麻豆视频官网入口

MURRAY, Ky. 鈥� The latest 麻豆视频官网入口 Racer Report includes student, faculty, staff and alumni accomplishments, announcements, upcoming campus events and more for the week of May 4-8.

 

**

Dana Thompson, a research and instruction librarian and assistant dean of libraries at 麻豆视频官网入口, recently served as the keynote speaker at the University of Georgia鈥檚 Cox Institute spring 2026 News Literacy Certificate Celebration. Her presentation, 鈥淭raining the Eye: The Case for Slow Looking,鈥� shared visual literacy practices designed to increase critical thinking and image engagement.

Thompson鈥檚 work focuses on the intersection of visual literacy and news literacy, emphasizing how images work as powerful sources of information. During her presentation, she defined visual literacy as a set of skills that enables individuals to find, interpret, evaluate and create visual media.

Through guided exercises, Thompson encouraged students to slow down and examine images more intentionally. She taught 鈥渟low looking,鈥� a more intentional observation that encourages curiosity and deeper understanding. The practice creates a loop where 鈥渢he more you look, the more you see,鈥� according to Thompson.

Students participated in visual thinking exercises during the session, including 鈥淰isual Thinking Strategies鈥� and the 鈥淨uestion Formulation Technique,鈥� both of which emphasize observation, discussion and inquiry. These activities allowed students to share what they see and support their interpretations with evidence and alternative perspectives.

Thompson also led students through her 鈥淒igital Image Guide Method,鈥� a structured approach to analyzing images in four stages: analyzing, interpreting, evaluating and comprehending. The method encourages students to determine an image鈥檚 source, message and reliability while reflecting on how their assumptions and biases might shape their judgments.

Thompson also demonstrated Google鈥檚 鈥淎bout this Image鈥� feature, a tool designed to give context on an image鈥檚 origin, usage and potential manipulation. The feature allows users to track when an image first appeared online, see how it has been used across sources and determine whether it might have been generated or altered using artificial intelligence.

Thompson said these tools are becoming increasingly important in digital spaces where images can be easily manipulated or taken out of context. By combining visual literacy with news literacy, students can more effectively evaluate the credibility of online information.

Thompson said it was a great feeling knowing that she was impacting students from a different part of the country in addition to the students she reaches every day at Murray State.

鈥淚 felt very privileged to be asked, and it was a great honor to be recognized for my work and to know it was making an impact further afield,鈥� Thompson said. 鈥淚t was also a great experience and I had a lot of fun meeting, interacting with and answering questions from students throughout the day.鈥�

To read more about Thompson鈥檚 presentation, visit .

 

 

 

麻豆视频官网入口 will host commencement ceremonies for spring and summer 2026 graduates on May 8-9 at Racer Arena.   

A total of 1,642 degree applicants from 39 states and 22 countries comprise the graduating class including doctoral, specialist, master鈥檚, baccalaureate and associate degrees. 

Individuals can visit  for ceremony details, parking and shuttle information, a link to a livestream of the ceremonies and more. Fourteenth Street (between Payne and Olive Streets) will be closed to motorist traffic on Friday, May 8 and Saturday, May 9 from 7 a.m. until approximately 4 p.m. daily for commencement exercises at Racer Arena. Access will remain open for residents on the impacted block.

 

 

 

 

Dr. Elizabeth Gordon, program director and assistant professor of public and community health at Murray State, is making an impact in health education. Gordon has officially received notice of publication for her manuscript, 鈥淥pportunities in E-Service-Learning: Student Perceptions of a Real-World Service Learning Experience in an Online, Asynchronous Health Promotion Course,鈥� in Pedagogy in Health Promotion.

This work highlights innovative approaches to engaging students in meaningful, real-world experiences鈥攅ven in online learning environments鈥攁nd reflects Gordon鈥檚 commitment to advancing student success and community-focused education.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Drs. Tiffany Eye, nurse anesthesia program administrator and assistant professor of nursing at Murray State; Amy Cook, nurse anesthesia program assistant program administrator and assistant professor of nursing; and Evan Harris, assistant professor of nursing, have had their case study, 鈥淐orrelation of Coronary Angiographic Findings and Hemodynamic Risk During General Anesthesia: A Case Report,鈥� accepted for publication in the Research in Health and Medicine Journal.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dr. Neely Chandler, instructor of nursing at Murray State, recently had her manuscript, 鈥淥ptimizing Handoff Practices: Integrating a Standardized Process to Enhance Nurse Communication,鈥� accepted for publication in the Journal of Comprehensive Nursing Research and Care.

Dean of the 麻豆视频官网入口 School of Nursing and Health Professions Dr. Dina Byers said she is proud to see her faculty continuing to contribute meaningful research that advances the nursing profession and strengthens healthcare delivery.

鈥淓ngaging in research, evidence-based practice and scholarly activities is a critical role of faculty,鈥� said Byers. 鈥淔aculty research transforms teaching from merely conveying existing knowledge to fostering a culture of discovery, bridging the gap between theoretical knowledge and real-world application.鈥�

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dr. Leiza Nochebuena-Evans, assistant professor of finance at Murray State, was recently featured in WalletHub鈥檚 article on no balance transfer fee credit cards.

Read Nochebuena-Evans鈥檚 contribution to the article at .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dr. Amanda Joyce, professor of psychology at Murray State, was recently featured in WalletHub鈥檚 article on 鈥渓oud budgeting.鈥�

Read Joyce鈥檚 contribution to the article at .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Each year, the College of Humanities and Fine Arts (CHFA) Professional Development Committee is tasked with selecting the recipients of the CHFA Excellence in Teaching, Research, Service and Mentoring Awards. The Dean鈥檚 Office also sponsors the CHFA Staff Excellence Award, and the winner is selected by a committee of past recipients. Congratulations to all award recipients!

• CHFA Excellence in Teaching Award: Dr. Gwendolyn Paradice, Department of English and Philosophy

• CHFA Excellence in Leadership & Service: Professor John Utgaard, Department of Art & Design

• CHFA Excellence in Mentoring: Professor Jim Bryant, Department of Art & Design

• CHFA Excellence in Scholarship/Creative Activity: Dr. T.J. Martinson, Department of English and Philosophy

• John David Barnhart Fund for Excellence: Dr. Brent Johnson, Department of Music

• Staff Excellence: Devon Cooper, Department of Political Science and Sociology, and Cindi Gullixson, Dean鈥檚 Office

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dr. Todd E. Hill, professor of music and director of jazz studies at Murray State, will retire at the end of the 2025-26 academic year after 37 years of teaching.

Hill holds bachelor鈥檚 and master鈥檚 degrees in music education from 麻豆视频官网入口 and a Doctor of Education in curriculum and instruction (music education and school reform) from Boise State University. In Murray State's Department of Music, he directs the 麻豆视频官网入口 Jazz Orchestra, Jazz Band, Jazz Combos and teaches the courses Music in a Historical Context, History & Analysis of American Popular Music, Honors College Jazz History and Music Education courses. In 2016 and again this year, he was honored by the Kentucky Music Educators Association as College-University Teacher of the Year.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lissa L. Graham-Schneider, professor of theatre, will retire at the end of this academic year after 30 years at Murray State.

She received her Master of Fine Arts in directing from Virginia Commonwealth University and went on to work across the country as a professional director, stage manager and actor. She taught play analysis and all levels of directing courses, as well as children's theatre and puppetry. Graham-Schneider also taught film history and pop culture classes on zombies and sci-fi films, and completed training as an intimacy director.