Faculty Excellence
September 2024
On September 12 and September 13, Drs. Guy Boysen, Sara Frank, Allie Helfrich, Mickey Schutzenhofer, and Tami Eggleston participated in an online workshop. The institute was hosted by AAC&U and was entitled, "The 2024-2025 Institute on AI, Pedagogy, and the Curriculum." The team will share what they learned in future activities to ensure that McKendree is using AI in appropriate and innovative ways.
Dr. Tami Eggleston continues to be very engaged with the Higher Learning Commission (HLC). This summer Tami served as a Team Chair for a university on their Open Pathway, participated on a Review Panel for Quality Initiative Proposals for three colleges, and completed a Federal Compliance review.
Dr. Timothy Ros had a book review published in a special edition of New Horizons in Adult Education
and Human Resources Development. The review, titled "Book Review: Practicing Oral
History with Military and War Veterans by Raynor S.," appears in the special issue
on "Enhancing Veterans' Transition to the Civilian Workforce: Strategies for Meaningful
Employability."
This special issue is particularly significant as it aims to provide a platform for
veterans and organizations to recognize the mutual benefits of hiring veterans. The
focus is on offering research-grounded strategies and best practices to facilitate
meaningful employment for veterans within the civilian sector. This includes addressing
the critical role of human resource development specialists, especially in relation
to veterans as marginalized employees.
The significance of this special issue extends beyond academic discourse. It contributes
to the well-being of individuals who have served their country, enhances workforce
diversity, and fulfills societal obligations to support those who have sacrificed
for the common good. Moreover, it presents an important opportunity for professionals
in human resource development, adult education, workforce education, and training
and development. These professionals can advocate for and promote the recruitment
and retention of veterans, enhance career development pathways, support diversity
and inclusion efforts, and design and deliver culturally relevant training programs
sensitive to veterans' unique needs.
Dr. Kelly D. Stewart, Associate Professor from the School of Education, had a busy summer working with
K-12 schools. She conducted 9 Administrator Academies across Illinois, including
The Power of Positive Leadership at Belleville Township High School District. She
leads seven professional development training sessions for five regional education
offices and two school districts across most of southern Illinois. She ended her
summer by giving 9 Back to School Speeches across Illinois, from the Big Hollow School
district, just south of Wisconsin, to Shawnee College in Ulin, Illinois, just 30
miles from Cape Girardeau, Missouri.