NewsRelease

Women’s Health Expert to Speak at UNCG’s Lawther Lecture
School of Health and Human Performance will recognize top alumni

GREENSBORO – Women’s health expert Sally Shumaker will deliver the annual Ethel Martus Lawther Lecture at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro during the annual awards ceremony of the School of Health and Human Performance Tuesday, Nov. 5.

Founding director of the National Women’s Health Center of Excellence at Wake Forest University, Shumaker will speak on “Women’s Health Research: What We Know, What We Need to Know and Where We’re Going.” She was selected as the Lawther lecturer in celebration of the new Center for Women’s Health and Wellness. The free lecture is open to the public and will begin after the 7 p.m. awards ceremony in the auditorium (Room 160) of the Bryan School of Business and Economics. Call (336) 334-5744 for more information.

Before the lecture commences, the school will recognize its outstanding alumni with the Distinguished Alumni Awards and five Ethel Martus Lawther alumni awards. The late Ethel Martus Lawther was dean of the School of Health and Human Performance for 43 years and lends her name to the lecture series and alumni awards.

Dr. Inez C. Rovegno of Tuscaloosa, Ala., is the 2002 recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award. Rovegno received both her M. S. (1980) and her Ph. D. (1989) from the Department of Exercise and Sport Science and holds the distinction of being the first Ph.D. degree awarded by the School of HHP/Department of ESS.  A physical education/teacher education professor at the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, she has published papers in national and international journals. The excellence of her research has been recognized by the AERA (2001), Springfield College (1996) and The Elementary School Journal (1992).

Winners of this year’s Lawther awards are:
· Dr. Jo Whitten May of Bermuda Run, N.C. (Speech-Language Pathology, M.A. 1969, Ph.D. 1977) Whitten May taught at Winston-Salem State University (WSSU) in the Department of Education from 1977-2000 and after retirement, went on to work as a part-time speech-language pathologist at Baptist Hospital. At WSSU, she specialized in learning disabilities and teacher education. She published her work in several journals and made numerous presentations locally and regionally, promoting full inclusion of children with disabilities in the regular classroom. She served as president of the N.C. Speech-Hearing-Language Association (NCSHLA) from 1980-1981, president of the Winston-Salem chapter of the Association for Children and Adults with Learning Disabilities from 1982-1983 and as a Legislative Counselor to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association from 1980-1987. In 1989, she received the honors of the NCSHLA and in 1988, the Plaque of Recognition from the N.C. Federation Council for Exceptional Children.

· Christina Nielsen of Greensboro (Leisure Studies, B.S. 1997) Nielsen began working for the High Point Convention and Visitors Bureau when she was an undergraduate student at UNCG. Currently, she serves as the CVB’s bureau administrator and as the financial administrator for the Peterson Doll and Miniature Museum in High Point. Since graduating from UNCG, she has remained closely affiliated with the Department of Recreation, Parks, and Tourism. She has been a guest speaker in classes related to tourism, supervised practicum and internship students, and participated in HHP’s “career conversations” program with RPT students. In addition to her involvement with the travel and tourism industry, she is actively involved with the American Cancer Society’s Run for Life, where she serves as the entertainment chair.

· Sonya A. Reid of Raleigh (Public Health Education B.S. 1987) Reid has worked for over a decade in public health, serving the citizens of North Carolina.  She has developed as a leader on the state level in her profession and has received several awards from her employers and professional organizations. In particular, Reid was one of the first health educators in North Carolina to focus on males as a means of reducing adolescent pregnancies. Even more far-reaching has been her development of a mentoring program for new professionals when she served as the president of the N.C. Society for Public Health Education.

· Dr. Anne “Meg” Sheehan of Colfax, N.C. (Physical Education B.S. 1987, M.Ed. 1990) Her honors include the Altamahaw-Ossippee Elementary School’s (PE) Teacher of the Year (1991), the Edgar J. Hooks Young Professional Award from the NCAHPERD (1992), and the Wachovia Principal of the Year (2000). Once considered “low performing,” North Graham Elementary has been recognized by the Piedmont Triad Education Consortium, the NCASCD and the SDPI since Sheehan entered the school as a rookie principal. She led her staff to convert to a year-round calendar and based on a needs assessment, wrote and received grants totaling over $515,000.  Sheehan received her Ed.D. in Educational Leadership from UNC-CH (2001).

· Melinda S. Waegerle of Greensboro (Dance Education B.S. 1981, M.A. 1998) After receiving her bachelor’s degree, Waegerle worked as a dance teacher in the Durham City Schools for eight years. During this time she was appointed as a mentor teacher. Since receiving her M.A., she served as a teacher and mentor at Parkview A+ Elementary School in Guilford County where she was selected as “Teacher of the Year” during the 1997-1998 and 1999-2000 school years.  In addition, she teaches dance education methods courses in the Department of Dance at UNCG.  As a fellow of the Thomas S. Kenan Institute for the Arts’ A+ Schools Program, Waegerle has been invited to conduct a number of local and national workshops on the integration of arts into the elementary school curriculum.

In addition, the School of Health and Human Performance will grant its Distinguished Service Award to Dr. Robert W. Christina, who served as HHP dean from 1992 to 2001. During his tenure, the school’s enrollment increased nearly twofold, from 532 to 1,081 students, which was largely due to the recruiting efforts of the faculty.  The school also raised $1.3 million dollars during the Second Century Campaign, which increased the number of student scholarships/awards and program funds from eight to 27.

The curriculum also expanded under Christina’s leadership. A fifth department, Communication Sciences and Disorders, joined the School in 1998.  A new M.S. degree program in the Department of Recreation, Parks and Tourism and a new M.P.H. degree program were approved by UNC General Administration in 1996 and 1998, respectively.  The Ph.D. program in the Department of Exercise and Sport Science and the undergraduate program in the Department of Dance were recognized as two of the top 10 programs in the nation.  In addition, two new events were added to the School’s activities: The annual Ellen Griffin Seminar and Pro/Am event, which was initiated in 1994, and the Student Honors Banquet, which began in 1999.  The UNCG Ellen Griffin Golf Practice Facility was established and named after her in the fall of 2000.
 
 

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