Odyssey
Professorships awarded to increase engaged learning opportunities for students
CONWAY, Ark. (January 20, 2023) — Ten
Hendrix College professors have been awarded Odyssey Professorships to fund specific
projects that will engage students in active learning.
Each Odyssey Professorship carries an endowment to support two-
or three-year faculty projects that create new engaged learning opportunities,
such as internships and undergraduate research, for students. The professorships
are an extension of the Hendrix Odyssey Program, the College’s nationally
recognized engaged learning initiative. Individual faculty members or
small groups of faculty members may apply on a competitive basis, and proposals
are recommended by the Committee on Faculty.
The new Odyssey Professorship recipients and their projects are:
- Dr. Gabe
Ferrer, Professor of Mathematics and Computer Science, was awarded
the Dr. Brad P. Baltz & Reverend William B. Smith Odyssey Professorship
from 2023 to 2025 for his project Computing Beyond Computers: Fine Arts and
Robotics.
- Dr. David
Hales, Professor of Chemistry, was awarded the Thomas E.
Goodwin Odyssey Professorship from 2023 to 2026 for his project Bio-Physical-Analytical
Chemistry Research for Discovery and Discernment.
- Dr. Courtney
Hatch, Professor of Chemistry, and Dr. Brett Hill, Professor of
Sociology and Anthropology, were awarded the Nancy and Craig Wood Odyssey Professorship
from 2023 to 2026 for their project Leadership in Environmental Analysis for
the People (LEAP).
- Dr. Ty
Jaeger, Professor of English, and Maxine Payne, Professor of
Art, were awarded the Isabelle Peregrin Odyssey Professorship from 2023
to 2024 for their project Audiovisual Arkansas: Citizen Storytellers.
- Dr. Kim
Maslin, Professor of Politics, was awarded the Bill and Connie
Bowen Odyssey Professorship from 2023 to 2026 for her project Discovering
First Ladies and Reconsidering Power.
- Dr. Stacey
Schwartzkopf, Associate Professor of Sociology and Anthropology,
was awarded the Margaret Berry Hutton Odyssey Professorship from 2023 to
2026 for his project Empire’s Legacies – Peoples, Places, and Things in the
Americas.
- Dr. Andrew
Schurko, Associate Professor of Biology, was awarded the Morris
and Ann Henry Odyssey Professorship from 2023 to 2026 for his project Friend
or Foe? Exploring the Dynamic Role of Microbes on Campus and in Our Lives.
- Dr. Damon
Spayde, Professor of Physics, was awarded the Julia Mobley Odyssey
Professorship from 2023 to 2026 for his project Nuclear Physics at
Hendrix.
“The eight awarded professorships represent an annual
commitment of about $200,000. Furthermore, they continue Hendrix’s
well-established tradition of providing out-of-the-classroom and out-of-the-box
experiential learning opportunities to students across the academic
disciplines,” said Dr. Kiril Kolev, associate provost for engaged learning. “We
are fortunate to have faculty-designed projects that build bridges between the
classroom and the broader local and global community, enrich life on campus,
and contribute significantly to student readiness for life after college.”
About Hendrix College
A private liberal
arts college in Conway, Arkansas, Hendrix College consistently earns recognition
as one of the country’s leading liberal arts institutions and is featured in
Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About
Colleges. Its academic quality and rigor, innovation, and value have
established Hendrix as a fixture in numerous college guides, lists, and
rankings. Founded in 1876, Hendrix has been affiliated with the United
Methodist Church since 1884. To learn more, visit www.hendrix.edu.