Faculty/Staff Accomplishments and News Briefs – 11/19/25

In this issue, we celebrate the accomplishments of faculty and staff in art, child development, economics, facilities services, hospitality and tourism, and international studies. We also share news about a student volunteer opportunity with A Place at the Table.

Assistant Professor of Practice Michael Altman’s joint research on food halls, “Food halls as entrepreneurial micro-ecosystems: Exploring incubation, placemaking, and community impact,” has been published in the Journal of Business Venturing Insights, an “A” ranked journal. This research article has been summarized on Substack, explaining how food halls are entrepreneurial incubators and city block revitalizers. Read the Substack post to learn more. Altman is the director of Meredith’s Hospitality and Tourism Management Program.

Patty Blackwell in Facilities Services is a featured artist in the N.C. Veterans Art Show, in honor of Veterans Day, at Durham Arts Guild (DAG) Golden Belt Gallery. The show runs from November 18-23 at the DAG Golden Belt Gallery, Mill No. 1 at Golden Belt Campus, 800 Taylor Street, Durham. The six-day art exhibit containing original artworks created by N.C. veterans is co-sponsored by The Joel Fund and Heart2Hand veteran support organizations. The Joel Fund will also have an online gallery through their Operation Art Program. The online gallery be displayed on the DAG website during Third Friday Durham, a monthly art walk and gallery crawl. The exhibition may be viewed in person Wednesday-Saturday, November 18-22, from 10 a.m.-7 p.m., and on Sunday, November 23, from 12 p.m.-4 p.m.

Dr. Chelsea Cutright, Assistant Professor of International Studies, collaborated with the Center for Sport, Peace, and Society (CSPS) at the University of Tennessee–Knoxville to develop an online training program for alumni of the Global Sport Mentoring Program (GSMP). This program features a series of interactive modules and a “guest lecture flight path” designed to certify GSMP alumni as guest lecturers in academic classrooms worldwide.

The GSMP—an initiative of the U.S. Department of State, espnW, and the University of Tennessee—connects emerging global leaders in sport with established mentors to promote U.S. sports diplomacy and cross-cultural exchange. Since its inception, the program has reached over 300 sports leaders from more than 100 countries.

Dr. Cutright co-designed the guest lecture training framework, piloted it with one of her classes at Meredith College, and serves as the featured presenter in one of the recorded training modules. The guest lecture program is part of the broader GSMP Academy, which provides ongoing professional development and resources for the network’s hundreds of alumni worldwide. Dr. Cutright was able to engage in this collaboration, in part, thanks to a Meredith College Scholarly Productivity Grant.

Professor of Art Shannon Johnstone’s article, “Roadside Zoo: Challenging Anthropocentrism Through Photography,” was published in the peer-reviewed, open access Bangladesh Journal of BioEthics in November 2025. The article can be read here: https://bjbio.bioethics.org.bd/index.php/BJBio/article/view/207.  Also in November 2025, 50 photographs from Johnstone’s “Roadside Zoo” project were acquired by We Animals Media, the leading Animal Photojournalism (APJ) collective in the world. The photographs can be viewed and downloaded for free from their stock site. In October 2025, Johnstone gave a lecture “What can photography do for animals?” to the NCSU Association of Retired Faculty at the Alumni Club on Hillsborough street. Twenty of Johnstone’s photographs (including the cover image) are also featured in Eve D’Vincent’s book Captive Ambassadors: The Hidden LIves of Zoo Animals which was published by Brill in September 2025. 

Associate Professor of Child Development Pamela Norcross, Ph.D., attended the Occasional Temperament Conference at Texas A & M, in College Station Texas. Dr. Norcross, along with Lauren Bailes, Ph.D., from Oklahoma State University, presented a co-authored presentation titled “Temperament Moderates the Relationship between Maternal Depression and Mothers’ Reactions and Responses to Infant Crying.” Associate Professor of Psychology Betty Shannon Prevatt co-authored the presentation. 

Anne York, Program Director and Professor of Economics; and Elaine Liu, Assistant Professor of Economics and Business Analytics, attended the 22nd Annual Economics Teaching Workshop (UNCW Department of Economics and Finance) on October 25, 2025. This is a regional forum for innovative pedagogy in economics. York presented “Guiding Students Toward Better Study Habits Through Course Design,” detailing a redesign of Principles of Microeconomics that embedded metacognitive strategies, increased graded and ungraded practice to strengthen retrieval, and required students to submit condensed “cheat sheets” two days before each exam to promote spaced study. Reported outcomes included improved study habits, greater metacognitive awareness, and higher exam performance among students. Liu participated in sessions and networking focused on evidence‑based teaching. Their engagement informs ongoing course improvements that make economics more engaging, relevant, and accessible for Meredith students.

News Briefs
Student Volunteer Opportunity: A Place at the Table
Please share this volunteer opportunity with interested students. A Place at the Table, a local pay-what-you-can nonprofit café, is seeking weekly volunteers to support their community-centered mission. This organization serves everyone with dignity, regardless of means which offers students a meaningful opportunity to engage with a values-driven business model in action.

Volunteer tasks include café operations support, such as food service, cleaning, and dish washing. Students interested in social entrepreneurship, community engagement, or simply contributing to an inclusive local organization are encouraged to reach out directly to Kay at admin@tableraleigh.org. This hands-on experience provides students with real-world exposure to how businesses can center community care while maintaining sustainable operations. – Submitted by Molly McKinley