JOHNSON CITY (Jan. 31, 2021) – Three distinguished members of the faculty at East Tennessee State University have been selected to the inaugural group of Provost’s Academy Scholars and will spend the next year focusing on special projects for the university and learning more about the services and responsibilities provided by the Office of the Provost.
The scholars are Dr. Ginni Blackheart, professor of psychology; Dr. Kelly N. Foster, associate professor of sociology and director of the Applied Social Research Lab (ASRL); and Dr. Kason O’Neil, associate professor of kinesiology and program director for K-12 education.
Each scholar has been assigned to complete a special project critical to the needs
of the Provost’s Office:
Implementation of the recommendations of the Community Engagement Task Force (Foster)- Summer and Winter Term Enhancement Strategies (O'Neil)
- Implementation of a new faculty activities reporting system (Ginni Blackhart)
“The Provost's Academy will play an important role in our comprehensive approach to faculty development,” said Dr. Wilsie Bishop, Senior Vice President for Academics and Interim Provost. “The applied leadership experiences our scholars will engage with during the Academy provide significant opportunities for faculty to enhance their leadership skills while contributing to important university initiatives. We are excited to begin our work with each of the selected scholars.”
More information about the Provost’s Academy is available at etsu.edu/academicaffairs/provostsacademy.php.
2021 Provost’s Academy Scholars
Dr. Blackheart graduated with a Ph.D. in social psychology from Florida State University and arrived at ETSU in August 2006 as an assistant professor in psychology. Her primary research interests examine factors that impact self-regulatory resources and self-control, such as social anxiety. She also conducts research examining rejection sensitivity, predictors of online dating, the teaching of psychology, and research methodology within social psychology. Dr. Blackhart currently serves as the vice president for the ETSU Faculty Senate. She also served as an assistant chair in the Department of Psychology for over 10 years.
Dr. Foster has worked in public opinion research for 17 years. Her expertise is in survey research methodology and applied sociology. She is passionate about community engagement and working to provide partnerships between ETSU and the larger regional community. Since coming to ETSU in 2012 she has worked with various community organizations including The United Way of Bristol TN/VA, The United Way of Greater Kingsport, Jonesborough Community Chest, the City of Johnson City, The City of Kingsport, Ballad Health, Appalachian Sustainable Development and various other community organizations in order to collect needed data for community planning, research and evaluation efforts. She is a member in good standing of the American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR) and currently serves on the executive council for the Association of Academic Survey Research Organizations (AASRO) where ASRL is a member organization.
Dr. O’Neil completed his Ph.D. in kinesiology at the University of Virginia prior to joining the faculty in the Department of Sport, Exercise, Recreation, & Kinesiology. His work at ETSU focuses on youth physical activity, fitness education and improving school physical education. He currently represents Clemmer College as a faculty senator and as a member of the Clemmer’s CAEP accreditation team. He enjoys being physically active and coaching his three sons in numerous youth sports. Dr. O'Neil and his wife, Jennifer, are both natives of upstate New York.