CORNERSTONE Winter 2019 CORNERSTONE Winter 2019 
MESSAGE FROM INTERIM DEAN ALLISON S. DANELL 

Greetings from Thomas Harriot College of Arts 
and Sciences at ECU! It is my pleasure to present 
this brand-new format for Cornerstone, a more 
nimble and brief digest of THCAS happenings, 
than we have published in the past. 

While our look may have evolved, our missionremains the same: to highlight the achievements 
of our students and faculty across all disciplines 
in THCAS, which includes the humanities, social 
sciences, natural sciences, and mathematics. And 
what an accomplished group of Pirates they are! 

I am confident this newest issue of 
Cornerstone 

will help you maintain your connection to the 
people and programs of THCAS, where people 

build relationships, exchange ideas, and find 


success. I am excited for you to learn more 
about several members of the THCAS family in 
this issue of Cornerstone, including the longestserving professor at ECU, English Professor 
James Kirkland. Such sustained and meritorious 
service to the university is laudable, indeed, andwe are proud that Dr. Kirkland has made ECU 
THCAS his professional home for all these years. 
You will also read more about colleagues in theDepartments of Economics and Psychology 
whose commitment to student success and 
research innovation is evident and inspiring. 

We hope you enjoy this issue of Cornerstone 
and continue to be proud of your long-running 
relationship with THCAS, the heart and home ofthe liberal arts and sciences at ECU. 


Dr. Allison S. Danell 


Nyah Harris

Recipient of the Jim and Pam Mullen 
Study Abroad Scholarship 

“Being in Spain taught me a 
lot about myself….I am beyond 
grateful for this opportunity. It 
takes you out of your comfort zone 
and makes you a better person.” 

• Pursuing a B.A. in Psychology, with minors in 
Hispanic Studies and Natural Composite Science 
(Spring ’20) 
• What Nyah loved about studying abroad: 
Best experience I have ever had in my life 
Loved the culture and atmosphere 
Taught me so much about myself 
Reminded me how much I want to see the world 
• Studied abroad in Granada, Spain, summer 2019 
Dr. Jarvis Hargrove

Associate Professor of History, Co-Director of the 
African and African American Studies Program 

“Since coming here, I have been 
supported by numerous administrators 
and faculty throughout the university. 
Not only has the support influenced my 
duties as a program director, but it has 
also been instrumental in my research 
projects.” 

• Ph.D. in History from Howard University 
• Began working at ECU in Fall 2019; Specializes in 
African History 
• Published works on the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, 
Colonialism, and Independence in Africa 
• Jarvis said his goals include: 
Continuing to support History’s reputation as one 
of the premier programs within the UNC System 

Growing the AAAS Program into one of the most

 recognized and respected interdisciplinary

 programs on campus 

Growing AAAS class listings and concentrationsfor students 


East Carolina University® and the 
Thomas Harriot College of Arts and 
Sciences value faculty and studentsuccess, especially through research and 
hands on learning. One duo, Dr. Jacob 
Hochard, professor of economics, andMichael “Mick” Ayala, undergraduate 
economics major, are performing 
research to help improve the lives ofstates or universities to helpimprove those livelihoods? How 
can they manage risks without 
crippling the industry that hasbeen there for so long? 
For most undergraduate 
students, Hochard said research 
introduces a blueprint tobroaden and finetune theirHANDS-ON RESEARCH 
Faculty, students learn from one another 
by Lacey L. Gray, University Communications 
Michael “Mick” Ayala is pursuing an undergraduate degree in economics 
and has the unique opportunity of performing research under the 
direction of Dr. Jacob Hochard. 


eastern North Carolinians. They are 

intellectual curiosity. However, 

conducting research for two nationally 

Ayala already had many 

funded projects that focus on studying 

the resilience of communities and how 
they bounce back from disasters. 

Hochard first met Ayala through his

principles of microeconomics course, 
and he immediately hired Ayala as one of 
his research assistants in January 2019. 

“Mick was my star student,” Hochardsaid. 

A non-traditional student, Ayala is amarine corps veteran who served as a 
military intelligence specialist before 
beginning his academic path at ECU. He 
is a member of the Phi Kappa Phi and 
Omicron Delta Kappa honors societies 
for leadership and service. Ayala wantsto improve the quality of life for eastern 
North Carolinians by communicating 
advanced economic concepts in waysthey can be applied by the public. 

“You have to take risks. 
That’s the first 


thing I’ve learned from Dr. Hochard,” 
Ayala said. 

