Dear Bellarmine Students, Faculty and Staff,
This has certainly been an exciting year at Bellarmine! I am still hearing congratulations and kudos following Tuesday’s announcement that the Knights will move to Division I beginning with the 2020-21 school year. Thank you to everyone who turned out to show ASUN Commissioner Ted Gumbart what a great decision the ASUN conference has made and to give ESPN+ its first look at Knights Nation.
I also want to express gratitude once again to our Board of Trustees, particularly Athletics Committee Co-Chairs Steve Mullins and Doug Whyte and members Sharon Des Jarlais, Jesse Flynn and Brad Ray; Board Chair Bill Mudd; faculty athletic representatives Mike Ackerman and Ann Jirkovsky; Athletic Director Scott Wiegandt; Pam Stackhouse; Ian Patrick; our student-athletes, coaches, faculty and staff; and every Knights fan whose support has given us the confidence to compete at this new level.
This move will allow us to innovate and enhance the exceptional educational experience that Bellarmine University has offered students since its founding, and to offer it to a more diverse student population from a wider geographic area. Our academic programs are – and will remain – our No. 1 priority.
With regard to academics, it was also my honor on May 11 to award 932 undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees in Bellarmine’s largest Commencement ceremony ever—an event that drew an estimated 10,000 people to Freedom Hall. Commencement is the emotional culmination of a student’s Bellarmine journey, and I want to thank everyone who helped to make our first off-campus ceremony so special for the Class of 2019 and their families. The Commencement Committee, Academic Affairs, Special Events, Communications, Facilities and Public Safety teams in particular, as well as dozens of volunteers the day of, worked hard to ensure that Commencement still had that unique “Bellarmine feel,” even in a new space. Hospitality truly is a foundational Bellarmine value.
No matter where your plans take you, I hope that each of you has an energizing, productive summer. The President’s Update will resume in September.
Bellarmine College of Arts and Sciences
Dr. Robert Kingsolver has transitioned from administrative service to full-time faculty. After serving as dean of Arts and Sciences for five years and founding dean of the School of Environmental Studies for 10, he will join the ranks of the Bellarmine faculty next fall. He will continue contributing Ecology and Environmental Science instruction, research, and outreach for the Department of Environmental Studies. His project for sabbatical leave in Spring 2020 will involve habitat development for biodiversity protection in a new Southern Indiana wildlife conservation area.
Dr. Martha Carlson Mazur, associate professor of Environmental Studies, published the article “Seasonal Patterns in Hydrochemical Mixing in Three Great Lakes Rivermouth Ecosystems” in the Journal of Great Lakes Research.
Dr. Kate Bulinski, associate professor of Environmental Studies, had an invited commentary published in the May 16 issue of The Record entitled “Evolution and Faith: Compatible and Complementary.”
Dr. Jon Blandford, associate professor of English and director of Bellarmine’s Honors Program, published “Making Sense of Ira and Isabella’s Generic Confusions” in Common- Place, the online journal of the American Antiquarian Society.
Dr. Tim Glasscock, chair and associate professor of Music, is the coordinator of a Fourth of July choir concert for Clarksville, Indiana, and surrounding areas of Kentuckiana.
Dr. Fedja Buric, associate professor of History, had an editorial published by the Courier Journal in response to the burning of Notre Dame Cathedral in April. The editorial gave a historian’s perspective to the current trend of empathy shaming.
Dr. Kyle Barnett, associate professor of Communication, was the Bellarmine representative at the Digital Humanities Research Institute, a two-day workshop about digital scholarship at the University of Louisville (and partially funded by the City University of New York) on May 9-10. Dr. Barnett also attended the Council of Independent Colleges’ three-day training workshop, “Leading Departments and Divisions in Times of Change," in Columbus, Ohio, May 21-23.
Dr. Shawn Apostel, assistant professor of Communication, had a chapter, “Prezi and PowerPoint: Getting the Most Out of ‘Quick and Dirty’ Pathos,” published in Multimodal Consulting: Strategies for Twenty-First-Century Writing Consultations, a collection edited by Lindsay Sabatino and Brian Fallon, Utah State University Press, 2019. Dr. Apostel also presented “Using Microsoft Teams to Enhance Engagement and Learning with Any Class: It’s Fun and Easy” with instructional developer Janice Poston and Dr. Keith Richardson, professor of Accounting, at Pedagogicon, a conference at Eastern Kentucky University, on May 17.
