Event Celebrates Recognition of Faculty Achievement

Fairmont State University’s outstanding faculty members were honored on Wednesday, April 23, during the Recognition of Faculty Achievement for their exemplary efforts throughout the 2013-2014 academic year. The Faculty Achievement Photo Gallery 2014 includes highlights of the event.

“It’s wonderful to have an event like this where we can all come together to celebrate the good work faculty are doing,” FSU President Maria Rose told those gathered in the Falcon Center conference rooms. “Fairmont State truly is set apart by this tremendous faculty. While we can tout an excellent faculty-to-student ratio, as compared to larger institutions, that statistic only becomes meaningful when we consider the quality of our faculty. I consider myself fortunate to be part of this institution and consider all of you colleagues and friends.”

The event was hosted by the Faculty Development Committee, the Office of Academic Affairs and the Fairmont State Foundation, Inc.

“Our program recognized faculty members who are recipients of awards or grants promoted and publicized by the Faculty Development Committee and the Office of the Provost. These awards honor outstanding faculty, as well as encourage faculty research and professional development,” said Dr. Denise Lindstrom, Assistant Professor of Teacher Education and Chair of the Faculty Development Committee.

Funding for the awards and grants is provided by the Office of Academic Affairs and the Fairmont State Foundation, Inc.

The following faculty members were honored at the event: Dr. Anne Patterson, William A. Boram Award for Teaching Excellence; Dr. Constance Edwards, The Harold and Roselyn Williamson Straight Award; Dr. Madeline Sampson, Outstanding Adjunct Award; Dr. Gwendolyn Jones, Faculty Recognition Award; Dr. Jeremy Price, Fairmont State Foundation, Inc. Fellow Award; Dr. Elizabeth Savage, Regional Service and Engagement/Economic Development Grant; Leia Bobo, Theresa Jones, Dr. Denice Kirchoff and Ashley Shroyer, Fairmont State Foundation, Inc. Grant; Nenad Radulovich, Excellence in Academic Advising Award.

Dr. Anne Patterson, William A. Boram Award for Teaching Excellence

The William A. Boram Award for Teaching Excellence recognizes full-time faculty at Fairmont State for outstanding achievements, unusual dedication or accomplishments in teaching.

Patterson has a varied background and a wide range of experience. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in music and a certificate to teach K-12 music in public schools at Georgia College and State University. After two years as an elementary music teacher, she was awarded a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts to study in Hungary at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music. Returning to the U.S., she spent seven years in a pilot music project in the public schools of New Haven, Conn., then launched a successful entrepreneurial effort as the director of her own school of music for children ages 3 to 10 and their parents in the Province of New Brunswick, Canada. Patterson completed her master’s degree in Music Education and Ph.D. in College Music Teaching, emphasis in Music History, at the University of Florida. 

Her university teaching experience began at the University of Central Arkansas, where she began as an ABD Instructor of Music Education and progressed to Associate Professor of Music History. She went on to serve as the Department of Music’s Graduate Coordinator and was appointed Associate Dean of the School of Arts and Letters and later Associate Dean of the School of Fine Arts and Communication. She also served a year as the Department of Music’s Interim Chair.

In 1999, she became the Chair of the Department of Music at Pittsburg State University in Pittsburg, Kansas, where her accomplishments included the establishment of a high school honors orchestra, a two-year Eisenhower Grant to examine the connections between music and math and the establishment of an electronic music lab.

In 2002, she went to Eastern Oregon University, where she served as Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. Her honors include participating in the Millennium Leadership Institute of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities in 2003, receiving training from the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities as an on-site evaluator for accreditation self-studies in 2004 and being appointed to head the national Task Force on Career Services of the College Music Society.

Patterson came to Fairmont State in 2004 as Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs and served in that post until 2007, when she returned to teaching in the Department of Music of the School of Fine Arts. As Professor of Music, she teaches Music Appreciation and Music in the Elementary Classroom. In addition, she is the Coordinator of the Department of Music. Because of her own experience, she has a particular interest in international education, and she served for a number of years on the Faculty Senate’s International Education Committee. In 2013 she was elected to the Faculty Senate, where she serves as chair of the Senate’s Ad Hoc Committee on Adjunct Hiring Practices. Throughout her tenure at Fairmont State, she has been active in encouraging a spirit of philanthropy and service to the campus and greater community.

