Students and Newton County community leaders pose after presenting their Academic Community Engagement project to help senior citizens become more engaged in the community.
As part of their Academic Community Engagement (ACE) project, students in Tami Wells Thomas’s Social Science and the American Crime Problem class worked with a Newton County Community Liaison to develop ways to inform Newton County young adults and senior citizens about the services the county offers and resources available. The students presented their project to Newton County community leaders before winter break. The project—which resulted in recommendations for a newsletter—was to increase senior citizen engagement with the community. Wells is an assistant professor of criminal justice on the Newton Campus.
Dr. Mary Helen O’Connor was quoted in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution article, “Georgia expanding innovative refugee mental health program” for the GSU project to expand mental health counseling services to immigrants in Clarkston. She was also quoted in the January 15, 2024, issue of Mental Health Weekly. O’Connor is an associate professor of English at Perimeter, Deputy Director of the Prevention Research Center and director of the Clarkston Center for Community Engagement
Dr. Mengist Teklay took his students to the Red Oak Quarry in Red Oak, Ga. last semester as part of their study of geology. Teklay is an assistant professor of Life and Earth Sciences on the Decatur Campus.
Barbara Robertson gave a presentation on her work recruiting student poll workers to help with early voting in Newton and Rockdale counties for a Covington Kiwanis Club meeting recently. Robertson is an instructor of political science on the Newton Campus.
Research Kudos
Dr. Tiffany Flowers and Dr. Hiawatha Smith have written “Beyond the Basics: Children’s Literature for the Elementary School Teacher.” The text includes current hot-button topics related to teaching classic literature, controversial texts, and genre study. Flowers is an associate professor of education at Perimeter College. Smith is an associate professor of literacy education at the University of Wisconsin River Falls.
Dr. Victor Ricchezza is one of the authors of a recent article in the Journal of Geoscience Education, “Changing Habits of Mind: A Phenomenological View of How a Computational Geology Course Affected Students’ Geologic Numeracy.”
Ricchezza is an assistant professor of geology on the Clarkston Campus.