Newsmakers: winter 2019

Center for Student Success Lolita Meredith was named director of the McNair Scholars Program in October 2018, replacing Dr. Ann Brown who accepted a position as associate professor in the department of English. College of Allied health Brian Odom defended his dissertation in October 2018 at the University of Central Arkansas and earned a Ph.D in physical therapy. The title of his dissertation is “Examining Best Practice in Wound Healing in Pediatric Critical Care.” Inna Swann successfully defended her dissertation in November 2018 at the University of Central Arkansas to earn a Ph.D in physical therapy. The title of her dissertation is in three parts: “Part I: Test-Retest Reliability and Validity of the Modified Clinical Test of Sensory Interaction on Balance (mCTSIB) in Children, Aged 9 to 13 years, Measured by the NeuroCom VSR™ System and the NeuroCom SMART Balance Master®; Part II: Defining the Normative Values for the mCTSIB in Children, Aged 9 to 13 years, Using the NeuroCom VSR™ System; and Part III: A Comparison of Postural Control in Children, Aged 9 to 13 years, in Zambia and the United States, Using the mCTSIB by the NeuroCom VSR™ System.” College of Arts and Humanities Senior English major Miranda McClung’s short story “Pattern of Migration” and poems “Billy” and “Roadside” have been chosen for publication in the literary journal Cave Region Review 2018 edition released in November. The review is a regional publication that publishes both student and professional writers from the Ozark Mountain region. College of Sciences Family and Consumer Sciences major Ashley Hudson won second place at the 24th annual Southeastern Association of Educational Opportunity Program Personnel McNair/ Student Support Services Scholars Research Conference in Atlanta in July 2018 with her research and presentation on “Should I Stay or Should I Go? Women Who Stay in Abusive Relationships.” In September 2018, she presented at University of Arkansas Little Rock’s Attracting Intelligent Minds Conference and at the AIM conference at University of Arkansas. Dr. Cindy White , associate professor of chemistry, has been appointed chair of the chemistry and biochemistry department effective at the end of the spring 2019 semester. She replaces Dr. Dennis Matlock who will return to ?full-time teaching. Finance Office Dr. Mel Sansom , vice president of finance and CFO, was recognized as the 2018 Arkansas Business Chief Financial Officer of the Year for Education. He was honored at a special luncheon held at Embassy Suites in Little Rock Wednesday, Nov. 7, 2018. Honors College Dr. Mike James has been selected to serve as president of the Great Plains Honors Council, a six-state regional grouping of colleges and universities, all of which are under the National Collegiate Honors Council. The selection was made at the annual GPHC conference held in March 2018 at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater. James was elected president-elect for 2018-19, then president for 2019-20. Office of Undergraduate Admissions Scott Hannigan became the senior director of undergraduate admissions in November 2018. He previously served as recruiter for Tennessee and director of recruiting programs. University Communications and Marketing Sheryl Ragland joined the office as the graduate programs marketing associate in November 2018.