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Kentucky Museum

Dr. Christy Spurlock
Associate Professor, Education Curator, Kentucky Museum

christy.spurlock@wku.edu
E123 Kentucky Building
(270) 745-6082
Curriculum Vitae

Biography

Christy Spurlock has been Kentucky Museum Education Curator since 2005. She develops educational programs for diverse audiences and educators; plans and implements workshops and community outreach events; recruits, trains, and supervises volunteers and student workers. Each year, Museum Education serves thousands of K-12 students, educators, WKU students and faculty, and the general public through a diverse offering of programming and resources.

Selected Awards and Honors

America 250 Warren County Chairwoman, KY Historical Society

Award for Excellence, KY Museum Advisory Council

Feminist Action Award, WKU Gender & Women's Studies

Education Award, KY Historical Society

Emerging Museum Professional, KY Museum & Heritage Alliance

Faculty Margery Helm Award, WKU University Libraries

Frank Levitsky Award for Professional Service, KY Historical Society

Ida Lee Willis Award, KY Heritage Council

Margery Helm Award for Outstanding Performance, WKU University Libraries

Public Service Award, WKU University Libraries

Warren County Women Veterans Ceremony (One of four women veterans honored by County Judge Executive & BG Women's Club)

Selected Works

Spurlock's work takes the form of applied research, creativity and scholarship that then translates itself into programming, exhibits, successful grants, publications and presentations that benefit both the Museum, and campus and community constituents. The two broad categories of her research interests would be United States history, and issues within higher education.

In addition to the practical application of historical research in her museum role, she is also interested in the current challenges facing American public universities. Her doctoral work included original research centered around undergraduate and graduate retention and persistence. Connected to that, as both a former high school teacher, and current associate professor, she is also interested in K-12 issues that impact college readiness and therefore impacts students' collegiate success.

Dissertation

Spurlock, Christy. Best Practices in Parent and Family Engagement: Implications for Student Success, Western Kentucky University, 2017.

Educational Leadership

Constantine Samuel Rafinesque, 2014.

Could the Girls Be Counseled? 2014.

Interview Sue Williams Spurlock. Collegiate Oral History Interview, 2014.

Conference Papers

Cunningham, Mildred & Christy Spurlock. Socialization and Retention of Part-Time Doctoral Students: A Review of Ten Years of Literature, Proceedings of the 12th National Symposium on Student Retention, Norman, OK: University of Oklahoma, 2016.

Pei, Jia & Christy Spurlock. An Assessment of Persistence for Domestic and International Western Kentucky University EdD Students, 2016.

Presentations

Spurlock, Christy. "Your History Department and America 250," a presentation made at the 2024 Ohio Valley History Conference, hosted by Austin Peay State University.

Pei, Jia & Christy Spurlock. Poster Presentation An Assessment of Persistence for Domestic and International Western Kentucky University EdD Students, 2016.