HPU Announces Academic And Professional Achievements; September 13, 2021
HIGH POINT, N.C., Sept. 13, 2021 – High Point University faculty and students recently received the following academic and professional awards and recognitions.
Dr. Amy Holcombe Named to National Leadership Fellowship
Dr. Amy Holcombe, dean of the Stout School of Education at High Point University, was selected as an Impact Academy fellow for Deans for Impact. She joins an elite group of 24 educational leaders who will work together for the next year to create transformative change in educator preparation.
Together, fellows will ask the big questions, forming a collaborative network to workshop challenges in the field and seek solutions. Amid the unprecedented upheaval in education, Impact Academy offers an opportunity for leaders to sharpen their skills through self-reflection, collaborative learning sessions and one-on-one coaching.
“It is an honor to have been selected as a fellow with Deans for Impact,” said Holcombe. “This is an opportunity to network with education deans across the country to drive innovation, influence state and national policy, and transform how we use data to inform educator preparation here at High Point University.”
Impact Academy fellows define a strategy for instructional improvement grounded in equity and learning science. Throughout the year, fellows will participate in monthly virtual sessions with regular learning modules and ongoing leadership coaching from Deans for Impact member deans.
Holcombe will join Impact Academy’s sixth cohort, it is the largest and most diverse to date. Each cohort is selected through an intensive application process. Deans for Impact is committed to reflecting the broad diversity of programs preparing new educators in the United States.
HPU Nu Sigma Fraternity Receives Rock Chapter Award
The Nu Delta Chapter of Sigma Nu Fraternity at High Point University was awarded the Rock Chapter Award for the 2019-2021 biennium from Sigma Nu Fraternity Headquarters. Headquartered in Lexington, Virginia, Sigma Nu Fraternity was founded in 1869 at Virginia Military Institute in Lexington. The Rock Chapter Award is meant to honor collegiate chapters that have achieved excellence in all areas of chapter operations. To be granted the award, a chapter should be expected to attain an ideal or a nearly perfect state across a broad range of areas of operations as measured by the Fraternity’s Pursuit of Excellence Program. Rock Chapters are expected to maintain a state of excellence for a consistent period of more than two years.
“I am extremely proud of the Nu Delta chapter for earning Rock Chapter,” said Madhava Pally, Sigma Nu president. “We have worked for five years to achieve this prestigious accomplishment. We could not have succeeded without every single brothers’ effort since the beginning.”
The 2021 recognition marks the first Rock Chapter Award for HPU’s Nu Delta Chapter. The chapter includes 85 collegiate members with a collective 3.53 GPA. 100% of members are involved in other campus organizations, with 70% holding leadership positions in those organizations. Members raised $23,000 for charitable causes and averaged 17 hours of community service over the past year.
HPU Professor Named Mathematics Leadership Institute Fellow
Dr. Dandrielle Lewis, department chair of mathematical sciences and associate professor of mathematics, is one of the 17 leadership fellows accepted into the 2021-2022 Transforming Post-Secondary Education (TPSE) in Mathematics Leadership Institute.
This Math Leadership Institute is a national math institute that fosters a diverse group of leaders within the mathematics community. Lewis will receive leadership training from the best in the field of mathematics, participate in workshops, collaborate with fellow participants, and work on a year-long project.
“To be selected to participate in this national platform is an honor, and the supportive community that will be offered to me as a leader will be a phenomenal experience,” said Lewis.
Those who participate in the institute will expand the capacity of the mathematical sciences community to enact change at the local and national levels, and respond to future challenges, from leadership positions at their institutions, in professional organizations and within federal agencies.
HPU Engineering Dean Appointed to International Task Force
Dr. Michael Oudshoorn, dean of the Webb School of Engineering, has been appointed to the steering committee of Computer Science Curricula, CS 202X Task Force. This is an international task force responsible for the revision of the computer science curriculum for the next decade. The CS202X Curriculum Report will become a volume in the Computing Curricula Series, which is part of the ongoing effort between several computing societies and organizations.
