Laurels Fall 2015

Richard Davila, PhD, professor of human services, co-authored “A technological pathway to support recovery” in the September/October 2015 issue of Treatment and Recovery: Industry Insider.

Laurel Davis-Delano, PhD, professor of sociology, co-authored “Summer camp as context for girls’ and women’s same-sex attractions and relationships” in Leisure/Loisir in August 2015.

Robert A. Fiore, DBA, professor of business administration, published a new edition of the textbook Essential Financial Management Curriculum: A Unit Approach (Cognella) in 2015.

Robert A. Fiore, DBA, and Robert N. Lussier, ScD, professors of business management, published “Measuring and testing general fundamental attribution error in entrepreneurship effecting public policy” in the Journal of Entrepreneurship and Public Policy in 2015.

Pamela Higgins, assistant professor of health sciences, co-authored “Medicare and Medicaid users speak out about their health care: The real, the ideal, and how to get there” in Population Health Management in April 2015. She also co-authored the health policy report “Money follows the person rebalancing demonstration: process evaluation year 6,” prepared for the Connecticut Department of Social Services Money Follows the Person Rebalancing Demonstration, and published in the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance in 2015.

Jasmin Hutchinson, PhD, associate professor of exercise science and sport studies, co-authored “See hear: Psychological effects of music and music video during treadmill running” published in Annals of Behavioral Medicine in April 2015.

Tracey Matthews, DPE, dean of the School of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation, co-authored “The effects of creatine supplementation on thermoregulation and isokinetic muscular performance following acute (3-day) supplementation” in The Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness in March 2015.

Tracey Matthews, DPE, dean of the School of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation; Elizabeth O’Neill, DPE, associate professor and director of applied exercise science; and Melissa Quinlan, G’13, PhD, instructor in youth development, co-authored “Physical activity and self-efficacy in physical activity and healthy eating in an urban elementary setting” in American Journal of Health Education in May 2015.

Robert N. Lussier, ScD, professor of business management, published “‘Micro’ versus ‘small’ family businesses: A multinational analysis” in the Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development in 2015.

Anika Thrower, PhD, professor of human services, co-authored “Creating tipping points to eliminate breastfeeding barriers” in the International Journal of Childbirth Education in October 2015.

Simone Alter-Muri, EdD, professor of art therapy and director of the graduate and undergraduate art therapy programs, presented “Gender typicality in children’s art development: A cross-cultural study” at the National Art Education Association National Conference in New Orleans in March 2015.

Mary Barnum, EdD, director of the athletic training professional preparation program, co-presented “Efficient teaching tips for preceptors” at the National Athletic Trainers’ Association 66th Annual Clinical Symposia & AT Expo in St. Louis, Mo., in June 2015.

Mary Barnum, EdD, director of the athletic training professional preparation program; and Sue Guyer, DPE, chair of the Department of Exercise Science and Sport Studies, clinical education coordinator of athletic training, and professor of exercise science and sport studies, co-presented “SQF Model for clinical instruction: Part I and Part II” at the 2015 Council of Academic Programs in Communication Sciences and Disorders annual conference in Newport Beach, Calif., in April 2015.

Salome Brooks, EdD, assistant professor of physical therapy, co-presented “A physical therapist and physical therapist assistant learning activity to examine student collaboration readiness: An intraprofessional educational process with interprofessional implications” at the American Physical Therapy Association Education Leadership Conference in Baltimore in October 2015. The presentation shared research from a collaborative project between the Springfield College Physical Therapy Program and Springfield Technical Community College.

The Career Center staff presented “Engaging students in the Career Center through the Career Olympics” at the National Association of Colleges and Employers Annual Conference & Expo in Anaheim, Calif., in June 2015.

Julia Chevan, PhD, professor of physical therapy and chair of the Department of Physical Therapy, co-presented “Gender inequities in severity of lower extremity amputation among patients with diabetes: An evaluation of HCUP NIS Data 2002-11” at the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Research Conference in Crystal City, Va., in October 2015. She also co-presented “Promoting clinical reasoning using the international classification of function, disability and health (ICF) framework for continuing education development in Rwanda” at the World Confederation for Physical Therapy Congress in Singapore in May 2015.

