CONWAY, Ark. (March 27, 2009) – James Jennings, a professor of Education and History at Hendrix College and chair of the college’s Education Department, has received the college’s Cynthia Cook Sandefur Odyssey Professorship, becoming one of eight Hendrix professors to obtain the distinguished honor. Jennings will utilize the Sandefur Odyssey Professorship to continue his work with the “Above the Line” research project, a program he developed to enhance standardized test scores in high-poverty, low-performing school districts in Arkansas.
The Odyssey Professorship Program is an expansion from the college’s original Odyssey program, directly incorporating professors into the expansion of engaged learning opportunities for students. All Hendrix professors are eligible to submit Odyssey Professor proposals that develop courses or other engaged learning experiences that will ultimately stimulate additional student participation in the Hendrix Odyssey Program.
Odyssey professorships are held for limited periods, usually up to three years, and support faculty development and faculty-student collaborative projects. The endowments yield approximately $25,000 annually for each professorship.
The family of Cynthia Cook Sandefur established the Odyssey Professorship in Ms. Sandefur’s name though a $250,000 pledge to Hendrix, which was matched with $250,000 from the Madison and Suzanne Murphy Odyssey Professorship Challenge Grant. Ms. Sandefur, a 1977 graduate of Hendrix and a member of the college’s Board of Trustees, lives in Texarkana.
The Above the Line Project, originally funded by Hendrix College Odyssey program and designed by Dr. Jennings, studied 22 third graders in the Forrest City (Ark.) School District in 2007 who previously scored “below” or “below basic” on the Arkansas Benchmark Exam, a state-sponsored testing program designed to grade the educational aptitude of public school students. Following three weeks of intensive remedial studies utilizing the Above the Line Project curriculum, a majority of students improved their test scores in a number of subject areas.
Jennings and a team of Hendrix students returned last year and achieved similar results.
“Our findings can be a roadmap for improving test scores in struggling school districts,” Jennings said following the success of his program. “Specifically, providing intensive educational attention to these students, while arming their parents with proven techniques to continue the learning process at home, could drastically change the lives of these students and the educational footing of school districts fighting to meet minimum standards.”
Other current Odyssey professors are:
- Professor of Chemistry Tom Goodwin – the Julia Mobley Odyssey Professorship. Goodwin, the 2003 Carnegie U. S. Professor of the Year for Baccalaureate Institutions, is involving Hendrix students, as well as local high school students and science faculty, in pursuing research on chemical communication among mammals.
- Professor Joyce Hardin, Associate Professor Matt Moran, and Assistant Professor George Harper, all of the Biology Department – the Judy and Randy Wilbourn Odyssey Professorship, which develops research and internship opportunities for Hendrix students in partnership with the Arkansas Game and Fish Foundation and the Nature Conservancy.
- Ian King – the Morriss and Ann Henry Odyssey Professorship. He is pursuing his research interest in Latin American politics, culminating in a study trip to Latin America with several Hendrix students.
- Jay McDaniel – the Nancy and Craig Wood Odyssey Professorship, which combines his interest in sustainability with research, service, and internship opportunities for students in partnership with Heifer International.
- Professor of Economics Tom Stanley – the Bill and Connie Bowen Odyssey Professorship. An expert in meta-analysis, Stanley’s project involves students in international research projects in economics, funds their participation in international conferences, and allows them to host an international colloquium at Hendrix in 2010.
About Hendrix’s Odyssey Program
The Hendrix Odyssey Program, established in 2004, allows Hendrix students to complete three Odyssey experiences during their undergraduate career in areas selected from six categories: artistic creativity, global awareness, professional and leadership development, service to the world, undergraduate research and special projects. For more information, go to: http://www.hendrix.edu/odyssey/.