District 90, her father, Gustavo Cotto, current EdD student at McKendree University and Dr. Stewart. 

 Dr. Stewart was also the speaker at the Southern IllinoisSociety for High School Achievement award banquet at SIUC. Thirty-one southern Illinois high schools seniors were honored for excellence in academics, community service, leadership, and music.  

 

 

 

 

 

Students in Dr. Shelly Lemon's HIS 271/371: US Women's Historycreated a timeline of McKendree Female Athletes as a collaborative group project. They scoured the McKendree yearbook collection in the University archives and then worked together to create a visual representation that is currently installed in the stairwell of PAC.

 

Dr. Brenda Boudreau recently published a co-edited book with Kelli Maloy called Abortion in Popular Culture: A Call to Action with Lexington Books, part of Rowman & Littlefield. The picture was take at the Popular Culture Association conference in San Antonio in April. Boudreau moved into the position of President Elect of the Popular Culture Association at the conference as well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

April 2023

Dr. John McDonald conducted the St. Louis Children's Choir Young Men's Chorus on Show Me St. Louis. Watch the show here: https://shorturl.at/pRYZ1. 

 

 

Dr. Guy Boysen, Professor of Psychology, gave an invited keynote address as part of the Society for the Teaching of Psychology programming at the Midwestern Psychological Association’s Annual Convention on 22nd in Chicago, IL. His address, entitled “Adapt, Don’t Adopt: An Active-learning Pedagogical Toolkit,” outlined the key points in his teaching career that led him to emphasize active learning in the classroom. He provided attendees with techniques they could use to guide and motivate student learning outside the classroom. He also outlined active-learning techniques that allow class time to focus on the application of higher-level application of course topics.

 

Three McKendree students published research with Dr. Guy Boysen in the psychology journal Stigma and Health. Peyton Osgood (Psychology, 23) Marissa Barauskas (Biopsychology, 24), and Shelby Nash (Biopsychology, 24) were coauthors on the paper entitled “Affordance Management and Stereotypes About Schizophrenia, Sex, and Age.” The students completed the research as part of a Psychology Research Practicum course with Dr. Boysen.     

 

 

Dr. Brian Frederking is currently doing research projects with three McKendree students. All are helping to expand Frederking's Collective Security Dataset on post-cold war practices of the United Nations Security Council. Katelyn Rodrigue and Amazing Grasle are adding references to to international law and specific war crimes treaties to the dataset to ask the question whether the Security Council is more likely to authorize enforcement measures when it refers to international law in a resolution. Naya Busbea is analyzing language in Security Council resolutions that authorize uses of force to determine if UN peacekeeping missions are still distinct from collective security operations.

 

 

Dr. Lauren Thompson's Civil War Era course conducted

 research on Civil War History in St. Louis. Students visited multiple sites of memory & mourning including Elijah P. Lovejoy Monument (pictured), Dred Scott's gravesite, and Francis McIntosh Lynching Site. Students focused on why some sites are very famously memorialized, while others are hidden under some of our most popular leisure sites. 

 

Dr. Thompson also took 4 students to Southeast Middle School in Jennings, MO. Dr. Thompson's former student, Kenny Spisak ('21) teaches 8^th grade there. MCK students,Dominique Donegan, Darrwin Perkins, Emilie Steele,Connor Thomason and LT talked to 100 students about black excellence for Black History Month. They covered the topics of black entrepreneurs, military heroes, musicians, fugitive slaves, innovators, the Black Panther leaders. and black beauty standards.

 

 

March 2023

Dr. Kelly Stewart was the keynote speaker for the Illinois Principals Association Egyptian Division's Student Recognition Breakfast.  She shared her 5 Factors of Success (Mindset, work ethic, determination/grit, supportive environment, and purpose) with 300 principals, students, and parents.  

 

 

 

 

Dr. Shelly Lemons has a new article published in The Chronicles of Oklahoma, Summer 2022 issue.  "By Use of Ingenuity and Ambition" is the lead article in the issue AND the cover story!

 

Dr. Lemons presented this research for the McKendree community at the Fall 2022 Faculty Research Showcase, and she--along with Dr. Kite--will spoke on the same for Women's History Month at St. Louis Community College-Meramec.

 

 

Dr. John McDonald, assistant professor of music education and director of choral activities, presented an interest session "Supportive Environment for the Next Generation of Choral Educators" at the 2023 American Choral Directors Association National Conference in Cincinnati, Ohio.

 

 

 

 

MA Clinical Mental Health Counseling graduate students - Taelor Wise, Jazzmine Mitchell, Ellisha Davis, Callum Kiddell, & Alizeja Gipson presented at the Illinois Counseling Association conference on Friday 3/24 with Dr. Julie Smirl on the topic of "Generational Trauma"

 

Dr. Allie Helfrich and Dr. Brittany Dobill, completed an oral presentation on their peer reviewed paper titled, "I am what I post? Exploring the Impact of Status Consumption in the Social Customer Journey" at the Marketing Management Association Spring Conference on Thursday, March 9th.