In 2012 she was selected as FSU’s representative to West Virginia’s Great Teacher Conference. Throughout her career, Patterson has been recognized for outstanding teaching, having been nominated numerous times for teaching awards. At Fairmont State, she was nominated several times for the Faculty Recognition Award and the Boram Award for Teaching Excellence. In 2012, she was nominated for Fairmont State’s Abelina Suarez Professorship. She credits that nomination with laying the groundwork for many of the Department of Music’s recent accomplishments, in that she and her colleagues planned together for the Suarez project, in order to maximize opportunities for the students.  Even though she was not the recipient of the Suarez Professorship, the plans the faculty made have been put into place, resulting in the initiation of a number of much-needed enhancements in the Music program.

She has been most active professionally in the College Music Society, where she has served as a regional and national officer, chaired a number of committees and serves on others. She was the architect of the Society’s Career Development initiative, and led the Mentoring and Academic Citizenship committees through their formation. She is a charter member of FSU’s chapter of Delta Mu Delta, a business administration honorary organization, and a lifelong member of Sigma Alpha Iota.

Teaching has always at the center of her work, whether she served in the classroom or in an administrative capacity. She has been a strong advocate for mentoring—both students and younger faculty members—and she has had dozens of students make presentations in local, regional, and national venues. She considers one of her greatest accomplishments at FSU the “partnership” between the West Virginia Symphony Orchestra and the Department of Music, which has resulted in regular classroom visits by Maestro Grant Cooper and expanded opportunities for music students—such as the May performances of “Carmina Burana” in Charleston with the WVSO and a massed choir.

During her career, she has made multiple professional presentations, including, most recently, at the national meeting of the Organization of American Kodály Educators in Atlanta in 2014.  She sings in the choir at Christ Episcopal Church in Fairmont and is occasional substitute organist there. She joined FSU’s choirs in singing with the WVSO.

“Being a former student of Dr. Patterson’s and weeks away from being a student teacher, I have come to value several experiences we have shared. She has shown compassion and accommodates students’ needs, a necessity for all to achieve their dreams. She has shown me that challenges can only make you stronger. Most importantly, she has shown me that passion for learning is contagious and motivating. She has provided me with guidance, advice, and the will power to finish my education degree,” said Felicia Fordyce, an Education major with a specialization in Mathematics, who nominated Patterson for the Boram Award.

 

Dr. Constance Edwards, The Harold and Roselyn Williamson Straight Award

The Harold and Roselyn Williamson Straight Award honors and encourages innovative and distinctive teaching by faculty at Fairmont State.

“Connie Edwards’ portfolio evidences her outstanding teaching and engagement with students. Connie also continues to demonstrate what it means to be a strong performer as a bassoon soloist and as a member of chamber music and large ensembles like orchestra and wind ensemble. One of her colleagues wrote that Connie’s explication of the historical, political, social, and cultural contexts of the music is always clear and often peppered with personal experiences or historical ‘gossip,’ like the fact that Mozart was a child prodigy who was good at billiards,” said Dr. Suzanne Heagy, who presented Edwards with the award.

Edwards, Interim Dean of the School of Fine Arts and Associate Professor of Music, joined the faculty of Fairmont State in 2005. Edwards earned a B.M. in Bassoon Performance from the College of Wooster, an M.M. in Music History and Literature from University of Akron and a D.M.A. in Performance with a minor in Musicology from the University of Arizona. Currently, she teaches music history and bassoon lessons and coaches a student woodwind quintet. Prior to her leadership duties this year, Edwards also taught courses in music appreciation, American music, music in world cultures and “Experiencing the Arts,” a collaboration with her Art and Theatre colleagues. She has served as Associate Dean of the School of Fine Arts and Coordinator of the Department of Music.

In addition to her teaching, Edwards is an active performer in both symphony orchestras and chamber ensembles. She recently performed in the Department of Music’s Spring Gala featuring Carl Orff’s “Carmina Burana,” and in the fall of 2013, played bassoon for the first performance of a new chamber music group called Monongahela Winds as well as the last performance of the FSU Community Orchestra. Edwards has been a featured soloist with both the FSU Community Orchestra and the FSU Wind Ensemble and has twice performed at the annual conference of the International Double Reed Society. She is also a member of the American Musicological Society, the College Music Society, the Czech and Slovak Music Society and the National Association of College Wind and Percussion Instructors. In October 2013, she presented the Department of Music’s performance assessment tool at the National Association of College Wind and Percussion Instructors conference in Richmond, Va. Edwards has also served as a reviewer for several music appreciation textbooks.