Julia Chevan, PhD, professor of physical therapy and chair of the Department of Physical Therapy, and Regina Kaufman, EdD, professor of physical therapy, co-presented “Community engagement as a curricular cornerstone: A comprehensive commitment to service promotes excellence in education” at the American Physical Therapy Association Education Leadership Conference in Baltimore in October 2015.

John Cipora, EdD, assistant professor of human services, and Ann Traverso Moore, adjunct faculty and assistant director of recruitment and admissions at Springfield College St. Johnsbury, presented “Parents in action” at the National Head Start Association annual conference in Washington, D.C., in April 2015.

Justin Compton, PhD, assistant professor of environmental biology, presented two papers, “An experimental approach to understanding browsing by moose and deer” and “Multimodal learning: An introductory ecology course case study,” at the Ecological Society of America Conference in Baltimore in August 2015. He also presented “Browsing by moose and deer in southern New England” at the Wildlife Society Annual Conference in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, in October 2015.

Eileen Cyr, EdD, professor of education, and Patricia McDiarmid, EdD, associate professor of health education, presented “Health instructional instant activities for interdisciplinary learning” at the American School Health Associations Health Conference in Orlando in October 2015.

Richard Davila, PhD, professor of human services, presented “Brain waves: Supporting recovery models and therapeutic systems through new technological pathways” at the U.S. Journal Training 8th National Counseling Advances Conference in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., in October 2015. He also presented “Recovery family mentor” at the Florida School of Addiction Studies in October 2015.

Laurel Davis-Delano, PhD, professor of sociology, and Elizabeth Morgan, PhD, assistant professor of psychology, presented “Exploring gender differences in heterosexual marking” at the American Sociological Association annual meeting in Chicago in August 2015. They also presented “How heterosexual marking reflects and reinforces gender stereotypes and gender inequality” at the annual meeting of the Eastern Sociological Society in New York City in March 2015.

Amedeo DeCara, reference librarian, presented the poster “Librarian on demand: Flipping the classroom as a sustainable teaching model” at the Association of College and Research Libraries New England Chapter annual conference in Worcester, Mass., in May 2015.

Ian Delahanty, PhD, assistant professor of history, presented “Conscription and the making of Irish-American Catholics in the Civil War” at the New England Historical Association annual conference in New Haven, Conn., in October 2015.

Robert A. Fiore, DBA, professor of business administration, presented “Fallacies produced by post hoc analysis in management, eleven examples of ex-ante insight” at the Northeast Business & Economics Association Conference in Jamaica, N.Y., in November 2015.

Robert A. Fiore, DBA, professor of business administration, and Robert Lussier, ScD, professor of business management, co-presented “Measuring and testing for fundamental attribution error in entrepreneurship” at the Small Business Institute Annual Eastern Conference in Rochester, N.Y., in September 2014.

Pamela Higgins, assistant professor of health sciences, presented “Integration of a children’s mental health prevention initiative in a school system in Connecticut” at the American Public Health Association annual meeting in Chicago in November 2015.

Robert N. Lussier, ScD, professor of business management, attended the 39th annual Small Business Institute conference in St. Pete Beach, Fla., in May 2015. With co-authors, he presented three papers: “Greenhouses success factors in Guanajuato, Mexico,” “Entrepreneurial drive and the informal economy in Cameroon (West Africa): Necessity versus opportunity driven motive,” and “Firm size and entrepreneurial strategy: A one-way ANOVA analysis.”

Elizabeth Morgan, PhD, assistant professor of psychology, presented “Behaviors that mark heterosexuality as motivated by and maintaining heterosexism” at the Society for the Study of Emerging Adulthood conference in Miami, Fla., in October 2015. Morgan and Laurel Davis-Delano, PhD, professor of sociology, were co-authors of the paper.

Tracey Matthews, DPE, dean of the School of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation; Samuel Headley, PhD, professor of physical education; and Thomas Dodge, PhD, associate professor of exercise science and sport studies, co-presented “Effects of an in-center resistance training program on a sample of hemodialysis patients” at American College of Sports Medicine Annual Meeting in Boston in May/June 2015.

