Dr. Vivian Barnette (pictured), director of counseling services, and Victoria Dalton, training coordinator and clinical counselor, were invited to present at the 37th Annual National Conference of the Association for Medical Education and Research on Substance Abuse (AMERSA), Nov. 7–9 in Bethesda, Md. Their presentation, “Aggie WISE (Wellness Information on Substance Education),” focused on behavioral health awareness, training and screening/referrals for assessing, intervening, preventing and reducing the use of alcohol among college students. AMERSA’s mission is to improve health and well-being through interdisciplinary leadership in substance use education, research, clinical care and policy. Global scholars and participants were in attendance including those from very prestigious colleges and universities. 

Dr. Loury Floyd (left), associate dean in the School of Education, and Dr. Shona Morgan (right), associate professor of business administration, participated in BRIDGES XXI, an intensive academic leadership and professional development program for women. Over the course of four weekends (Sept. 13–Nov. 22) in Chapel Hill, N.C., participants honed their leadership and communication skills while developing a stronger understanding of the academy. The program assists female university faculty and administrators to identify, understand and move into leadership roles within higher education.

Chancellor Harold L. Martin Sr. has been selected to serve on a U.S. Senate task force to examine the federal regulations and reporting requirements on institutions of higher education. The bipartisan group will be tasked to review mandates on institutions of higher education added by Congress and the U.S. Department of Education. Members will be expected to offer recommendations that will consolidate, streamline and even eliminate regulations and requirements to make these processes less confusing.

The Task Force on Government Regulation of Higher Education is co-chaired by chancellors Nicholas Zeppos (Vanderbilt University) and William Kirwan (University System of Maryland). UNC President Tom Ross also will serve on the task force.

Dr. Tammy Webb, associate professor in the Department of Human Development and Services, and Dr. Daniel Webb (pictured), associate professor in the Department of Human Performance and Leisure Studies, recently had their co-authored, peer-reviewed paper accepted to present at the 2014 North Carolina Counseling Association Annual Conference. The title of the paper is “North Carolina’s High School Counselors and Student-Athletes with Disabilities: A Conceptual Model for Advocacy into College.”

Dr. Marcia Williams, director of STEM/sponsored programs in the College of Engineering, was a panelist at the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C., in November. The plenary session, “Undergraduate Research as an Institutional Strategy,” included members of the Council on Undergraduate Research and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Williams currently serves as a CUR councilor in the Undergraduate Research Program Directors division and a member of the URPD Broadening Participation Task Force.