ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA

PRESIDENT’SREPORT 2010–11

2 PRESIDENT’S REPORT 2010-11

The movement toward inquiry-based

learning is a direct result of Marymount’s

DISCOVER program, an initiative that had

its genesis in the University’s reaffirmation

of accreditation process in 2008. Dr. Liane

Summerfield, associate vice president

for Academic Affairs and director of the

DISCOVER program, recalls, “We were

asked to select a single strategic focus that

we believed would significantly enhance

the quality of the learning experience for

Marymount’s students. We settled on

inquiry learning and have spent the past

three years shifting our academic program

from a teacher-centered to a more learner-

centered experience.”

As part of this process, a freshman seminar

called DISCOVER 101 was piloted in

academic years 2008-09 and 2009-10.

The pilot proved successful, and fall 2010

marked the first time that all entering

MU freshmen were required to take

DISCOVER 101 – a course that introduces

the active, inquiry-based learning that is at

the heart of a Marymount education. The

20 sections of DISCOVER 101 offered in

the fall had intriguing titles, and entering

students were given the opportunity to

choose one that piqued their interest.

No matter which section of DISCOVER 101

a student chose, the course’s objective

was the same: learning to formulate good

questions and develop strategies to find

viable answers.

In addition, the students who entered

Marymount in fall 2010 were the first

whose academic career will be shaped

by the University’s revised liberal arts

core curriculum. This curriculum reflects

Marymount’s mission as a university

in the Catholic intellectual tradition,

emphasizing the pursuit of knowledge

and truth across the disciplines. It includes

courses in writing, mathematics, the

natural and social sciences, humanities,

philosophy, and theology/religious studies.

The freshmen who entered last fall will

also be the first MU students to complete

a set of university requirements in

applied ethics, global perspectives, and

experiential learning. Together, the revised

core curriculum and the new university

requirements will prepare students to be

critical thinkers and creative problem-

solvers, armed with a broad worldview and

an ethical context.

Another milestone this academic year was

the January 2011 opening of Caruthers

Hall, a state-of-the-art facility for the

sciences and health sciences. The new

building’s high-tech teaching and research

labs have unlocked exciting opportunities

for exploration and discovery. Provost

Dr. Sherri Lind Hughes observes, “This

facility features spaces designed to

promote collaborative learning and

research. It is outfitted with the latest

teaching and learning tools. How could all

of this not engage and excite students?”

In May, Marymount celebrated another

historic moment when the School of

Health Professions was the first of its

four academic schools to be named.

Trustee Marlene Malek (a graduate of

Marymount’s Nursing program) and her

husband Frederic provided a generous

contribution to the University’s Campaign

for Excellence and Distinction; their gift

included an endowment for the school,

which has been named the Malek School

of Health Professions in their honor.

Headquartered in Caruthers Hall, the

Malek School enrolls more than 600

undergraduate and graduate students.

Empowering students to learn how to learn through

engagement in the classroom and the wider world

was the guiding principle at Marymount during the

past academic year. Students had more opportunities

for active, inquiry-guided learning than ever before in

the University’s history – from stimulating theme-based

freshman seminars to collaborative research projects

and first-of-their-kind study abroad programs.

ENGAGINGEXPERIENCES

3

ENGAGING DISCOVER 101 DISCOVER 101 is helping to build a

community of active, engaged learners

at Marymount University. It also aims to

familiarize students with the DC region’s

rich resources. Faculty teaching the

course are encouraged to include at least

one field trip into the nation’s capital –

opening the eyes of Marymount’s newest

learners to the intellectual and cultural

possibilities offered by one of the world’s

great cities.

To catch the interest of incoming freshmen,

the 20 sections of DISCOVER 101 offered

in fall 2010 had intriguing titles. Wouldn’t

you like to start your college career with a

seminar called...

A Better World Through Design

Green Computing

How to Win the Tour de France

Lead, Follow, or Get out of the Way

Stop, in the Name of the Law!

Telling Other People’s Stories

Traditional Tales, Contemporary Issues

Who’s Dow Jones?