College of Health Professions
Ms. Bev Bone (instructor, Nursing) was awarded the inaugural Lansing School Pedagogic Development Faculty Stipend Award for 2019-20. Her project is redesigning a learning experience in NURS 206–Transcultural Communication to help students better understand the relationship and significance of nursing history to current social and cultural issues in healthcare. She will present her findings next year to the faculty.
Dr. Sherill Cronin (professor and chair, Graduate Nursing) and colleagues published “Crossing Boundaries to Advance Nursing Research Education” in the Journal for Nurses in Professional Development. Dr. Cronin and Ms. Barbara Lee(emeritus faculty, Nursing) published “Caring Behaviors Assessment Tool” in Assessing and Measuring Caring in Nursing and Health Science (3rd ed.), New York: Springer.
Dr. Ta’Neka Lindsay (assistant professor, Nursing) was a podium presenter for the Kentucky Coalition of Nurse Practitioner and Nurse Midwives Conference in Covington, Ky., on April 24. Her presentation was “I’m Due for That: A Review of Updated Evidence-Based Preventive Health Guidelines.”
Dr. Heather Owens (assistant professor, Nursing) published “Sleep—An Essential Component of Obesity Screening and Counseling: A policy Analysis of the Affordable Care Act” in Inquiry, Vol. 56. Dr. Owens and colleagues published “Mediating Effect of Sleep Behaviors When Predicting Weight-Related Behaviors in Nursing Students” in the Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, Vol. 31(5).
Dr. Kelly Ruppel (assistant professor, Nursing) presented an abstract at the University of Kentucky’s Annual Faculty Development Workshop entitled “Knowledge to Implementation: Teaching Evidence-Based Practice in an Undergraduate Program” on May 9 in Lexington.
Dr. Thomas Wójcicki (assistant professor, Exercise Science) was awarded this year’s Walking College Fellowship via America Walks. This national advocacy organization empowers communities to create safe, accessible and enjoyable places to walk and move. Dr. Wójcicki was also a graduate of the Spring 2019 class of the Neighborhood Institute via the Center for Neighborhoods.
Dr. Megan Danzl (associate professor and assistant chair, Physical Therapy) andDr. Elizabeth Ulanowski (assistant professor, Physical Therapy), along with Bellarmine Physical Therapy alumni (Drs. Taylor Carta, Ylice Bridges, Devin Conway and Lexi Vessels) published “Implementation and Experiences of Participating in a Neurologic Service Learning Clinic in Physical Therapist Entry-Level Program: An Educational Case Report” in the Journal of Physical Therapy Education on April 1.
Dr. Chantal Prewitt (associate professor, Physical Therapy) attended the regional conference for the American Association of Clinical Anatomists (AACA) and the Human Anatomy and Physiology Society (HAPS) hosted by Bellarmine University. She and second-year DPT student Mason Sullivan presented a poster entitled “The Anatomy of Muscular Dystrophy: A Cadaveric Study.” Dr. Prewitt and Mr. Sullivan also hosted a workshop on the nervous system for the regional conference: “The Anatomy of the Nervous System: A Cadaveric Presentation.”
Dr. Tony Brosky (professor, Physical Therapy, and dean, School of Movement and Rehabilitation Sciences) was an invited member of a panel discussion focused on wearable med-tech as an easy-to-use solution to prevent falls at the What’s Next: Boomer Business Summit in New Orleans. The title of the panel’s presentation was “Health and Wellness Boomer Style: Are We Ready?”
Professor Dennis Lesch (instructor, Physical Therapy) and Dr. Tony Broskyattended the conference/workshop sponsored by AARP KY & Thrive Center: Technology Made Simple.
Dr. Beth Ennis (associate professor and chair, Physical Therapy) attended the 2019 Kentucky Telehealth Summit sponsored by the Kentucky Office of Rural Health on May 23 at the WKU Knicely Conference Center in Bowling Green.
Dr. Gina Pariser (professor, Physical Therapy) presented a three-hour webinar for Physical Therapy.com titled “Contemporary Guidelines for Exercise and Diabetes: Implications for Physical Therapy.” Seventy-five physical therapists participated. In May, Dr. Pariser led the monthly online journal club for the American Physical Therapy Association’s Academy of Geriatric Physical Therapy.
Dr. Norm Ayotte (assistant professor, Physical Therapy) traveled with eight DPT students to Curtin University in Perth, Australia, where they participated in academic, clinical, social and cultural-immersion experiences.
