The Journal

Grad school success

Dr. Cody Clemens, Assistant Professor in the Communication Department, can’t help but tout the accomplishments of recent graduates in his program and the success they are having in the next phase of their education.

“Frequently, students ask me, ‘What can I do with an undergraduate degree in communication?’ Usually, I reply with ‘Anything.’ The funny thing is, I remember having this exact conversation with Robert, Georgia, Embrey, Elizabeth, and Samantha not too long ago. To say I am proud of them all is an understatement.”

He’s referring to Robert Nelson ’21, Georgia Majka ’21, Embrey Roberts ’21, Elizabeth Reed ’20, and Samantha Rubadue ’22 — all of whom are thriving in graduate school.

Nelson always knew he wanted to further his education, so when a friend showed him around Vanderbilt University’s campus and encouraged him to apply, he gave it a shot. Now, he is pursuing a Master of Business Administration in Marketing.

“I want to work in the field of marketing temporarily, further my education, and eventually, start a business,” Nelson says. “The plan was to get another degree after graduating from Vanderbilt, but moving around the country for school is a bit expensive.”

Nelson chose Marietta because he felt wanted on campus. Though he started his undergraduate years as somewhat of an introvert, he challenged himself to participate in a number of situations that would bring him out of his shell.

“I always emphasize the opportunity for growth, and I knew I’d grow necessary professional skills in this field the most,” Nelson says. “At Marietta College, I took all opportunities to step outside of my comfort zone and lead. Working with the alumni, The Marcolian, Fifth Street Consulting, etc., put me in leadership roles that required me to work on personal development. Without the variety of opportunities at Marietta College, I would not have developed into the man I am today. … The main thing I want to express is how grateful I am for the relationships I developed. There are students, staff, faculty, and alumni that I will forever remember and thank for their impact on my life.”

Majka is pursuing a Master of Arts in Higher Education Administration at Rowan University in Glassboro, New Jersey.

“I am currently interning for the Autism PATH Program at Rowan University and work with students on a daily basis,” Majka says. “My plans after graduating from Rowan are to pursue my Ph.D. in Higher Education and continue to remind my students that a disability is not a limitation it is a challenge that we figure out how to manage and defeat the negative forces that come against us.”

She was encouraged throughout her time at Marietta by Clemens, who told her to “get her ducks in a row” and start thinking of her goals. He helped her realize she could pursue a career in higher education. Kristin English, Director of Disability Services and Special Projects, inspired her to work with students with disabilities and be a resource for them to succeed.

Roberts decided during her junior year at Marietta to continue her education. One of her Management professors brought in a recruiter from Ohio State University’s Fisher College of Business to discuss the graduate programs they offered. She decided Human Resources would be her best fit, so then she set up a meeting with Clemens to talk about her goal to study at Ohio State’s Fisher College of Business.

“It wasn’t long after that that Dr. Clemens was setting up meetings for me and other classmates to learn about applying to graduate schools, including the timeline, how to research the right program for us, and who needed to be involved,” Roberts says. “Following graduation, I hope to be working as a Human Resources Business Partner/HR Generalist but eventually transition to working as a specialist in Professional Development/Training & Development.”

As a student at Marietta, Roberts honed a variety of skills that have helped her succeed in graduate school, including being a student-athlete, working with Fifth Street Consulting and Pioneer Activities Council, and also completing internships.

“Marietta offered me various opportunities and exposure to experiences that helped me feel prepared of moving forward in both my personal and professional life,” Roberts says. “I have so many friends, teammates, staff, faculty, and classmates to thank for their dedication to teaching and helping others succeed.”

Reed chose to go to graduate school for several reasons — plus the fact that Clemens continuously stressed how much a graduate degree would help her in the future. She worked for a year after graduating from Marietta — earning a B.A. in Strategic Communication with a minor in Leadership Studies and a Certificate in Health Communication — but then applied to Illinois State University to focus on Communication Studies.

“When I started grad school, I had no idea what I wanted to do afterward,” Reed says. “After a few classes and some awesome professors at ISU, I realized my love for health campaigns and remembered my love for training and development/consulting. I hope to work in one of those areas after graduation and eventually get my Ph.D. During my time at ISU, I have had the opportunity to teach public speaking and interpersonal communication, and while it is stressful, I do love it. After working in the industry, I hope to get my Ph.D. and continue to teach.”

Marietta was Reed’s second choice. She attended Wittenberg but realized it was not a good fit. Her father is a member of The Long Blue Line, so she gave Marietta a second look.

“I ended up transferring to MC at the start of my second year of college and could not have made a better decision for myself. MC has prepared me for life in more ways than I ever could have imagined,” Reed says. “When we would have guest speakers in class or when I talked to alumni, they always said that Marietta prepared them more than they could have imagined and that they were more prepared for grad school or industry than their peers. I always thought they were just saying these things and never really thought too much about it. Now that I am in grad school, it is clear to me that Marietta did, in fact, prepare me more than my peers.”

Rubadue decided as a junior to continue her studies and chose the University of Cincinnati to study Organizational Communication.