Tracey Matthews, DPE, dean of the School of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation; Samuel Headley, PhD, professor of physical education; and Brian Thompson, PhD, director of the strength and conditioning program and professor of exercise science and sport studies, presented “The impact of antihistamines on post-exercise hypotension and hemodynamics following an acute bout of resistance exercise” at the American College of Sports Medicine annual meeting in Boston in May/June 2015.

Tracey Matthews, DPE, dean of the School of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation; Richard Wood, PhD, associate professor of exercise science and director of the Center for Wellness Education and Research; Samuel Headley, PhD, professor of physical education; and Vincent Paolone, EdD, professor of physical education, presented “The effects of acute resistance exercise on arterial stiffness in strength-trained men” at the American College of Sports Medicine annual meeting in Boston in May/June 2015.

Tracey Matthews, DPE, dean of the School of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation; Richard Wood, PhD, associate professor of exercise science and director of the Center for Wellness Education and Research; and Samuel Headley, PhD, professor of physical education, presented “The effect of an acute bout of aerobic versus resistance exercise on Ghrelin levels in obese men” at the American College of Sports Medicine annual meeting in Boston in May/June 2015.

Tracey Matthews, DPE, dean of the School of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation; and Elizabeth Mullin, PhD, assistant professor of physical education, presented “Using cluster analysis to better program performance psychology of athletes” at the 2015 SHAPE America National Convention and Expo in Seattle in March 2015.

Linda Marston, PhD, director of grants and sponsored research, presented “Where do I fit in? How sponsored programs works with institutional advancement” at the National Council of University Research Administrators Region I Spring Meeting in Portland, Maine, in May 2015. She co-presented “How to get and maintain successful partnerships” at the Partnership Engagement Conference hosted by the American Association of State College and University Grants Resource Center in Washington, D.C., in August 2015. She presented “The wind beneath their wings: Research grants at predominantly undergraduate institutions” at the Society of Research Administrators International annual meeting in Las Vegas in September 2015.

Missy-Marie Montgomery, PhD, professor of English, presented “Responding to student writing” at the Rocky Mountain Modern Language Association Conference in Santa Fe, N.M., in October 2015. The paper was adapted from her book chapter, “First-Year Students’ Perception and Interpretation of Teacher Response to Their Writing” in Beyond the Frontier: Innovations in First-Year Composition, published by Cambridge Scholars in 2015.

Patricia McDiarmid, EdD, associate professor of health education, presented, “MTEL physical education test-taking secrets” at the 86th Annual Massachusetts Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance State Convention in Worcester, Mass., in November 2015.

Kerri Vautour, reference librarian, presented the poster “You can LOL but can you ILL? Training student employees in chat reference” at the Association of College and Research Libraries New England Chapter annual conference in Worcester, Mass., in May 2015. She also presented the poster at the Northeast Regional Computing Program Peer To Peer Outreach: Involving Students In Library Operations and Promotions workshop in Norwood, Mass., in October 2015. The presentation focused on the library’s efforts to provide a structured training regimen and regular evaluation for library student employees regarded as a previously untapped source for help.

Sheri Sochrin, reference librarian, and Joanna Boody, coordinator of undergraduate and graduate research, co-presented “Celebrating undergraduate research: The Scholar in Action Day program at Springfield College” at the 18th New England Academic Librarians Conference in Hanover, N.H., in October 2015. The presentation focused on the interdepartmental collaboration and the role librarians play during Scholars In Action Day, held annually at Springfield College.

Taryn Brandt, doctoral student in counseling psychology with a concentration in athletic counseling, was awarded $500 from the Association for Applied Social Psychology Student Regional Conference Grants program. Supervised by Judy Van Raalte, PhD, professor of psychology, Brandt will lead a team of students in organizing and hosting their second Northeast region student-led conference scheduled for April 2016.  

Charles Brock, head basketball coach, has received a $5,000 Community Development Block Grant from the City of Springfield to continue the Pride Literacy Awards Program for the 2015-16 school year. The program serves elementary students in several Springfield public schools. Brock initiated the program in 2000, and has continued the service annually with city support.  

