Student Research Highlights Scholarly And Creative Works Conference

Dr. Sarah Lee, assistant professor of organizational behavior and management in the Barowsky School of Business, was the keynote speaker at the Eighth Annual Scholarly and Creative Works Conference (SCWC) on the Dominican University of California campus on April 19.

The day-long event, which attracted students from College of Marin and several local high schools, showcased a collection of scholarly and creative works including research papers and posters, creative writing, and dance and choral performances by Dominican’s undergraduate and graduate students. More than 200 students participated.

The conference began in Guzman Lecture Hall with a videotaped musical prelude followed by a welcoming address by Dominican President Nicola Pitchford and Dr. Lee’s keynote address. There were oral presentations in Guzman Hall and poster presentations in the Conlan Center gymnasium throughout the day.

For a complete schedule of oral and poster presentations or for more information, visit the SCWC website.

Watch SCWC Video By Julia Zasso '22.

Check out student and faculty research on Dominican Scholar, the University’s institutional repository which is fast approaching the 2,000,000 download milestone.

Dr. Lee's teaching and research interests are mainly at the intersection of social psychology and organizational studies. Her passion lies in understanding human psychology and behavior to help inform organizations to create best practices, and to teach in a way that is both practical and impactful for her students. Her research studies issues that organizations face regarding social justice and DEI efforts, including: examining the barriers to minorities’ upward mobility in organizations, student resilience and well-being, and sustainable sourcing in a post-pandemic era. 

Her keynote speech discussed how scholarship and research can be used to advance social mobility, health and wellness, and educational success for students, as well as to support faculty and staff in these efforts.  Dr. Lee’s work is published and presented at both social psychology and business management conferences and outlets.

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“Research is often seen as a separate category from teaching, but my belief is that there is a way that the two can be complementary. On top of that, research can be a tool to advance our teaching so that we can constantly be evolving and growing as an educational institution,” Dr. Lee said.

“I will address how we can have an innovative and empathetic approach to scholarship and teaching, including a recent study I conducted in collaboration with faculty from LAE and HNS on integrating curricular mindfulness micro-interventions to support student resilience. This is just one example of using research - conducting a study collecting quantitative and qualitative data on the impact of mindfulness on student well-being - to inform our work as an educational institution.”

Dr. Lee – who is involved with the Diversity Action Group (DAG), especially in the Inclusive Hiring and Promotion workgroup; Women in Leadership & Philanthropy Council (WLPC), Institute of Leadership – notes that Dominican is a diverse, minority-serving university with a clear mission and set of values that point to educating and supporting students to become leaders in local and global communities.

“The way to truly succeed in these goals is to have institutional mechanisms in place that lower the barriers of entry for students in all types of well-being, from academic to financial health, physical to emotional health,” she says. “Our students are whole human beings that require more than just lectures and homework, but rather tools to build resilience so that they can navigate life inside and outside of the classroom.”

Dr. Lee’s academic interests stemmed from her high school education at San Domenico School, and followed her to UC Berkeley, where she received her bachelor’s degrees in both psychology and music. She received her PhD in organizations & management from Emory University, where she utilized her background in social psychology to study organizational issues, such as diversity and leadership. 

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For the SCWC, the Associated Students of Dominican University (ASDU) in collaboration with Student Life, Title IX coordinator Casey Halcro and the SCW Conference team, collected data from students concerning peer victimization and harassment at DUC.  Data collection began in April and continue through the conference, with ASDU promoting the survey at various locations on campus the day of the conference. The survey will ask students of their experiences of sexual harassment and discrimination in any form, from any source, in any context, and their knowledge of DU's policies and procedures on how to report such incidents.

For more information, contact SCWC co-organizers, Dr. William Phillips and Christina Mayes at william.phillips@dominican.edu or christina.mayes@dominican.edu.

Scholarly and Creative Works Conference logo created by Cherish Spikes '22.