 

Dr. Madeline Sampson, Outstanding Adjunct Award

The Faculty Development Committee presented the Outstanding Adjunct Award to honor excellence in teaching faculty and to encourage adjunct faculty's continuing efforts to excel. The award is given to faculty members who have demonstrated a sustained, energetic and successful commitment to teaching.

Dr. Amy Sidwell of the School of Education, Health and Human Performance and Toru Chiba of the Ruth Ann Musick Library, both members of the Faculty Development Committee, presented the award to Dr. Madeline Sampson.

Sampson teaches various chemistry courses at FSU, including freshman level courses and laboratory sections to upper level courses. She is known as an amazing team player and dedicated teacher, who has done a massive amount of work in helping students learn chemistry.

According to Dr. Matt Scanlon, who taught CHEM 3300 Physical Chemistry I lab with her this past semester: “Physical Chemistry is a 3000-level course that meets the writing-intensive course requirements for graduation. The work for this course is FAR beyond what is normally required for adjuncts yet she cheerfully took it on, and she forced (and helped) me to become more organized in this course.”

Sampson has served twice as chair of our American Chemical Society local section. She also has been active in supporting the student ACS club at Fairmont State.

According to a student who is now a Biology major with a chemistry minor: “Dr. Sampson taught with a passion that inspired students to learn."

 

Dr. Gwendolyn Jones, Faculty Recognition Award

The Faculty Recognition award is intended to honor a full-time faculty member that has engaged and inspired students to have original thinking and have an active involvement and guidance in student projects. It honors the faculty member who has advised students with personal attention and care. The award also honors the faculty for the capacity to reflect on action so as to engage in a process of continuous learning.

Dr. Gwendolyn Jones, Associate Professor of Education, received the Faculty Recognition Award. She joined the faculty in fall 2003. Jones holds a bachelor’s degree in Sociology from Eastern Connecticut State College, a master’s degree in Special Education from the University of Connecticut and an Ed.D. from West Virginia University in Curriculum and Instruction. She received teaching certification from the West Virginia Department of Education in 2003.

“It has been said of the honoree that she ‘knows what will drive student performance and pushes her students to their fullest limits and beyond’ and ‘that she is vital to student success,’” said Alexis Hicks of the School of Nursing and Allied Health Administration, who presented the award.

 

Dr. Jeremy Price, Fairmont State Foundation, Inc. Fellow Award Foundation Fellowship

Dr. Adam Podlaskowski, Assistant Professor of Philosophy, presented the Fellowship to Dr. Jeremy Price, who came to Fairmont State in the fall of 2013.

Price is Assistant Professor of Education in the Digital Media and Learning program of the School of Education, Health, and Human Performance at Fairmont State. Prior to arriving at Fairmont State, Price was a Postdoctoral Scholar at the University of California, Berkeley with the Learning Design Group at the Lawrence Hall of Science. He earned a Ph.D. degree at the Lynch School of Education of Boston College, an Ed.M. degree in Technology in Education through the Harvard Graduate School of Education and a B.A. degree in Cultural Anthropology from Brandeis University. Price was selected as a CADRE Research Fellow with the National Science Foundation's Discovery Research K-12 (DRK-12) Program. As Fairmont Foundation Fellow, he is engaged in research on his courses with undergraduate teacher candidates in terms of introducing his students to the idea of becoming members of the teaching community, as well as work exploring the process of building intentional social networks of teachers to address the particular needs of rural classrooms.

 

Dr. Elizabeth Savage, Regional Service and Engagement/Economic Development Grant

The Regional Service and Engagement/Economic Development Grant (RSEED) was created to encourage regional service and engagement or economic development as part of the Strategic Plan for Fairmont State.

Dr. Adam Podlaskowski, Assistant Professor of Philosophy, presented the grant to Dr. Elizabeth Savage, Professor of English and Poetry Editor of Kestrel: A Journal of Literature & Art. Savage came to FSU in 2001. She holds a B.A. in English from James Madison University, a master’s degree in English from Boston College and a Ph.D. in English from Duquesne University.