567In fall 2010, 567 Marymount University

undergraduates were named to the

Dean’s List for achieving a grade point

average of at least 3.4. This represents approximately

25% of Marymount’s undergraduate enrollment!

4 PRESIDENT’S REPORT 2010-11

Student ResearchThanks to Marymount’s emphasis

on inquiry learning, more and more

students are undertaking innovative

research and creative projects, both

during the academic year and in

the summer. The University’s annual

Student Research Conference gives

them an opportunity to share their

work with the campus community.

The Art of War and

Governance in

Cyberspace

Student: Tim Brezinski;

Faculty mentor:

Dr. Diane Murphy,

associate professor

of Information

Technology

Designing University

Spaces to Minimize

Stress in College

Student: Lenina

Valle; Faculty mentor:

Margaret Konkel,

assistant professor of

Interior Design

Feasibility of

Using WiiFit®

Balance Games

with Community-

Dwelling Older

Adults: Enjoyment,

Challenge, and

Movement Patterns

Students: Mary

Grimberg, Daniel

Lee, Nicole Taylor,

and Christine Wells;

Faculty mentor: Dr.

Rita Wong, professor

of Physical Therapy

Maasai Made:

The Kenya Project

Students: Saleh

Al-Kharboosh, Ali

Alsaadi, Jeremy

Azurin, Megan Butler,

Pauline Hoang, Tina

Hoang, Nastacia

House, Ginnefine

Jalloh, Elizabeth Jones,

Eve Nguyen, Blaine

Sarmina, and Rachael

Ware; Faculty mentor:

Bridget Murphy,

associate professor of

Graphic Design

What Can Be Learned

from Case Studies of

Emergent Readers?

Students: Kimberly

McLeod and Chloe

Yazdani; Faculty

mentor: Dr. Ana Lado,

professor of Education

A SAMPLING OF

THIS YEAR’S

STUDENT RESEARCH

CONFERENCE TOPICS:

82 At Marymount’s 2011

Student Research Conference

in April, 82 undergraduate

and graduate students presented their

scholarly and creative work.

The Effect of Texting

on Walking Behavior

Students: Christen

Dressel and Ana

Rivera; Faculty

mentor: Dr. Stacy

Lopresti-Goodman,

assistant professor of

Psychology

Symbolic Beaded

Aprons Inspired by

Ancient Cultures

Student: Hessa Alsagri;

Faculty mentor: Chris

Haggerty, professor of

Fine Arts

5

Summer Projects

The DISCOVER program received a record

17 funding applications from students

wishing to undertake faculty-mentored

research projects in summer 2011.

Fourteen of the projects were accepted;

as interest in research increases at

Marymount, more funding applications

are being received, and the selection

process is becoming increasingly rigorous.

Some sample summer 2011 projects…

Biology major Aroshi Perera collaborated with

Dr. David Gammack, assistant professor of

Mathematics, to study the mGluR theory of

Fragile X Syndrome (FXS). FXS is the most

common inherited cause of autism.

Marjanne Kameka, a Psychology major minoring

in Business Administration, joined forces

with Dr. Stacy Lopresti-Goodman, assistant

professor of Psychology, to conduct research

on the cognitive, social, and emotional lives of

chimpanzees at the Sweetwaters Sanctuary in

Nanyuki, Kenya. The animals were rescued from

biomedical research, the entertainment industry,

and the bush meat trade.

Business major Reem Kazoun teamed with

Dr. Nancy Furlow, associate professor of Marketing,

to undertake a content analysis of current

consumer magazines. Their goal was to identify

and analyze cause-marketing partnerships in

10 publications over the course of a year, to

determine whether, and how, marketers are using

magazine advertising to target millennials, as

compared to other audiences.

Honors Biology student Melany Su stayed

“stateside” to gather and analyze the data

from satellite tags attached to endangered

Hawksbill sea turtles by 16 MU students

who traveled to Belize in summer 2011.

As part of Dr. Todd Rimkus’s Marine Biology

and Tropical Ecology course, the students

deployed satellite tags on turtles to aid in

tracking their nesting and migration patterns.

Back home at Marymount, Melany compiled

the data from Belize while also monitoring

the incubation of 300 painted turtle eggs for

a separate research initiative.

