Community members are invited to hear faculty members discuss recent books they’ve authored, present findings of their scholarly research and talk about partnerships with local organizations during an academic conference Sept. 4 at North Central College.
“A Promising Start: Excellence in Scholarship” continues the College’s celebration of its Sesquicentennial and takes place from 10AM to 3PM Tuesday, Sept. 4, at various campus locations. There is no charge to attend.
Retiring North Central College President Harold R. Wilde will deliver the keynote address, “Confessions of a Non-Teacher/Scholar,” at 2PM in the Theatre at Meiley-Swallow Hall, 31 S. Ellsworth St.
David Gray, assistant professor of accounting, and Lisa Long, professor of English, are co-coordinators of the event.
“This conference provides an opportunity for North Central College’s faculty to showcase the impressive scholarly achievements of our colleagues,” Gray says.
The conference opens at 10AM in Smith Hall on the second floor of Old Main, 30 N. Brainard St., with a welcome by R. Devadoss Pandian, vice president for academic affairs and dean of faculty. Faculty members will host presentations of their scholarly work from 10:30 to 11:30AM in various classrooms at Goldspohn Hall, 31 N. Loomis St.
The conference continues with poster sessions highlighting faculty members’ academic pursuits from 11:30AM to 12:45PM in Smith Hall at Old Main, followed by additional presentations from 12:45 to 1:45PM in various classrooms at Goldspohn Hall.
Prior to Wilde’s keynote address, an exhibit showcasing works by fine arts faculty will be held from 1:45 to 3:30PM in the Meiley-Swallow Hall Gallery.
The presentation, “Rising up from Indian Country: The Battle of Fort Dearborn and the Birth of Chicago,” will examine a new book by Ann Durkin Keating, the College’s Dr. C. Frederick Toenniges Professor of History.
The presentation, “Farm Kids: A Retrospective” will feature Zachary Michael Jack, associate professor of English, discussing his new book, “Farm Kids.”
The presentation, “DuPage Children’s Museum: Where Researchers Come Out To Play!” will feature Nicole R. Rivera, visiting assistant professor of psychology and Patricia Schacht, assistant professor of psychology. They will describe how a partnership between the College and the Museum is creating opportunities for psychology students to apply classroom lessons by observing children’s play behaviors.
Faculty play a prominent role in the North Central College experience. In addition to teaching courses, faculty often collaborate with students on research, provide academic and career guidance as advisors to students and lend their time and experience to extracurricular activities and organizations.
“We have become a first-rate faculty comprised not only of committed teachers, but also of accomplished scholars and artists—many of whom are producing work on par with that of their peers at Research I institutions and bringing that deep expertise back to the campus and, most significantly, to the classroom,” Long says.
Visit northcentralcollege.edu for information about parking, a complete listing of conference presentations and schedule of events for “A Promising Start: Excellence in Scholarship.”
