Recognition and Support of Faculty Work

Mitchell Faculty Scholarship Grant

The Mayer and Arlene Mitchell and Abraham A. Mitchell Faculty Scholarship Grant was established in 1985 through the generosity of the Mitchells of Mobile to recognize and encourage new and ongoing academic scholarship and faculty development among the faculty of Spring Hill College. The annual grant is awarded on a competitive basis to a faculty member, who, in the judgment of the Provost and the Faculty Development and Compensation Committee, with the Mitchells’ approval, most desire to better serve Spring Hill College in improving his or her knowledge in a chosen field of expertise.

For 2022, the grant is made to Paige Vaughn, PhD, Assistant Professor of Sociology. Her research “aims to assess the impact of procedural justice training on the behaviors exhibited by police officers in Yonkers, NY using body-worn camera (BWC) footage. In particular, the study will analyze 300 officer-civilian interactions in various situations, including in responding to frequent calls for service (e.g., disorderly persons, verbal disputes) and in proactively engaging with citizens via patrol. The study will pinpoint the behavioral effects of procedural justice training as well as areas for training improvement. It will also develop a novel method for quantifying procedural justice behaviors in BWC footage, thereby allowing for more meaningful accountability using this widespread (though as of yet unproven) technology.”

Faculty Innovation Grants

The SHC Faculty Innovation Support Fund was established in April 2021 through Give Day contributions for the purpose of supporting innovative faculty projects that will have a positive impact on instruction and student learning. The Faculty Development and Compensation Committee awarded the first round of Faculty Innovation Grants in April 2022 for the following projects:

• Dr. Rebecca Fillmore, Associate Professor of Biology, was awarded $2500 for her project to investigate the use of Augmented Reality in the Anatomy Lab.
• Dr. Matthews Gervase, Assistant Professor of French and Italian was awarded $500 to build a French and Italian Oral History of the Gulf Coast.
• Ms. Rachael Hatley, Associate Professor of Graphic Design, was awarded $2500 to establish a Student Agency/Non-Profit Center.
• Dr. Stacy Wellborn, Assistant Professor of Marketing, was awarded $1250 to support her work in Rural Entrepreneurship.
• The Pathways Seminar Director Victor Di Fate was awarded $2500 to create a Faculty Learning Community for the eleven instructors teaching the seminars in Fall 2022. The Pathways Seminars are the curricular component of the Pathways Sequence, the new first-year experience for SHC’s revised core curriculum. 

Faculty Spotlights

Alexandria Ruble, PhD

Dr. Ruble is a 2021-2022 American Association of University Women American Postdoctoral Research Leave Fellow. The fellowship aims to increase the number of women in tenure-track faculty positions and to promote equity for women in higher education.

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Leigh Ann Litwiller, PhD

In addition to her teaching, Dr. Litwiller also serves as the College’s Faculty Director of Curricular Integration, where she is working with other faculty and staff to create the new SHC Pathways program for incoming students.

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Paige Raney, EdD

For this week’s Faculty Friday, we catch up with Paige Raney, Ed.D., Chair of Spring Hill’s Division of Education, Graduate Program Director and Elementary Specialist. 

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Harold Dorton, PhD

This week, we catch up with Harold Dorton, Ph.D., associate professor of sociology in the Department of Sociology and Criminology.

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Kathleen Orange, PhD

She has been with the department since 1981 and was the founding director of the Foley Center for Community Service. She received her Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina. Dr. Orange currently teaches courses in American politics, American political thought, political philosophy and politics and literature.

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