6 PRESIDENT’S REPORT 2010-11

Hands-on Service Learning Among Costa Rica’s PoorIn February, Associate Professors of

Physical Therapy Dr. Jason Craig and

Dr. Diana Venskus led a group of 25 MU

Doctor of Physical Therapy students on

a service-learning trip to Costa Rica, in

partnership with International Service

Learning. The students completed a

practicum and field work, providing

critically needed physical therapy services

at an orphanage, in an adult residential-

care facility, and in local villages.

Classrooms Beyond Borders…

170More than 170 Marymount students took

their studies on the road in academic year

2010-11, traveling to diverse parts of the

globe to live and learn in an unfamiliar culture.

Scholarship for Global EngagementThis year, Marymount awarded its first

Scholarship for Global Engagement,

which pays full tuition for an

undergraduate to study abroad for

a semester. The scholarship’s recipient, Ashley Phillips, a

Communication and Fashion Merchandising double major from

Newport News, Virginia, traveled to Amman, Jordan. Living with

a Palestinian-Jordanian host family and taking classes at the

University of Amman, Ashely blogged about visiting the ancient

city of Petra, learning Arabic, cooking communal dinners with

her new friends, and celebrating her 20th birthday under the

stars by the Red Sea. She wrote, “I’m not sure there are enough

words to express fully how this experience has matured me!”

A Multi-faceted Field Experience in GermanyIn fall 2010, eight Marymount graduate students in Counseling

traveled to Germany to complete a study-abroad course

called Counseling Deployed Military and their Families. The

group explored issues encountered by service members and

their families stationed abroad, with the goal of preparing

future counselors to work effectively with these individuals.

The students visited the Landstuhl, Ramstein, and Heidelberg

military facilities, meeting with mental-health professionals and

chaplains who work with U.S. service people returning from Iraq

and Afghanistan. Dr. Lisa Jackson-Cherry, department chair and

professor of Counseling, taught the course and also arranged

for her students to attend, and present at, the European Branch

of the American Counseling Association Conference.

A Trip to Israel In May, Counseling and Forensic

Psychology students took part in a trip

to Israel designed for those interested

in learning about the roots of terrorism

in the experiences of childhood, new

practices in conflict resolution, and

efforts to heal children exposed to

violence. Led by Dr. Mary Lindahl,

professor of Psychology, and Dr. Charles

Harris, department chair and professor of

Sociology, the students visited Jerusalem,

Jericho, Bethlehem, and Haifa to get

a first-hand look at the problems and

possibilities for healing in Israel today.

7

Vision for the Future In collaboration with Global Health

Ministry, faculty from Marymount’s

School of Business Administration and

Malek School of Health Professions

visited northern Peru in October 2010

to lay the groundwork for an eye-health

campaign aimed at mototaxi drivers in

Chulucanas. The drivers are susceptible

to eye injury and diseases like pterygium,

due to excessive UV exposure and lack of

eye protection.

Dr. Aly Eisenhardt, assistant professor

of Health Care Management; Dr. Nancy

Furlow, department chair and associate

professor of Marketing; Dr. Judith Clear,

professor of Nursing; and Dr. Shirley

Jarecki, professor of Nursing, made a

follow-up visit this fall with the goal of

preparing a more comprehensive eye-

health campaign for the city’s population

of 50,000.

Marymount students will accompany the

faculty on their next visit to Chulucanas,

in June 2012.

Teaching the Teachers Marymount’s Education Department

began a partnership with the nonprofit

organization Arlington Academy of Hope

to provide training to more than 60

teachers in the Bududa district of eastern

Uganda. Dr. Alice Young, associate

dean and professor of Education,

took two trips to the impoverished,

rural, densely populated community in

spring 2011, first performing a needs

assessment, then conducting a workshop

for teachers there on active learning for

elementary students.

