September 26, 2024
Department of Interdisciplinary Professions Updates (2023-2024)
Faculty recognized for expertise, excellence in teaching, research
Faculty in library science, counselor education and adult education were recognized for their expertise in their fields through awards and grants.
Dr. Kawanna Bright, assistant professor in library science, was awarded the Board of Governors Distinguished Professor for Teaching Award and Dr. Mark Newton, assistant professor in science education, was awarded a Scholar-Teacher Award during the 2023-24 University Teaching Awards ceremony. Bright also received a 2024 REDE Trendsetter Award this year during the Research and Scholarship Awards Recognition Ceremony.
Department of Interdisciplinary Professions chair Dr. Allison Crowe received the 2024 Administrator of the Year award from the North Carolina Counseling Association. The Administrator of the Year Award is designed to recognize someone who has advanced or given support to the philosophy and objectives of one or more of the helping professions. Dr. Crowe has been instrumental throughout the counseling education program’s accreditation process with CACREP as well as being a support to her faculty and staff during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Counselor Education’s Dr. Shanita Brown will be the 2024-2025 President Elect for the North Carolina Counseling Association and Dr. Allison Fears will serve as the Secretary.
Dr. Xi Lin, associate professor in adult education, served as the pedagogical expert on a grant from the National Security Agency to host a GenCyber Teacher Summer Camp. This camp provided high school teachers with knowledge about cybersecurity and instructions on how to design cybersecurity curricula for their classrooms.
Dr. Vanessa Irvin and Dr. Vanessa Reyes served as co-editors on The International Journal of Information, Diversity, & Inclusion.
Faculty in the department publicized research throughout the year, including:
Dr. Shanita Brown’s research on the role of sista circles in healing Black women survivors of intimate partner violence
Dr. Phyllis Broughton’s research on uniting servant leadership with essential leadership skills
Dr. Xi Lin’s research rethinking hybrid and remote work in higher education
Dr. Vanessa Irvin and Dr. Rita Soulen’s research (with Dr. Rachelle Savitz in LEHE) on using critical literacy, dialogue and inquiry with literature to explore issues with gender labels.
Dr. Loni Crumb’s research on educator microcredentials.
Dr. Rita Soulen’s research (with Dr. Majorie Rowe from LEHE) on the science of reading and school libraries.
Jones receives NC Ray Moore award
East Carolina University library science professor emeritus Dr. Al Jones has received the Ray Moore Award from the North Carolina Library Association.
“The Ray Moore Award was begun by Ray Moore, a member of the North Carolina Library Association to encourage librarians to write about and share their experiences in public libraries,” Jones said. “The mission of the award is to honor the best article on public librarianship published in North Carolina Libraries during the past biennium.”
Jones’ article, “The American Public Library as a Multicultural Force: A Half-Century of Federal Funding to Promote Multiculturalism in Public Libraries, 1956-2006,” was published in September 2022.
“I am honored to receive this award because my article met the criteria for the award and was selected by my peers, members of the Editorial Board of North Carolina Libraries, the journal of the NCLA,” he said.
Jones’ research interests lie within the history of libraries and genealogy and genealogical services.
“My main research interest is how have immigrants and libraries have interacted, especially since 1876, when the American Library Association was founded,” he said. “The federal government was relatively slow in helping libraries provide services to immigrants and minorities, but since federal funding of public libraries began in the mid-1950s the funding has been used effectively and efficiently by libraries to begin, improve, and enhance services to immigrants.”
Craven shares the role books and stories play in therapy
Books and stories play an integral role in therapy through bibliotherapy.
“Bibliotherapy normalizes common experiences clients may have, such as learning to manage difficult emotions, making new friends, or dealing with grief and loss,” said Dr. Laura Craven, teaching assistant professor in counselor education. “Clients gain insight and learn new skills as they read about and discuss how the characters navigate their situations.”
One of the most common uses of bibliotherapy is with children.
“A great example is an elementary school counselor I know who created stories with the stuffed animals she kept in her office,” Craven said. “For a classroom lesson on communication skills, she took pictures of the stuffed animals on the play ground and created a story in PowerPoint of a disagreement they had while playing. As she went through the slides, the students would help the stuffed animals come up with ways to solve the problem, based on communication skills she had taught them.”
Craven shared three books that have had an impact on her as a counselor, including “Why Does He Do That?” by Lundy Bancroft. When she previously worked with survivors of intimate partner violence, this book helped her clients understand the abuse that they experienced. Two books that helped teach her about the impacts that trauma can have on her clients are “The Body Keeps the Score” by Bessel Van Der Kolk and “The Boy Who was Raised as a Dog” by Bruce Perry.
- Categories:
- InspirED Fall 2024
- InspirED Magazine