Noteworthy

Deb Morley, director of the Wolfgram Memorial Library, was named to the board of directors of the Pennsylvania Academic Library Consortium, Inc. (PALCI). The PALCI membership consists of 70 academic and research libraries, private and public, in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, West Virginia, and New York. Member institutions range from small liberal arts colleges to publicly funded universities to Association of Research Library institutions to the State Library of Pennsylvania. 

Share link: https://www.widener.edu/news/noteworthy/library-director-named-board-state-library-consortium

Associate Professor of Management Kerri Crowne Brannen recently published the article “Does National Culture Influence Peer Evaluations on Global Virtual Teams?” in the Journal of Teaching in International Business. Research for her timely article indicated that cultural variables had a weak effect on peer assessment of performance, and the most influential variable on performance was English language ability. Brennan teaches in the School of Business Administration. 

Share link: https://www.widener.edu/node/17471/

Professor Ilene D. Lieberman received the Faculty Institutional Leadership Award at the 2020 Faculty Awards event. The honor recognizes her record of leading initiatives that further the university’s vision, mission and strategic objectives. Lieberman has played a vital role in the development and revitalization of many academic programs over 30 years of service to Widener. As director of the Honors Program in General Education, Lieberman has instituted multiple high-impact practices such as early adoption of high-impact practices in honors courses, establishment of an honors Living Learning Community, and development of a mentor program. Her work has improved Widener’s recruitment of academically talented students, and those students benefit from her mentorship. Lieberman was also a co-founder of the Women’s Studies Program (now known as Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies), which has brought fresh ideas to the university and helped attract high-caliber faculty to provide students with leadership and civic engagement opportunities. A commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion has been a recurring priority in her leadership.

Share link: https://www.widener.edu/news/noteworthy/arts-sciences-professor-recognized-leadership

Associate Professor Kerri Crowne Brannen received the Outstanding Researcher Award at the 2020 Faculty Awards event. The honor recognizes a faculty member who has exhibited distinction in scholarly work and has made a significant contribution through research to advancing the profession or discipline and the university’s mission. Brannen is a prolific researcher who has published 10 articles in a variety of highly-ranked journals over the last five years. She is an internationally recognized scholar and some of her work addresses the role of cultural and emotional intelligences on transformational leadership, which in turn drives change in the workplace. She has also explored her field through award-winning research linked to her use of high-impact teaching practices, which has enriched the education of Widener’s business majors. Much of her research has been carried out collaboratively with colleagues at Widener and elsewhere. She is also Co-Editor-in-Chief of Organizational Management Journal.

Share link: https://www.widener.edu/node/17406/

Robert Wellmon was named a Distinguished University Professor at the 2020 Faculty Awards event. The designation 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. Wellmon has distinguished himself on campus with excellent teaching, dedicated service to the university and a well-regarded, clinically relevant research program. He has implemented transformative curricular initiatives to promote student learning and success through several interdisciplinary and inter-professional endeavors. His scholarship is nationally and internationally recognized, with numerous publications and recognition by the National Academies of Practice as a Distinguished Scholar and Fellow. He has served as the chair of the Southeast District of the Pennsylvania Physical Therapy Association and on the Board of Directors of the National Interprofessional Education Consortium of the American Council of Academic Physical Therapy. 

Share link: https://www.widener.edu/node/17391

Loyd Bastin was named a  Distinguished University Professor at the 2020 Faculty Awards event. The designation 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. Bastin’s passion for promoting sustainable practices has led to an active and productive research program in green chemistry, sustainability and education. His recent co-edited book “Integrating Green and Sustainable Chemistry Principles into Education” and numerous invited presentations reflect his reputation as an important scholar. Bastin’s contributions to university leadership include shepherding the chemistry department to environmentally sustainable lab practices, and raising sustainability awareness across campus. As a member of the Vision 2021 GO Team and as chair of the Academic Affairs Committee, Bastin has worked toward implementing rigorous academic practices, clarifying academic policies and developing new programs for student success. 

