From left, Jacqueline Campbell, Winter Bunch, Dr. Susan Carter, professor of psychology and human development at Lee, and Mikaela Peachey, members of a research team that presented an oral presentation at the symposium.
Dr. Conn speaks of the joys of behavioral and social science research to the symposium attendees during the plenary session.
Zachary Sawyer presents his research about the differences between mental health and mental illness to a group of symposium student attendees.
The Lee University Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences hosted its fifth annual Ollie J. Lee Symposium to honor Distinguished Professor of Sociology Dr. Ollie J. Lee. The symposium showcased original student research in anthropology, psychology, and sociology.
Dr. Lee joined the Lee faculty in 1967 and has served for 48 years in numerous roles, including vice president of Academic Affairs, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, and chair of the Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences. He now serves as professor emeritus.
According to Dr. Carolyn Dirksen, director of the Center for Teaching Excellence, Dr. Lee was influential during the period when Lee was beginning the transition from Bible college to liberal arts institution. He helped prepare for the accreditation review of the new majors, write the faculty constitution, and formulate the rights and responsibilities of Lee faculty. He also chaired the committee that wrote Lee University’s mission statement and formulated the institutional goals.
Since that time, Dr. Lee has been instrumental in helping to further the academic and professional life of the university, including chairing the General Education Core Task Force that redesigned core requirements and chairing the committee that directed academic aspects of the transition from college to university.
“Every faculty member and every student is touched every day by Dr. Lee’s foundational work,” said Dr. Dirksen. “The Lee University of 2015 is significantly different from the Lee College of 1967, and much of the hard, behind-the-scenes work of that transformation has been done by Ollie Lee.”
There were more than 60 students with 36 presentations at the symposium held in Dr. Lee’s honor, including both oral expositions and poster displays. There were seven presentations from anthropology students, 19 from psychology students, and 10 from sociology students.
In the plenary session, Dr. Jeffrey Sargent, chair of the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, and Lee President Dr. Paul Conn gave opening remarks about the symposium. As an academic of psychology, Dr. Conn described the social sciences as “the sweet spot between philosophy and science.”
“Presenting at the Ollie J. Lee Symposium was by far the most rewarding academic experience I have had during my time at Lee,” said Mikaela Peachey, a junior psychology major. “It allowed me to push myself way beyond the normal classroom expectations and to grow immensely.”
The poster presentations provided 23 different topics within the three disciplines. During the oral presentations, anthropology research topics included catastrophe and social reconstruction in the areas surrounding Mt. Vesuvius, possibilities for and perceptions of “home” among the homeless, and midwifery, among others. Within the psychology discipline, students presented research topics such as the effect of gender on altruistic behavior, young adults’ sexual attitudes and behaviors, and activating transcendence in family and church settings. Sociology students presented on students with learning disabilities, juvenile delinquency, and the murder of Sheila Bellush, along with other topics.
“With over 170 attendees and 36 student presentations, this year’s Ollie J. Lee Symposium exceeded all expectations,” said Dr. Bryan Poole, assistant professor of psychology. “Our students’ research was skillfully conducted and masterfully presented.”
For more information about the Lee University Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences, contact Dr. Jeffrey Sargent at jsargent@leeuniversity.edu or 614-8125.