Noteworthy

Kripa Dholakia, an assistant professor in the Institute for Physical Therapy Education, co-authored a research report in the Journal of Physical Therapy Education on ethical dilemmas in International Service-Learning (ISL). Titled “Uncovering Ethical Dilemmas in International Service-Learning: A Grounded Theory,” the study used a constructive theory ground approach to understand the experiences, perceptions, and insights of faculty, students, and alumni who attended an ISL experience as well as to analyze the participants’ ethical nature. Ten students, six faculty members and five alumni from varying doctor of physical therapy programs across the country travelled to Central America to take part in an ISL program to identify potential ethical misconduct. The groups’ experience indicated that further research is needed to identify best practices for future ISL experiences to prevent future ethical dilemmas from arising.

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College of Arts & Sciences Professor J. Wesley Leckrone has been named a Distinguished University Professor. The honor recognizes faculty of distinction and demonstrates to the broader community that Widener is committed to recognizing excellence in teaching, scholarship, and service throughout a faculty member’s career. Distinguished professors serve for three years.

Leckrone is an impressive member of the faculty, and he is widely recognized for his teaching excellence. His extraordinary commitment to his teaching has not only earned him a national and global reputation but has led to him being a leader on campus. The energy and time that he devotes to course preparation and development illustrate his dedication to his students. Leckrone has published in highly prestigious, peer-reviewed journals, contributed articles and chapters in national and international edited volumes and edited and contributed to a two-volume set on Pennsylvania politics. In terms of service, Leckrone has contributed to multiple levels of faculty governance, as well as externally with organizations such as the Center for the Study of Federalism and the Pennsylvania Political Science Association. Leckrone’s continuous engagement with his research and his network ultimately provide a richer learning experience for Widener’s undergraduate and graduate students. 

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College of Arts & Sciences Associate Professor Katherine R. Goodrich has received the Faculty Institutional Leadership Award. It recognizes a record of leading initiatives that further the university’s vision, mission, and strategic objectives.

Goodrich’s leadership roles in academic affairs and related Faculty Council work have helped shape academic policies and communications between academic units at the university. She has spearheaded several major campus initiatives centered on improving our climate around diversity, equity, and inclusion, and these initiatives have all had positive outcomes on the central tenants of our “We’re All Widener” identity. Goodrich has worked to build a more cohesive, equitable, and inclusive campus culture at Widener. Her visionary and persistent diversity, equity, and inclusion leadership has been recognized across the university and led to her election as the first chair of the new Faculty Council Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee. Goodrich has focused much of her service activities on academic affairs and has contributed at all levels of the university. She served as chair of the Faculty Council Academic Affairs Committee for two terms (four years) and is seen as a strong leader at Widener. 

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The Fitz Dixon Innovation in Teaching Award has been given to College of Health and Human Services Professor Nadine McHenry. It is awarded to an individual or group who has designed, implemented, and assessed innovative or experimental teaching and learning project. 

McHenry serves as coordinator of the Community Engaged Teacher Education (CETE) program, which has completely transformed teacher education in the Center for Education since its inception in 2016. CETE places teacher candidates in local classrooms and pairs them with community mentors in the city of Chester to develop culturally relevant teaching strategies and help teachers close the opportunity gap for students in diverse urban settings. McHenry is involved in all aspects of this multi-layered program, which benefits education students, undergraduate faculty, and the communities they serve. 

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College of Arts & Sciences Distinguished University Professor J. Wesley Leckrone has received the Lindback Distinguished Teaching Award. This award is given to a faculty member who has demonstrated a history of teaching at the highest level. It is endowed by the Christian R. and Mary F. Lindback Foundation, a Philadelphia-based foundation that provides grants to institutions of higher education for the promotion of excellence in teaching.

Leckrone is an integral member of the political science faculty who has the distinction of teaching a wide range of interdisciplinary courses and provides the highest quality instruction to both majors and non-majors. Leckrone is a specialist in U.S. government, American political culture, and state and local politics. His commitment to teaching is reflected in the innovative ways he fuses his courses with high-impact practices and actively promotes civic engagement. Leckrone continually creates transformational learning experiences for his students by planning student trips such as going to Harrisburg for Student Advocacy Days, to Washington D.C. for visits to the Supreme Court and White House, and to New Hampshire for the 2020 presidential primary contests.

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Professor Shirlee M. Drayton-Brooks has been named a Distinguished University Professor. The honor recognizes faculty of distinction and demonstrates to the broader community that Widener is committed to recognizing excellence in teaching, scholarship, and service throughout a faculty member’s career. Distinguished professors serve for three years.