Dr. Sara Mahoney (associate professor and chair, Exercise Science) presented “Sources of Nutrition Information and Knowledge In Ultra-runners (the SNIKR Study)” with Dr. Andrew Carnes (assistant professor, Exercise Science), Dr. Thomas Wójcicki and Exercise Science student Nigel Ouslan at the national American College of Sports Medicine annual meeting in Orlando. They also presented “Sources of Nutrition Information in Ultramarathon Runners” at the Southeast American College of Sports Medicine Conference in Greenville, S.C., where a team of three Exercise Science students competed in the Student Bowl, making to Final Jeopardy, but valiantly losing it all in the final round.
The following faculty and students made presentations at the World Confederation for Physical Therapy Congress in Geneva, Switzerland, May 10-13:
- Dr. Elizabeth Ulanowski and a colleague presented a poster entitled “A Qualitative Analysis of an Interprofessional Education Workshop: A Rehabilitation Collaboration.”
- Dr. Natalie Vance (part-time faculty, Physical Therapy, and alumna), Dr. Ulanowski, Physical Therapy students Emily Barrett, Daniel Ryan andDr. Megan Danzl presented a poster entitled “A Clinical Decision-making Approach to Address Functional Limitations in an Individual with Kennedy’s Disease, a Rare Neurological Disorder.”
- Drs. Ulanowski and Danzl and PT graduate Victoria Loving presented a poster entitled “A ‘Reflection-on-Specific Action’ Approach to Developing an Exercise Program for a Person with Severe Cognitive Deficits.”
- Drs. Ulanowski and Danzl, a colleague and PT students Alyssa Brothers, Alexander James, Lisa Schwartz and Kaitlyn Starr presented a poster entitled “The Role of Music Therapy Intervention on Movement in Huntington’s Disease: A Physical and Music Therapy Partnership.”
- Drs. Ulanowski and Danzl and Drs. Victoria Schwartz and Chelsea Reed, DPT graduates, presented a poster entitled “Physical Therapist-Led Yoga for Individuals with Huntington’s Disease: A Qualitative Case Study.”
- Drs. Jasmine Charpentier and Hayle Lawler (PT alumni) and Drs. Ulanowski and Danzl presented a poster entitled “Self-efficacy towards Exercise in People with Parkinson Disease who Participate in a Wellness Retreat.”
The following College of Health Professions posters were presented at the 2019 Celebration of Student Research and Creativity on April 9 in Frazier Hall:
- Ashley Duvall, sponsored by Dr. Chelsey Franz (assistant professor, Athletic Training), “The Use of Mouth Guards to Prevent and Reduce the Risk of Concussion: Perceptions and Beliefs”
- Nigel Ouslan, sponsored by Dr. Sara Mahoney, “Sources of Nutrition Information and Knowledge in Ultra-Runners”
- Lindsey Baker, sponsored by Dr. Karen Golemboski (professor and chair, Medical Laboratory Science), “Turnaround Time for ED Troponin Testing”
- Gabrielle Hawkins, sponsored by Dr. Golemboski, “Solving the Mystery of Death Crystals”
- Meera Patel, sponsored by Dr. Golemboski, “Improper Collection of Microbiological Specimens”
- Katy Todd, sponsored by Dr. Golemboski, “Blood Culture Contamination”
- Kimberly Acedillo, sponsored by Dr. Kelly Ruppel, “Preventing Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia and Ventilator-Associated Events with Bundles”
- Lindsey Breeding, sponsored by Ms. Bev Bone, “Reducing Communication Breakdown in the Peri-Anesthesia Setting Through the Use of Closed-Loop Communication Techniques”
- Tenzin Dicky, sponsored by Dr. Ruppel, “Bedside Shift Report and Patient Satisfaction Related to Nursing Communication”
- Joanna Liu, sponsored by Ms. Bone, “Improving Patient Satisfaction through Personalized Patient Care”
- Luis Olivas, sponsored by Mr. Chris Webb (instructor, Nursing), “Improving Throughput with Discharge Compliance”
- Tyler Calhoun, sponsored by Ms. Carol Scherbak (assistant professor and chair, Radiation Therapy), “Dose Assessment and Protocol Review for Pediatric CT Simulation”
- Clayton Culver, sponsored by Ms. Scherbak, “Quality Assurance of Immobilization Devices”
- Clay Johnson, sponsored by Ms. Scherbak, “Skin Dose: Is Skin Dose Affected by Beam Modifiers?”