Through their research, Hochard and 
Ayala are examining communities that 
are rural, underserved from publicservices – access to education and 
healthcare – and areas that are known to 
be potential hotspots for environmentalexposures, including water and airborne 
pollutants that can cause sickness. The 
initial project looks at families in thesoutheastern part of the state who live 
downstream of concentrated animal 
feeding operations, which include hogand chicken farms. 

The residents depend on private well 
systems, and in areas that are often hit

by hurricanes and flooding, Hochard 


said, “it’s a perfect storm of potential 
environmental exposures.” 

What Hochard and Ayala want to learn is 
how people respond to those risks. What 
interventions can be led by counties, 

research questions in mind 
when he began working with Hochard. 

“Mick has essentially taken over all thelogistics of a major federal grant, whichis a tremendous accomplishment foran undergraduate student. I will behard-pressed to replace Mick once hegraduates.” 

Hochard suspects Ayala’s military trainingand experience has made him extremely 
detail oriented and thorough, allowing 
him to assess risks in ways Hochard hasnot previously considered. 

Hochard says he is learning as much from Ayala as 
he believes Ayala is learning from him. 


“I have learned from Mick probably 
as much as he has learned from me,” 
Hochard said. “We have an incredible 
resource with our veterans at ECU. The 
veteran population are talented, drivenand dependable. They are ambitious and 
reliable. They have been a tremendous 
resource to help ECU better serveeastern North Carolina and the entire 
state.” 

Ayala also feels ECU and Harriot College 
values its veterans. One program inparticular that supports veterans is the 
summer Veteran to Scholars program, 

founded and designed in 2017 by 
English faculty member Dr. Anna Froula, 
with funding provided by the National 
Endowment for the Humanities. 

“[ECU] has a remarkable supportsystem for military veterans,” saidAyala. “Because of the Pirate™ Veterans 
Organization, Student Veteran Servicesand the Veteran to Scholar summer 

bridge program, they give us a fighting

chance. It’s one of the reasons I’m at 
ECU.” 

Another one of Ayalya’s strengths is his 
ambition. According to Hochard, Ayalais the type of person who could work for 
anyone or in any environment. 

“Mick has challenged me. He canenvision 100 pathways that he wants to 
pursue,” said Hochard. “The challenge 
has been empathizing with his needs –
with his career ambitions – offering the 
best perspective and experience that 
I have and recognizing when I simply 
don’t have the knowledge to guide him.” 

Ayala values the opportunity to work with 
Hochard and knows he still has a lot to 
learn. 

“The more that I get to take risks with my 
knowledge, the more I understand that 
there’s a lot I need to learn. I think that’s 
a great advantage of being able to work 
with a professor,” he said. 

Ayala said he will continue his researchwith Hochard until his graduation in 
December 2020, and beyond, if an 
opportunity presents itself. He saidHochard is “admired by so many people” 
and that “he has a lot to offer.” 

“His work ethic and his character 
exemplify what a researcher does,” said 
Ayala. “I’m starting to understand the real 
value behind the education I’m receivingat ECU.” 


2 

Dr. James Kirkland is a professor of English at ECU. For one of 
the largest departments, with more than 80 faculty, this is notparticularly noteworthy. What makes Kirkland unique is thathe is the longest serving faculty member, having taught since1969, and he has no intention of stopping anytime soon. 
After completing his doctorate in American Literature at theUniversity of Tennessee, Kirkland moved to Greenville with hiswife Paula and their newborn daughter Becky. Their son Craig 
“Teaching has alwaysbeen the great joyof being here,” saidKirkland. 
He said the best 
measure of the 
department’svalue has been the 
HALF CENTURY OF SERVICE 
ECU English faculty member continues educating 
students more than 50 years later 
by Lacey L. Gray, University Communications 
Dr. James Kirkland is a professor of English at ECU. For one of 
the largest departments, with more than 80 faculty, this is notparticularly noteworthy. What makes Kirkland unique is thathe is the longest serving faculty member, having taught since1969, and he has no intention of stopping anytime soon. 
After completing his doctorate in American Literature at theUniversity of Tennessee, Kirkland moved to Greenville with hiswife Paula and their newborn daughter Becky. Their son Craig 
“Teaching has alwaysbeen the great joyof being here,” saidKirkland. 
He said the best 
measure of the 
department’svalue has been the 
HALF CENTURY OF SERVICE 
ECU English faculty member continues educating 
students more than 50 years later 
by Lacey L. Gray, University Communications 
As the longest serving professor at ECU, Dr. James 
Kirkland had the honor of carrying the university mace 
during the 2019 Spring Convocation. 


was born three years later. accomplishments of

its graduates, which 
“The idea of somebody staying in one place for 50 years is kind 

have included a Pulitzer 
of unusual these days. Once I settled in, I liked it here a lot,” he 

said. 