Share link: https://www.widener.edu/node/17386/

Professor Richard S. Hopkins received the Lindback Distinguished Teaching Award at the 2020 Faculty Awards event. The honor 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. Hopkins’ highly distinguished teaching spans a diverse array of history courses including Madness, Crime, and Punishment; Sex and Gender in European History; French Revolution and Napoleon; and more. Students give him superior evaluations for active-learning teaching methods that include mock trials, debates, and engagement with primary sources. He has co-led multiple interdisciplinary excursions in French Philadelphia and at European Union simulation competitions around the nation and in Europe. He has also co-directed grant-funded public history and education projects in Chester including a Community Archival Workshop and the Chester Made Humanities Summer Camp. His productive scholarship on modern French history, urbanism, and women’s and gender studies has resulted in two books and multiple articles. 

Share link: https://www.widener.edu/node/17396

Professor of French Stephanie Schechner received the Fitz Dixon Innovation in Teaching Award at the 2020 Faculty Awards event. It is given to an individual or group who have designed, implemented and assessed an innovative or experimental teaching and learning project. Schechner knows employers value students who can work cross-culturally, and cultivates and leverages a network of government, nonprofit, corporate, and alumni contacts to enhance student learning and career readiness. Schechner’s efforts have led to a 100 percent employment rate for French majors over the past 20 years, as well as study abroad, internships, mentoring, and career readiness workshops for students. Over the years, French majors have gone on to careers in investment banking, nursing, public health, civil service, insurance, library and information science, high tech, and non-profit fundraising. Schechner’s network includes internal partners in the Schools of Engineering and Business Administration.  External partners have included the French American Chamber of Commerce of Philadelphia, the Quebec Trade Office, the University of Laval, the Upper Darby Welcome Center, the City of Philadelphia, and the French government.

Share link: https://www.widener.edu/node/17416/

Professor Bruce W. Grant received the Faculty Award for Civic Engagement at the 2020 Faculty Awards event. The honor recognizes sustained outstanding contributions to Widener’s civic engagement mission through his teaching and research. Grant has developed service-learning projects working closely with community partners, including Stetser Elementary School, the Chester Upland School District, CitiTeam Ministries and the Ruth Bennett Community Farm. For the past three years, he, along with Widener faculty and student collaborators, have been developing place-based school garden curriculum at Stetser Elementary School to improve Stetser student academic performance in science, and promote positive motivational dispositions and social engagement in their school communities. Grant has taught academic service learning enhanced courses more than 20 times and has engaged hundreds of Widener students in course-based projects in science education in local Chester schools and community agencies that involve meaningful work for sustainable community development. 

Share link: https://www.widener.edu/node/17401/

Virginia Brabender, professor of clinical psychology, received the Distinguished Service and Contribution to Personality Assessment Award from the Society for Personality Assessment (SPA), the largest association dedicated to the development of methods for personality assessment through research, innovation in the theory and practice of assessment, and the promotion of personality assessment practice. The esteemed award celebrates Brabender’s record of meaningful scholarship, tireless advocacy, and hands-on instruction related to personality assessment.

Share link: https://www.widener.edu/node/17346

Beth Barol, associate professor of social work, was chosen for the Earl L. Loschen Award for Clinical Practice from the National Association of Dual Diagnosis (NADD), an international association for persons with intellectual disabilities and mental health needs. Given annually, this prestigious award recognizes Barol for her tremendous impact on the lives of individuals with intellectual and development disabilities as well as mental health needs through her clinical practice.

Share link: https://www.widener.edu/node/17351

Dr. Brooke Wells, an associate professor and program director of Widener’s Human Sexuality Studies PhD, was recently awarded more than $41,000 as a co-investigator on a three-year project funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism of the National Institutes of Health.* 

The research, titled “The development and validation of a novel paradigm for assessing sexual assault risk perception in MSM (men who have sex with men),” is being led by investigators at Rowan University who were granted a total award of $425,541, alongside collaborators from Central Connecticut State University. 

The research project will address the significant problem of sexual violence for sexual minorities, especially men who have sex with men, and will serve as a useful step in creating tools to enhance prevention efforts in this susceptible population. Wells will lend her expertise in HIV and sexual assault research areas, as well as provide input and logistical support in recruitment and assessment in diverse populations of men who have sex with men.  

*Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse And Alcoholism of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number R15AA028637. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health. 

Share link: https://www.widener.edu/node/17256/

Claudia Guerrazzi Young, assistant professor of management, published findings in the peer-reviewed International Journal of Medical Informatics entitled "Inter-organizational information sharing and Bundled Payment Reimbursement: Do Hospitals in the U.S. Use Health Information Exchange to Collaborate?" 

Share link: https://www.widener.edu/node/17226/

Michael Rosko, professor emeritus of health care management, published an article in the peer-reviewed International Journal of Health Economics and Management  examining the relationship between hospital profitability and efficiency.

Share link: https://www.widener.edu/node/17221/ 

Anne Krouse, dean of the School of Nursing, was re-elected as treasurer to the National League for Nursing's (NLN) Board of Governors. This is Krouses' second term serving as treasurer for the organization. The NLN is one of the leading nursing organizations guided by a mission to promote nurse excellence in nursing education.

Share link: https://www.widener.edu/node/17216/ 

Several faculty in the School of Business Administration, including Associate Professor Kerri Crowne Brannen, Assistant Professor Danielle Durant, Assistant Professor Yamuna Baburaj, Professor Donna McCloskey, and Assistant Dean Lou Anne Vike, as well as Peter Hornberger and Maureen Brown, co-authored an article in the November 2020 issue of the International Journal of Management Education. The article, titled "A program for embedding career activities in multiple core business courses," details a Widener program for embedding career-preparedness into the undergraduate business curriculum.

The program ensures every student in the School of Business Administration is provided with adequate career-preparedness training, and the school is well-positioned to achieve high job placement rates.

Share link: https://www.widener.edu/news/noteworthy/school-business-administration-faculty-publish-article-career-preparedness-activities-business

Dr. Yamuna Baburaj, assistant professor of management, recently co-authored two published articles. The article, titled "How to best utilize star employees," was published in the April-June 2020 issue of Organizational Dynamics. The paper discusses some of the challenges associated with star employee management and proposes strategies for managing this form of specialized human capital in any organization.

Another article, titled "Complementary Product Categorization and its Influence on the Make, Buy, and Ally Decision: An Exploratory Study," was accepted in March 2020 and published in the International Journal of Innovation Management. The paper examines the significance of a categorization of product complementarity on the firm governance decision.

Share link: https://www.widener.edu/news/noteworthy/management-assistant-professor-co-authors-two-published-articles

Dr. Brian Larson, professor and department head of management, and Dr. Yamuna Baburaj, assistant professor of management, co-authored an article in the May 2020 issue of the Journal of International Business Disciplines. The article, titled "Alternative Multi-mode International Learning: A Model Establishing Collaboration," proposes a set of activities to enhance cross-cultural learning opportunities as a viable alternative to study abroad.

Share link: https://www.widener.edu/news/noteworthy/school-business-administration-professors-publish-article-international-learning

Dr. Katia Ciampa, an assistant professor in the Center for Education, and Dr. Zora Wolfe, an associate professor in the Center for Education, published a peer-reviewed article in "Teaching in Higher Education" in September 2020. The article, titled "From isolation to collaboration: creating an intentional community of practice within the doctoral dissertation proposal writing process," was a retrospective case study to examine the implementation of peer-review practices in a doctoral dissertation proposal course.

Share link: https://www.widener.edu/news/noteworthy/education-professors-publish-article-teaching-higher-education

Professor Janine Utell, chair of English, has been accepted as a 2020-2021 Public Fellow at the Oklahoma Center for the Humanities. As part of the cohort, she will join a group of faculty, students, and other public scholars from the University of Tulsa for an in-depth exploration of Rage. The fellowship was originally designed to admit public fellows from the Tulsa area, but the shift to digital programming and meeting allowed Utell to join the cohort. She is in the first non-Tulsan to join the group since the Center began.

Share link: https://www.widener.edu/news/noteworthy/chair-english-janine-utell-accepted-public-fellow-oklahoma-center-humanities