 

Students in Dr. Lemons's HIS 345 America By Ear toured the National Blues Museum in St. Louis on Monday, March 27th as a class field trip.

This course utilizes the medium of music as a lens to explore aspects of American history, culture, and society. A synthesis of American themes, music and collaborative projects offer students a unique and diverse educational experience.

 

February 2023

Dr. Darryn Diuguid is a reviewer for the NCTE national conference at Columbus, OH in November, 2023 where the theme is Conexiones: Communicate, Collaborate, Create.  He’s reviewing research proposals connected to teacher education, children’s books, and topics connected to the use of LGBTQIA materials.  In a

ddition, he’s reviewing the upcoming proposals for the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) summer workshops and institutes for college professors and K-12 professionals.  The NEH workshops and institutes cover a wide array of topics which provide professional development for educators from highly acclaimed researchers and include a stipend and housing among other things. 

 

Dr. Darryn Diuguid and his colleague, Dr. Tadayuki Suzuki from SUNY Cortland, presented at the 2022 NCTE National Conference in Anaheim, CA.  The roundtable session included 14 presenters on topics about how to queer the curriculum to make sure all students are represented. Dr. Suzuki and Dr. Diuguid examined the last 3 years of the American Library Association’s Rainbow Book List to examine which marginalized groups are underrepresented. 

 

Dr. Darryn Diuguid completed Arizona State’s TESOL Global Launch Program and earned a TESOL certificate after 150 hours of instruction along with 15 video recorded teaching demonstrations along with the appropriate lesson plans.  Teaching demonstrations included incorporating technology, speaking, listening, language, reading, and writing.  During the course, he observed high quality instruction and scored peers on their recorded lessons and instructional materials.

 

Dr. Martha Patterson found two previously unknown articles by the seminal African American intellectual W.E.B. Du Bois. These documents along with her analysis will be published in PMLA, the journal of the Modern Language Association of America, this March.

 

 

 

Dr. Patterson also took 15 students to see the Black Rep's production of Death of a Salesman in St. Louis. 

 

Dr. Nancy Ypma performed with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra in the three performances of Gustav Holst's Planets.

 

 

 

Courtney Winkler's ENG 112 students were offered the opportunity to create birthday cards for a fifteen-year-old. They were asked to offer advice, cheers, etc. The c

ards far surpassed expectations, and one fifteen-year-old was overjoyed with the showering of cards. Thus, the power of words to make a difference.

 

 

Dr. Jean Sampson’s MGT 360 (Contemporary Management) and BUS 450 students are working with a start-up, RainEDU, doing market research and other business planning.

 

 

December 2022

Dr. John McDonald, Assistant Professor of Music Education and Director of Choral Activities, was selected as one of six choral conductors to represent the United States in the American Choral Directors Association International Conductors Exchange Program in Germany. John will host a German conductor at McKendree in February of 2023 for workshops and masterclasses and then will travel to Germany in May to work with choirs and conductors through the German Choral Association.

Dr. John McDonald also conducted the Illinois Music Educators Association District 6 Senior Honors Chorus on Saturday, November 19th, 2022. This choir consisted of 196 high school students selected by audition representing 24 southern Illinois counties.

 

Dr. Angela Gilbreth, Assistant Professor for the Nursing Division, has successfully obtained certification in evidence-based practice for EBP-C credentialing. Certification was earned from the Helene Fuld Health Trust National Institute for Evidence-Based Practice in Nursing and Healthcare at The Ohio State University College of Nursing. The Fuld Institute is the first and only globally recognized professional Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) Certificate. As of February 28, 2022 only 231 certificates have been awarded in Evidence-Based Practice. The three year certification is awarded based upon successful completion of EBP coursework within the last five years, demonstrated current EBP knowledge through successful testing, and submission of a portfolio showing an EBP practice change project.

 

Associate Professor Dr. Kelly D Stewart and Adjunct Professor Dr. Marleis Trover teamed up with Dr. Patrick Rice from U of I and Dr. Lindsey Hall from ISU for the following presentation at the Joint Annual Conference ( IASA, ISBA, IASBO): Collaborative Educator Preparation Program Design, Implementation & Support Joint Research: Educator Numbers and Concerns.

 

November 2022

Dr. Darryn Diuguid was elected to the Randolph Caldecott Book Award Committee of the American Library Association.  In 2023, he’ll work with 15 professors, teachers, and librarians to evaluate close to 1,000 picture books to look for high quality and innovative illustrations.  The award was named after the famous British illustrator, Randolph Caldecott, and the medal features one of his famous illustrations from The Diverting History of John Gilpin.    Famous Caldecott winners include Maurice Sendak, Chris Van Allsburg, Brian Selznick, and Marcia Brown, and the award is often thought of as the most famous book award given to illustrators.