Drayton-Brooks is a nationally recognized leader in nursing education, especially in the preparation of Doctor of Nursing (DNP) Practice students. She initiated this program at Widener and continues to lead it. Drayton-Brooks is a role model for undergraduate and graduate nursing students and has facilitated the scholarly development of multiple students, advising translational research projects and chairing dissertations. Her national reputation is signified by her position as a Past President of the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties. She is also a Fellow of the National Association of Nurse Practitioners. She has made tremendous contributions to nursing education through her role on the National Advisory Council on Nursing Education and Practice and as director of both the DNP and Family Nurse Practitioner programs at Widener. Drayton-Brooks demonstrates a record of excellence in teaching, scholarship, and service. 

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School of Engineering Associate Professor Dipendu Saha has received the university's Outstanding Researcher Award. It recognizes a faculty member who has exhibited distinction in scholarly work and has made a significant contribution through research to advance the profession or discipline and the university’s mission.

Saha has an outstanding record of research within the environmental and sustainability sectors and is recognized for his investigations into novel engineering materials and processes. Saha has proven himself to be an outstanding mentor to the undergraduate and graduate chemical engineering students.  At Widener University, he co-published with 8 graduate students and 20 undergraduate students. So far, Saha has published around 70 peer-reviewed journal articles and 45 conference presentations. He has been successful in making collaborations and collaborative publications with several researchers and professors both nationally and internationally. Saha also serves as a peer-reviewer of several scientific journals and expert reviewer of research proposals from America, Europe and Asia. 

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School of Business Administration Professor Yvonne Antonucci has been named a Distinguished University Professor. The honor recognizes faculty of distinction and demonstrates to the broader community that Widener is committed to recognizing excellence in teaching, scholarship, and service throughout a faculty member’s career. Distinguished professors serve for three years.
 
Antonucci has made many contributions to the School of Business Administration. As a scholar, she is internationally recognized in business process management (BPM) and student learning engagement with technologies. Antonucci has contributed to the School of Business and the university community through committee participation, coordinating academic programs, curriculum development, peer mentoring, and her role as student club advisor. In addition, she has been a leader in the international SAP University Alliance. Antonucci’s scholarship, teaching, and leadership in the school have elevated SBA’s programs considerably during her career at Widener. She is an outstanding teacher, scholar, and leader both within and outside of the Widener community.

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School of Engineering Professor Mark A. Nicosia has received the Faculty Institutional Leadership Award. It recognizes a record of leading initiatives that further the university’s vision, mission, and strategic objectives.

Nicosia has championed the university’s vision through his involvement on campus.   He has served on the Faculty Council Executive Committee for the past six years—the past four years as faculty chair and two years prior as chair of the Faculty Affairs Committee. Nicosia has been a remarkable leader during the COVID-19 pandemic. While serving on the Provost Council and the Crisis Management Team, and chairing the Executive Committee of Faculty Council, he worked closely with the faculty and administration on policies and procedures that directly impacted our students. Nicosia has an exceptional ability to listen and hear concerns expressed by faculty, staff, and administrators and is intentional and thoughtful in any decision-making process. Nicosia is the ideal scholar and campus leader to elevate Widener’s institutional agility and focus on strategy. 

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College of Arts & Sciences Associate Professor Jayne M. Thompson has received the Faculty Award for Civic Engagement, which recognizes sustained outstanding contributions to Widener’s civic engagement mission through her teaching and research.

Thompson began her community engagement in the City of Chester 25 years ago and has helped numerous Widener students deepen their understanding of social responsibility and advance their critical consciousness through civic engagement. Community is a central theme in Thompson’s teaching, service activities, professional development, political and civic engagement, volunteerism, and home life. From her work with the Chester School District; Chester Made; Chester Cultural Corridor; Widener University’s service-learning, Bonner Leaders, and Periclean Faculty Leadership programs; and multiple service sites, to her role on the Mayor’s Advisory Council at Chester City Hall, Thompson’s work supports vibrant, healthy communities. Widener students have been central to her collaborations on projects and workshops in schools, prisons, juvenile detention centers, senior centers, churches, the Chester Cultural Corridor, literacy centers, and homeless shelters. Thompson exemplifies and elevates Widener’s commitment to civic engagement, and she has changed the lives of many people in vulnerable groups.

