Faculty and Staff Highlights: Cables, George, Hoover, Indjikian, Juenger, Martin, Smith
October 16, 2024
Webster University faculty and staff highlights offer a roundup of recent Webster faculty and staff activity and achievements.
Cables Awarded Counseling Scholarship
Ericka Cables, assistant professor in the Department of Professional Counseling, has been awarded a 2024-2025 grant from the Association for Assessment and Research in Counseling (AARC) Sponsored Scholarship Program. She was recognized amongst other awardees at the 2024 AARC Conference held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in September.
This grant will support her research agenda by funding a Confirmatory Factor Analysis of a new Race-Based Resilience Scale. AARC, a division of the American Counseling Association, promotes excellence in counseling through best practices in assessment, research and evaluation.
Hoover Wins Second Prize Poetry Book Award
Elizabeth Hoover, an assistant professor in the Department of English, received second prize in the Poetry Book Awards for her book titled, “the archive is all in present tense.” The Poetry Book Awards is an annual, international book award given to the best poetry books produced by indie writers, self-published authors or books published by small, truly independent presses.
The judge, Mick Evans, said, “The imaginative concept is brilliant and addresses the nature of how we are compelled to experience the past, and how we seek answers... All of this is not to overlook the sustained elegance of the writing, as we move section by section through family history, personal struggle, in a symbolic environment that conjures our efforts to know ourselves, who we are, how we are made to feel we do or do not fit in; how we come to terms with the weight of history as it bears down upon us, relived in the mind, in the present, its pain unhealed. The originality of its concept, the exact placement of memory within a language both guarded and revealing, are captivating.”
Hoover teaches classes at Webster University such as archival poetics, genderqueer Frankenstein, and LGBTQ+ literature. Her creative nonfiction has also appeared in the North American Review, the Boston Review and StoryQuarterly. She reviews books, interviews authors and writes about art and pop culture for Bitch, Paper, The Art Newspaper and the Washington Post.
Indjikian Participates in UNCTAD Commodities and Development Event
Rouben Indjikian, a faculty member in Economics at the Webster Geneva Campus, recently participated in the 15 multi-year expert meeting on commodities and development organized by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). Held at the Palais des Nations in Geneva from Oct. 14-16, this event provided a vital platform for experts to discuss critical challenges and opportunities in the commodities sector of developing countries.
As a highly regarded expert in the field of energy and commodities, Indjikian was invited to contribute to the Energy Commodities session on Oct. 16. This session focused on "Structural Transformation through Domestic Value Addition in Commodity-Producing Developing Countries," a timely and critical topic for nations seeking to diversify their economies and reduce their reliance on raw commodity exports. Indjikian's extensive background in international trade, energy and finance makes him an invaluable voice in this discussion.
The UNCTAD Multi-Year Expert Meeting on Commodities and Development continues to be a significant forum for policy dialogue, providing critical insights into the future of the commodities sector.
Webster Geneva Campus takes pride in staying at the forefront of global developments and fostering active engagement with key international discussions. Our faculty members, like Indjikian, continuously contribute their expertise to prestigious platforms, ensuring that our students and community remain informed and connected to the latest trends and challenges in their fields. This commitment to excellence, both academically and professionally, reflects Webster Geneva Campus and its commitment to preparing students for leadership roles in an ever-evolving global landscape.
Juenger Wins Art Excellence Award in St. Louis
Trevor Juenger, an adjunct professor in the Department of Media Arts at the Webster Groves Campus, received an award of excellence for his artwork at the Memento Mori show being sponsored by ArtStLouis. Memento Mori is a Latin phrase meaning “remember you must die” or “remember death.” For this exhibit, St. Louis regional artists were invited to submit original artworks that honor and remember loved ones who have passed as well as works that examine death, consider mortality, address the fragility of human life and celebrate lives lived.
“Winning the Award of Excellence at the Memento Mori show feels like recognition for the kind of work I’ve always been drawn to—art that provokes through imagery and storytelling,” said Juenger. “I think it's important for our film and video department because it shows that the St. Louis community has a clear interest in video production as an artform. We tend to favor commercial paths to success, but there are other avenues.”
The show runs until Oct. 17. The show is free and open to the public six days a week. Gallery hours are Monday - Friday from 8 a.m. - 4 p.m., Saturdays from 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. and closed Sundays and holidays and between exhibits.
Martin Appointed to Multicultural Counseling Representative
Claire Martin, assistant professor in the Department of Professional Counseling at Webster University in Webster Groves, has been appointed to serve as the Midwestern Regional representative of the Association for Multicultural Counseling and Development (AMCD). AMCD is a division of the American Counseling Association, which is the largest national organization for professional counselors, representing over 56,000 members.
In this capacity, her role is to promote the mission of AMCD, engage in general outreach and develop and implement educational programs that highlight issues around diversity.
Additionally, Martin has been appointed as the special initiatives committee co-chair for the Association for Specialists in Group Work (ASGW), another division of the American Counseling Association. In this position, she will work to advance culturally informed and socially just practices in group work by implementing accessible, innovative and transformative programs that foster community connections and empowerment.
Cables, George, Martin, Smith Present at AARC Conference
From left: Claire Martin, Ericka Cables and Jennifer Culver. Rebecca George (top)
and Alexanderia Smith joined virtually onscreen.
Faculty members from the Department of Professional Counseling, Claire Martin, Alexanderia T. Smith, Ericka Cables and Rebecca George, along with professors Jennifer Culver from Slippery Rock University, presented at the Association for Assessment and Research in Counseling (AARC) conference, an organization that promotes and recognizes excellence in assessment, research and evaluation in counseling. Their presentation, “Creating Counterpaces in Research: Cross-Institutional Research Teams for Black Women,” highlighted the significance of forming cross-institutional research teams for Black women counselor educators. They discussed how these teams can help dismantle common barriers that Black women face in research. The presenters also shared strategies for sustaining these research teams and fostering research peer mentorship, positioning these collaborations as empowering counterspaces for Black women.
Cables, Martin Present at NCORE
Claire Martin (left) Ericka Cables, Eunice Yeboah and Jennifer Culver.
Webster University's professional counseling faculty members Ericka Cables and Claire Martin, with Jennifer Culver and Eunice Yeboah, from Slippery Rock University, presented at the 36th Annual National Conference on Race & Ethnicity in Higher Education (NCORE), NCORE is the most comprehensive national forum dedicated to advancing the discourse on race and ethnicity, promoting diversity and enhancing the overall quality of higher education. Among educators, administrators, students and policymakers nationwide, the presenters engaged in critical discussions, shared innovative practices and developed strategies for fostering inclusive and equitable campus environments. Their session, titled "Supporting BIPOC Mental Health through Collaborative Outreach," introduced a framework for understanding mental health outreach. They shared specific strategies and activities for collaborative outreach programming and discussed self-care and coping techniques to support the well-being of mental health providers.