The Academy supports a school in

Bududa known as the Arlington Junior

School, and more visits by Marymount

faculty are planned for 2012, with the

hope of also involving MU students in

the initiative. In a Facebook posting

from Uganda, Dr. Young shared, “I can’t

believe the conditions in which these

children go to school. The Arlington

Junior School is successful because

there are only 48 kids in the classes,

the children have something to eat, the

teachers treat them kindly, and they have

a roof over their heads and at least some

supplies…”

Professional Development Four Marymount faculty members

attended Council on International

Educational Exchange seminars this

year, supported by funding from the

University’s Center for Global Education.

These scholar-teachers brought back new

perspectives on an array of topics to share

with their MU students.

Dr. Carolyn

Oxenford, director

of the Center for

Teaching Excellence

and professor of

Psychology, and Jean

Freeman, professor

of Interior Design,

traveled to Germany

and Poland for

“Ruin and Revival:

History, Memory, and

Identity.”

Dr. Rosemary Hubbard,

professor of Biology

and Physical Sciences,

went to Turkey for

“Consuming Istanbul:

Space, Spectacle, and

the Politics of Popular

Culture.”

Dr. Cynthia Knott,

associate professor

of Management

Science, ventured to

Spain and Morocco

for “Exploring

the Coexistence

and Challenges

of Neighboring

Cultures.”

Faculty Global OutreachDuring academic year 2010-11, MU faculty built bridges with communities

in need around the globe, bringing their expertise to bear on local challenges.

Some examples:

8 PRESIDENT’S REPORT 2010-11

Speakers and Special GuestsThe academic experience at Marymount

is enriched by leaders from many fields

who come to campus to share their

expertise and insights. The University’s

location near the nation’s capital makes

it possible for MU to welcome many

such distinguished guests. For example…

Ted Leonsis

Robin Givhan

Junko YoshiokaMark Shields

Ted Leonsis, business, sports, and

media magnate and author of the book

The Business of Happiness, spoke to

Marymount freshmen in an introductory

management course, MGT 123: The

Business Experience, last fall. Mr. Leonsis

helped to make AOL a global enterprise

and currently owns the Washington

Capitals and the Washington Wizards.

Fashion designer Junko Yoshioka,

known for her elegant eveningwear and

bridal gowns, was named Marymount

University’s 2011 Designer of the Year

and attended the Portfolio in Motion

student fashion show in April. Also at

the show was Pulitizer Prize-winning

fashion and style journalist Robin

Givhan, who received the University’s

inaugural Award for Excellence in

Fashion Journalism. Both honorees

participated in a review of the senior

design students’ portfolios in follow-up

to the fashion show.

Political analyst and columnist Mark

Shields gave Marymount’s 2011

Marya McLaughlin Lecture in Media

Communications. In a talk peppered

with witty observations and personal

anecdotes, he offered an insider’s look

at American politics and the inner

workings of the last nine presidential

administrations.

9

Tim O’Brien

Samuel Hazo

Barry J. Fitzpatrick

121Marymount

students read

Tim O’Brien’s

The Things

They Carried

for their

composition

and literature

courses before

meeting the

author.

Barry J. Fitzpatrick, retired chairman of

the board of BB&T Virginia and current

chairman of Marymount’s Board of

Trustees, spoke at the University’s 2011

graduate Commencement ceremony.

Mr. Fitzpatrick was presented with an

honorary degree in recognition of his

outstanding leadership in the banking

industry, his personal and professional

integrity, and his dedication to excellence

in higher education.

Maria Reyes, one of the authors of

The Freedom Writers Diary, discussed

the role that education – especially

reading and writing – played in

redirecting her from gang involvement

in East Los Angeles to a life as an

educator and motivational speaker.

Her visit to campus was coordinated

by Marymount Associate Professor of

Education Dr. Douglas Ball, who is also

one of the Freedom Writer teachers.

National Book Award finalist and former

State Poet of the Commonwealth of

Pennsylvania Samuel Hazo shared his

poetry at the first public event held at

Marymount’s new café, Lola’s, located in

Caruthers Hall.

In April, National Book Award winner

Tim O’Brien came to campus to read

from his collection of stories, The Things

They Carried – widely recognized as

one of the most important literary

works about the Vietnam War. After

the reading, students flocked around

Mr. O’Brien to purchase his books and

talk about his experiences as a soldier

and a writer.

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