Drs. Judith Slagle and Joellen Edwards – two women leaders selected from among the many at ETSU – will be honored during the seventh annual “Notable Women of ETSU” Colloquium set for Wednesday, Nov. 19, at 5 p.m. in the D.P. Culp University Center ballroom.
“The event offers an unusual opportunity to hear about how notable women come to be ‘notable,'” said Dr. Amber Kinser, director of the ETSU Women’s Studies Program sponsoring the event. “Anyone interested in becoming a ‘woman of distinction’ at some point, or in hearing the stories and the journeys of great women, will be pleased they attended.”
The free public program, preceded by a 4:30 p.m. reception, will honor Slagle, chair of the Department of English, and Edwards, professor of Family/Community Nursing and director of the Center for Nursing Research. An open discussion and refreshments will follow.
In 2001, Women’s Studies established the Notable Women of ETSU program to offer female faculty an opportunity to be recognized and to share their accomplishments in academia.
“I was struck by the ways that academic life often pulls us off our own campuses to bring our work to other universities,” said Kinser, a speech faculty member in the Department of Communication and a published author. “We want students, staff and faculty on our campus to possess a more holistic and accurate view of who does important work on our campus and in our community.”
Notable Women of ETSU calls for nominations from which two honorees are selected by the Women’s Studies Steering Committee.
What set this year’s recipients apart, Kinser said, was “their work in the classroom, on the campus, in the community and in their disciplines.”
Dr. Judith Slagle was selected for her work as an English professor and department chair, as well as her achievements in historical recovery projects of writers.
“I’m very proud to be chosen,” she said, “since most of the women I know who work here are ‘notable’ in some way.”
Slagle earned B.S. and M.A. degrees in English at ETSU, then left her first occupation as a writer and producer at Eastman Chemical Co. to embark on a new career in academia, graduating with her Ph.D. in English from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville in 1991.
She taught at UT, Carson-Newman College, Middle Tennessee State University and Roane State Community College before returning to ETSU, where she has been departmental chair since 2000 and a professor for more than eight years.
“Dr. Slagle is an outstanding teacher, scholar and administrator,” said Dr. Gordon Anderson, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. “It is notable to find all of these in one individual.”
Slagle’s credits include an array of publications and presentations on female playwrights and authors, as well as 18th century drama.
Internationally known as the “leading expert” on Scottish playwright Joanna Baillie, she has maintained her “consistent record of publications and presentations” in addition to meeting the demands as department chair. “At the same time, she cares deeply about the experiences that she and her department provide for our students,” Anderson said.
Slagle also cares about the impact of her life on others. “I hope young women will see that opportunity often lies in chance,” she said. “I want them to be unafraid of taking risks.”
Taking risks is something the second Notable Woman, Dr. Joellen Edwards, also knows about. The first college graduate in her family, she did not start college until she was 21 and the mother of a 2-year-old daughter.
She completed an associate of arts in nursing at Kent State University’s Tuscarawas County Campus in New Philadelphia, Ohio; the B.S. in nursing from Ohio University (OU), Athens; an M.S. in nursing at West Virginia University, Morgantown; and her Ph.D. in interpersonal communication at OU.
Edwards navigated through the nursing profession, beginning as a staff nurse and teaching at both OU and Clemson (S.C.) University, eventually becoming an ETSU professor and administrator. “I have had some wonderful opportunities to lead some things that have made a positive difference for others,” she said.
Her career at ETSU began as an associate professor and chair of the Department of Family/Community Nursing in 1989 before she became associate dean of the College of Nursing in 1992.
She then spent 10 years as nursing dean – from 1994-2004 – serving also as interim vice president for Health Affairs in 1997.
She returned to the classroom in 2004, and directed the Mountain States Health Alliance Department of Organization Development for two years before becoming director of the College of Nursing’s Center for Nursing Research.
Edwards has published over 30 health-related articles, directed and assisted with more than 20 funded health care projects and presented her research findings across the nation.
“Her leadership in health affairs at ETSU has been exemplary,” Kinser said. “We value her commitment to health care in rural communities in Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia.”
Some projects Edwards is particularly proud of include starting several nurse-managed clinics, especially the much-needed Johnson City Downtown Clinic, and being a leader in the establishment of ETSU’s interdisciplinary nursing graduate programs.
“I hope others, especially young women on campus, will know that if I can start where I did and build a career I’m proud of, then they will be able to do anything they put their minds to – and will achieve far more than I ever have,” she said.

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