Laura AtkinsLaura C. Atkins is a professor of sociology at Jacksonville University where she is also Associate Dean for the College of Arts and Sciences. Dr. Atkins is an advocate for student leadership and community engagement, and she directed the university’sservice-learning program for fifteen years. In her new role as the university’s Quality Enhancement Plan Academic Director, she leads academic oversight of first-year seminar courses, diversity, equity and inclusion courses and experiential learning programs, which include internships, study abroad, undergraduate research and service-learning. During her academic career, Dr. Atkins has taught a variety of courses, including Social Action Capstone, Sociology of Community, Sociology of Organizations and Leadership, Research Methods, Environmental Sociology and Introduction to Sociology. Dr. Atkins’ scholarly work focuses on community, leadership and career preparation. She is also Co-PI on a National Science Foundation S-STEM grant, Project-Based Service Learning and Career-Training to Support Graduation and Career Readiness of Engineering and Computing Science Majors. Dr. Atkins is an active member of national and regional sociological associations, including Sociologists for Women in Society and the Southern Sociological Society. She earned her Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Dr. Atkins is thrilled to join as co-author on the "Sociology in Our Times" and "Sociology in Our Times: The Essentials" product lines with Cengage. Read More Read Less