Speakers Guide High Point University faculty offer expertise on a variety of subjects and topics. From health sciences, to education, to the HPU Poll and more, faculty members are available to provide commentary on timely issues. Below is merely a snapshot of faculty who serve as reliable sources. Contact Pam Haynes, media relations manager, at 336-841-9055 to coordinate an interview with these experts and many more. Health Sciences Dr. Daniel Erb, founding dean of the School of Health Sciences, knows there is a growing demand for physical therapists, physician assistants, pharmacists and more as 77 million baby boomers begin to retire in the U.S. Erb has diverse experience in leading academic education programs and can talk about the graduate programs he is developing to help meet the growing need of health care providers in the Triad. Prior to joining HPU, he served as director of Graduate Studies and associate professor at Duke University Medical Center. He has clinical expertise in rehabilitating adults who have diseases and injuries to their nervous system. Expertise: Patient care, Aging baby boomers, Chronic diseases affecting the nervous system
Dr. Ronald Ragan, founding dean of the proposed School of Pharmacy, is an expert in pharmacology, toxicology and the importance of patient care in our aging society. Ragan was appointed the director of the Non-Traditional PharmD Program at the University of Kansas in 1998, and was appointed associate dean for Academic Affairs at U.K. in 2005, where he stayed until coming to HPU in 2012. He is a member of many societies and associations and is a delegate in the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy and the American Pharmacists Association. Expertise: Pharmacology, Patient care in aging society More than two-thirds of the adult population and nearly one-third of the child population in the U.S. are classified as overweight or obese. In response to this, Dr. Tony Kemerly, chair of the Department of Exercise Science, has performed extensive research on methods to reduce the obesity epidemic. His most recent book, “Acting Like an Animal: Playful Strengthening and Stretching Activities for Kid People,� focuses on the childhood obesity issue by providing exercises geared toward children combined with facts about animals to give children a fun and educational way to get healthy. His methods battle some of the mainstream ideas to conquer obesity, such as prescription drugs, creams or fad diets. In addition, Kemerly studies human perceptions of the obese individual and how that influences treatment of this growing sector of the population. Expertise: Childhood obesity and treatment and prevention of obesity
Dr. Eric Hegedus is founding chair of the Department of Physical Therapy and a physical therapist. Most recently, Hegedus helped develop software and an app for the iPad called Targeted Enhanced Athletic Movement (T.E.A.M.). The app is designed to help coaches predict sports injuries in players before the injuries occur, thereby saving health care costs and building stronger teams. Sports of particular interest are basketball, lacrosse, golf and track & field. Hegedus is also a certified strength and conditioning specialist who has great interest in preventing injuries and enhancing performance of athletes of all ages and abilities. Expertise: Sports injury prevention, Physical therapy
Health Sciences cont Dr. Kevin Ford serves as the director of the Biomechanics Laboratory and as associate professor of physical therapy in the School of Health Sciences. His research focuses on injury prevention and performance enhancement through the detailed analysis of the mechanics of the human body. His analyses have helped a variety of people from healthy athletes to patients suffering from traumatic injuries. He can also speak to a variety of offbeat fitness trends such as barefoot running. Expertise: Barefoot running, Performance enhancement, Injury prevention
Dr. Alexis Wright currently serves as assistant professor in the Department of Physical Therapy. Wright worked on one of the largest funded research trials of manual therapy to date. She serves at a local clinic, rehabilitating individuals with orthopedic disorders. Her area of expertise includes orthopedic physical therapy, manual therapy, hip disorders, and patient prognosis in response to treatment. Wright is a productive author and helped to co-author in a book chapter on physical examination tests of the knee cited in “Orthopedic Physical Examination Tests: An Evidence-Based Approach.” Expertise: Rehabilitation and orthopedic physical therapy research
Dr. Mark Teaford is a professor in the Department of Physical Therapy. He is an anatomist and paleoanthropologist who comes to HPU from Johns Hopkins University. His research interests include human evolution - including fieldwork in Africa, primate behavior and ecology, on-going fieldwork in Costa Rica, and anatomy and osteology. He is widely published and an internationally-known speaker and he is the editor of one of the top journals in his field, Elsevier’s Journal of Human Evolution. In his spare time, he finds the reading and writing of English forms of Japanese short poetry to be therapeutic. Expertise: Biological anthropology, Human evolution, Japanese poetry