 

Over the summer, Dr. Darryn Diuguid continued his three $100 book grants for educators to support LGBTQIA students in the K-12 classroom and schools.  Educators in the Collinsville School District as well as Whiteside Elementary School, Fulton Junior High School, Belleville East High School, and Belleville West High School have added book to their classroom libraries and LGBTQIA student clubs.  Books are selected from the award winners that are part of the Stonewall Book Awards and the Rainbow Book Lists of the American Library Association.  The book grants are part of Dr. Diuguid’s “Mirrors, Windows, and Sliding Doors Book Grants:  Including LGBTQ Inclusive Topics in Educational Settings” and will be announced each summer. 

 

Dr. Karee Nasser and Dr. Darryn Diuguid had a manuscript, The Impact of the Special Education edTPA as an Assessment and Professional Development Tool, published in the peer reviewed Journal of Interdisciplinary Education.  Drs. Nasser and Diuguid interviewed recent graduates in the Special Education Teacher Licensure Program to gather their thoughts on the state’s summative performance assessment.  The article can be accessed at the following website:  https://www.nac-ue.org/volume18. The research was funded by the McKendree University Faculty Engagement Grants.

 

Dr. Vincent Dunlap went with a group of student volunteers to Collinsville High School to perform chemistry demonstrations to third-graders at their annual STEM Day event. The students attending were Oscar Bossart, Allison DeMuth, Destiny Johnson, Adrean Love, Allison Rosentreter, Alireza Yavari, and Colleen Zinke. This event encouraged the younger generation to engage with science!

 

Dr. Vincent Dunlap and Dr. Robb Van Putte recently took students to the IDeAs in Biomedical Research Excellence Conference at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. The conference took place October 21-22 and involved research presentations from faculty as well as undergraduates. Attendees also took part in workshops including grant-writing, gene editing, and graduate school preparedness. Students attending the conference were Allison DeMuth and Adrean Love.

 

Dr. Brittany Dobill's marketing research class had speakers from Northwestern Mutual visit and speak. The speakers gave the students tips about living in the real world and tips about finances after college. The students loved this and gained beneficial knowledge about what to expect after graduation.

Mike Embrich visited Dr. Brittany Dobill's Digital Marketing class. Mike Embrich spoke about Search Engine Optimization. The students enjoyed hearing about Mike's experience in Search Engine Optimization. This topic applied to the coursework in Digital Marketing.

 

Students in ECO 300, Economics of Pizza and Other Victuals, had a field trip to Peel Pizza in O'Fallon, IL to meet with the owner, Patrick Thirion, on November 1.

 

 

October 2022

Professor of English Jenny Mueller's poem "The Large Glass" has been solicited and accepted for publication by Salzburg Poetry Review, an English-language journal published by the University of Salzburg in Austria.

 

 

 

 

Dr. Kendra Taylor and Dr. Richelle Rennegarbe presented in the Montana Hospital Association's Managers & Finance 101 – 4-Part Series held August 17; August 24; August 31; and September 7. Dr. Kendra Taylor presented on August 31 on the topic of Solving the Financial Puzzle: Basic Accounting Principles. Dr. Richelle Rennegarbe presented on August 24 on the topic of Building Financial Prowess and Writing a Powerful Business Plan, as well as September 7 on the topic of Engaging in Partnerships to Enhance an Organization’s Financial Bottom Line.

 

Dr. Jean Sampson is on the St. Louis Regional Entrepreneurial Educators Board. She and Melissa Meeker meet with faculty/staff from many other universities in the St. Louis area three times a semester to improve regional access for entrepreneurial students.

 

Dr. Sampson also spoke at the Riverbend CEO (Creating Entrepreneurial Opportunities) program on September 9, 2022. She spoke on confidence, soft-skills, and entrepreneurship.

 

Dr. Shelly Lemons’ HIS 331 Illinois History drafted a land acknowledgement statement in honor of the 29th anniversary of the reburial of Native remains on campus (9/29/1993). Students read the statement at the mound on 9/29/2022.

 

Dr. Brittany Dobill and Dr. Allie Helfrich attended the Midwest Digital Marketing Conference at UMSL to learn more about industry trends and hear from speakers from TIKTOK and META. 

 

 

Drs. Tim Ros and Jean Sampson are teaming up with Anahuac University in Mexico again this semester. Students will zoom on a weekly basis with students from Mexico to learn about international business and culture from each other.

 

Mike Marchal, president of Holland Construction and newest McKendree board member, visited McKendree University on Wednesday, Oct. 5 as part of the School of Business' Lanter Lecture Series. Mike met with members of the student body throughout the day sharing his journey and offering insights for creating a successful future. Mike ended the day with a lecture called “Fostering Intrapreneurship,” where Marchal led an interactive session in which attendees navigated through a series of critical thinking prompts. Along the way, he provide guidance using his experience as a successful intrapreneur.

