Bridgewater College marked its observance of Founder’s Day on Tuesday, April 1, and presented awards to three faculty members for their excellence in teaching and scholarship, two staff members for dedicated service and one student for academic excellence.
The Founder’s Day observance at Bridgewater commemorates the April 3, 1854, birth of Daniel Christian Flory who, at the age of 26, began a new school at Spring Creek in Rockingham County in 1880. The school, first known as Spring Creek Normal School, moved to Bridgewater two years later and changed its name to Bridgewater College on July 12, 1889. The College’s observance of Founder’s Day began in 1920.
“Founder’s Day is meant to remind us of our connections to each other,” BC President Dr. David Bushman said during the award presentation. “We are the most recent links in a chain that goes back nearly a century and a half at Bridgewater. And recognition of accomplishments is the best way to celebrate this day.”
Awards were presented to the following:
MARTHA B. THORNTON FACULTY RECOGNITION AWARD
Dr. Roslyn Vargas
Associate Professor of Business Administration
Dr. Roslyn Vargas, Associate Professor in the Department of Economics and Business Administration, joined the Bridgewater College faculty in 2017. She earned her B.A. in sociology from Florida Atlantic University in 2000 and her M.S. and D.B.A. in human resource management from Nova Southeastern University in 2002 and 2015, respectively. Director of the Master of Science in Human Resource Management since it began in 2020, she teaches classes in management, human resource management, human resource analytics, leadership and organizational behavior. Her research interests include human resource analytics, innovation and disruptive management. Vargas has been published in the International Journal of Human Resource Management and has presented at annual conferences for the Southwest Academy of Management and the Decision Sciences Institute. Her campus roles include serving as faculty advisor for the student chapter of the Society for Human Resource Management, advisor for the BC Dance Club and athletic team mentor for women’s basketball.
BEN AND JANICE WADE OUTSTANDING TEACHING AWARD
Dr. Edgar Lickey
Associate Professor of Biology
Dr. Edgar Lickey, Associate Professor of Biology, joined the Bridgewater College faculty in 2007. He earned his B.S. in biology from St. Andrews Presbyterian College in 1992, his M.S. in biology from Appalachian State University in 1996 and his Ph.D. in botany from University of Tennessee in 2002. Lickey teaches introductory biology and upper-level courses in botany and biogeography, a subject that studies the geographical distribution of plants and animals; he particularly enjoys teaching field botany, which involves taking students outside to explore the natural world. Lickey has worked with biology students on presentations that were delivered at the Association of Southeastern Biologists regional meetings, including two that were recognized with awards. He also serves as Herbarium Curator/Greenhouse Manager and Advisor to the TriBeta Biology Honor Society at BC.
FACULTY SCHOLARHIP AWARD
Dr. Kevin Pallister
Associate Professor of Political Science
Dr. Kevin Pallister, Associate Professor of Political Science, joined the Bridgewater College faculty in 2016. He earned his B.A. in political science from University of Rhode Island in 2002, his M.A. in international relations from Boston University in 2005 and his Ph.D. in political science from University of Massachusetts Amherst in 2013. Pallister’s research focuses on elections, campaigns and democracy in Latin America. He has published two books—Elections in Latin America: Campaigns, Voters, and Institutions (Rowan & Littlefield, 2024) and Election Administration and the Politics of Voter Access (Routledge, 2017)—and several articles and book chapters. He is currently working on a book on the erosion of democracy in Central America. Pallister regularly speaks at academic conferences and invited talks and has been interviewed by the media about the future of democracy in the United States.
JAMES O. AND SYLVIA KLINE BOWMAN PEACE AND JUSTICE AWARD
Denise Miller
Director of Academic Support and Disability Services
Denise Miller joined Bridgewater College as Assistant Director of Academic Support in 2019. She became Director of Academic Support and Disability Services in 2020. In that role, she collaborates with students, faculty and staff to assist students in achieving their academic goals. She developed and implemented the Bridgewater Academic and Social Experience (BASE) Program, which provides individual support for students on the autism spectrum. Since 2023, she has also served as a Student Teacher Supervisor in the Teacher Education Program. Miller earned her B.A. in mathematics and mathematics secondary education from Grove City College in 1996 and her master’s degree in adult education and human resource development from James Madison University in 2019. She will graduate with her Ed.D. in educational leadership from Virginia Commonwealth University in May 2025. Before working in higher education, she taught math at the middle and high school levels.
DANIEL CHRISTIAN FLORY AWARD
Jada Blinn
Director of Strategic Analysis and Reporting
Jada Blinn first joined Bridgewater College in 2007 as a Grants Officer. She left that role to work as a Specialist Technical Editor at SRI International from 2012-2014, during which time she continued to support the College as a grants consultant. She returned to the College full time in 2015 as Director of Strategic Analysis and Reporting. In 2023, she began serving as a First-Year Seminar instructor and academic advisor at the College. Prior to working in higher education, Blinn spent four years in the United States Air Force and five more working for defense contractor SCRA. She was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa and earned her B.A. in economics, summa cum laude, from the College of William and Mary in 1996. She earned her M.A. in economics from the University of Utah in 2001 and recently completed certification as a Yoga Alliance Registered Yoga Teacher.
BRIDGEWATER COLLEGE FOUNDER’S AWARD
Ally Phalen ’25
Ally Phalen, from Ruther Glen, Va., is a senior psychology major with minors in social work and neuroscience. She holds several on-campus jobs, including senior resident advisor, library student assistant in the Forrer Learning Commons and lifeguard supervisor for the Nininger Hall pool. Phalen also serves as chair of the BC Honor Council, manager of the swim team and Student Ambassador. She worked as a SOAR (first-year) Mentor during her sophomore and junior years. Last summer Phalen completed a 120-hour internship with Shenandoah Valley (Va.) Social Services where she discovered a passion for, in her words, “advocating for those who can’t advocate for themselves.” She is applying for jobs in child protective services and says that she may eventually pursue a master’s in social work or school counseling.
Media Contact:
Heather Cole
Editor & Director of Media Relations
hcole@bridgewater.edu
4/1/25
