The Maryl Fletcher De Jong Service Award is given annually to honor an individual in the field of art education who has made noteworthy service contributions to art education as an advocate of equity for women and all people who encounter injustice. This individual contributes outstanding service of community, state, national, or international significance that contributes to eliminating discriminatory gender and other stereotyping practices for individuals and groups.
Dr. Hoeptner Poling’s research focuses on feminist activism and issues in art education. Her research threads have included the intersections of gendered identity, narrative inquiry as knowledge construction, and equitable pedagogy at all levels of education. She has focused on the symbiotic relationship of motherhood and academia, as well as inclusive and equitable art curriculum for students with special needs through the Kennedy Center and the VSA Program. Recently, she has explored the study and teaching of art to the elderly, specifically those with dementia, aiming to reveal the nexus of art making and the elderly within the transformative power of art.
At Kent State, Dr. Hoeptner Poling is involved with Green Dot, which is a bystander approach for the prevention of power-based personal violence that relies on the power of cultural and peer influence. She is also involved with the LGBTQ+ Center, which provides students, faculty and staff at Kent State University with education, training, support and resources that cater to the gender and sexual minority community and its allies.