 

September 2022

Dr. Richelle Rennegarbe, Nursing Division Chair/DNP Program Director/Professor of Nursing developed and implemented a four-part series focusing on Health Equity: Growth and Understanding for Rural Communities for the National Rural Health Resource Center. The four two-hour sessions focused on the following: Session 1 - Health Equity - What Every Rural Resident Deserves Session 2 - Health Equity - Using Cultural Intelligence in Rural Settings Session 3 - Health Equity - Addressing Social Determinants of Health in Rural Settings Session 4 - Health Equity - Evidence-Based Strategies to Address Health Equity This has an excellent opportunity to partner with a national rural health organization. Twenty-one small rural hospital improvement grant program leaders from across the nation participated in the Learning Collaborative. Leaders were from the following states: New Mexico, Montana, Indiana, Kentucky, North Dakota, Idaho, Vermont, Mississippi, Massachusetts, Alabama, New Hampshire, Missouri, Florida, Tennessee, New York, Minnesota, Georgia, and Oregon. In additions. representatives from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) attended the presentations.

 

McKendree University partners with a national civic engagement organization, ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge. We received a national award from them for developing a highly established action plan for our campus. Here is part of what they wrote in their email letting us know: "McKendree University has earned the Highly Established Action Plan Seal for the 2022 election for developing an action plan that received at least 31.5 of 36 possible points based on the Strengthening American Democracy Guide (SADG) Rubric. Your institution is one of 82 campuses that have earned this inaugural recognition thus far during the 2022 election cycle. ALL IN staff and trained individuals use the SADG Rubric to score action plans submitted to ALL IN. Each campus action plan is reviewed by at least two individuals and the scores are averaged. A campus can have their action plan reviewed and scored up to twice per election cycle. This Highly Established Action Plan Seal has been added to your campus page: https://allinchallenge.org/campuses/mckendree-university/" 

 

Washington Monthly recognized McKendree University as one of the Best Colleges for Student Voting, August 2022 https://washingtonmonthly.com/2022/08/28/2022-college-guide-americas-best-colleges-for-student-voting/

 

Dr. Michael Louison had two papers accepted for publication in the peer-reviewed journal Fisheries Research.

The first is the major one to highlight, as (now former/graduated) McKendree Students Emma Knoebel, Riley Ross, and Nathan Brand shared first-authorship on the paper, which was done with me and Dr. Robb VanPutte co-advising. The citation is here: Brand, N.R., Knoebel, E.M., Ross, R.M., VanPutte, R.D., and M.J. Louison (2022 in press). Post-release physiological disturbance in channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus caught by recreational anglers. Fisheries Research.

The second recent publication was from some data I collected along with John Bieber of the University of Illinois (M.S. student who I am on the committee for) examining post-release movement in winter angled northern pike. We also worked with colleagues from Carleton University in Canada to analyze this data. Citation below: Bieber, J.F., LaRochelle, L., Cooke, S.J., Suski, C.D., and M.J. Louison (2022 in press). Post-release behavior of ice-angled northern pike. Fisheries Research.

 

On Wednesday 9/7/2022, Dr. Brittany Dobill's UNI 101: University 101 class did a class learning activity to understand the importance of communication in college and in life. The class went outside by the fountain and used a rope to make shapes to demonstrate the importance of communication.

 

Students in Dr. Allie Helfrich's MKT205: Principles of Marketing learned about the importance of a target market in class. After lecture they were assigned groups, and received photos of different bikes to describe and report the target market with the class. They were all smiles, had excellent participation, and respected each other’s ideas!

Summer 2022

Dr. Guy Boysen will be chairing a symposium entitled "Universal design for learning and the teaching of psychology: Application and evaluation" at the American Psychological Association’s Annual Conference, Minneapolis, MN on August 4th (https://convention.apa.org/). The symposium is part of programming for Division 2 of the APA, the Society for the Teaching of Psychology. Four presenters will provide their views and applications on universal design for learning, including Boysen's own presentation "Is Universal Design for Learning the New Learning Styles?" Universal design for learning is an approach to education has been extremely influential at the elementary and secondary level that is increasingly being applied in higher education. https://www.cast.org/impact/universal-design-for-learning-udl

Boysen has an article that critically analyzes the limitations of UDL -- "Lessons (not) learned: The troubling similarities between learning styles and universal design for learning" -- in press at the journal Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in Psychology.

 

 

Tami Eggleston, Provost and Professor of Psychology, presented, "Excellence in Assessment and Assurance of Learning: Reflections on Assessment in a Post-Pandemic World" at the online Texas A&M conference on July 14, 2022.

 

 

 

Drs. Heather Dye and Alan Alewine accompanied three students-Aaron Brown, Chloe Gamber, and Addie Smith-to London May 16-22 as part of STA 380-London. While there, they visited the Tower of London, Windsor, Stonehenge (they got to go inside the circle of stones!), and Bath.

