Whether it’s a published article, book, prestigious award or speaking engagement, members of Indiana University Northwest’s faculty and staff continue to share their wealth of expertise. We applaud the most recent top achievers that have made a name for themselves and IU Northwest.

Kourtney Givens, multicultural affairs coordinator for the Office of Diversity, Equity and Multicultural Affairs, recently passed her social worker licensing exam. The 170-question exam is given by the Association of Social Work Boards. Passing the exam his critical to the professional development and career of a social worker. With her license (LSW), Givens is now able to practice in the state of Indiana and provide counseling, therapy, and care to members in her community.

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Jennifer Greenburg, associate professor of fine arts, received an Exhibitor’s Choice Award via Center Santa Fe. She was also invited to give an artist talk on her research, “Revising History,” at Review Santa Fe in November in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

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Anne Koehler, unit head, system services for the IU Northwest Library, serves as vice president of the Portage Community Historical Society. In her role, Koehler secures speakers for the society’s bimonthly membership meetings, many of whom are IU Northwest faculty members. 

The entirely volunteer-run society maintains a museum in Portage in partnership with the Portage Chamber of Commerce. It recently contributed items for a special display of early Portage residents. The museum serves as host to many school field trips and works with other historical organizations in the area.

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Tin-Chun Lin, associate professor of economics, had his paper, “Building an economic theoretical framework to link quizzes, effort investment, and learning outcomes,” accepted for publication in the Journal of Economics, which is a refereed high-ranked economics journal that is indexed by EconLit.

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David Parnell, assistant professor of history, recently had his book, Justinian’s Men, published by Palgrave MacMillan.

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Scooter Pegram, associate professor of modern languages, was recently listed as the top professor for 2015-16 on the website Rate My Professors.com, an outlet where students voluntarily share feedback about their professors.  Pegram is no stranger to this attention, as he was first bestowed the honor of #19 top professor in 2014.

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Kenneth Schoon, professor emeritus of science education, was recently honored with the 2016 Dorothy Riker Hoosier Historian Award in December. The award recognizes a historian who has made distinguished contributions to the field of historical scholarship. The award came partly in recognition of his latest book “Shifting Sands: The Restoration of the Calumet Area,” published by Indiana University Press.

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Vernon Smith, professor of Education, was re-elected to the Indiana Legislature this past November.State Rep. Smith (D-Gary), represents District 14.

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Monica Solinas-Saunders, assistant professor of criminal justice, recently co-authored an article, entitled “Exploring the impact of correctional facility tours on the perceptions of undergraduate criminal justice students,” which was published in the Journal of Criminal Justice Education in November, 2016.