In fall of 2014, Kestrel: A Journal of Literature & Art, will host writers whose work appears in the Spring 2014 issue in a two-day celebration including readings, roundtable discussions and workshops with both Fairmont State students, staff and faculty and members of our local and regional communities. The grant will help to fund honoraria to 10 writers to apply to their travel costs. The rest of the grant would contribute to catering costs.

 

Leia Bobo, Theresa Jones, Denice Kirchoff and Ashley Shroyer, Fairmont State Foundation, Inc. Grant

Dr. Adam Podlaskowski, Assistant Professor of Philosophy, presented the Fairmont State Foundation, Inc. Grant to faculty in the School of Nursing and Allied Health Administration.

Dr. Denice Kirchoff, Leia Bobo, Ashley Shroyer and Theresa Jones collaborated with the School of Fine Arts to develop unique and exciting active learning experiences that benefitted faculties and students from both schools.

They will present “An Extension to Simulation: Using Standardized Patient ‘actors’ as a Teaching and Learning Strategy in the Classroom” at the Drexel University Nursing Education Institute. 

Dr. Denice Kirchoff, RN, MSN, CNE, is a Professor in the School of Nursing and Allied Health Administration at Fairmont State. She has been teaching at Fairmont State since 1998 and has an extensive background as a registered nurse in Adult Critical Care Nursing. Kirchoff received a bachelor's degree in nursing from the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown. She obtained her MSN and doctoral degree in Educational Leadership Studies at West Virginia University. Kirchoff has served as an NCLEX item writer for the NCSBN. She is a program evaluator for the ACEN and is a Certified Nurse Educator. She currently teaches in the Bachelor of Science in Nursing Program.

Theresa Jones, MSN, BSN, RN-BC, is an Assistant Professor in the School of Nursing and Allied Health Administration. She has been teaching at Fairmont State since 2012, is on the substitute list for the LPN program at United Technical Center and has an extensive background in Medical-Surgical nursing since 1991. She received her LPN from United Technical Center, Clarksburg, ASN through Excelsior College in Albany, N.Y., and her bachelor’s and master’s degrees through South University in Georgia. She is currently pursuing a doctoral degree specializing in Nursing Education through Capella University in Minneapolis, Minn., and is in the dissertation phase of her program. She is board certified in Medical Surgical Nursing, a member of the American Nurses Association, the National League of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau Honor Society and a member of the faculty mentoring committee, ASN committee, and IRB committee at Fairmont State. She said she feels privileged to be here at Fairmont State and finds working with students to be very rewarding. She is still active in the nursing role working part-time as a nursing supervisor and occasional per diem on the Medical Surgical unit at the Louis A Johnson VA Medical Center, where she has been employed for the past 20 years.

Ashley Shroyer, MSN, RN, CNE, is an Assistant Professor in the School of Nursing and Allied Health Administration. She has been teaching at FSU since 2009. She received her Associate degree in Nursing from Fairmont State, bachelor’s degree from West Virginia University and her master’s degree from Marshall University. She is currently pursuing a doctorate in Education in Organizational Leadership with an emphasis in Higher Education Leadership through Grand Canyon University. She is a Certified Nurse Educator through the National League of Nursing, a member of the NLN and Sigma Theta Tau Society. She is also a member of the ASN and BSN curriculum committees, the Faculty Welfare committee and ASN retention committee at Fairmont State. She said she loves working with students and learning from them as well. Her past direct nursing care has been at West Virginia University Hospital, Fairmont General Hospital and United Hospital, where she worked in the Intensive Care Units, Emergency Department and Perioperative Services.

Leia Eileen Bobo, MSN, RN, CNE, is an Assistant Professor in the School of Nursing and Allied Health Administration at Fairmont State. She has been teaching at Fairmont State since 2011. She has bedside nursing experience in cardiac and medical surgical nursing at West Virginia University Healthcare since 2007. She received her Associate and Baccalaureate degrees from Fairmont State and her MSN degree through Marshall University. She recently became a Certified Nurse Educator through the National League for Nursing in 2013. She is a member of the West Virginia Nurses Association, National League for Nursing and a member of the faculty mentoring and recruitment and retention committees at Fairmont State. She remains active in the nursing role as a staff nurse at West Virginia University Healthcare where she works full time in the summers to mentor new nurses.