“I’m hoping to move toward a job in organizational communication, whether that’s in team development, public relations, or another area in the industry,” Rubadue says. “That’s been my plan since I started grad school, and I’d always planned to try to get an industry job even when I started my undergrad.”

Rubadue chose Marietta because it was a smaller community, and she ended up finding her place within the tight-knit community. She worked as a Peer Communication Consultant in the Communication Resource Center for three years, which has helped with her current graduate assistantship.

“I’m actually teaching two sections of introduction to public speaking to undergraduate students on my campus, and having practice working on some common issues that students face when they take these courses has been really beneficial and made teaching significantly less intimidating to me,” Rubadue says.

Her extensive undergraduate research, primarily under the guidance of Clemens, has also benefitted her as a grad student.

“I’m very grateful to faculty members such as Dr. Cody Clemens, Dr. Linda Lockhart, and Professor Marilee Morrow for encouraging me throughout my journey and helping me realize my potential,” Rubadue says. “I feel very fortunate to have had so much support that has stuck with me even as I’ve graduated.”

Clemens says having an undergraduate degree in communication can help students lay the foundation for any career, and being an effective communicator also leads to success in the workplace. Professors in his area work hard to equip our students to better understand various communicative practices in the world, so they understand the way the world works as well as understand interpersonal relationships and the impact culture and media have on society.

“The fact that our Communication alumni are getting accepted to and thriving within a variety of graduate programs tells me that the faculty in the Department of Communication are doing something right,” Clemens says. “I am proud to be a faculty member of the communication department, and I want to wish all of our alumni well in their future endeavors.”

Robert Nelson ’21

Georgia Majka ’21

Embrey Roberts ’21

Samantha Rubadue ’21

McCoy Professor Marilee Morrow

McCoy Professor Marilee Morrow

McCoy Assistant Professor Heather Sowards

McCoy Assistant Professor Heather Sowards

Stepping up for Students

Morrow, Sowards receive top faculty award — 2023 McCoy Professors

Ask almost any faculty member and they will share with you the challenges of teaching in a post-COVID environment.

The biggest impediment is how months and even years of remote learning negatively altered how new students have adapted to traditional academic expectations in college.

Two Marietta College faculty members — English professor Heather Sowards and Communication professor Marilee Morrow — have embraced Marietta College’s strategic initiative to become a student-ready college, and view teaching to be a constant work in progress.

Their hard work and dedication to helping students succeed were recently recognized as Sowards and Morrow were named the 2023 McCoy Professors — the highest faculty honor at Marietta College. They increase the number of different faculty members to receive the honor to 44 since its inception in 1995.

“I have worked to revitalize some of my course content to make it more accessible to students who may be entering college without a certain skill set or even level of confidence,” Sowards says. “So, in my writing classes, I delayed grading writing assignments until the third paper. Students worked hard to fine-tune papers and meet the requirements of a rubric, but they only received a participation grade for meeting the workshop requirements and visiting the writing center. I think this new approach was very successful, and I was able to share those results with the McCoy committee.”

Morrow believes her teaching approach has benefited students in both the short and long term.

“The Applied Production classes I teach can be very scary for some students because they are really putting themselves out there,” she says. “They learn how to accept constructive criticism. I find it rewarding when they go through the process and develop these transformative skills. You never know when you have to kick it into gear in a job interview or in a meeting, but I know these classes prepare them for these moments.”

The late John G. ’35 and Jeanne McCoy established the four-year recognition plus stipend in 1993 as part of the McCoy Endowment for Teaching Excellence. After Sowards and Morrow were identified as award contenders, a group of nationally recognized teachers working outside of the Marietta College community reviewed their portfolios and observed their classes.

“I was actually nominated by a very supportive colleague. I think the prestige and honor associated with this award is what influenced me to go through the process,” Sowards says. “To begin, you must compose a portfolio. In the portfolio you must include two letters of recommendation, a teaching philosophy statement, and the breakdown of a few assignments.”

Morrow was nominated by a colleague as well.

“There is a lot of work that goes into this,” Morrow says. “You have to think about what you are going to choose to share, and you are guessing at what you think the committee is going to want to see. You put all this time in before you know you are a finalist. Then the committee comes in and observes classes and interviews students. I am never nervous teaching a class, but I will admit I was nervous when they arrived. However, they were friendly, and that made it easier.”

Dr. Chuck Stinemetz, Interim Provost and Dean of the Faculty, surprised the two winners when he delivered the news as they began to teach their first class of the day in early December.

“We were screening the students’ work, and we just started watching the first student’s project when Chuck entered the room,” says Morrow, who joined the faculty in 2002. “As soon as I saw him, I had an idea that it might be about the McCoy Award. He was so good at announcing the award, and it was so exciting that the students all clapped.”

Sowards, who joined the faculty in 2016, appreciated the way she learned about the honor.