POLITICS Dr. Martin Kifer is director of the HPU Poll and an assistant professor of political science. Kifer has experience in Washington D.C. as a legislative assistant in the U.S. House of Representatives, an analyst for a major international political consulting firm and a survey researcher for a top policy research company. Under his direction, The HPU Poll has been cited by national publications, and Kifer has been interviewed more than one hundred times for television, radio, newspapers, and blogs about American politics and public opinion—including the findings of the HPU Poll. This fall, for the first time, he will be directing two national HPU polls. Expertise: Public opinion and polling, American Politics, Characteristics and likeability of candidates, Campaign processes and buzz words
PSYCHOLOGY Dr. Greggory Hundt is department chair and associate professor of psychology. His research interests focus on individuals’ attitudes and factors related to social influence and motivation. He has previously spoken on the psychology behind buying lottery tickets as well as the psychology of multi-tasking in a busy, hectic environment and how effective it is. Currently, Hundt is researching two questions, “Do attitudes and stereotypes exist based on an individual’s name and whether it is masculine, feminine or gender neutral?” and “What is the nature of the relationship between a source of information and how likely someone is to believe the information provided by that source?” Expertise: Stereotypes related to names, Social influence, Motivation
PSYCHOLOGY cont. Dr. Sadie Leder, assistant professor of psychology and associate director of the HPU Poll, is an expert on the one thing that people never get tired of talking about – love and romantic relationships. The difference is that Dr. Leder is a knowledgeable scholar on the subject and has conducted and published scientific research on how humans negotiate competing desires for acceptance and protection within romantic life. Her research at HPU has examined the dynamics that influence partner selection, and as part of the HPU Poll, she has gathered data yielded from the responses of North Carolinians about relationship issues including online dating. She also serves as a staff writer for www.scienceofrelationships.com, an online magazine. Expertise: Romantic relationships, Online dating, Partner selection
pop culture & media Dr. Jenn Brandt, director of the Women’s and Gender Studies program, is an expert in popular culture, gender and media, feminism’s relationship to popular culture and the problems of post-feminism and contemporary American literature. She frequently presents on the effectiveness of social media as a pedagogical tool in the women’s and gender studies classroom. She has written numerous publications on gender in film and television shows such as “The Da Vinci Code,” “Nip Tuck” and “Sex and the City.” She frequently uses social media for teaching purposes, as well as for activism. Expertise: Gender studies in TV, film and pop culture, Effectiveness of social media in the classroom
Dr. Jim Y. Trammell is an assistant professor of communication whose work focuses on the marriage of religion and media. He is a former head and research chair of the Religion and Media Interest Group for the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication. His research includes exploring Christian film criticism, the portrayals of religion in mainstream media, the impact of marketing in the evangelical Christian subculture and the coverage of gays and lesbians in the evangelical Christian press. His work appears in Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly, the Journal of Media and Religion, the Journal of Communication Inquiry and the Encyclopedia of Religion in America (CQ Press). Expertise: Religion in the media
Dr. Nahed Eltantawy, assistant professor of journalism, is a native of Egypt. She has worked as a journalist in Cairo, Egypt and as a freelancer in Atlanta, G.A. Her research interests include media representations of Arabs and Muslims in general and Arab and Muslim women in particular. With recent events in Egypt and other Arab countries, including the Egyptian Revolution, Eltantawy has also published work on the Arab Spring and social media in the Arab world. Additionally, Eltantawy conducts research in critical and cultural studies, including analysis of the impact of global capitalism on women in the developing world. Expertise: Egyptian and Islamic culture, International media, Representation of Muslim women
Dr. Stefan Hall is an associate professor of communication whose research interests include video games, film, and comic books as well as speculative, pulp and weird fiction. With rising interest in the apocalyptic depictions in film, television, video games and literature, Hall is an expert in one type of character - Zombies. Currently, he is working on a piece about the video games that have been created in relation to The Walking Dead comic books and television show. Hall is particularly interested in the cultural and social aspects of gaming, video game history, marketing, theories of games design and aesthetics, and issues of representation in games. Expertise: Zombies, Video games, Comic books, Film, Fiction
pop culture & media cont. Dr. William Carpenter, chair of the Department of English, utilizes the power of Twitter and Bob Dylan’s lyrics in his classes. His primary areas of expertise include rhetoric, composition theory, curriculum design, learning assessment and information literacy. He also teaches courses in creative non-fiction. Carpenter has more than a decade of experience researching how college students develop their writing skills in first-year composition and beyond. His courses integrate current technologies with emerging theories of knowledge transfer and reflective learning. Expertise: Rhetoric, Composition theory, Curriculum, Literacy, Social media in the classroom