 

Nenad Radulovich, Excellence in Academic Advising Award

The Award for Excellence in Academic Advising is presented to honor the demonstrated excellence and commitment that academic advisors play in the education, personal development, and success of their advisees. This year’s award winner is Nenad Radulovich, Temporary Assistant Professor of History and Social Studies Education. 

“Students primarily want three things in their academic advisors. They want advisors who are knowledgeable about policies, procedures, and curricula to provide accurate information and advice. They want welcoming advisors who are available whenever the students need them to be. They want advisors who show that they care about the students and their success. It’s evident from the nomination letter that Ned Radulovich demonstrates all of these,” said Pam Stephens, Coordinator of Academic Advising and the RBA Program, who presented the award.

Stephens read the following quote about Radulovich from a student: “One day I mentioned to him about a type of internship I was hoping to get for this summer, and by the next week he handed me a pamphlet for the exact thing. I simply mentioned it and he went and found some resources for me.  Not only that, when I went to him about possibly switching majors I really felt like I could express how I was feeling to him and he understood and really helped me out.  I feel like Professor Radulovich is really approachable and he can relate to his students. You can tell he really cares about his students and wants them to succeed in whatever path they choose.  That’s what makes him an outstanding advisor.”

Radulovich teaches History and Social Studies Education at Fairmont State. His primary responsibility at Fairmont State is to prepare Social Studies teachers for certification in West Virginia. He teaches Social Studies Methods every fall semester, along with capstone courses of both the History and Social Studies programs, the Senior and Interdisciplinary Seminars. In addition, along with the U.S. History and World Civilization surveys, Radulovich teaches courses in Russian, Early Modern, 19th Century and Recent European History. 

Mentoring anywhere from 50 to 80 pre-Education and Education majors is Radulovich’s  primary advising focus and one of his favorite elements of the job. During the fall and spring semesters, he visits local middle and high schools to check in on our Social Studies student teachers working on their teaching placements.

Born in Canada to parents of Serbian descent, Radulovich completed his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in History at the University of Western Ontario. While there, he played on Canada’s national champion football team in 1989. After a brief stint in the Canadian Football League, he returned to school, earning a master’s degree in Social Studies Education at Niagara University in Western New York. Stints teaching in Canadian high schools and working as a political aide finally led him to Pennsylvania where he taught AP European History and Civics at Apollo Ridge High School. After completing course work, comprehensive exams and language study at Ohio University, Radulovich is in the process of completing his dissertation which deals with the role of ideology in Soviet-Yugoslav relations during World War II. He became an American citizen in March 2005 and lives with his wife and two daughters outside of Pittsburgh, making the long commute to Fairmont. In addition to interests in sports, education and history, he plays upright bass in ethnic folk orchestras in Canada and the Northeastern United States.

 

Announcements of other honors also were made at the event by Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Christina Lavorata.

The following faculty members were recognized for receiving promotions.

• Dr. Suzanne Heagy, Department of Language and Literature, College of Liberal Arts, and Jennifer Yerdon LeJeune, Department of Art, School of Fine Arts, were promoted to Associate Professor and received Tenure.
• Dr. Francene Kirk, School of Fine Arts, Department of Theatre and Communication; Dr. James Matthews, Department of Language and Literature, College of Liberal Arts; Dr. Tanya Rogers, School of Nursing and Allied Health Administration; and Dr. Clarence Rohrbaugh, Department of Behavioral Science, College of Liberal Arts, were promoted to Full Professor.
• Dr. T. Jean Engebretson and Dr. Timothy Oxley, School of Business, were promoted to Full Professor and received Tenure.
• Mary A. “Dede” Burnell, School of Business, and John Fitch and Dr. Patricia Ryan, College of Liberal Arts, were granted Emeriti Status.
• Dr. Donna Long and Dr. Elizabeth Savage, Department of Language and Literature, College of Liberal Arts, and Dr. Kenneth Millen-Penn, Department of Social Science, College of Liberal Arts, were granted sabbaticals.
• Dr. Frank Lee, School of Business, has been named a Visiting Professor to Nam Seoul University in South Korea and also won the ACBSP Teaching Excellence Award for Region 2.

About the photo: Dr. Anne Patterson with student Felicia Fordyce.

School of Fine ArtsCollege of Liberal ArtsCollege of Science and TechnologySchool of BusinessSchool of Education, Health and Human PerformanceOffice of Academic AffairsMaria RoseChristina LavoratafacultyFairmont StateSchool of Nursing and Allied Health Administration