The Physical Therapy Program’s David A. Pariser Memorial White Coat Ceremony was May 31 in Frazier Hall. The keynote speaker was Nicole L. Stout, chief executive officer of 3e Services, who presented “Breaking the Mold: Unprecedented Opportunity for the Future of PT.” Carolyn Furdek ’11 DPT also spoke.
Annsley Frazier Thornton School of Education
Drs. Mary Ann Cahill and Belinda Harlow took a group of eight undergraduate students to South Africa during the May semester to study apartheid and its effects on education. The group spent three days in Johannesburg studying apartheid at the Apartheid Museum, Constitution Hill, and the township of Soweto. They then flew to Port Elizabeth to work with Nelson Mandela University and offer service at a township school called Seyisi Primary School and Maranatha Children's Home. The group also enjoyed three safaris.
Dr. Mary Ann Cahill and colleagues had a chapter—“Supporting Early Childhood Educators to Stem the Opioid Crisis with Three-Year-Olds: Just Say No!”—accepted for a forthcoming book called Rural Poverty.
Dr. Kristin Cook and colleagues published a manuscript titled “Problem-based Paleontology: A STEAM Exploration for Fourth Graders” in Science & Children; published the book Step into STEAM, Grades K-5: Your Standards-Based Action Plan for Deepening Mathematics and Science Learning; and published a chapter titled “Structuring STEAM Inquiries: Lessons Learned from Practice” in STEAM Education: Theory and Practice. Dr. Cook and colleagues received a $125,000 Robert Noyce Capacity Building Grant titled “Strengthening STEM Teacher Education Pathways in Kentucky with Collaborative Partnerships” from the National Science Foundation (NSF). She and colleagues also received a $100,000 GenCyber grant titled “GenCyber Knights High School Teacher Camps” from the National Security Agency (NSA) & the NSF. Dr. Cook accepted the position of board member for the Kentucky Science Center.
Dr. Donald “DJ” Mitchell, Jr. served as lead editor for the second edition ofIntersectionality & Higher Education: Theory, Research, & Praxis (Peter Lang, 2019). He also participated in the 2019 Council for Independent Colleges Department & Division Chairs Workshop in Milwaukee in May.
Dr. Will Wells agreed to serve as the vice-chair of the Nativity Academy’s Board of Directors beginning July 1. He also represented Bellarmine as part of the Kentucky team of educators at the Pathways to Adult Success Conference in Baltimore in May. The focus of this initiative, which is being led by the Johns Hopkins University’s Everyone Graduates Center, is to develop early warning systems and systems of support so that students will persist to high school graduation and successfully transition to post-secondary training or education that will then lead to employment or further education in their field.
W. Fielding Rubel School of Business
Dr. Dan Bauer, professor of Finance, and colleague had a paper entitled “Dynamic Pricing: Some Thoughts and Analysis” accepted for publication in the Journal of Accounting and Finance, which has a 20 percent acceptance rate.
Ms. Christy Burge, instructor of Accounting, attended the Kentucky Department of Education's Business & Education Alignment Taskforce meeting for Business & Marketing Education Secondary Programs as a committee member to determine the professional certifications that are appropriate for high school students to be able to complete before graduation. She also attended the KYCPA Woman's Day networking event on May 6 and met with IMA President Zuzana Hronik to begin planning for student involvement with the local professional group and their annual student networking event, which will be held at Bellarmine in October.
Dr. Alisha Harper reports that Bellarmine students who volunteered with Louisville Asset Building Coalition and the Volunteer Tax Assistance Program prepared 121 tax returns, generating $186,304 total in refunds back into the Louisville area and saving low-income taxpayers more than $30,000 in tax-preparation fees. Also, “From One Corporation to Another: The Impact of the 2018 TCJA on Dividend Payments,” an article Dr. Harper, Dr. Keith Richardson, professor of Accounting, and Jonathan Hunter Boschert ’18 MTAX, was accepted for publication in the American Journal of Management.
Dr. Alisha Harper, Dr. Patricia Selvy, associate professor of Accounting, and a colleague had an article, “A Financial Advisor's Guide to Avoiding Required Minimum Distribution Land Mines,” selected by a panel of judges as the second-place winner in the annual Kenneth Black Jr. Journal Award competition.
Dr. Sharon Kerrick, dean of the Rubel School, was awarded the Supporting Partner Award by the National Association of Women Business Owners-Kentucky and named Business First’s Mentor of the Year. She was an invited presenter/speaker for the Young Professional’s Leadership program and also presented on innovation at Schneider Electric. Dr. Kerrick hosted the Kentucky World Trade Center – Global Women in Business – Elevate event during spring break.