Kellie Cournoyer, lieutenant and public safety community resource officer, has been awarded $10,000 for a 2015 Avon Campus Grant to Activate Bystanders to Reduce Sexual Assault and Dating Abuse. Cournoyer is working with the Springfield College Health Center, as well as Kellyann O'Brien, director of the health center, and Christine Johnston, health educator for campus recreation, to conduct awareness, education, and training activities for students in 2015-16.  

Thomas Dodge, PhD, associate professor of exercise science and sport studies, has received $16,500 from the Datalys Center for Sports Injury Research and Prevention, Inc. in year three funding to recruit and supervise certified athletic trainer graduate assistants to collect data on injury risk factors during the 2015 youth football season, as part of a larger study being conducted by Datalys at several locations.  

Charlene Elvers, EdD, director of student volunteer programs, is project manager for a $4,000 award from Massachusetts Campus Compact through a New England consortium of Campuses for Environmental Stewardship (CES), funded by the Davis Educational Foundation. A four-member interdisciplinary faculty team received CES consortium training in November 2015 to develop spring semester course-related student service-learning experiences focused on environmental science and sustainability.  

Elizabeth Mullin, PhD, assistant professor of physical education, has been awarded a $4,100 research grant from the Association for Applied Sport Psychology to finalize the development of a scale to measure heterosexist attitudes in gay males in sports, using national and regional samples of male NCAA student-athletes.  

Dan Russell, PhD, professor of social sciences, was awarded a $2,500 New England States Touring Grant from the New England Foundation for the Arts to partially fund “In My Shoes,” a theater performance that addresses criminal justice issues affecting formerly incarcerated women. The October 2015 event was part of the William Simpson Fine Arts Series.  

Judy Van Raalte, PhD, professor of psychology, has received a $3,000 U.S. Department of Justice sub-award from Fairleigh Dickinson University to support students collecting data on “Campus Sexual Misconduct: Using Perpetrator Risk Assessment and Tailored Treatment to Individualize Sanctioning” during the fall 2015 semester.  

The Springfield College AmeriCorps Program has received multiple grant awards. The Massachusetts Reading Corps has received new funding for $180,680 in 2015-16 from the Massachusetts Service Alliance (MSA), with funding from the federal Corporation for National & Community Service (CNCS). The Springfield Public Schools provided $18,000 in cash match funds in 2014-15. Funder Collaborative for Reading Success, Reading Success by 4th Grade Fund, coordinated by the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts, awarded $50,000 to continue and expand services to additional schools in 2015-16. The School Turnaround AmeriCorps Initiative received year three funding of $352,272 for 2015-16 from the MSA, with national competitive funding from the CNCS. The Springfield Public Schools provided $59,000 in cash match funds in 2014-15. Together, funding from the Springfield Public Schools for the two Springfield College AmeriCorps Programs totals $77,000, contributing substantially to the MSA required 50 percent match.

Patricia McDiarmid, EdD, associate professor of health education, was inducted into the Massachusetts High School Swimming Coaches Hall of Fame for her accomplishments as a coach at Minnechaug Regional High School in Wilbraham, Mass. 

Jody Santos, associate professor of communications, earned a 2015 Telly Award in the film/video category for her documentary No One Left Behind. The documentary was selected from nearly 12,000 entries from all 50 states and five countries. The Telly Award honors the very best film and video productions; groundbreaking online video content; and outstanding local, regional, and cable television commercials and programs. Santos’ film chronicled the work of Disability Rights International, the first human rights organization to bring international attention to the millions of children and adults with disabilities who are locked away in orphanages, psychiatric wards, and other facilities around the world. For her film, Santos also received the Advocate for Justice Award recently at the 2015 Stavros Access Awards in Holyoke, Mass. There, Santos served as the keynote speaker for the event.

Justin Spencer-Linzie, James Hennin, Jennifer Habeeb, and Garrett Ambrosino, graduate students in the Master of Business Administration program, placed third in the International Assembly for Collegiate Business Education’s fourth annual student case-study competition focused on business ethics hosted in Baltimore. The students were led by Kathleen Zilch, PhD, assistant professor of business management. The group’s third-place finish marked the very first time a college representing the Northeast has placed in the top three in this national competition. 

