NEW FORUMS PRESS - Key Persons

Chalk Talk: E-advice from Jonas Chalk, Legendary College Teacher

Job Titles:

• Co - Director of the Teaching & Learning Center

Charlie Sweet, Ph.D (Florida State University, 1970) grew up in Bristol, CT long before ESPN existed. He earned a B.A. from Washington & Lee University and an M.A. and Ph.D. from Florida State University. He fervently believes DIRECTV was invented so he could follow his Seminoles from a distance. Charlie is currently Co-Director of the Teaching & Learning Center (2007+) at Eastern Kentucky University. Before going over to the dark side of administration, for 37 years he taught American Lit and Creative Writing in EKU's Department of English & Theatre, where he also served as chair (2003-2006). Collabo-writing with Hal Blythe, he has published well over 1000 items, including 15 books; of his 11 books with New Forums, 7 have been in the It Works For Me series (with Hal Blythe) and four in the Applied Creative Thinking Series (with Hal, Rusty Carpenter, Shawn Apostel, Bill Phillips, and Chris Daniels). Many of his early publications were in the field of literary criticism, ranging from Browning to Hemingway. With Hal he has also published mystery stories in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, once served as Brett Halliday's ghost with the lead novella in Mike Shayne Mystery Magazine, and currently co-writes the Kelly Locke series for Sherlock Holmes Mystery Magazine. His stories have also appeared in Weird Tales, the Kansas Quarterly, and Home Life. One of his earliest publications was an article in TV Guide. Having failed at retirement, Charlie devotes his spare time to his wife, Debbie, his four kids, his six grandkids, reading (especially Robert Parker's Spenser series), carpentry, landscaping, as well as watching sports (mostly the Red Sox) and truly bad television shows. His road not taken leads directly to TV and movie studios in Hollywood.

Job Titles:

• Director of the Center for Learning

Donna M. Qualter s is Director of the Center for Learning and Teaching (CELT) at Tufts University and an Associate Professor of Public Health and Community Medicine and Adjunct Associate Professor of Education. Donna has served in similar capacities at Northeastern University, MIT, University of Massachusetts Medical School and Suffolk University. She holds a Ph.D. in Educational Studies from Lesley University, where she adapted an innovative technique called Dialogue to facilitate change in faculty teaching practice. Donna's research and publications are in the area of assessment, teacher identity, creating faculty community, active learning, reflective practice, ethical inquiry, and experiential education. She is a frequent presenter and speaker nationally and internationally including recent work in Saudi Arabia, SE Asia and Africa. Donna has been honored by the Professional Development and Organizational Network in Higher Education (POD) for her innovative work in faculty development.

Doug Dollar, Ed.D., is an Oklahoma State University graduate (Higher Education Administration). He is President of New Forums Press, Inc., Stillwater, with personal publications that include a history of Oklahoma State University's alumni. He serves as the Chief Alumni Advisor for the National Society of Scabbard & Blade, a collegiate honor society for ROTC. An infantry veteran of the Vietnam war and a retired Major General, US Army, he has served twice as President of the Oklahoma Department of the Reserve Officers Association, is President of the 95th Division Foundation, serves as an advisor to the Foundation for Exceptional Warriors, and is Founder of the Oklahoma Military Hall of Fame. Since grade school when he would hang out at newspaper and print shops to pester workers out of trays of type for use in launching a school paper, he's maintained a passion for the world of publishing. He founded New Forums Press in 1981, while employed at a major university and serving in the U.S. Army Reserve. After leaving full-time employment in higher education to devote more attention to his publishing house venture, he encountered faculty development practitioners involved in the early stages of developing their discipline and subsequently focused the press toward higher education titles. Upon finding the time to devote full attention to his special preoccupation, he pursued a complete marketing overhaul of the enterprise, seeking to focus on the proven niches of the previous years as well as new promising and inspiring publishing venues. The result has been a somewhat eclectic collection of works by energetic and inspiring authors and editors who have become friends and confidants over the years.

Job Titles:

• Psychologist
• Program Director of the DOM Project

Dr. Stephanie Mines is a psychologist whose unique understanding comes from her academic research as well as her extensive work in the field. Her stories of personal transformation have led many listeners to become deeply committed to the healing journey. Dr. Mines understands shock from every conceivable perspective. She has investigated it as a survivor, a professional, a healthcare provider, and as a trainer of staffs of institutions and agencies. Her blend of Western and Eastern modalities offers the best of both paradigms. She is devoted to ending the lineage of shock and trauma for individuals and the world. Dr. Mines is the Program Director of the DOM Project, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing alternative health options for a broad spectrum of populations. As Director, she is responsible for disseminating information to communities in need, especially people suffering from illness that results from shock and trauma, survivors of domestic violence, families and children, and people living with neurodiversity including autism and other sensory integration challenges. Dr. Mines' previous book, We Are All in Shock: How Overwhelming Experiences Shatter You and What You Can Do About It, (New Page Books, 2003), presents a comprehensive application of the healing system she has developed. Presently, she is working on a net book concerning the impact of war from the perspective of families and children who experience the effects of a returning veteran with PTSD or combat shock. The titles are still in process.