Dr. Elizabeth Payne, endowed chair of Accounting, a member of the Board of Directors of Financial Executives International, delivered programs in April and May featuring Darren Srebnick, the Chief Trade Officer for World Trade Center Kentucky (discussing impacts on the commonwealth's signature export, bourbon, and the state of other important industries), and Crowe LLC cybersecurity experts Andre Fomby and Mike Brancatotalk (discussing how to understand an organization's cyber exposure), respectively. Dr. Payne continued service on the Kentucky State Board of Accountancy during these months and presented certificates to new CPAs at the KYCPA’s spring awards banquet in April. Dr. Payne also attended the KYCPA Accounting Educators’ Conference in May and this month began serving on the KYCPA’s Accounting Awareness Task Force (a new program designed to educate high school students about careers in the accounting profession).
Dr. Bradley Stephenson, associate professor of Finance, recently helped judge Senior Backpack Defenses for Southern High School’s iGen Business Academy. The purpose of the presentations is for students to detail how they met learning outcomes and to show they are prepared for life beyond high school. Dr. Stevenson also recently presented information on financial literacy at “I Make Money Moves” in Kennedy-Newman Hall for Bellarmine students.
Dr. Patricia Carver, Ph.D. in Leadership in Higher Education, received the 2019 Annsley Frazier Thornton School of Education Outstanding Dissertation Award. Her dissertation is entitled “Twenty Shades of Black: A Phenomenological Study of the Dating, Hooking Up, Belonging, and Thriving Experiences of Black Women Students at Private, Predominantly White Institutions.”
Staff News and Achievements
Dr. Sara Pettingill, dean of Graduate Admission, and Dr. Jordan Rose Wiehebrink, associate dean of Graduate Admission, presented on current graduate enrollment management strategies at NAGAP, the Leader in Graduate Enrollment Management Conference, in Toronto, Canada, on April 12. They also coordinated the First Timers’ Reception to welcome newcomers to the 1,600-member association’s event. Dr. Wiehebrink was also elected to serve as the Chair of Member Relations for MAGAP (the Midwestern regional chapter for NAGAP).
Ms. Julie Armstrong-Binnix, assistant dean of Graduate Admission and Strategic Operations, received a MAGAP (Midwest Chapter of NAGAP) scholarship to attend the 2019 MAGAP Summer Workshop (“Content and Collaboration in Recruitment”) hosted by Loyola University Chicago’s School of Law on June 19.
Mr. Eric Satterly and Mr. Fred Claypool presented a session at Ellucian Live 2019 titled “Campus Innovation through Platform-Thinking.” Technology alone does not solve problems or create opportunities; it takes people, process and technology to drive innovation. Platform-thinking is an approach to innovation that many commercial businesses have adopted, but it can be applied to higher education as well. At the same event, Mr. Vern Fridell presented a session titled “Sweet Ellucian Colleague SQL” that examined how Colleague data is stored and organized on the SQL server.
Dr. Paul Pearson, director of the Thomas Merton Center, and a colleague published “Thomas Merton and the Curious Case of the 1950 Pulitzer Prize” in Ragazine 15.2 (March-April 2019). Dr. Pearson also presented “Listening to the World: The Social Re-visioning of Thomas Merton through Monastic Silence” at the 50th Annual Meeting of the College English Association in New Orleans on March 28. The paper was awarded the CEA’s James R. (Dick) Bennett Award for Literature and Peace.
Mrs. Alice Kimble, director of Health Services, was honored with the YMCA Volunteer of the Year award for her work with Camp Piomingo and has been asked to serve on the board of directors for The Franciscan Kitchen.
Mr. Patrick Riley, Residence Life coordinator, attended NASPA Region III and SACSA’s New Professional’s Institute in early June at the University of North Carolina Charlotte. New Professionals Institute is the preeminent professional development opportunity for new student affairs professionals in the south. Mr. Riley will be presenting at the Residential Learning Communities as a High-Impact Practice Conference at Elon University June 16-17. The title of his presentation is “Mentorship: Faculty, Staff, and Student Support Enhancing a High Impact Residential Learning Community Experience.”
Ms. Lindsey Gilmore, assistant director of Residence Life, attended NASPA Region III and SACSA’s Mid Managers’ Institute May 21-25 at Mississippi State University. The Mid-Manager's Institute offers an opportunity for mid-level professionals to enhance and develop the skills, relationships, and dispositions that distinguish them in the profession.