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*The following endowed professorships were awarded to faculty to support research, scholarship, targeted professional development and special curriculum development.
Endowed Professorship Name
Sr Pauline O'Sullivan Prof II
Title
Digital Microscopes to Enhance Learning, Engagement, and Recruitment Opportunities
Faculty Name
Dawn Simms, MS, Assistant Professor
Summary of Project
Funding for the purchase of digital microscopes for the Microbiology and Biology laboratories. Images captured using digital microscopy can be used in the classroom, teaching workshops, independent research, and community engagement and recruitment activities.
Endowed Professorship Name
Sr Michael O'Shea Prof
Title
"True Facts of This Drastic Period": A Sabbatical Project about Slavery in Louisiana
Faculty Name
Angus Woodward, MFA, Professor
Summary of Project
This generous endowment supports my one-semester sabbatical, during which I am writing and illustrating a graphic nonfiction manuscript based on interviews of formerly enslaved Louisianians conducted by HBCU students in the 1930s.
Endowed Professorship Name
Sr Ann Young Prof
Title
Undergraduate Student Research Investigations in Biology & Chemistry
Faculty Name
Natalie Lenard, PhD, Professor
Summary of Project
Biology and Chemistry faculty provide both in-class and extracurricular laboratory research opportunities to FranU students.
Endowed Professorship Name
Sr Margaret Miller Prof
Title
Community and the Church
Faculty Name
Brian Pedraza, PhD, Associate Professor
Summary of Project
This endowment funded the first ever Theology/Philosophy/Great Books intellectual retreat for students, the writing of a chapter of a book on ecclesiology, and support for The Dunces' Corner, a podcast put on by theology professors and students.
Endowed Professorship Name
Sr Earleen Desselle Prof
Title
Philosophy Faculty Scholarship
Faculty Name
Damon Boria, PhD, Associate Professor
Summary of Project
I attended the 28th Conference of the North American Sartre Society, hosted at the University of North Carolina Wilmington in November 2023. I presented a paper titled "Nature-Talk in Existentialism: Three Disentanglements" and participated in a session on the recently published book Earthly Engagements: Reading Sartre After the Holocene, which I co-edited and partially authored.
Endowed Professorship Name
Sr Jean Renaux Prof
Title
Instruction Aid: Bariatric Nursing Manikin
Faculty Name
Janice Hall, PhD, Assistant Professor
Endowed Professorship Name
Sr Magdalen O'Donovan Prof
Title
Student Success on NCE
Faculty Name
William Schrieter, PhD, Associate Professor
Summary of Project
“Nature-Talk in Existentialism: Three Disentanglements.” 28th Conference of the North American Sartre Society, University of North Carolina Wilmington, Wilmington, North Carolina, 4 November 2023.
Endowed Professorship Name
Sr Veronica Dorgan Prof
Title
Funding for the Human Anatomy and Physiology Society Exams and Assessing their use with the Physical Therapy Assistant Program
Faculty Name
Michael Ludwig, PhD, Associate Professor
Summary of Project
This endowment funds the use and assessment of a standardized anatomy and physiology exam which may be used assess incoming students' retained knowledge from prerequisite classes. This is in line with the University's commitment to student success and our commitment to a high quality of education and meeting our students where they are.
Endowed Professorship Name
Sr Linda Constantin Prof
Title
TrueLearn
Faculty Name
Mari Kantrow, PT, DPT, Assistant Professor
Summary of Project
The purpose of this endowment is to utilize a 2-year subscription of the TrueLearn platform (which provides high-quality licensure exam type questions and metrics of program performance) to guide team members for areas of improvement within the curriculum, evaluate the benefits of such a program on improving DPT first time and ultimate NPTE® board pass rates, and assist in performing real-time curricular assessments and adaptations based on performance.
Endowed Professorship Name
Sr Marie Lemine Prof
Title
Improving Retention Rates and Exam Performance in the Medical laboratory Science Program
Faculty Name
Deborah Fox, PhD, Associate Professor
Summary of Project
This endowment provides funds to create additional electronic resources and to incorporate American Society of Clinical Pathology (ASCP) Board of Certification (BOC) review resources into the MLS curriculum in order to enhance student retention within the MLS program.
1. Endowed Professorship Name
Sr Rose Fitzgerald Prof
Title
Advancing Rehabilitation Research Technology
Faculty Name
Phillip Page, PT, PhD, Associate Professor
Summary of Project
This endowment funds research on human movement and rehabilitation through state-of-the-art equipment, training, and dissemination. Access to this research equipment represents the University’s commitment to research and scholarship, as well as an investment in technology for optimal student experiences and faculty scholarship.
2. Endowed Professorship Name
Sr Pauline O'Sullivan Prof I
Title
Mapping Brain Function During Therapeutic Interventions to Reduce Pain and Improve Function
Summary of Project
This equipment will be used to measure blood flow to certain areas of the brain to quantify brain activity during movement and exercise. This information can be used to enhance rehabilitation of neurological and musculoskeletal patients.
Endowed Professorship Name
Sr Pauline O'Sullivan Prof I
Title
Error Augmentation Via Mechanical Resistance: Applications for Physical Therapy Intervention
Faculty Name
Kelly Rodriguez, PT, DPT, Assistant Professor
Summary of Project
Specific parameters to target neuroplastic changes in the brain have been identified in the literature across all populations including task specificity and intensity of training. One such way to implement these parameters is via resistance, either through resistive bands or weighting systems during locomotor activity. This endowment provided funding for a locomotor mechanical resistance device to expand the technology of our human movement analysis research lab in the School of Health Professions and explore the impact on healthy, geriatric, and neurologic populations.
Endowed Professorship Name
Sr Marie Therese Crowley Prof
Title
Determining the Effect of a Comprehensive Mental and Emotional Wellness program in Physician Assistant Student Professional Development.
Faculty Name
Josselin Carter, DMSc, MMS, PA-C, Assistant Professor
Summary of Project
This endowment funds curricular enhancements to facilitate learning and provides services with a licensed social worker to provide wellness guidance in a group setting with an option for private interventions.