Davis College
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The Davis College’s Division of Design and Merchandising has selected its outstanding faculty for the 2008-09 academic year.

Cindy Beacham, associate professor of interior design, has been recognized for outstanding teaching. Over the last year, Beacham has taught the Interior Design Senior Seminar, Contract Interior Design, Peer Mentoring, Introduction to Interior Design, and inaugurated two new courses, Space Planning and the Design Studies Capstone. Beacham demonstrates her dedication to student-centered learning in a variety of ways, most notably through her individual advising of all Design Studies majors, who individualize their professional and academic goals with a widening selection of academic minors. She actively engages in activities to improve her teaching, participating in workshops on online resources for education and Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) training.

Jay Yoo, assistant professor of fashion design and merchandising, has been recognized for outstanding research. Yoo made great strides in his research agenda during the past year, seeing three peer-reviewed articles published in prestigious journals like the Journal of Family Science Education. He made a total of six refereed presentations at major conferences in 2008, and his submission to the International Textile and Apparel Association’s annual meeting was nominated for best paper. Yoo’s current research focuses primarily on adolescents’ use of personal care products and the perceived risks associated with that use.

Barbara McFall, interim director of the division and assistant professor of interior design, has been recognized for outstanding service. She performs a variety of service activities for the public, professional organizations, and West Virginia University. She is an active member of the Metropolitan Theatre Foundation Board and the WVU Community Design Team Steering Committee. She participated in the 2008 Create WV conference, taking 26 students and several faculty members to the event. She is a member of such professional organizations as Kappa Omicron Nu Honor Society, the Council of Administrators in Family and Consumer Sciences, Phi Omicron Upsilon Honor Society, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and the Preservation Alliance of West Virginia.