Symposium highlights faculty scholarship 'Engaged faculty make engaged students'

Faculty prowess and research were on display April 10 during a symposium featuring "lightning talks" and a panel discussion on the liberal arts.

With a four-minute time limit for each presentation, the lightning talks portion of the symposium was divided into two themes. The first, titled "The Teacher-Scholar," demonstrated how research can enrich teaching practices, emphasizing accessibility for a non-scholarly audience. The second theme, titled "Global Thinking, Local Impact," showcased how faculty members' community-based work benefits the world beyond Eastern.

The final session of the symposium featured a panel discussion titled "Liberal Arts in the Workforce," detailing the relevance of a liberal arts education to employer and workforce needs in the 21^st century.

Eastern President Karim Ismaili praised the "intellectual energy" brought to the event. "This symposium has reaffirmed what I have come to know about Eastern: that we are a community of teacher-scholars deeply committed to inquiry, engagement, and impact," he said.

Lightning talks

Environmental earth science Professor Dickson Cunningham started the flash talks with a presentation titled "50 Years of Environmental Earth Science Scholarship at Eastern, from Local to Global Impacts."

Speaking on behalf of his department, whose faculty specialties range from geosciences to geographic information systems, he said, "We're on the cutting edge of our sub-disciplines."

Business administration Professor Fatma Pakdil advocated for capitalizing on students' passions in her talk, titled "What's Love Got to Do with It? Scholarship, Teaching, and Inspiring the Next Generation."

"Scholarship is not just about publishing, but inspiring the next generation," said Pakdil.

History Professor Scott Moore presented "Scholarship for Blended Audiences," in which he detailed the importance of making scholarly works accessible to audiences beyond the academic profession.

"Writing for blended audiences has made me a better educator," said Moore, who published a book last year titled "The Witch of Pungo: Grace Sherwood in Virginia History and Legend," an account for all audiences of the folklore and history of a rumored 18^th-century witch in Virginia.

Communication, film, and, theatre Professor David Pellegrini's talk, titled "Adaptation Studies Applied," explored comparative literature and the ways it can be adapted to multimedia productions.

"The productions I've directed (at Eastern) have been applied research ... exploring different modalities," said Pellegrini of his experimental and multi-disciplinary theatrical productions. "We live in an adaptive culture."

Michele Bacholle, professor of French, examined the potential for depth in foreign language education in her talk, "French Studies Beyond Bonjour!" She posited that active scholars are inspired to be engaged teachers, in turn creating engaged learners. "World language studies teach more than the language," she said.

Criminology and sociology Professor Racheal Pesta also emphasized the potential of her field to maximize students' educational gains in "Bringing Crime into the Classroom." A goal she shares with her colleagues is "to utilize our scholarship to enhance the learning experience of our students," she said.

Panel discussion

Nine faculty members participated in the panel discussion, "Liberal Arts and the Workforce." Psychological Science Professor Phyllis Lee and Mathematical Sciences Professor Megan Heenehan discussed adding the word "science" to their respective disciplines to better reflect their scientific aspects and real-world applicability.

Students "may not remember the mathematical formula but will remember how to look it up and 'problem solve,'" said Heenehan.

Another point raised by panelists was that a liberal arts education inspires curiosity, which may not happen in a narrower educational setting. Students "may get a job at an entry level, but eventually, they'll move up and need to make decisions using critical thinking, ethical reasoning, and creativity," said business administration Lecturer Kinson Perry.

Physical sciences Professor and Department Chair John Toedt emphasized the importance of a liberal arts education beyond the grades students receive. "GPA is not important in job interviews," he said. "Can you express your knowledge?"

Toedt continued: "Is the knowledge actually embedded? Do you own it, or did you cram it for a paper?"

Eastern alumni who are succeeding in their fields, or traversing multiple fields, were discussed as reflections of the indelible mark left by their liberal arts education. "Alumni are our best marketing tool," said Nicolas Simon, associate professor of sociology.

Music Professor Emily Riggs expanded on this point, discussing the varied careers of music alumni as "showing the adaptability of music and their liberal arts skillset."

Other themes explored were patience and persistence after a bad job interview and the importance of teaching students to use artificial intelligence as a gateway to positive learning outcomes.