Dr. Erin Wood, a tenured Associate Professor of Psychology who formerly served as Deputy Title IX Coordinator for Athletics at Catawba College, has accepted a new role at the College. She will become Catawba's Title IX Administrator, effective with the start of the new academic year, while continuing with her faculty rank to teach some classes at the institution.
Dr. Wood replaces Dr. Jim Hand in his previous role as Catawba's Title IX Coordinator, a role he held for the past three years. She will report directly to College President Brien Lewis and will assist the College with on- and off-campus relationships aimed to support equity at all areas of Title IX, including employee and student quality of life, Admissions and Enrollment, Facilities and Housing, Athletics, prevention and education collaborations with Student Affairs, Human Resources, and Institutional Research, diversity on campus, pregnant and parenting students, and intimate partner violence/Sexual Assault Task Force.
In her formalized role, Dr. Wood said she looks forward to working with programs that are already successfully underway, as well as participating in bringing more opportunities for education and learning to the campus community.
President Lewis noted Catawba's commitment to providing equal opportunities for all students, employees, applicants for student admission and applicants for employment regardless of sex or sexual orientation unless allowed by law and deemed necessary to the operation of the College. In sharing news of Dr. Wood's appointment, he said he was pleased "to announce a revised position in the area of Catawba's commitment to sex and gender equity."
A native of Madison, Va., Dr. Wood majored in psychology and minored in biology on her way to earning a Bachelor of Science degree at Virginia Commonwealth University. There, she also earned a Master of Science degree researching behavioral pharmacology and a Ph.D. focusing on behavioral genetics. Upon graduating, she accepted a faculty position in Catawba's Psychology Department
Dr. Wood has taught and will continue to teach a variety of courses, including General Psychology, Data Analysis for the Behavioral Sciences, Health Psychology, Behavior Modification, Neuroscience, Cognitive Processes, as well as First Year Seminars including topics on lying and sex and gender. She also has co-taught a course in Catawba's Honors program that focused on death and dying, and is in preparation to co-teach another Honors course in the spring semester on neurodiversity.
She currently serves as the advisor to the Diversity Club, as well as to the College's Psi Chi chapter. She has continued her training in the realm of Title IX, earning certification as a Title IX Coordinator and Civil Right Investigator at in-person workshops, as well as participating in numerous webinars to stay up-to-date in the ever-changing world of federal compliance.
Over the next several months, Dr. Wood will be meeting with various people on campus, as well as in the community at large, to learn of Catawba's unique needs and desires in terms of gender equity and diversity. To share questions or concerns, members of the campus community may contact Dr. Wood at ewood@catawba.edu or at (704) 637-4104. Community members may also choose to communicate anonymously via the Title IX Feedback form located at the Incident Reporting page, where under the "Nature of this report" menu, they will select the "Title IX" option.
