This article is comprised of submissions from faculty and staff throughout the college, which have happened in the Summer semester. If you have an item of good news you’d like to submit, please email it to Michelle Jones, Communications Specialist.

• The BSU School of Nursing’s Simulation & Information Technology Team is thriving through this summer of pilot projects, including Virtual Reality Simulations. VR Sim launched July 2 for our NUR 370 students.
• The College of Health was once again a very popular booth at the Black Expo Summer Celebration on Saturday 7/19. We featured the anatomage table, where visitors could interact with a detailed nearly life-size skeleton and earn prizes playing the Game of Bones. We had challengers lined up for the grip strength assessment. We also had thoughtful conversations with event attendees on all that the College of Health has to offer to students and the community.
• Congratulations to the Department of Nutrition and Health Science, for their exceptional Public Health majors, who in April, recorded a new pass rate of 88% on the NCHEC Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) Credentialing exam. This exceeds the National Pass Rate of 72%.
• The School of Kinesiology is very proud of the work of Drs. Scott and Todd Trappe.  They had a paper released in Genome Research on 7/1. This journal is in the top ten percent in genetics and heredity category of journals, if that wasn’t exciting enough, their paper was chosen for the cover, and the final cover was an artistic conceptualization based on their figure 2A. Scott said, “This was a multi-site collaboration (outside of MoTrPAC) that combined our expertise in exercise physiology with genetics and computational biology.  We have been working on advancing this approach in human skeletal muscle with exercise for the last several years (since about 2018).  This is the third paper from the core collaboration team.”

 

College of Health Award Winners

ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF OF THE YEAR: JULIE ROSENBAUM
We are thrilled to announce Julie Rosenbaum has been awarded the 2024-2025 Administrative Staff of the Year, a testament to her consistent high-quality customer service and overall kindness. Celebrating 30 years at BSU, Julie’s dedication and expertise shine in her role as Baccalaureate Program and Compliance Coordinator for the School of Nursing. Julie plays a crucial role in assisting nursing students, ensuring they stay on track and connected with BSU resources to foster their success. Her department recognizes her as a key player in the School’s success, and her commitment to excellence is truly inspiring. Congratulations, Julie, on this well-deserved recognition! Your kindness and dedication continue to make a lasting impact on our students.

 

CLINICAL/PROFESSIONAL STAFF OF THE YEAR: JEANNE CORCORAN
Jeanne Corcoran is honored as the 2024-2025 Clinical/Professional Staff of the Year. Her leadership and unwavering dedication along with her enthusiasm for supporting the College of Health has been truly inspiring. In her roles as Interim Chair for Speech Pathology and Audiology and Interim Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, Jeanne has demonstrated outstanding commitment and passion. With 38 years of experience in Occupational Therapy, she has made a significant impact on both her colleagues and the community.

Jeanne came to Ball State from a staffing firm to chair SPAA for one year whilst we conducted an external search. Although it took us two years (and four very fine candidates), we are pleased to see Tina Veale joining us. In year one, Jeanne and the SPAA team worked diligently to conduct and write a comprehensive reaccreditation self-study. The site team was incredibly impressed and found everything to be in compliance and ship-shape. Given her experience with us, I invited Jeanne to also serve as Interim Associate Dean for Academic Affairs in a second year. During that time, Jeanne led efforts to consider several new undergraduate majors, lead a team focused on the University Core Curriculum Transformation, and much more. Thank you, Jeanne, for your incredible contributions and congratulations on this well-deserved recognition! Your dedication and leadership inspire us all.

 

TENURE TRACK FACULTY OF THE YEAR: DORICE HANKEMEIER
We are delighted to announce that Dorice Hankemeier has been awarded the 2024-2025 Tenure Track Faculty of the Year, recognizing her exemplary leadership, dedication to students, and outstanding teaching. As Associate Chair of the School of Kinesiology, Associate Professor of Athletic Training, and Graduate Athletic Training Program Director, Dorice has made a profound impact on students and colleagues alike. Dorice is known for her active participation in campus activities and her ability to engage meaningfully with both colleagues and students. Her commitment to education is best captured by a recent student review: “Dr. Hankemeier is an excellent teacher. Be ready because she treats you like an adult. Pay attention and you will learn a lot about life too!” Dorice and the AT team recently completed the self-study to reaccredit the Master’s program in Athletic Training.
Congratulations, Dorice, on this well-deserved recognition! Your dedication and passion for teaching continue to inspire and elevate our academic community.

 

NON-TENURE LINE FACULTY OF THE YEAR:  TERESA MCCLAIN
Teresa McClain is being honored as the 2024-2025 Non-Tenure Line Faculty of the Year, recognizing her instrumental role in outreach success and program leadership in Speech Pathology and Audiology. With more than 25 years at BSU, Teresa leads the way as Associate Clinical Lecturer of Speech Pathology, where in addition to serving as Program Director for the undergraduate and graduate programs, she supervises students and sees patients in our Interprofessional Community Clinics.
Teresa’s dedication to community outreach and her expertise in Swallowing, Dysphagia, Aphasia, Apraxia, Dysarthria, and Language Acquisition of International Adoptees have made a significant impact. Her commitment to both education and community service exemplifies excellence in her field. What also stands out is Teresa’s dedication to recruiting students to her profession. She proudly talks up SPAA and health professions in the Indiana Youth Program on Campus and guides current students to help out at University and College Preview Days. Congratulations, Teresa, on this well-deserved recognition! Your passion and leadership continue to inspire and enrich our community.

 

PART-TIME FACULTY OF THE YEAR: THOMAS SAWYER
We are delighted to honor Dr. Thomas Sawyer as the 2024-2025 Part-Time Faculty of the Year, recognizing his unwavering dedication to the Athletic Coaching Education (ACE) program. With over 15 years of service, Dr. Sawyer’s contributions have left a lasting impact on our students, curriculum, and program culture. His mentorship and genuine care for students are evident in every interaction, embodying the core values of the College of Health: student-centered teaching, academic rigor, and professional integrity. Dr. Sawyer’s consistency, humility, and excellence in part-time instruction are truly exceptional.
Congratulations, Dr. Sawyer, on this well-deserved recognition! Your dedication and passion continue to inspire and elevate our academic community.