education Dr. Mariann Tillery is the dean of the School of Education. Her research interests focus on identifying the variables most closely connected with beginning teacher retention, the impact of pre-service training programs on mentoring beginning teachers and the effectiveness of differentiated instructional strategies with K-12 students diagnosed with learning and attentional disorders. She has presented her research at state and national conferences including the Council for Exceptional Children, the North Carolina Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) and the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA). She currently serves on the N.C. State Evaluation Committee for Teacher Education, an advisory board for the North Carolina State Board of Education. Expertise: Teacher retention, Educational training
iPads, Smart Phones and SMART Boards are changing the face of education today. How can educators leverage these tools to make a difference in their classrooms? Dr. Jane Bowser, chair of the Department of Specialized Curriculum and Instructional Technology, has extensive experience in the use of these tools and in providing training for educators of all levels. In addition to the newly evolved “smart” devices, Bowser also focuses on the use of Web 2.0 tools, such as Twitter, blogs, and wikis, as a means of providing faculty development as well as increasing student engagement in the learning process. As a SMART Certified Trainer, Bowser routinely provides workshops for teachers who carry continuing education credits and gives teachers the tools they need to embrace these new technologies. Expertise: Smart technology, Social media in education
Dr. Kelly J. Grillo, assistant professor in the School of Education, focuses on the achievement of students with disabilities in secondary science. Grillo herself has a learning disability, but despite that believes the impossible is possible. Having been a late reader and born to an illiterate mother, her story is one of inspiration and hope for students struggling to learn and prosper in a highly competitive educational system. Her dissertation, “An Investigation of the Effects of Using Digital Flash Cards to Increase Biology Vocabulary Knowledge in High School Students with Learning Disabilities,” compliments her mission of supporting content and digital literacies for students with language-based learning difference. Expertise: Digital literacies, Learning disabilities
Dr. Vernon Farrington has been a member of the graduate faculty at High Point University in the area of Educational Leadership since 2008. He is overseeing the new doctoral program in educational leadership, the first doctoral degree program in the university’s history. Prior to his arrival at HPU, he served as a faculty member in the Department of Educational Leadership at East Carolina University where he authored numerous publications related to school renewal and the need for building leadership capacity in schools. He has served on the State School Superintendent’s Advisory Council and also served as a leadership coach for school principals in a variety of school districts across the state. Expertise: Educational leadership, Public school system operations
FURNITURE INDUsTRy Dr. Jane Nichols, associate professor and chair of Department of Home Furnishings, comes to HPU with an extensive background in design and teaching. She is an expert in design for the elderly and persons with disabilities, scholarship of teaching and learning, sustainability education and healthcare and corporate design. Nichols worked for the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture and has won many awards. Nichols is able to speak on elderly housing, sustainable community design and Frank Lloyd Wright. Expertise: Frank Lloyd Wright, Sustainable community design, Elderly housing
The furniture industry is known to be a global business with roots that began right here in High Point. Dr. Richard Bennington, the Paul Broyhill Professor of Home Furnishings Marketing, knows the ins and outs of the industry in both a local and international capacity - from the manufacturing line down to floors of some of the most successful furniture stores. He is the author of “Furniture Marketing: From Product Development to Distribution,” has been a panel member for the Furniture Market in Madrid, Spain, and a judge for the International Furniture Design Competition in the People’s Republic of China. His global experience allows him to provide commentary on most any breaking furniture news, including matters related to the High Point Market. Expertise: High Point market, National and international furniture industry
economics What does it mean when the Dow Jones drops 100 points in a day? Why is the cost of food, gas and clothing rising? Dr. Jerry Fox, associate professor of economics, is known for taking complex numbers and national and international issues and explaining how they’ll affect Americans individually. His research interests include the local economy as well as the relation between U.S. politics and the macro economy. He has written several research papers on the subject of the effect of the economy on presidential job approval and presidential and congressional election outcomes. He has calculated HPU’s economic impact on the Piedmont Triad region and the state, totaling $464.5 million, and also was one of the main professors at HPU who conducted a study in 2007 that determined the value of the furniture industry in North Carolina $8 billion. Expertise: U.S. politics, Macro and micro economics, National and international economics