Simone Alter-Muri, EdD, professor of art therapy and director of the graduate and undergraduate art therapy programs, has been appointed to the American Art Therapy Association Education Committee.

Ernestine Barnes-Small, adjunct faculty and student advisor at Springfield College Charleston, was appointed to the board of directors for Greg Mathis Charter High School, where she will serve as chair. She also was appointed national secretary for the Triple Nickles Paratroop Infantry in September 2015. The organization aims to perpetuate the legacy of the 555th Parachute Infantry Battalion, the first all-African-American paratroopers of the United States Army during World War II.

Robert A. Fiore, DBA, professor of business administration, has been placed on the roster for the Fulbright Specialist Program. The program, created by the U.S. Department of State and Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, promotes connections between U.S. scholars and professionals and their global counterparts. As a Fulbright Specialist Roster candidate, Fiore is eligible for consideration and selection for grant opportunities through the specialist program.

Linda Marston, PhD, director of grants and sponsored research, was appointed an at-large member of the National Advisory Committee of the Association of State College and University Grants Resource Center, located in Washington, D.C., in August 2015. In September 2015, she served on a U.S. Department of Education peer review panel. The panel aimed to select a national award to provide a technical assistance center for vocational rehabilitation agency program evaluation and quality assurance for the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA). This is her second RSA review panel in 2015. Since the mid-1990s, Marston has contributed to a series of successful RSA awards to the Springfield College Department of Rehabilitation and Disabilities Studies.

Elizabeth Morgan, PhD, assistant professor of psychology, was named the president-elect of the Society for the Study of Emerging Adulthood, a multidisciplinary, international organization that focuses on research related to emerging adults ages 18-29.

Kimberly Nowakowski, DPT, assistant professor of physical therapy and academic coordinator of clinical education, was elected secretary of the New England Consortium of Clinical Education for a second term.

Deborah Pelletier, professor of physical therapy and director of physical therapy clinical education, was elected chair of the New England Consortium of Clinical Education for a second term.

A series of paintings by Simone Alter-Muri, EdD, professor of art therapy and director of the graduate and undergraduate art therapy programs, were displayed in an exhibit titled, “Paradise Not Yet Lost,” at the Art Garden in Shelburne Falls, Mass., from Feb. 7-March 31, 2015. Alter-Muri’s art exhibit, “Black and White and Read All Over,” was displayed at the Deerfield Arts Bank in South Deerfield, Mass., from April 16-May 17, 2015. One of Alter-Muri’s watercolor paintings was part of the “Tearing and Repairing” art exhibit at the Riverside Gallery in Cambridge, Mass., from July 19-Sept. 27, 2015.

Richard Andersen, PhD, professor of human services, recently published his 30th book, Silent Screams of Sardinia, a photography collection of housing murals from Orgosolo, a remote mountain village in Sardinia, Italy. The original photos are now permanently housed in the Italian Consulate in Boston.

Ernestine Barnes-Small, adjunct faculty and advisor at Springfield College Charleston, currently serves on the scholarship committee for Zonta International, a worldwide organization of professionals that aims to empower women through service and advocacy.

Mary Barnum, EdD, director of the athletic training professional preparation program; and Sue Guyer, DPE, chair of the Department of Exercise Science and Sport Studies, clinical education coordinator of athletic training, and professor of exercise science and sport studies, co-published “National Athletic Trainers' Association Online Preceptor Development Series: Module 1-The Clinical Education Experience” for the National Athletic Trainers' Association Professional Education Committee, released in July 2015.

The Springfield College Career Center and the Springfield College Alumni Career Webinar Series were featured in an article in Campus Career Counselor in November 2014. The center’s Career Olympics program also was highlighted on the National Association of Colleges and Employers website in May 2015. The center also was selected as a finalist for the National Association of Colleges and Employers Career Services Excellence Award for its Career Olympics in March 2015.