 

Students and faculty recently published psychology research about stigma toward schizophrenia. The students - Peyton Osgood (Psych '23), Colby Price (Biopsych '22), and Aliyah Rollins (Psych '22) - conducted collaborative research with Dr. Guy Boysen as part of a research practicum course. By surveying over 1,000 people across four studies, the researchers showed that stigma toward schizophrenia primarily occurs in related to specific life goals related to physical safety. People fear physical danger from individuals with schizophrenia while simultaneously seeing them as no threat to their interpersonal, romantic, or economic goals. These findings were also shared as posters at the Midwestern Psychological Association Conference and McKendree's Academic Excellence Day.

Article Info Boysen, G. A., Osgood, P. N., Price, C., & Rollins, A. (2022). Affordance management theory and stigma toward schizophrenia. Stigma and Health, 7(3), 280–288. https://doi.org/10.1037/sah0000385 https://psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037%2Fsah0000385

 

 

April 2022

Dr. Martha Patterson was accepted into the NEH Summer Institute and will receive a $2,850 stipend to cover the cost of expenses. Entitled Making Modernism: Literature, Dance, and Visual Culture in Chicago, 1893-1955, this Summer Institute will run from July 18 to August 5, 2022. It is a residential, three-week summer institute for twenty-five higher education faculty, including advanced graduate students, that will explore Chicago’s vital contribution to the modernist movement. Directed by Dr. Liesl Olson (Newberry Library) and Dr. Susan Manning (Northwestern University), the summer institute will offer an expansive look at creative expression in Chicago across the arts from the turn of the century through the aftermath of the Second World War.

 

 

Tami Eggleston, Provost and Professor of Psychology, presented to the regional Pony Club in Columbia, Illinois on the sport psychology topic, "Getting Back in the Saddle" on April 7, 2022.

Dr. Eggleston also presented "Assessing Team Projects" to the University of Delaware faculty and staff on Aprill 8, 2022. 

 

 

An honors course in world politics taught by Dr. Brian Frederking this spring did a simulation of a global climate change summit. Each student represented a country, and they negotiated an agreement to strengthen the Paris Accords.

 

Dr. Richelle Rennegarbe, Nursing Division Chair, Professor of Nursing, MHA and DNP Director presented “The Impact of Farm Safety in the Community” for 2022 Safety Day for 6th grades residing in Marion County for the Marion County Farm Bureau, in Salem, IL on April 28, 2022 Additionally, she presented “Engaging in partnerships to enhance an organization’s financial bottom line” for the Illinois Critical Access Hospital Network Rural Leadership Fellows on April 21, 2022.

 

Dr. Timothy Richards research titled: Teacher Preparation and Strategies for Supporting Students with Mental Health Issues, was published in the 2021 issue of Critical Issues In Teacher Education. The paper was also presented at the 35th Annual Midwest Association of Teacher Educators Spring Conference held at Illinois State University on April 8, 2022.

 

 

Dr. Shelly Lemons (History) presented “By Use of Ingenuity and Ambition: Oklahoma Farm Women and Home Demonstration Clubs in Cimarron County in the 1930s" at the 101st Annual Meeting of the Southwestern Social Sciences Association in San Antonio, Texas.

 

Dr. Brian Frederking is publishing a book titled, The Security Council and the Liberal Order.

 

Dr. Michael Louison was named a faculty research fellow by the National Great Rivers Research and Education Center in Alton, IL. This summer fellowship will include collaborating with staff biologists and researchers to conduct studies on local fish species, with a special focus on the impacts of microplastic pollution on fish behavior and physiology.

 

 

Dr. Guy Boysen will give an invited talk at the Lilly Conference.
http://celt.miamioh.edu/lillycon/presenters.php?presenter=Boysen%2C+Guy+A.&year=2022

 

 

 

March 2022

Dr. Darryn Diuguid was selected to attend teh National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Summer Institute at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, FL for three weeks in June. Here's more information about NEH and the specifc Institute: https://www.fau.edu/artsandletters/history/revolution-in-books/apply/ 

 

Dr. Brian Frederking has been the 'word guy' for the St. Louis regional Scripps Spelling Bee for the past seven years. On Saturday, March 12th Frederking gave definitions, alternate pronunciations, and sentences to the spelling bee contestants. The winner each year goes to the national spelling bee in Washington DC televised on ESPN.

 

For the second time, Dr. Stephen Hagan was awarded the National Speech Champion Service Award. 

 

Dr. Juli Smirl and three of her McKendree MA students will present a webinar "Stress-Related Disorders Impacting Children through College-Aged Students: Strategies for Promoting Reconnction & Resiliency in Clientele" during the Illinois Counseling Association Conference in April. 

 

 

Dr. Jean Sampson presented a paper titled ‘The Role of the Bystander in e- Complaint Behavior’ at the Management Marketing Association spring conference in St. Louis. This paper was written by Halamin Herjanto, Jean Sampson, and Sanjaya Gaur. This paper will also be published in the MMA spring journal.