“It was such a shocking, exciting moment. I was elated and emotional,” says Sowards, who has taught a variety of classes, including British Literature, Concepts of Gender, and Business Writing. “I appreciate that he delivered the news in person and shared that with one of my classes. It definitely ranks in the top five moments of my career.”

Stinemetz says both faculty members exhibit the very best teaching traits of what Marietta College faculty are known for — being creative, caring, knowledgeable, and engaging.

“The outstanding teaching of Marietta College faculty forms a special learning relationship between our faculty and students,” he says. “I thought it best if I shared this news with both the faculty and the students in their classes. The response of the students to these announcements clearly demonstrated that these faculty were well-deserving of this award.”

Do you know a middle or high school student who would be a great fit at Marietta? Alumni can refer deserving students for a Refer a Future Pioneer Grant. If that student is accepted to and attends Marietta, they will receive a $1,000 grant every year for all four years.

Putting an Emphasis on Experiential Education

A Marietta College education involves more than classroom and lab time, and the inaugural Experiential Education Day provided an opportunity for students, faculty, and staff to showcase their experiences and the opportunities that are available to all students.

Just after returning from Thanksgiving Break, students spent the day either giving presentations or stopping by presentations to discover the variety of experiential learning opportunities they could have as an undergraduate. The day started with an internship showcase, and a workshop about how to develop an internship, followed by a student panel on internship do’s and don’ts. The day also included students presenting their capstones, a Study Abroad Fair with a passport workshop, a Secondary Concentration Fair, information sessions about Resident Assistants, EXCEL and Greek Life, a PioBiz Competition, and a Poets & Playwrights Fellowship.

“I’m really pleased with the turnout,” says Christy Burke, who was part of a team that organized and coordinated the all-day event. She is also the Director of Education Abroad and Physician Assistant Program Admission Coordinator. “ExEd Day is designed to be different from All Scholars Day, which happens in the spring. While capstones and experiential education classes were a part of this day, All Scholars Day encompasses the research — this day is about our students telling, ‘What did I do outside of the classroom, and why does that matter to me and my career path?’ and also ‘What did Marietta College provide me so I can do that again or be able to show someone just coming in what is available to them?’ ”

India Flores ’23 studied in San José, Costa Rica, in an intensive Spanish program for two months. Leading up to her Study Abroad experience, she was nervous and ready to cancel her trip. She presented a poster about her time abroad, hoping to quell any fears that other students may have about pursuing an international experience and encourage them to “go for it.”

“I was terrified, but I’m so happy I didn’t back out because it was the best experience I’ve had in my four years of college. This changed my life,” Flores says. “After graduation, I’m going to be a part of World Packers. I’ll fly to Guatemala and do a couple of six-week stints in different volunteer organizations like organic farms, coffee shops and greenhouses.”

In exchange for volunteering 20-to-25 hours per week, Flores will receive housing and meals. She plans to explore the region during her time off.

Dr. Matt Williamson and his fellow professors in the Mathematics and Computer Science Department were among many faculty who had informational tables about the programs in their departments.

“We have Mathematics, Computer Science, and Information Systems as our majors, but we also have minors in those programs, as well as Cybersecurity,” Williamson says. “Maybe students have heard of those programs, but they really haven’t had the opportunity or the time to learn more about it.”

Williamson says a lot of non-Computer Science and Information Systems students are interested in Cybersecurity because it’s a new and in-demand field, and they want to know how security relates to their area of industry.

“I think this day is very important because it provides an opportunity for students to talk with faculty and with departments that they normally don’t do on a regular basis,” Williamson says. “For students, they usually go to the same buildings, the same classes every semester, so this is a way for them to explore what options they have and actually talk with faculty who can tell them what all is available.”

Growing The Long Blue Line

Jacqueline Nicholas ’22 walked across the stage during the Fall 2022 Graduation Celebration to get her diploma from President Bill Ruud, and then stood before the crowd of more than 300 people to share her thoughts about her time at Marietta.

“I want to thank my mom and my dad, and my siblings for being great role models, and my dog, Martini Luini,” says Nicholas, who majored in Strategic Communication.

Nicholas was one of 65 students who graduated during the Fall 2022 Graduation Celebration. The event took place in the Dyson Baudo Recreation Center the Sunday before Finals Week. Unique to the event, each graduate who walked in the ceremony had the opportunity to address the crowd, which was filled with family members, current students, faculty, staff, coaches, and recent alumni who wanted to cheer on former teammates earning their diplomas.

“I want to thank my mom and dad and whole family, my rowing family, Weber’s Market, and, of course, my beautiful fiancé,” says Andrew Novak ’22.

Bailey Isaacs ’22 walked out of the Dyson Baudo Recreation Center with her mother, Kelly, both on cloud nine.

“I’m just so proud she did it,” Kelly says. “I’m having a wave of emotions right now.”

Bailey, who majored in Studio Art, was excited to see what the next stage of her life might entail.

“Earning this was quite challenging, and I’m thankful for my mom’s support, and the support from my friends and professors in my department,” Bailey says. “It feels great to have been able to do this, and I can’t thank everyone enough for helping me along the way.”