Birmingham Business Journal 2023 Leader in Diversity What is your name and current title with the University of Montevallo? Dr. Gregory Samuels, associate professor of secondary education since 2014 and chief diversity and inclusion officer since 2020. Where are you from and what city do you currently reside in? I am originally from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. […]
By Emily Reed After being named UM’s chief diversity and inclusion officer in 2020, Dr. Gregory Samuels has spent much of his time working to promote an all-inclusive campus environment. “My goals center around having a campus that strengthens, advances and sustains increased diversity, equity and inclusion and actively promotes social justice,” Samuels said. Samuels […]
In 1936, on assignment for Fortune Magazine, writer James Agee and photographer Walker Evans spent eight weeks documenting the lives of impoverished tenant farmers living in Tuscaloosa and Hale counties. Though the article was never printed, Agee’s descriptions of life as a sharecropper under the weight of the Great Depression and Evans’ striking photography were eventually […]
University of Montevallo names Dr. Mary Beth Armstrong provost Dr. Mary Beth Armstrong has been named provost and vice president for academic affairs at the University of Montevallo. This marks the latest advancement in Armstrong’s long history of service to UM, where she has been working in many capacities since she was hired by the […]
Dr. Melinda Doyle offers students hands-on experience BY MADISON GRIGGS ’17 Dr. Melinda Doyle, associate professor of music and director of choral activities at UM, conducts the Concert Choir and University Chorus and teaches undergraduate choral conducting and choral methods. Through her position in the Department of Music, Doyle has enabled countless students to explore […]
If you mention the name ‘Dr. Wang’ across campus, you will be greeted by many excited students who boast “that’s my advisor!” Dr. Tiffany Wang started teaching communication studies at the University of Montevallo in 2012. As an associate professor in the Department of Communication, she teaches a variety of courses in communication theory, training […]
DeAnna Smith, instructor of accounting in the Michael E. Stephens College of Business shares more than just her 20 years of diverse experience in the field of accounting. She also shares the importance of social entrepreneurship and sustainability in the area of management, non-profit and environmental studies. DeAnna and her students are the individuals responsible […]
Dr. Donna Bell, assistant professor and program coordinator for Family and Consumer Sciences at UM, began her academic career at the University of Montevallo in the early 1980s pursuing her undergraduate degree. In 2006, Bell returned to campus to teach retail merchandising courses, including visual merchandising, textiles, retail buying and fashion forecasting. While Bell’s primary goal in the classroom is teaching students how her field […]
Mellon says it’s finding your fit in the mix Dr. Amiee Mellon began her teaching career at the University of Montevallo in 2014. Dr. Mellon teaches a variety of marketing topics within the Stephens College of Business. Prior to teaching, Mellon spent several years working in advertising agencies and eventually freelancing while earning her Ph.D. […]
Dr. Jennifer (JiJi) Davis is no stranger to the brick streets on campus. She started her Montevallo path as a student in 1995. Davis began teaching as an adjunct for the University in 2006 and became a full-time faculty member in 2008. Now, Davis not only teaches at the University of Montevallo, but she also […]
Dr. Kristen Gilbert’s Career Blossoms from Montevallo Tradition by Madison Griggs ’17 Few faculty are as deeply rooted at the University as Dr. Kristen Gilbert, professor of psychology. Her academic journey has taken her across the U.S., but also continuously strengthened her connections at UM and encouraged her to grow. In addition to her role […]
Professor of history at the University of Montevallo, Dr. Jim Day has been selected as one of Birmingham Business Journal’s 2018 Veterans of Influence. This honor seeks to recognize military veterans who have distinguished themselves in the world of Birmingham business. A special advisory committee was utilized to select honorees, with criteria including their contributions to […]
During the annual Founders’ Day celebration, the University of Montevallo recognizes one faculty member who has shown exemplary strides in creativity, research and scholarship. This year, Dr. Jason Newell, professor and director of the social work program, was formally honored with the distinction of University Scholar during UM’s 122nd Founders’ Day on Oct. 11. “Jason is a […]
If you took classes in the Stephens College of Business within the last decade, there’s a high probability you’ve experienced firsthand the warm personality and engaged teaching of Dr. Alexander Mechitov. Thanks to his diverse academic background, Mechitov offers classes in three different business areas: management information systems, quantitative methods and international management classes. In […]
By Madison Griggs ’17 Dr. Paul Mahaffey began his Montevallo journey in the spring of 1989 and is still on that journey today. As a freshman mass communication major, he quickly found UM to be a safe haven and somewhere he could call home. By his junior year, Mahaffey found himself taking more English classes […]
Dr. Stacy Bishop on Strengthening the Reformed Exercise & Nutrition Science Program If Dr. Stacy Bishop does his job correctly, the students who graduate from his program could make anyone Batman. That is to say, graduates of the newly minted Exercise and Nutrition Science Program will have the means to design custom fitness routines capable […]
Familiar Formulas Tidwell ’94 inspires students with lessons learned at UM Dr. Cindy Tidwell’s connection with the University began as an undergraduate. As a native of Calera, she was well aquainted with the opportunities offered at UM. She was awarded the Valedictorian Scholarship at Calera High School and began attending UM in 1989. As an […]
University of Montevallo Professor of History, Dr. Jim Day, of Helena, was honored as a Hometown Hero at the Montevallo Mayor’s Hometown Heroes Breakfast on Friday, Oct. 13. Day also served as keynote speaker of the event. Day, who was raised in Montevallo, graduated from Montevallo High School in 1975. He went on to earn a B.S. in engineering from the United States Military Academy at West Point and an M.A. in history from the University of […]
Dr. Heather Tinsley, associate professor of biology and UM’s 2016 University Scholar, was recently recognized by The Chronicle of Higher Education’s Teaching Newsletter for her unique teaching methods. In an earlier newsletter, The Chronicle posed this question: “How have you helped students forge a deeper connection to your course? Are there strategies you’ve used to […]
With only three years to take root on Montevallo’s brick streets, Dr. Susan Caplow, assistant professor of environmental studies, has already grown a healthy, flourishing program. Caplow came to UM directly after graduating from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a Ph.D. in Environment and Ecology. Before Caplow’s arrival, Dr. Lee Rozelle, professor […]