Dr. Kian Pokorny published the following articles:

Pokorny, K. (2022), “Integrating Data Science into a Computer Science Curriculum,” The Journal of Computing Sciences in Colleges. Vol. 37, No. 6, p. 5 - 13.

Pokorny, K. (2021), “A Machine Learning Approach to Understanding the Viability of Private 4-Year Higher-Education Institutions,” The Journal of Computing Sciences in Colleges. Vol. 37, No. 4, p. 50 – 57.

 

 

February 2022

Dr. Shelly Lemons gave a presentation on Thursday, February 24th at the No Man's Land Museum in Goodwell, OK. The presentation was called, “Oasis in No Man’s Land: Researching the Dust Bowl Using Local Museum Collections.” Virtual Presentation for the No Man’s Land Museum, Goodwell, Oklahoma. February, 2022.You can view the recording at 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mv4z86Ohv3I

 

Dr. Jenny Mueller received writing residency awards for summer 2022 at three nationally known artist residency programs: Centrum (WA), PLAYA (OR), and Wildacres (NC). She will travel to pursue writing projects in residence at each site during the summer.

 

 

 

Dr. Heather A. Dye and Dr. J. Alan Alewine will accompany three McKendree students to England after graduation in May. The trip will be part of STA 380-Study Abroad. The adventure will focus on London with excursions to Bath and Stonehenge.

 

The Marketing Club, sponsored by Dr. Brittany Dobill & Dr. Allie Helfrich had their first meeting of the semester on Monday, February 14^th. Michael Embrich, MCK Director of Web Communications and Digital Assets came to speak to their group about his journey to his current role and the importance of digital and social media marketing today, especially for upcoming graduates in marketing. It was well attended by McK students with over 20 in attendance. They are excited to host a new guest speaker next semester and continue to grow their marketing club on campus!

 

 

Dr. Guy Boysen published a blog detailing his research with McKendree students. The blog is published by the Society for Personality and Social Psychology.
https://www.spsp.org/news-center/blog/boysen-mental-illness-exploitation

 

Dr. Alan Alewine was reappointed for another four-year term as a peer corps member for the Higher Learning Commission.

 

 

January 2022

Dr. Tim Ros and Dr. Jean Sampson are working with Anahuac University in Mexico, on a COIL project (Collaborative Online International Learning). Their classes will be working with students from Mexico.

 

Dr. Guy Boysen was featured on an educational podcast. The interview was about his recent publication on Universal Design for Learning.
https://twopintplc.com/podcast-episode/059-studying-udl-science-discourse/

https://twitter.com/MichaelCRalph/status/1481392483212922881

 

Dr. Mike Louison recently published a review article in the peer reviewed journal Transactions of the American Fisheries Society. This article, written with a team of Canadian and American colleagues, focuses in on the current status of research into how sportfish handle ice-angling from a physiological perspective.

The full citation is: Lawrence MJ, Jeffries KM, Cooke SJ, Enders EC, Hasler CT, Somers CM, Suski CD, and MJ Louison. 2022. Catch and Release Ice Fishing: Status, Issues, and Research Needs. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society.

 

Dr. Katie Alford‘s article titled “Explicitly Teaching Listening in the ELA Curriculum: Why and How.” was picked up by The National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) blog and an excerpt was posted 1/12/22.

https://ncte.org/blog/2022/01/practices-support-listening/

 

2021 Faculty Highlights

Psychology Course Finishes Semester with a Campus Service Project

December 7^th, students in PSY 375 Psychology Testing and Measurement completed a campus service project. In the course, students learned how to create, interpret, and evaluate psychological measures. To provide a service to the university, they consulted with the Counseling Service to solve an assessment problem. The students formed teams to research ways that the Counseling Service could screen clients for trauma. They presented their final recommendations to the Counseling Service staff during finals week, and the staff will select the measure that best fits their needs.

 

Representative Rodney Davis Visits via Zoom

Representative Rodney Davis (R-IL 13th District) visited with Dr. Ann Collins' Congress class and Dr. Neil Quisenberry's Juvenile Delinquency class. via Zoom on Tuesday, November 23.

 

 

 

Timothy Richards  Ph.D authored an article titled "Teacher Preparation and Strategies for Supporting Students with Mental Health Issues." The manuscript is being published in the forthcoming edition of Critical Issues in Teacher Education. Research in this area provides many practices teachers can use to assist students with issues, plus understand the correct strategies they and school personnel can use to assist students.

 

 

Ann V. Collins, Ph.D. published an article titled “Red Summer and Early 20th Century Race Massacres.” In Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Oxford Research Encyclopedia of American History. Oxford University Press. The article was published on November 29, 2021. https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780199329175.013.842

 

Successful Mathematics Preview Day

Dr. Heather Dye and Dr. Alan Alewine held their first Mathematics Preview Day on November 5, 2021. The day began with breakfast, followed by attending three mathematics major classes, lunch, a campus tour, and then pics with Bogey.

