Cathryn Sweigart, Guest Contributor EMORY, Va. — In conjunction with March being Women’s History Month, numerous women at Emory & Henry College have recently made—and continue to make—significant impacts within the college community. One woman involved in E&H athletics is Joy Scruggs, who was recently recognized by Emory & Henry for her 39-year-long career at the college. Scruggs is a former coach for the E&H women’s basketball team, and has been teaching health and human performance throughout her career. According to the E&H website, Scruggs took her team to the ODAC tournament five times, winning the Championship in 1998. Scruggs was named ODAC Coach of the Year three times, has been honored with the Hope Award, as well as an Excellence in Teaching Award. Scruggs said, “I have been fortunate to have been honored a number of ways here, and it has been a lovely almost four decades.” An impactful woman involved in the psychology department is Celeste Gaia, who is a professor and Chair of the Department of Psychology, as well as the Director of International Education. Gaia, who holds a doctorate in experimental psychology, has been with the college for 23 years. In the past 13 years, she has grown the percentage of the graduating class that studies abroad from 18% to around 40%. Gaia said, “It has always been my passion to get students abroad and really enhance them personally and professionally and open their eyes to the rest of the world.” Gaia said she also leads a class that goes to the Czech Republic and Poland that focuses on the Holocost, “which is one of my passions in helping people understand how social factors can lead people to very bad behavior, but you can become aware of these factors.” Laura Hainsworth, who has her doctorate in analytical, nuclear and environmental chemistry, has been making positive impacts in the chemistry department as a professor for chemistry and environmental studies, as well as the director of the Bartlett-Crowe Field Station. When Hainsworth came to Emory & Henry, the environmental studies program had just started, but with her help, that program “has had as many as 18 graduates just from that program in one year.” One of her more recent contributions is the Bartlett-Crowe Field Station. Hainsworth and some other environmental studies professors proposed the idea of the station to help students get hands-on experience and research. She was asked to be the director of the field station, and she said, “I knew nothing about being a field station director and did not have any experience at all, but I was able to get a grant from the National Science Foundation.” Hainsworth said she “has put a lot of energy into it,” which has allowed for the station to get off the ground and develop into a helpful place for students. As the only current woman in the mass communications department at E&H, Tracy Lauder, who has her doctorate in communications, acts as a professor and chair of the mass communications department, while also serving as the Director of the van Vlissingen Center for Career and Professional Development. Lauder has been with the college for 17 years, and five years ago she launched Ampersand Day. “It was a real joy, that first year, to see hundreds of students all across campus showcasing the work that they do,” Lauder said. Lauder is no longer in charge of Ampersand Day, but said, “I hope [Ampersand Day] is a legacy that remains.” The notable achievements earned by women at E&H, whether within their individual departments or exteriorly, help celebrate Women’s History Month by adding their legacy to the college’s lengthy history.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWhitetopper Staff Archives
March 2020
Categories |