In an era where Americans are gaining more interest in the environment and questioning the amount of natural resources, knowledge is power. Dr. Daniel Hall, assistant professor of economics, is teaching students about the importance of environmental issues and how to resolve them. His research is focused on the potential of decentralized cooperation, trust and civic participation to resolve environmental, resource, and other public problems, and how centralized policy affects this potential. He is also interested in the economic value of public goods such as recreational parks. Expertise: Environmental issues, Natural resources, Civic participation
Dr.Tjai Nielsen, associate professor of management, conducts research on topics ranging from leadership and work team effectiveness to predictors of international investment, and partnering with clients to improve their effectiveness. The majority of his research concentrates on the motivational and behavioral contingencies that impact leadership, team performance, and the dynamics of international investment patterns. Recently, Nielsen was invited to join a United Nations Expert Group on Diasporas and Development and received a Best Reviewer Award from the Academy of Management. Expertise: Leadership, Team performance, International investment patterns
history Dr. George L. Simpson Jr. is a professor of history and specializes in the modern Middle East and colonial African history. Simpson gives lectures on United States relations with the Middle East, current developments in the region, and international terrorism. He served in the United States Air Force as a Middle East analyst and Hebrew linguist in the 1970s and 1980s. He is an editor of the Journal of the Middle East and Africa, and has appeared as a consultant on the History Channel. His most recent publication is a bibliographical article of the Arab-Israeli Wars done with Oxford University Press. Expertise: Middle Eastern and African history, U.S./Middle East relations, International terrorism
American women make up a greater portion of today’s military than ever before, and their roles are increasing exponentially.
Dr. Kara Dixon Vuic, associate professor of history, researches the historical roles of women during wartime and
investigates the many ways the military utilizes women in symbolic roles. Her first book, Officer, Nurse, Woman: The Army Nurse Corps in the Vietnam War reveals how the army recruited and utilized nurses at a time of great social and gender change. Her current book project examines the ways the military has utilized women as entertainment for wartime soldiers. Expertise: Women in military, Gender and sexuality in military, Women’s and men’s wartime roles
OTHER AREAS Eric Melniczek, director of Career and Internship Services, has more than fifteen years of experience in an area significant to college students – career planning and development. It is challenging in today’s economy for anyone to find work; however, he prepares HPU students with the tools they need to begin a successful career after graduation. He believes two of the most important things students can have include career-related work experience (internships, externships) and networking skills. He also serves as a volunteer in professional development capacities with Triad Coaching Connection, North Carolina Association of Colleges and Employers (NCACE) and Human Resources Management Association of Greensboro (HRMAG). Expertise: Career planning, Resume building, Internships/externships, Job searching in a strained economy
Is there a true definition of right and wrong? And does religion make any difference to the answer? Yes and yes. Without an understanding of one’s own religion as well as the religions of others in our world, people will struggle to make persuasive arguments about what it means to be moral. Dr. Joseph Blosser, Robert G. Culp Jr. Director of Service Learning and assistant professor of religion and philosophy, focuses on the kinds of moral decisions that affect the U.S. economy and politics. He researches the role of religion in the workplace, the ethics of economic policies, and the ways in which religion and American politics interact. He also insists that such moral knowledge cannot simply be learned in the classroom. As part of his role, he helps faculty develop courses that put students in volunteer and service roles in the community. Expertise: Service learning, Civic engagement, Ethics, Religion in the workplace, Economic and political morality
Dr. Scott R. MacLeod is an assistant professor of music and co-chair of the HPU vocal division. He maintains an active career as singer, conductor and clinician. Topics of interest to speak on include all facets of performing arts organizations, including artistic and financial management, production, programming, artists’ careers, musical history, appreciation and the “state of the arts” in today’s society. As a performer, he has appeared in a variety of venues both nationally and abroad, including Central City Opera, Opera Omaha, Opera North, Utah Festival Opera, Mobile Opera, Duluth Festival Opera, Des Moines Metro Opera, Greensboro Opera, Opera on the James, the Tucson Symphony, the North Carolina Symphony and the National Symphony of Costa Rica. Expertise: Management, history and production of performing arts organization