Gunther named FMU Trustee Research Scholar

Dr. Jeanne Gunther, a professor of education, has been named Francis Marion’s newest Board of Trustees’ Research Scholar. 

FMU President Fred Carter presented Gunther the coveted award during a luncheon at Ervin Dining Hall on campus Tuesday afternoon.

The Board of Trustees’ Research Scholars program was formed in 2002 and is designed to recognize substantial and sustained scholarship by members of the faculty. Appointments are awarded to senior faculty members who have compiled a significant record of research and publication, and who show promise of continued scholarly productivity.

The three-year appointment is renewable and includes a reduced teaching load with a salary supplement.

Gunther joined the faculty of FMU in 2011, where she has taught twenty unique courses addressing theory, curriculum, and methods of early childhood and preschool through twelfth grade literacy. Her research interests include investigations of effective methods in reading instruction, teacher content knowledge, early childhood writing development, and bibliotherapy as a means to support young children in times of trauma. She publishes, presents, and conducts workshops locally, nationally, and internationally.

She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Early Childhood Education from the State University of New York at Fredonia, a Master of Education in Reading from the State University of New York at Albany, and a Doctor of Philosophy in Early Childhood Education, Intervention, and Literacy from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She also holds National Board Certification as a middle childhood generalist.