Eastern Michigan University has announced the recipients of the fall 2025 James H. Brickley Endowment for Faculty Professional Development and Innovation. Nine faculty members from four colleges were selected to receive funding for projects that span a range of academic disciplines, including social sciences, engineering, health, and artificial intelligence. The awards were approved by EMU’s Board of Regents at its meeting on December 4.
The endowment was established in 2016 by Tony and Lois Evans to support faculty scholarship, creativity, and community engagement. It provides resources for research, curriculum development, professional travel, and other activities aimed at enhancing faculty growth. Tony Evans previously held several senior leadership positions at Eastern Michigan University between 1975 and 1982, working closely with former President James H. Brickley.
Projects funded in this cycle address topics such as the influence of social media on family relationships in China, innovative teaching tools for vehicle technologies, historic preservation in architecture education, immersive virtual reality simulations for nursing students, archival research on Ottoman schooling practices, geomorphological studies in California’s Santa Monica Mountains, interdisciplinary water justice initiatives for undergraduates, and AI-driven sports analysis systems.
Awardees will carry out their work during the 2025–2026 academic year. Outcomes are expected to include publications in peer-reviewed journals, conference presentations, curricular enhancements for EMU courses, and new learning opportunities for students.
Among the recipients is Ji-Hung Choi from the College of Business who will present his research on store brand competition at an upcoming conference in Reno. Xianghong Feng from Sociology will study how WeChat affects intergenerational relationships among families in Shaoyang, China. Diane Guevara will lead a field trip focused on historic building renovations for interior design students. Chen Li aims to develop affordable printed circuit boards to enhance instruction in vehicle technology courses.
Other awardees include Fredrick Lorenz (History), Keisha Lovence (Nursing), Eric Portenga (Geography), Shu Wang (Political Science), and Yunting Yin (Computer Science). Their projects cover subjects ranging from colonial education histories to virtual reality clinical training modules and undergraduate research forums.
According to information about Eastern Michigan University available on its website https://www.emich.edu/, EMU was founded in 1849 and currently enrolls over 12,000 students across more than 300 programs through its various colleges. The university emphasizes career readiness through hands-on learning experiences and industry partnerships.
For more details about university achievements or ongoing news updates visit EMU Today https://today.emich.edu/.
“Lois Evans is a retired mathematics educator,” according to the announcement. “Tony Evans served in several senior leadership roles at Eastern Michigan University from 1975 to 1982… He worked closely with former EMU President James H. Brickley from 1974 to 1978.”
“The fall 2025 Brickley Endowment cycle funded nine faculty projects representing four EMU colleges: the College of Business, the College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Health and Human Services, and the GameAbove College of Engineering and Technology.”
“These outcomes advance student learning, faculty collaboration, public engagement,” stated one project summary regarding interdisciplinary undergraduate research efforts.
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