Over the years, Kirkland has adapted to changingcircumstances. He started his career under ECU President Leo 
Jenkins and has worked under six university chancellors andtwo interim chancellors. 

Campus itself also looked much different. The studentpopulation in 1969 was 9,259 and there were 42 Englishfaculty members. English was housed in the Austin Building,
which replaced the original “Old Austin” located on 5th Street,

where the department had resided during its first 55 years of

existence. 

Kirkland has mainly taught composition but also graduate levelcourses, and he developed a special interest for folklore andurban legends. 

prize-winning journalistfor the WashingtonPost, a Brody School of Medicine class president, law schoolgraduates, teachers, poets, novelists, and other community andbusiness leaders. 

Outside of academia, Kirkland’s interests involve exercise and 
travel. In 1972, he started the ECU Recreation Center’s men’s 
basketball league, which he still plays in today. His list of travel 
destinations is extensive, and he loves trying local foods andattending festivals. 

When asked how long he plans to continue working, Kirklandsaid, “I don’t really know. There’s a lot here that interests me still. 
I think I would miss the classroom. That’s the part that keeps me 
coming back.” 


Dr. Marissa Carraway (center), principal investigator and clinical assistant 
professor in the Department of Psychology, is one of four researchers 
collaborating on a grant to train future psychologists in interdisciplinary 
behavioral health. 


COLLABORATIONS IN CARE 

Grant calls on interprofessional collaboration to 
address opioid use 

by Spaine Stephens, University Communications 

A unique grant celebrates ECU’s commitment to using interprofessionalcollaboration to address emerging and challenging trends in health care. 

Harriot College’s Department of Psychology and the Brody School ofMedicine’s Department of Family Medicine were awarded an $890,000Graduate Psychology Education Program Grant from the Health Resourceand Services Administration. Researchers include Drs. Marissa Carraway,
Robert Carels and Christy Walcott, from the Department of Psychology; andJane Trapp, clinical associate professor of physician assistant studies. 

Complementing ECU’s mission to serve eastern North Carolina and focus on access to care, the project will emphasize cutting-
edge training to doctoral-level students in primary integrated behavioral health care as well as prevention and treatment servicesfor opioid and other substance use disorders. 

“We are training the next generation of psychologists to function within a team-oriented approach, addressing all patient needs,
including mental health and substance abuse,” Carels said. “The grant could not have come at a better time for our students, the 
university and the people of eastern North Carolina.” 

Dr. Alan Christensen, chair of the department of psychology, said the grant highlights the standard of care in an already nationally 
unique academic program. 

“Reducing health disparities and addressing the needs of rural and underserved populations is the central issue not only in thepresent but for future generations,” Christensen said. “ECU is ideally situated to address these issues.” 


3 

Thomas Harriot College of Arts and Sciences1002 Bate BuildingMail Stop 511East Carolina UniversityGreenville, NC 27858-4353 

Nonprofit 


U.S.Postage 
PAID 

Permit #110 
Greenville, NC 

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT 

Sarah Sipe, ECU Class of 2015, B.S. Chemistry, B.A. German 


Sarah Sipe explored science 
and all that the world has to 
offer as an undergraduatestudent at ECU, majoring 
in Chemistry and German. 
“Sarah’s passion for Germanis driven by her love of the 
language and culture, but 
also by her desire to workinternationally. Germany 
is at the cutting edge 
of many chemical andpharmaceutical advances, so 

German became a natural fit 


for Sarah,” said Dr. Susanne 
Jones, ECU associate 
professor of German. 

In addition to excelling in these two challenging majors, Sarah 
took advantage of extracurricular opportunities including 
studying abroad and engaging in undergraduate research 

with Dr. Anne Spuches, 
ECU associate professor 
of Chemistry. “Sarah was 
a valuable researcher 
and incredible mentor 
to students in my lab,”
said Spuches. 

Today, Sarah is pursuinga Ph.D. in Chemistry 
at the University of Texas, one of the top-ranked programs 
in the nation. She is gaining expertise in structural biologyapplications using high tech chemical instrumentation, and her 
German degree helped her secure an internship as a graduate 


student at Thermo Fisher Scientific in Bremen, Germany, in

2018. “The ability to speak the language and share the culture 
with the people I met in Europe allowed me to forge deeper 
connections, both personally and professionally,” she said. 

Good job, or should we say gut gemacht, Sarah! 


Consider supporting Thomas Harriot College of Arts and Sciences students by making a donation online 
at www.ecu.edu/give or by contacting Jessica Nottingham at 252-737-1753 or nottinghamj@ecu.edu. 

www.ecu.edu/cas thcas@ecu.edu