Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Dr. Mary Hallock Morris: recipient of the Outstanding Teaching by New Faculty Award
 Dr. Mary (M.T.) Hallock Morris, assistant professor of political science and acting director of the Master of Public Administration (MPA) program, is the recipient of the USI Foundation’s 2008-09 Outstanding Teaching by New Faculty Award, instituted in fall 2006 by the USI Foundation and presented at the Spring Faculty and Administrative Staff Meeting in January. Morris is in her sixth year at USI. She will receive a $1,000 cash stipend and a faculty development grant of $1,000.In nominating Morris for the award, a colleague wrote, “Saying that she contributes heavily to our department is understating her importance. She developed the majority of the courses offered in the MPA program and has taught most of these classes. Also, she provides critical components of the undergraduate degree in political science. In addition to her excellent teaching, Dr. Morris makes herself available for her students.” A graduate of the MPA program wrote, “Teaching classes in Fundraising and Volunteer Management, Ethics in Public Administration, Leadership Skills, and Legal Aspects of Public Administration, Dr. Morris shares her insights, her passion, and her expertise while forcing the serious student to examine his or her own core values. She encourages students to step outside their comfort zones and strive for a higher level of academic excellence than a less enthusiastic educator might. Because of her active involvement in professional societies, she shares opportunities and provides guidance for students wishing to expand their experience by submitting and presenting papers at regional and national conferences.” Morris, who teaches from 100- to 600-level courses, described her teaching style as “flexible.” “My philosophy changes depending on the type of class I’m teaching. I teach a 100-level class differently than a senior-level class, and I teach those very differently than I teach my graduate classes. “With the graduate students it’s discussion-based. The whole point of graduate school is that students are supposed to be able to synthesize the readings and apply them. And in terms of the MPA classes, a lot of them have world experience. They bring in examples, we analyze them, and sometimes I’ve learned as much from the students as they’ve learned from me.” She also teaches an undergraduate methods class entitled Political Inquiry I. “I teach the first part of the methods series every fall. It’s one of those tricky courses. You have students who are uncomfortable with doing research; they are accustomed to reading books and regurgitating information.” During the 2004 election, she had the class conduct a survey of college voting on campus. “The students actually wrote and implemented the survey, crunched the data, and came up with results. One semester we did a content analysis of media coverage of elections. This semester was the biggest project.” The City of Evansville commissioned a study on the efficiency of its Metropolitan Evansville Transit System (METS) through the Center for Applied Research (CAR). The study provided a service learning opportunity for graduate and undergraduate students, who collected data and public opinion on a number of public transportation issues, including availability of route information, hours of service, and routes. Students in Political Inquiry I surveyed bus riders at the transfer station in downtown Evansville and rode the buses in order to take a census of riders and determine route usage. “They were really good. They approached people. We didn’t really have to prod them, they got into the project. And I think it’s because we talked about the fact that this was something they could do with a political science degree. Writing surveys, implementing surveys, and evaluating programs are marketable skills they can include in their resumes.” Then there are students who are required by the University Core Curriculum to take an introductory political science course. “These are students who are not necessarily interested in politics. My overarching goal is to engage them. I don’t care if they are Republicans or Democrats as long as they have an opinion and it’s an informed opinion.” To get them engaged, she brings pop culture into the classroom. “We talk about things we’ve seen in blogs, “The Daily Show” and “The Colbert Report.” We watch and critique popular movies. YouTube is a marvelous thing. We use YouTube to watch “Schoolhouse Rock.” We talk about how it’s too simplified. We analyze editorial cartoons.” She also has them play out a simulation based on the Cuban Missile Crisis. A native of Montpelier, Ohio, Morris was raised in Birmingham, Alabama. In 1991, she earned her Bachelor of Science degree in communication arts from The Defiance College in Defiance, Ohio. After working as a newspaper editor for five years, she earned her Master of Arts in Community and Environmental Education from The McGregor School of Antioch University, Yellow Springs, Ohio. In March 2004, she received her Ph.D. in political science from Indiana University, after completing her dissertation on the politics of wetland loss in Louisiana and the Gulf of Mexico’s “dead zone.” Her dissertation was selected as one of two recipients for Indiana University’s 2004 Katherine C. Greenough Dissertation Award for best dissertation in political science. Prior to coming to USI, Morris worked for Southern Mutual Help Association, a nonprofit organization located in rural Louisiana. She is the faculty advisor for the MPA Society and edits the MPA BYTES newsletter. Along with Dr. Chad Tew, associate professor of online journalism, she co-advises the College Democrats. In April 2006, she was named editor of the Indiana Journal of Political Science. She is past president of the Indiana Political Science Association and is currently serves on its executive council. Morris received an Excellence through Engagement Summer Research Fellowship for 2006 to support her research on the public policy impacts of hurricanes Katrina and Rita. In 2008, she received Defiance College’s Alumni Citation for Academic Excellence. Wendy Knipe Bredhold News & Information Services 812/461-5259 or wkbredhold@usi.edu |
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