
Jody Hicks
Bachelors of Arts - Baldwin Wallace College - Psychology
Masters of Public Administration- University of Akron
Doctor of Arts - Idaho State University - Political Science
I grew up in Lima, Ohio and graduated from Baldwin Wallace College. Upon graduation I spent 2 years in the Peace Corps in Guyana, South America where I taught nutrition and AIDS education/awareness. When I returned, I worked as legal advocate for victims of domestic violence before returning to school to earn my Masters in Public Administration. In 2000, I moved to Idaho and worked as the director of a day treatment facility for at-risk youth. In 2002, I was accepted into the Doctor of Arts Program in Political Science at Idaho State University. Upon graduation, I moved with my family to Oneida, New York and began teaching night classes at Mohawk Valley Community College and Pratt Munson Williams Proctor. Once my children were in school, I began teaching in the Social Science Division for Cazenovia College.
- Paw Pin Award- 2018
- Excellence in Teaching Award- 2019
- National Main Street Program- Pittsburgh 2017: "Community-ness"
- Current Research:
- "Community-ness"- research focusing on the factors and structures that municipalities can put into place to improve communities. This social infrastructure serves to reduce crime, increase happiness, reduce mental health issues, improve relationships and promote overall stronger communities.
- Oneida Community- research focusing on the utopia religious community from the late 1800s. The members (upwards of 350 people) lived together in one home, creating a self sufficient community and eventually the Oneida Limited silverware company.
- Best Practices in online education
- Experiential Learning- with focus on an online classroom