Thomas J. Carty, PhD, chair of the Department of Social Sciences and professor of American studies, was selected to join a team of professors from multiple disciplines in a summer seminar at Yale University in June 2015. The group studied slave narratives to pursue a greater understanding of how African slaves and free citizens experienced bondage and emancipation during the 19th century. Carty also focused on recovering the history surrounding Springfield, Mass., which served as a key center of support for many freed slaves and the people who fought against the institution of slavery.

Tom Digby III, PhD, professor of philosophy, spoke at Humboldt University, in Berlin, Germany, in June 2015. His talk, “How to build a man: War, sex, and misogyny in the construction of masculinity,” explored ideas from his book, Love and War, published in October 2014.

Antonio G. Guajardo Jr., campus director of Springfield College Milwaukee, serves as a commissioner of veteran affairs for Milwaukee County. In this role, he helps manage an emergency fund for Milwaukee County veterans who are in need of assistance. Furthering his work with veterans, Guajardo also hosts an Internet radio program, Conversation with Latino Veterans, on Eclipse Radio. The program features interviews with Latino veterans that cover what the veterans are doing now, what they did in the military, and lessons learned in the military that helped them in their civilian lives. As part of the radio show, Guajardo also explores topics that might impact Latino veterans, including mental illness, leadership, and education.

Robert N. Lussier, ScD, professor of business management, published “The influence of the entrepreneur’s education level on strategic decision-making” and “An eight-country comparative analysis of ‘micro’ versus ‘small’ family business” in the Small Business Advancement National Center newsletter in June 2015 and July 2015, respectively. He also was invited to attend the Journal of Small Business Strategy editorial review board meeting and the fellows meeting with the current officers.

Missy-Marie Montgomery, PhD, professor of English, did a poetry reading from her new book, Half-Life of Passion, at Springfield College in November 2015.

Gil Ontai, interim campus director of Springfield College Southern California, serves as commissioner on the California Citizens Redistricting Commission. The commission, which was formed by a state initiative to prevent gerrymandering by state legislators, developed state and congressional district boundaries in conformance with the Voting Rights Act. Ontai also frequently lectures civic and community organizations on gerrymandering issues, the Voting Rights Act, California’s redistricting process, and culturally appropriate ways to reach under-served communities to encourage participation in the voting process.

Kimberly Nowakowski, DPT, assistant professor of physical therapy and academic coordinator of clinical education, and Deborah Pelletier, professor of physical therapy and director of physical therapy clinical education, presented a webinar continuing education program, “Managing the Challenging Student During Clinical Education Experiences,” for Preferred Therapy Solutions. The webinar was broadcast to more than 80 of the company’s therapists from seven states.

Martin Shell, chair of the Department of Visual and Performing Arts and professor of theater arts, directed a professional regional theater production of the Tony Award-winning Broadway comedy Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, by Christopher Durang, at the Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble in Bloomsburg, Pa., from April 30-May 17, 2015. It served as the closing play of that theater’s 37th mainstage season.

Judith A. Stang, DPA, assistant dean/campus director of Springfield College Wilmington, led five community conversations on “How human trafficking has a presence in Boothwyn, Pennsylvania” through the Memorial Presbyterian Church. The discussions were meant to awaken the Boothwyn community to the various types of human trafficking that impact families, teens, and children. Police officers, street workers, community nonprofit organizations, and international investigators of human trafficking all were part of the discussions, which aimed to challenge the citizens of Boothwyn to take a more active service role. Stang also is working with the Pennsylvania Prison Society and the Lifers Group of the Graterford Prison to increase services for prisoners who are older than age 65 and are serving life sentences.

Photographs by Sherri VandenAkker, PhD, associate professor of human services, were featured in publications by Mass Audubon’s Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary in summer 2015. The photographs feature piping plovers. Her photograph of a snowy egret is featured on the Sanctuary’s Web page, and also was published in The Cape Codder in a newspaper article about the sanctuary. VandenAkker also published an essay, “Thoughts on School Culture,” on the official blog of Reading Public Schools. The piece was based on her work as co-chair of the Joshua Eaton Task Force, which was assembled to lead turnaround efforts at Joshua Eaton Elementary School.