 

 

Students Honor the Wampanoag and Their Own Ancestors

Dr. Lauren (LT) Thompson's Minorities in America courses hosted a "Green Corn Ceremony" on Monday, November 22nd. Many Indigenous Peoples celebrated the first corn harvest of the season in August. This is loosely translated to become known as the "Green Corn Ceremony." One of these nations were the Wampanoag. They are known as the "people of first light" because they lived (and some remain) on what is now Cape Cod.  In 1620, the Wampanoag people saved the starving, sickly Pilgrims and aided them in developing homes, food, and a settlement that became known as Plymouth. To celebrate their survival, the Wampanoag invited the Pilgrims to celebrate the "Green Corn Ceremony" with them in the Fall of 1621. That was exactly 400 years ago. Once European settlements became stronger, Indigenous Peoples, including the Wampanoag, were forced to convert, wiped out by disease, driven off their homelands, or murdered.

Dr. Thompson's classes began with Indigenous Peoples history in August and worked their way to present day, covering the history and experiences of all ethnic and racial minorities in the US. For the Thanksgiving holiday, students' celebrated by cooking & bringing in food from their ancestors. Since we all come from elsewhere but are living on Indigenous land, the class dedicated their feast to those who once lived on the land we now stand: the Mississippian, Miami, Osage, Kaskaskia, and Peoria.

          

 

 

Fall Faculty Showcase

On November 18th, the Faculty Colloquium Committee hosted an Inagural Fall Facutly Showcase to highlight the excellent research of our MCK faculty. Twelve McKendree faculty presented their research including published works, current works in progress, and dissertation research. Below is a list of our twelve faculty members and their presentation titles.

Dr. Brittany Dobill

Thematic Atmospherics Within Small Coffee Shops: A Study

Paul Worrell

Creativity and Wonderment: Applying Waldorf Education to Information Literacy Instruction

Dr. Martha Patterson

The New Negro, A History, 1887-1965

Dr. Mike Louison

The Science of Fishing: Minimizing Physiological Stress for Fish Caught by Catch and Release Anglers

Dr. Robyn S. Swink

Feminism, Gender, and Race in Women's Comedy: The Political Potentialities of Pleasure

Dr. Jill Parsons

Fear of Falling in Long-Term Care Residents: A Mixed Methods Approach

Dr. Jessica Campbell

Enjoying the Moment: Queer Delight in Victorian Fiction

Dr. Katie Alford

Explicitly Teaching Listening in the Classroom

Dr. Jenny Mueller

Bathers, A Researched Essay

Dr. Brian Frederking

The Security Council and the Liberal Order

Dr. Shelly Lemons

How Word Got Around: An Examination of the Little Blue Books and Public Discourse on VD in Modern America

Dr. Heather Dye

Knot Groups

 

The Model UN Experience

On November 15th and 16th, under the leadership of Dr. Brian Frederking, McKendree hosted the Model United Nations conference. For the last 52 years, McKendree has been a host site for this conference. This year, 13 schools joined the experience on campus. Model UN provides students with an opportunity to learn how the UN operates and to practice their public speaking, debate, negotiation and team leadership skills. The Model UN program has grown to play a vital role in building relationships with local high schools and recruiting new students.

            

 

 

A Visit with The History Guy

On Wednesday, November 10^th, Dr. Allie Helfrich, Dr. Brittany Dobill, and Dr. Rich Murphy's business and communication classes attended a masterclass discussion with Lance Geiger: the History Guy on YouTube, Lance discussed the marketing and communication side of his business addresssing how he got his start and became a YouTube sensation. 

      

 

 

 

Dr. Katherine Alford authored an article called,  Teaching listening as a form of empathy building. Voices from the Middle, 29(1) 36-39 (2021).

The article is about how middle school teachers can and should explicitly teach listening in their English Language Arts classrooms as a means of developing more empathetic and engaged students.

 

Remembering Dr. Frank Spreng

The annual Frank Spreng Memorial BBQ was held on October 22, 2021 by the School of Business faculty.  Dr. Frank Spreng was an emeritus professor of Economics at McKendree for 30 years.  In his 30 years, he was a Professor of Economics, Chair of the School of Business, and started the MBA program.

Frank had MBA, Ph.D., and J.D. degrees and enjoyed teaching students very much.  He would impart knowledge on numerous subjects in all of his courses.

Frank had hundreds of ties and wore a different tie almost every day to commemorate a sporting event, holiday, or other special event.  Therefore, during the Memorial BBQ, School of Business Faculty give away ties and scarves to students to honor Frank. 

Dr. Spreng retired in 2017 and passed away in 2018.

 

                   

 

Preparing for the Future! Political Science Department Hosts Law School Panel

On Wednesday, October 20th, Dr. Brian Frederking and Dr. Ann Collins, Professors of Political Science hosted a Zoom panel of recent McKendree graduates. The panel consisted of alum, Caden Owens '20, SLU Law School; Katherine Gemmingen '20, Pitt Law School; Taylor Ganz '20, SLU Law School (Marines/JAG); Jared Jones '17, SLU Law School, Hinshaw and Culbertson Law Firm. The former students offered advice to McKendree's current students for how to prepare for the LSAT and shared their experiences in law school.