The joint task force includes a steering committee of 19 members from organizations representing a diverse set of colleges and universities in the U.S., Brazil, China, Egypt, India and Ireland. The joint task force includes members from the IEEE Computer Society, the Association of Computing Machinery (ACM), and the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AAAI).
Every decade or so the computer science professional bodies produce a document that defines the body of knowledge to be covered in the undergraduate computer science curriculum. Oudshoorn will be leading the programming languages panel of experts (nine global experts from the U.S., New Zealand, Germany, Scotland, South Africa), and also will participate as an expert in the Parallel and Distributed Computing panel.
“This is a great honor to be recognized for contributions to computer science education and to have the opportunity to help impact and shape undergraduate education in computer science globally,” said Oudshoorn. “This body of work also shapes accreditation requirements for computer science programs across the world.”
HPU Professor Chairs 39th Annual CROP Hunger Walk
Dr. Daniel Hall, interim dean of HPU’s Phillips School of Business, will serve as the chairperson for the 39th Annual CROP Hunger Walk. The event will benefit Open Door Ministries of High Point and is held in partnership with Church World Service (CWS.
“We choose to walk because they must walk,” says Hall. “Our primary purpose is raising funds, but we also raise awareness during the campaign.”
The community walk will officially kick off at 3 p.m. at Wesley Memorial United Methodist Church and registration will begin at 2 p.m. The CROP Hunger Walk offers a 1.0 and 3.0 mile route recognizing that people from developing countries will typically walk three miles to get food, water and fuel. Donations from each walker will allow Open Door Ministries to continue serving the less fortunate and homeless in the High Point community.
HPU Sigma Nu Tau Entrepreneurship Honor Society Wins Second Place Overall for Outstanding Chapter
High Point University’s chapter of Sigma Nu Tau Entrepreneurship Honor Society won second place in the country for Overall Outstanding Sigma Nu Tau chapter. The chapter is led by Kathy Elliott, assistant professor of entrepreneurship and director of HPU’s Belk Center for Entrepreneurship. Elliott serves on the National Advisory Council and is a member of the national Sigma Nu Tau board of directors.
“This award showcases the hard work and dedication of the entrepreneurial students involved in Sigma Nu Tau,” said Elliott. “This recognition program is designed to encourage all Sigma Nu Tau chapters to be active and to achieve excellence throughout the academic year. High Point University’s chapter exemplifies the goals of Sigma Nu Tau. We are honored to have received this recognition as it sums up the great work and scholastic achievement of our High Point University students involved.”
HPU’schapter holds regular meetings, hosts entrepreneurial guest speakers and presents an annual Elevator Pitch Competition and Business Plan Competition.
Dr. Julie Cooper Receives Jim Long Outstanding SHIIP Service Award
Dr. Julie Cooper, associate professor of Clinical Sciences at High Point University, was awarded the Jim Long Outstanding SHIIP Service Award. Each year, the North Carolina Senior Health Insurance Information Program (SHIIP) recognizes an individual or organization for their continued support and endorsement of SHIIP to improve Medicare education and outreach for the citizens of North Carolina.
“We are grateful for the opportunity, the support and the collaboration with the North Carolina Department of Insurance,” said Cooper. “It allows our students to be able to gain valuable knowledge about insurance and acquire experience serving Medicare beneficiaries in the Piedmont Triad area of North Carolina,” said Cooper.
In partnership with the North Carolina Department of Insurance’s SHIIP, Cooper created a certificate elective course for pharmacy students at HPU to become certified SHIIP counselors. These students are enrolled in SHIIP’s Online Counselor Certification and Training course and must complete this training before certification is granted.
The elective course, now in its fourth year, provides an opportunity for these pharmacy students to review a Medicare beneficiary’s Part D plan to find the best prescription drug coverage for the lowest cost. Students can share their pharmaceutical knowledge coupled with the Medicare tools to help seniors find appropriate prescription drug plans.