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The Pennsylvania Counseling Association (PCA), one of the largest and most active branches of the American Counseling Association, will honor Susan P. Schaming, LPC, associate professor and director of Graduate Counselor Education and Home School Visitor Programs, with its David W. Hall Advocacy Award. The honor recognizes an individual or individuals who have promoted the profession of counseling through advocacy and leadership. Schaming was appointed to a PCA anti-racism task force in 2020 in the wake of George Floyd’s murder and Black Lives Matter.  It is that work she will be recognized for when she receives the award and makes remarks at the PCA 2021 annual conference in King of Prussia on November 13. 

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Associate Professor Justin Sitron in the Center for Human Sexuality Studies was elected president-elect of the Society of Scientific Study of Sexuality. The Society of Scientific Study of Sexuality is dedicated to advancing knowledge of sexuality and communicating scientifically based sexuality research. They value human welfare and hope to reduce the ignorance and prejudice around sexuality.

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Catherine Safran, assistant professor of biology, co-authored an article in the journal Advances in Physiology Education that highlights the challenges and the successes of teaching physiology labs online during the COVID-19 pandemic. The article, Physiology labs during a pandemic: What did we learn?, proved that online networks fostered safe spaces for trust and provide support for instructors. Additionally, it showed how much of a drastic change it was for both students and faculty to adjust to learning online instead of in-person, especially for those who have to either teach or learn in a laboratory setting.

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Susan P. Schaming, associate professor and director of Graduate Counselor Education and Home School Visitor Programs, presented at the American Association of Counselor Educators and Supervisor's biennial Conference in Atlanta, GA. Her presentation titled "A multicultural course responds to racism and discrimination: An imperative for academicians and clinicians," offered a comprehensive course development plan for multiculturalism in counselor education. In addition, the tools for exploring bias and values that potentially lead to behaviors that marginalize groups, and strategies to analyze any institutional program practices that are influenced by cultural norms was discussed.

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Mechanical Engineering Assistant Professor Babal Eslami, Associate Professor Kamran Fouladi, and engineering alumnus Thomas May published an article titled, “Optimization of 3D printer enclosure environment” in The International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology. The article explains their study of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and experimental testing that was used to optimize 3D printing.

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A faculty-student research team published findings on the limits of microscopic research. Mechanical Engineering Associate Professor Babak Eslami and student-researcher Dylan Caputo published an article in a special issue of Advances in Surface Modification of the Materials explaining how Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) is used to measure different types of material properties, including mechanical, electrical, and chemical properties. The findings may provide an alternative way to understand how the material’s elasticity without having to physically test the theory with a hands-on experiment. As the article demonstrates, this technique used with AFM is beneficial as the technology gives scientists a way to understand the material’s properties without increasing the risk of losing important measurements to either humidity or artificial dissipations.

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Professor Lori Simons, practicum and internship coordinator of the psychology department, will give the keynote presentation at the International Conference on Education and Educational Psychology. The conference will be held remotely Oct. 6-8. 

Simon’s presentation is titled “A Developmental Approach for Infusing Career-Related Issues in an Undergraduate Psychology Curriculum: COVID-19 Impacts on Student Learning.” 

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An interdisciplinary team of faculty and alumni published a study on the properties of phenylboronic acid in water. Professor Ismail Kul, Associate Professor Krishna Bhat, Associate Professor Shirley Fischer-Drowos, chair of the chemistry department, and Alyssa Knox, a chemical engineering alumna, co-published the article in the Journal of Solution Chemistry. The study aimed to determine if acid-water solutions have directions after being exposed to different temperatures.

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Associate Dean of the College of Health and Human Services Justin Sitron and alum Li Lock '19 recently published an article, titled Sexological Worldview Development Explained by the Development Model of Intercultural Sensitivity, in the American Journal of Sexuality Education.

Sexological worldview is the lens through which someone sees and makes meaning of the sexual world around them. Their research explored whether the Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity (DMIS) explains the stages of someone’s sexological worldview development across a continuum of dualist to relativist perspectives and ways of interacting with others who are similar or different.

Sitron, an associate professor, interviewed 30 sexuality professionals and students in the US and found that the participants’ sexological worldview development could be explained using the DMIS framework.

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The Journal of Black Studies published an article co-authored by Janelle L. West, associate dean of graduate and continuing studies, on the impact of the racial climate on Black students’ choice to attend Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). The study was designed to understand to what extent, if any, did the racial climate under Donald Trump’s presidency influence Black students' choice to enroll in HBCUs. The study findings, which provided data from interviews with 80 Black students who were engaged in the college search process in 2016 to 2018, offers empirical evidence that indicate that the racial climate under President Trump played a salient role in participants’ selection of HBCUs.

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