 

Busting Psychological Myths

Students in Dr. Boysen’s Honors Introduction to Psychology course are writing blogs this semester busting psychological myths. Two myths have been busted so far, nine more myths will be busted during the second half of the fall semester.Check out these mythbusters:https://populardelusionblog.wordpress.com/

 

Dr. Guy Boysen is an author on three chapters in a new book from the American Psychological Association that came out in August outlining professional suggestions for how to teach an Introductory Psychology course. Dr. Boysen authored a chapter that discussed teaching the course in a setting like McKendree (which is also named in the title of the chapter).

https://www.apa.org/pubs/books/transforming-introductory-psychology?tab=2

Additionally, his work on the chapter stemmed from his previous involvement on a national working group that met in Washington DC to set a national agenda for the course.

https://www.apa.org/ed/precollege/undergrad/introductory-psychology-initiative

 

 
Dr. Shelly Lemons' Research Reminds Us the Journey is Just as Sweet as the Destination

Dr. Lemon's has a new article coming out in the next issue of Kansas History, but the story behind the article reminds us that sometimes the journey is just as sweet as the destination! Please take some time to read Dr. Lemon's story:

This piece actually has a pretty interesting "McKendree story" behind it. While the initial research was a grad school "rabbit hole," I picked it up again in Fall 2019. I was teaching HIS 110: Historical Methods, and I made a deal with my students that I would work on a professional research project while they did their research projects. (the whole point? The historical research process is the same--no matter where you are in your career. Intro students and professional historians all follow the same steps.)

That got me back into the project.

Then in Spring 2020, I was part of a faculty writing group with Martha Patterson, Rich Murphy, and Katie Alford. We agreed to work on a professional project and hold each other accountable.  I picked this one.  My colleagues read some drafts and helped me to refocus the piece.  Then COVID hit. But I didn't stop working. I continued to refine the narrative and build upon my earlier research. I submitted the draft to Kansas History for consideration in July, 2020 and got a revise/resubmit! Success!!

I actually even used the piece again for a unit on professional writing and feedback for the HIS 110 class in Fall 2020. That group of students read the draft and the reviewers' comments as part of our class assignments. 

THEN Blamo!!  November 18, 2020: I was in a terrible car accident. 

Once I was back home and starting my recovery (January 2021), I worked with the journal editor, Kristen Epps, to move forward with the article revisions. The anticipated publication date was for Winter 2021/2022. But after she saw the revisions, the editor asked to move the publication date up to Autumn 2021 instead. 

And now here we are! I should have the proof pages next week, and the article will appear in the Autumn 2021 issue as one of three academic pieces. 

I am very proud of this work, and I am so pleased to be able to share its publication with my McKendree family.  It really is a part of my McKendree Story.

Make sure to check out Dr. Lemon's article in press in Kansas History's Autumn 2021 issue!

 

McKendree's ALL IN Continues to Shine

On Tuesday, September 28th, to honor National Voter Registration Day, our ALL IN Committee registered eleven students to vote!

For the second year in a row, McKendree University was recognized on Washington Monthly's list for America's Best Colleges for Student Voting! A special thank you to McKendree's ALL IN committee for their work on increasing responsible citizenship through voter registration on our campus! Check out the list of schools recognized here.

 

Dr. LaMora and Dr. Schutzenhofer hosted a biology booth at a STEM event on Thursday, September 16th. The STEM event was for all third-graders in the Collinsville School District (approximately 400 students). The third grade students worked with the professors and several McKendree students during their visit to the booth to learn about infected and healthy lungs and had opportunity to build their own model of a healthy lung to take with them. Dr. Dunlap also hosted a booth with several chemistry students.

   

 

 

On September 9th, Biology students got their feet wet by assisting professional biologists from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. Dr. Michael Louison and Vertebrate Anatomy students participated in research concerning fish populations in Richland Creek (Belleville, Illinois). 

 

 

 

Faculty Scholarly & Creative Activities Report

2019-2020 Book Version

Engaging in research activities with faculty is a remarkable way to learn outside of the classroom. Take a look at a few highlights from our many outstanding faculty and student research projects, read or print the 2019-2020 Faculty Scholarly & Creative Activities Report, or visit the Faculty Directory to learn even more. At McKendree University our faculty are the R-E-A-L deal.

Archive

2018-2019 Faculty Scholarly & Creative Activities Report

2017-2018 Faculty Scholarly & Creative Activities Report

2016-2017 Faculty Scholarly & Creative Activities Report

2015-2016 Faculty Scholarly & Creative Activities Report

2014-2015 Faculty Scholarly & Creative Activities Report

2013-2014 Faculty Scholarly & Creative Activities Report

2012-2013 Faculty Scholarly & Creative Activities Report