Virginia Wesleyan University will become Batten University on July 1, 2026.

FACULTY AND STAFF ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND BEST PRACTICES // May 2026

Eric Mazur authored an entry on Judaism and film which was published in the second edition of the Routledge Companion to Religion and Film (edited by John C. Lyden).

Michelle Albert Vachris published a paper entitled "Experiential Learning in Economics Courses" in the Virginia Economic Journal 2026, Volume 1.

Taryn Myers was a coauthor along with international collaborators on the manuscript "Positive body image is a pathway between nature contact and life satisfaction across 58 nations" in the journal Environment International.

Scott D. Miller serves as executive editor of the President to President thought leadership series. The tenth and final chapter of the 2025-26 series, Intentional Efforts in Belonging, is now available online. In "Creating Campus Belonging by Leading with Love," Hollins University President Mary Dana Hinton, Ph.D., reflects on how she maintains a passion for her work despite the challenges inherent to higher education today. She urges leaders to act with authenticity, build genuine relationships, and practice “relentless welcome” and offers practical strategies for ensuring even tough leadership decisions are grounded in a sense of genuine care for all involved. President Miller shares daily reflections and leadership perspectives on his blog, Dialogue.

Kathy Merlock Jackson presented "Disney and the Dog Catcher: Animal Welfare and Remaking Lady and the Tramp" at the Popular Culture Association Conference in Atlanta, GA. The paper will appear in The Second Time Around: Contemporary Remakes of Disney Classics, which Kathy is co-editing with Douglas Brode. Kathy and Kathy Stolley chair the Animals and Popular Culture area at PCA.

Kathy Merlock Jackson also presented "The Journal of American Culture in the Post-Browne Era" at the Popular Culture Association Conference in Atlanta, GA, April 8-11. Kathy edited the journal from 2002 to 2018. She also chaired a roundtable at the Popular Culture Association Conference titled "Rocky at 50." She and co-editor Phil Simpson joined contributors to their 2025 book All I wanna do is go the distance: Essays on the Rocky Franchise and Its Enduring Cultural Impact. Kathy's essay in the volume addresses the controversy surrounding Rocky's 1976 Best Picture Academy Award.

Michelle Albert Vachris presented her paper "Innovation and Adam Smith's Mutual Sympathy of Sentiments" at meetings of both the Virginia Association of Economists in Harrisonburg, VA and the Association of Private Enterprise Education (APEE) in Las Vegas. Also at APEE, she chaired a session and presented "Using Podcasts to Teach Environmental Economics."

Bill McConnell co-presented a paper based on a recent international teaching/research collaboration with partners from Heidelberg University of Education. The paper was presented at the spring conference of the Virginia Association of Colleges and Teacher Educators and was entitled, “From Fear to Dialogue: Preparing Preservice Teachers to Navigate Controversial Issues Through Structured, Cross-National Discussion.”

April Christman presented an ethics workshop, "AI and the Future of Social Work Practice: Bridging the Ethical Gap in Professional Standards," at the National Association of Social Workers VA/Metro DC 2026 Virtual Conference. This presentation was approved by the Association of Social Work Boards Approved Continuing Education program to award attendees 1.5 continuing education hours toward clinical license renewal.

Shalyn Lapke presented a paper titled "Beyond the Spreadsheet: Your Future as an AI-Augmented Accountant" at the Marlin Business Conference.

OTHER

April Christman met with the Social Work, Social Change Club for the "Coffee with Christman" event to explore the meaning of social work. Students engaged in a discussion of their career aspirations and how social work prepares them to best serve their future clients. Students learned about the adaptability of the degree to support evolving professional interests throughout their careers.

Kathy Merlock Jackson was presented with the PCA/ACA Association Award at the Popular Culture Association Conference. The award commemorates "commitment, support, and dedication to Popular Culture Research and Scholarship." Kathy has published fifteen books and over one hundred and fifty articles, chapters, and reviews on popular culture topics, including children's culture, popular media, Disney, and animals. Kathy has joined the Governing Board of the Popular Culture Association. She is also chair of the association's Endowment Committee.

During the spring conference of the Virginia Association of Colleges and Teacher Educators, Bill McConnell was awarded the 2026 Faculty Impact Award.

April Christman and Benjamin Dobrin developed and led a workshop, "Avoiding Burnout with Self-Care," for staff at the Virginia Beach Community Development Corporation. This initiative aimed to integrate mindfulness approaches into social work practice to improve practitioner health.

Sara Ryan served as a judge for the 2026 Hampton Roads Youth Poet Laureate Finals. Judges ranked the performances, interviews, and written work of nearly 20 youth poets from the Hampton Roads area. The winner of the Hampton Roads Youth Poet Laureate title was Breanna "Verity" Downing, a freshman at VWU, holding her title for the second year!

Scott D. Miller gave the Commencement Address to the Class of 2026 at Lakeland University (WI). He received an honorary doctorate from Lakeland during the ceremony. Jane Batten and Dr. David Black, VWU Executive in Residence, were also honored at the ceremony.

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

Bill McConnell's students developed and implemented hands-on environmental science activities for elementary students from Norfolk Collegiate School (NCS). In early April, VWU students visited NCS to complete one lesson, and later 130 NCS students came to VWU to take part in outdoor investigations. Through this event, VWU students were able to practice behavior management strategies learned in the course.

Rebecca John's teacher candidates in EDUC 328 supported math instruction and tutoring for elementary students over the course of five weekly visits at Centerville Elementary in Virginia Beach. Candidates prepared a whole-class interactive lesson for their final visit.

Students in Kathy Merlock Jackson's MC 327: Children, Teens, and Media Class met with students of Wendy Scott at the Tidewater Collegiate Academy to promote critical media use and to reflect on this year's TCA theme: What kind of country do you want to live in?