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Ed Powers Sweeps
Dial Awards for Scholarship and Community Service
 Business
management Professor Edward L. Powers has an outstanding record of scholarly
work at UNC Pembroke.
In a past several
years, he has published dozens of papers in his area of academic expertise
- human resources and organizational behavior. He is an outstanding
instructor in UNCP's undergraduate and master's programs in Business
Administration and Public Management.
For this, he was
awarded the 2001 Adolph L. Dial Award for Scholarship. Dr. Powers has
found that teaching somewhat younger students has its rewards too.
For his volunteer
work at Pembroke Elementary School, Dr. Powers was awarded the Dial
Award for Community Service. He is the first professor to win both awards
at the same time. The awards carry a $1,000 prize each.
"I just love the
wonderful people over there," Dr. Powers said. "They almost feel like
family to me."
He contributed 112
volunteer hours during the last school year and 300 hours this year.
Volunteering in an elementary school was an idea that began with a change
meeting.
"A friend invited
me to attend church," Dr. Powers said. "Her five-year-old daughter sat
with us during the service, and I realized that since my daughter is
grown how much I missed children."
"My wife suggested
I volunteer at school, so I went to Pembroke Elementary," he said. "Assistant
Principal Jennifer Freeman assigned by to Donna and Ronda Locklear's
first grade class."
"This was a class
of 21 student who were repeating first grade," said Ronda Locklear.
"Other volunteers had tried and failed, but he was a godsend. We really
needed him."
Dr. Powers said
he had few adjustment problems moving from college students to first
and second graders.
"It was magic from
the start," Dr. Powers said. "I don't know why, but I connect with first
and second graders."
He enjoys tutoring
so much he does a variety of other duties at Pembroke Elementary.
"Lunch is my favorite
because I get to hop from table to table," Dr. Powers said. "They call
me 'Mr. Ed' and gave me a t-shirt with my name on it."
Ms. Locklear agreed
that lunch with Mr. Ed is a fun time.
"All the kids want
to sit with him," she said. "They ask for him every day."
Many school children
don't have men in their lives, Ms. Locklear said.
More male role models
are needed, Dr. Powers concluded.
"There are more
things I would like to do for these children," he said. "Getting more
people from the university to volunteer - especially men - is one project."
"More people should
try it," Dr. Powers said. "This is the nicest place I have ever been.
I spend as much of my free time there as I can."
Dr. Powers also
volunteers in two Lumberton schools and conducted volunteer tutor workshops.
And, he is just
beginning to tap the connection between scholarship and community service.
He and Dr. William Gash, assistant vice chancellor for Academic Affairs,
are co-authoring a paper on classroom management for an academic journal.
Dr. Powers' scholarly
record is outstanding. In the past two years, he has published or presented
papers titled, "Human Resource Selection: The Foundation for Managing
in a World of Change," "The World is Changing, Why Can't We Change How
We Account for Human Resources," "From Personnel to Human Resources:
Not Yet a Done Deal" "Guidelines for Identifying Line-Staff Imbalance
in Organizations" and "Employee Loyalty In the New Millennium."
A 13-year veteran
professor at UNCP, Dr. Powers teaches undergraduate business management
courses and graduate courses in the Master's of Business Administration
and Public Management programs.
He received his
B.S., B.A and Master of Business Administration degrees from West Virginia
University and a Ph.D. from the University of South Carolina. Dr. Powers
may be reached at: edandmary2000@aol.com.
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