Some people read the footnotes — our community got to meet the authors behind them.
Since 2018, Georgia Gwinnett College (GGC) has honored faculty for their scholarly and creative work through the Faculty Scholarship and Creativity Celebration. This year’s event was held April 24 in The Heritage Room at the Daniel J. Kaufman Library & Learning Center.
The celebration recognized work completed from September 2024 through December 2025, including authored or edited books, book chapters, peer-reviewed journal articles, refereed publications and juried creative works. This year’s list featured 35 unique entries — groundwork built by faculty and one student — highlighting their contributions to academic knowledge and creative output while encouraging lifelong learning and curiosity.
Among this year’s highlights, Joye Cauthen, acquisitions librarian and associate professor, co-authored two articles through her role as library liaison to the School of Education, both focused on equipping pre-service teachers with the technology skills needed for K-12 classrooms. Her work is just one example of the library’s broader commitment to supporting faculty research and academic collaboration across departments.
The event does more than honor individual achievement. It strengthens GGC’s academic reputation and places the college in larger scholarly conversations where knowledge is built and shaped. The Schools of Business, Education, Liberal Arts, and Science and Technology opened their doors, giving students a front-row seat to their professors’ accomplishments — a reminder that the instructors leading their classes are also contributing to their fields.
For students, one of the greatest offerings was access: the chance to find mentors, build relationships with professors, seek research guidance and explore graduate programs or capstone project support. It is the kind of initiative that makes research feel less like a distant pursuit and more like an open invitation.
The range of topics on display reflected just how far GGC’s academic reach has grown.
“Faculty are engaged, they care, and their research is driven by real issues that impact students and communities — with the goal of bringing those findings back into the classroom,” said Dr. Reanna Berry, associate professor of accounting.”
Berry’s two article entries exemplify that spirit, emerging from cross-disciplinary collaborations with faculty across departments. One article examines the experiences and graduation outcomes of English as a Second Language accounting students, finding them to be high academic achievers despite facing unique challenges. The second explores a marketing strategy in the fitness industry, revealing that fostering a sense of community among members is key to a program’s success.
Next year’s celebration is scheduled for spring 2027, and faculty, staff and students are encouraged to come ready to explore new research interests and engage in deeper conversations with the authors behind the work.
Each year, a bibliography of faculty accomplishments is compiled and uploaded to GGC’s General Space, a searchable platform accessible through Google and other search engines, making faculty scholarship discoverable far beyond campus walls.
To learn about future involvement opportunities or to access additional resources, contact cdowney [at] ggc.edu (Catherine Downey), interim dean of Library Services.
By Laura Moscoso, student assistant, internal communications