Ed Neal, Ph.D., UNC-Chapel Hill, began his teaching career in 1968 as a professor of Russian history, but his interest in the dynamic process of teaching and learning led him to the field of faculty development. He created the first faculty development program at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill in 1976 and was director of that program for 32 years. In his work at UNC he led faculty development seminars, taught graduate courses in four departments, wrote articles and monographs on pedagogical issues, developed teaching assessment systems, designed program evaluations, and served on university committees dealing with teaching, learning, assessment, and the curriculum. He now works as a faculty development consultant in higher education and is the former editor of The Journal of Faculty Development and serves on the editorial boards of The National Teaching and Learning Forum and Innovative Higher Education.

Hal Blythe, Ph.D. (University of Louisville, 1972) was born in Louisville, KY, where he spent his early years and graduated from Kentucky Southern College, now a part of the University of Louisville. Receiving his MA in English from the University of Florida, he went on to take a Ph.D. from UofL. After teaching for a year at Adrian College in Michigan, he migrated back south to begin what would become a 40-plus year career at Eastern Kentucky University. A long-time member of the Department of English & Theatre, where he taught composition, literature, and creative writing, he reinvented himself in 2007 as Co-Director (with collaborwriter and tennis partner, Charlie Sweet) of EKU's Teaching & Learning Center, a faculty development unit he had founded in 2000 then left to return to full-time teaching. Since 1974 Hal and Charlie have collaborated on everything from literary criticism to mystery stories. In addition to the eleven books they published with New Forums, they have four books on a variety of subjects, over 1000 pieces of fiction/nonfiction, and a host of television scripts and interactive mysteries performed by their repertory company. For three years in the 80's they wrote the lead novella for the monthly MIKE SHAYNE MYSTERY MAGAZINE. Since 2012 Hal and Charlie have been working with Rusty Carpenter to develop the Applied Creative Thinking Series for New Forums. Their work has led them to establish a minor in ACT at Eastern as well as write some seminal pieces in the field.

John Hoover is a leading innovator in human psychology and organizational development. He is a unique combination of academician, storyteller, psychologist, teacher, college administrator, business coach, and veteran of the United States Marine Corps. His professional publications include papers in the Journal of College Student Personnel and A Handbook of Structured Experiences for Human Relations Training (University Associates Press). In 2010, John co-authored The Elders Speak: Two Psychologists Share Their Lifetimes of Experience (Lulu Press, 2010), a candid, sometimes humorous, and poignant anecdotal perspective on lessons learned as a psychotherapist. Whether he is leading Gestalt training weekends for mental health professionals or creating and conducting workshops for educational institutions, businesses, nonprofit organizations, and government agencies, John leaves an indelible mark on the lives of those he serves. His own personal insights, wisdom, and interpersonal skills combine to create a unique learning experience for individuals and groups. Specialty areas include Emotional Intelligence, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), understanding personality types through the Enneagram, teambuilding, motivation, biofeedback, stress management, and leadership development. John's creative approach to managing conflict has found an international stage with presentations throughout the United States, United Kingdom, South Africa, and Mexico. The model applies to every person and any organization and has received testimonials from numerous clients, including the United States Army, Survivability & Lethality Analysis Directorate (SLAD), the Internal Revenue Service, and the University of Tennessee. In 2010, he was the featured Community Spotlight in a University of Tennessee National Public Radio interview.

Job Titles:

• Professor of Political Science at Texas State University

Patricia M. Shields is a Professor of Political Science at Texas State University. She has a Master of Economics(1975) and PhD (1977) in Public Administration from The Ohio State University. While at Ohio State she worked for the Center for Human Resource Research and completed a dissertation on the equity of the draft during the Vietnam era. She published her dissertation in Armed Forces & Society and has been the Editor-in-Chief of that journal since 2001. She has supervised over 350 masters level empirical research project. The student work has received many national and regional awards. She has received several teaching awards which, recognize the process she used to supervise research. She has three books dealing with research methods. Two highlight techniques she developed to work with students. They are Step-by-Step: Building a Research Project, A Playbook for Research Methods: Integrating Conceptual Frameworks and Project Management and The Routledge Handbook of Research Methods in Military Science. Her research interests include pragmatism and public administration, peace and conflict resolution, research methods, women in public administration, and civil military relations. She has published over 60 articles and book chapters in journals such as Public Administration Review, Administration & Society, American Review of Public Administration, Armed Forces & Society, Journal of Public Affairs Education, Society, Journal of Graduate Teaching Assistant Development, Administrative Theory and Praxis, Public Administration Quarterly. She is currently working on applying the ideas of Jane Addams to Peace Studies.

Job Titles:

• Executive Director of the Noel Studio for Academic Creativity
• Program Director of Applied Creative Thinking at Eastern Kentucky University

Russell Carpenter, Executive Director of the Noel Studio for Academic Creativity and Program Director of Applied Creative Thinking at Eastern Kentucky University where he is also Associate Professor of English. Dr. Carpenter has published on the topic of creative thinking, among other areas, including three texts by New Forums Press: Introduction to Applied Creative Thinking (with Charlie Sweet and Hal Blythe, 2012), Teaching Applied Creative Thinking (with Charlie Sweet, Hal Blythe, and Shawn Apostel, 2013), and It Works for Me, Flipping the Classroom: Shared Tips for Effective Teaching, (with Hal Blythe and Charlie Sweet, 2015). He has guest edited or co-edited special issues of the Journal of Faculty Development on social media and the future of faculty development. In addition, he has taught courses in creative thinking in EKU's Minor in Applied Creative Thinking, which was featured in the New York Times in February 2014, and rhetoric and composition in the Department of English. Dr. Carpenter earned a Ph.D. in Texts & Technology from the University of Central Florida (UCF) in 2009.