Director Of Undergraduate Research Spring 2013 – Present

In January 2013, I began to serve as Director of Undergraduate Research (DUR). This is a half-time appointment and makes a large part of my job serving the university. This job is a joy to do. I love learning about the scholarly activities going on across campus. It is fun to work with faculty and students from a variety fields.

There are many different ways I get to serve from this position. The first is as an organizer. As DUR I organize several events such as the ACU Undergraduate Research Festival, the Fall Research Dinner, and the Summer Research Lunch. In my role as organizer, I also coordinate sessions in the Adams Center for faculty and sessions for students. This is certainly not work I do on my own. If I did not have a wonderful team of faculty working with me, much of this would not be done.  I chair two faculty committees and one student committee as is addressed below

Another important role as DUR is as a supporter of research. Much of this work is done through work of the University Undergraduate Research Council (UURC). This includes enabling the UURC to award travel and summer stipend grants. It also includes providing resources to faculty to learn more about mentoring undergraduate researchers.

The third major role is publicizing the undergraduate research done at ACU. Two of the major ways I have done this is through the Undergraduate Research Blog and the Undergraduate Research Newsletter.

More detail of what I have done as Director of Undergraduate Research can be found in the January 2013 – May 2014 Office of Undergraduate Research Report.

Committees

Over the past 6 years, I have averaged serving five committees a semester. This number is somewhat padded by the fact that serving as Director of Undergraduate Research has automatically put me on three committees. This has not stopped me from serving on other university committees. As I stated in my reflection on service I enjoy committee work when I feel we are getting work done, which is true of most of the committees I have served on. Working on committees has give me a broader understanding of the University and the different contributions people make.

Below is a table listing the university committees I have served on since applying for Tenure and Promotion. Below the table is a link to a page that contains a short description of each committee and a statement about how I felt the committee helped me to understand the university as a whole.

Table IV: Committees served on since receiving tenure and promotion

Committee Descriptions

Student Organizations

In addition to committee service, I have worked with students in a service role.

Alpha Kai Omega: Fall 2008 – Spring 2011

Role: Advisor
I, along with two other advisors, attended club meetings and events.  Our role was to help the girls learn leadership and build relationships with other students while maintaining standards set by ACU.  This took about 40-50 hours a semester.

I know that many members of the faculty have negative feelings toward the ACU social club system.  I enjoyed being a part of the social clubs and getting to know students from all over campus.  It is easy just to be involved with science majors and other students in my classes.  It is nice to be involved with students other than those in my classes, because it gives me the opportunity to play a role in their lives without having the tension of being the grade giver.  The grades of some students prevent them from opening up to their instructors when they need an older adult with whom they can talk.  As my responsibilities grew elsewhere on campus, I had to give up being a social club sponsor.

Student Panel on Undergraduate Research Spring 2013 – Present

Role: Advisor
As part of my role as Director of Undergraduate Research, I have a student group that I work with to promoter undergraduate research. This is a fun enthusiastic group with which to work.

Letters of Support

Please see the Letters of Support page for solicited and unsolicited letters from colleagues which demonstrate some of the areas in which I have served.