Experiential learning is a core area to “empower students to make valuable contributions in their professional, civic, educational, and economic endeavors” (Athens State University Mission Statement, 2015). As part of our effort to equip our students to become the next generation of global leaders and channel their passions to spark social impact in a wide range of disciplines, the EL Faculty Fellowship program aims to support faculty who are doing work to advance the Experience|Success initiative.
2022-2024 Experiential Learning Faculty Fellows
Kimberly Bell
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF MANAGEMENT, STATISTICS
College of Business
Project: Assisting Organizations through Statistical Analysis to Provide Quantitative Data for their Continuous Improvements (Community-Based Learning)
Professor Kim W. Bell is an Associate Professor of Management with an Emphasis in Statistics at Athens State University. She has previously served as a statistician, instructor, and data consultant for a variety of business sectors and is considered an expert in the fields of Statistical Process Control, Statistical Analysis, Business Strategic Analytics, ISO Quality Standards, Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, and Customer Relationship Management. She holds a Master’s Degree in Probability and Statistics from Auburn University, where she also taught Biostatistics for Undergraduate Students. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics and Computer Science from the University of North Alabama. Professor Bell received the Athens State University Excellence in Teaching Award and has served as the Delta Mu Delta Faculty Advisor where she helped in re-establishing the Athens State Chapter as a nationally recognized STAR Chapter. She was also named Educator of the Year by the University of North Alabama Alumni Association. She is currently the College of Business Advisor for the Phi Theta Kappa Alumni Honor Society at Athens State and is also a National Society of Experiential Education Faculty Member.
Dr. Vanessa Miller-Curtis
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF PSYCHOLOGY
College of Arts & Sciences
Project: Poster Development and Presentation in a Classroom and Conference Setting (Learning through Research)
Dr. Vanessa Miller-Curtis is an Associate Professor of Psychology and Co-Director of the Undergraduate Honors Program at Athens State Univesity. Dr. Miller-Curtis received her Ph.D. in Cognitive Psychology (specialization – Cognitive Neuroscience) from the University of California, Riverside. Dr. Miller-Curtis received her Master’s Degree in Clinical Psychology from Chapman University in Orange, California, and her Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and Social Behavior from The University of California, Irvine. Experiential learning in the classroom has always been an integral component of Dr. Miller-Curtis’s teaching style. In 2020, Dr. Miller-Curtis received the Athens State University, ‘Teaching Excellence Award.’ Dr. Miller-Curtis’s research interests are as follows: 1) Identification of risk and protective factors related to suicide among undergraduate college students. 2) effectiveness of therapeutic and educational programming for incarcerated individuals on their overall well-being and its use as a tool to address anger, anxiety, and other mental health issues.
Dr. Elmer Ragus
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF MARKETING
College of Business
Project: Connecting Organizations to Community through Development of Marketing Plans (Community-Based Learning)
Dr. Elmer Ragus is an Assistant Professor of Marketing at Athens State University. Dr. Ragus has 22 years of experience in his field and received his Ed.D. from the University of Missouri and his Ed.S., MBA, and BS degrees from the University of Central Missouri. Dr. Ragus’s interest in experiential learning started in 2015 when he started coursework for an Ed.S. in Educational Technology. Dr. Ragus immediately implemented what he learned in his own classroom. He also shared his experiences and expertise, collaborating with colleagues at the University of Central Missouri on various projects such as classroom renovations and instructional design projects. His research interests are in Active Learning in Higher Education, Adult Learning Theories, Branding Strategy, Consumer Behavior, Online Course Design, Online Learning Communities, and Qualitative Methodology.
Dr. Sunyung Song
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF EDUCATION, ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNER (ELL)
College of Education
Project: Building a Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Community of Practice through Teaching English to English Language Learners in Digital Service-Learning Spaces (Community-Based Learning)
Dr. Sunyung Song is an Assistant Professor of Education, English Language Learner (ELL) at Athens State University. Dr. Song originally comes from South Korea and began her teaching career as a full-time high school teacher in her home country. She received a Ph.D. degree in Foreign, Second, and Multilingual Language Education from the Ohio State University and a Master’s degree in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) from Eastern Michigan University. As a teacher educator, she has focused on preparing K-12 pre-service and in-service teachers to better support the learning of ELL students. In addition, she currently coordinates and teaches in the TESOL Certificate Programs to prepare teacher candidates to teach English to adult and young ELL students in the U.S. and abroad. She has been a strong advocate for Experiential Learning (EL) and has integrated EL activities into her classes for many years. Her research interests include K-12 teacher education, bilingual/multilingual education, technology-enhanced literacy learning, service-learning pedagogy, and ELL family engagement.
Darren Waldrep
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, MANAGEMENT OF CYBERSECURITY OPERATIONS
College of Business
Project: Using Virtual Labs to Mimic working in Cyber Operation Center (Hands-On Learning)
Dr. Darren Waldrep is an Assistant Professor of Management of Cybersecurity Operations at Athens State University, where he started in January 2016. The Management of Cybersecurity Operations program is relatively new at Athens State University, with an updated curriculum and hands-on labs to foster a more realistic approach to online learning. Dr. Waldrep has over 24 years of working as a Systems Administrator and Information Assurance Manager (Cyber Governance). Dr. Waldrep was the lead faculty in obtaining a Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense (CAE-CD) designation for the Management of Cyber Operations program through the National Security Agency and the Department of Homeland Security. Dr. Waldrep received his Ph.D. in Information Technology with a specialty in Digital Forensics from the University of the Cumberlands, a Masters in Cybersecurity from Bellevue University, and a bachelor’s degree in Management of Technology from Athens State University. His research interest is in Experiential Education, Cybersecurity, Human-Cyber based competencies, the Internet of Things (IoT), and Information Technology.