VCU news

Mignonne Guy, Ph.D., assistant professor, Department of African American Studies, College of Humanities and Sciences

Guy has been awarded an $80,000 grant from the American Legacy Foundation, the largest nonprofit public health organization in the nation devoted specifically to tobacco control.

Guy says that her study, “Storytelling for the Prevention of Little Cigar and Cigarillo Use in African American and Latino Youth,” will examine the core cultural paradigms held by these youth that shape their perceptions, attitudes and beliefs about the risks related to using little cigars and cigarillos, or LCCs.

To get at these paradigms, Guy is collaborating with Public Matters, an interdisciplinary social enterprise based in California that works with community members to create media about their neighborhoods.

This engagement has already begun with students enrolled in a filmmaking class at the Community Health Advocates School, part of Augustus Hawkins High School in Los Angeles. These students will conduct research in their own communities and create digital stories to help explain the perceptions, attitudes and beliefs of high-school youth about the risks and harm of flavored LCCs.

“Our study of these digital stories,” explains Guy, “will assist in a greater understanding of how to effectively convey risk information to this vulnerable population ‘in their own words.’ The final videos created by the students will be aired on 2,000 public buses in Los Angeles as a form of public service announcements.”

Guy and her collaborators want to focus on these tobacco products because of an alarming coincidence: While cigarette sales are down by about a third over the past decade, the sales of LCCs have doubled over the same time period, in large part owing to their growing popularity among youth, often lured by the candy-like flavors in these products.

In addition to Public Matters, Guy’s project will include two scientific investigators from the Schroeder Institute for Tobacco Research and Policy Studies as well as community collaborators from the American Legacy Foundation.

Gardner Campbell, Ph.D., vice provost for learning innovation and student success

Campbell co-hosted a pair of webinars the week of Oct. 13 as part of the free online “Connected Courses” effort from the MacArthur Digital Media and Learning initiative.

Campbell, described as an “open learning pioneer,” co-hosted “Web Imperatives: Four Lightening Talks for Four Web Makers” on Oct. 13 and “What is Web Literacy? Threshold Concepts and the Possibilities of the Open Web” on Oct. 17.

The courses brought together higher education faculty who are developing online, open courses that promote connected learning and the values of the open Web. The program was developed over the summer at the University of California, Irvine.

“I was privileged to be in that discussion as a ‘master instructor,’” Campbell said. “Under the leadership of Mimi Ito and Howard Rheingold, the Connected Courses online ‘metacourse’ has attracted global participation of all kinds, from blogs to tweets to online webinars featuring such well-known educational innovators as Mike Wesch, Cathy Davidson, Mimi Ito, Randy Bass and many others. It's an honor to join such distinguished educators in the effort to prepare our faculty for the challenges and opportunities of 21st-century teaching and learning.”

Connected Courses is built on the principles of "connected learning," which emphasizes interest-driven, peer-supported, openly networked learning. These principles also underlie VCU's new Quality Enhancement Plan, which seeks to provide increased opportunities for students to practice integrative thinking within the general education curriculum.

Timothy Cook, director, Risk and Insurance Studies Center, School of Business

Cook was named the new director of the Risk and Insurance Studies Center.

As director, Cook will serve as adviser for the VCU Chapter of Gamma Iota Sigma, the International Risk Management, Insurance and Actuarial Science Fraternity. The center promotes industry interaction with students through internships, company visits, participation in professional associations and career fairs. It also provides educational and research opportunities for the insurance, risk management, actuarial and financial planning communities.

Cook brings extensive experience and achievement as an insurance instructor. A chartered property casualty underwriter and a 34-year insurance industry veteran, Cook’s experience includes claims, underwriting and management. He recently served as assistant manager of Virginia’s FAIR Plan, the commonwealth’s residual market mechanism for providing property insurance for those not served by the normal market.

Cook is the recipient of the 2014 Jack F. Derrickson Award for Outstanding Course Leadership, given annually by The Institutes, the major certification body for professional insurance certifications. The Derrickson Award honors a teacher of insurance courses whose students pass The Institutes’ examinations at a rate higher than the national average over an extended period of time.

Cook has held leadership positions in a variety of insurance industry professional organizations including the Professional Claim Association of Richmond and the Richmond CPCU Society Chapter.

Lauren Goodloe, Ph.D., assistant dean for clinical operations, VCU School of Nursing

The Virginia Nurses Association honored Goodloe with the Nancy Vance Award, which is the highest award granted by the association, at the annual Virginia Nurses Foundation gala on Sept. 27. Established in 1948, the Nancy Vance Award is presented to a nurse in Virginia who demonstrates character above reproach and unusual qualities of unselfishness in service.

“Dr. Goodloe is a consummate professional who has demonstrated her passion, skill and courage in delivering and advocating for quality nursing and health care for the past 33 years,” said Jay Douglas, executive director of the Virginia Board of Nursing.

Goodloe, who was sworn in as president of the Virginia Nurses Association on Sept. 26, currently serves as the director of medical nursing and geriatric services and as administrative director of nursing research at the VCU Medical Center in addition to her roles within the School of Nursing.