Trevecca has renamed its annual student research symposium in honor of Dr. Randy Carden, professor of psychology, in recognition of his mentorship and commitment to undergraduate research over the course of more than three decades.
The event will now be known as the Carden Student Research Symposium.
The announcement, a surprise to Carden, was made during this year’s symposium, the 33rd in Trevecca’s history.
The symposium began in 1993 after Carden approached then-dean Dr. Steve Pusey with an idea to create a space where undergraduate students could showcase their research. At the time, Carden’s psychology students were already conducting original research, and he believed they needed an opportunity to present their work in a professional setting.
The first symposium was held in Wakefield Auditorium and included fewer than 10 student presenters, mostly Carden’s students. Since then, the event has grown into a campus-wide academic showcase featuring students from a variety of disciplines.
This year’s symposium included 73 student presenters, a number Carden said is likely an all-time record.
“It’s incredible,” Carden said. “It really has grown over the years.”
The symposium has continued every year since the first occurrence, including during the pandemic, when Trevecca hosted an online version of the event. Today, the annual spring symposium gives students the opportunity to present original research in 20-minute sessions, allowing attendees to move between rooms and hear presentations from a variety of academic fields.
For Carden, the symposium has always been about helping students develop as professionals.
“It's very important that our students engage in professional activities,” he said. “How you spend every day is how you spend your life. So if you spend your time developing yourself, moving toward a professional in your field, then you're getting somewhere.”
In his psychology classes, Carden’s students conduct original research as part of their coursework. They collect and analyze data; study topics such as student burnout, sleep, coping, caffeine, attention and social media use; and present their findings through written work and public presentations. Many students who presented at the symposium have gone on to present at the National Conference on Undergraduate Research, where Trevecca has been well-represented for several years running.
Carden believes undergraduate research helps students learn to think critically, strengthens their graduate school applications and prepares them for the next step in their academic and professional journeys. His commitment to student research is part of a larger calling that has shaped his long career at Trevecca, where he’s served since 1981.
“It has been my mission,” Carden said. “It’s an amazing thing when who you are as a person and your passions line up with your occupation. I feel led by God to do this. He made a way for me to be involved at Trevecca, and Trevecca accepted me and has been wonderful to me all these years.”
While the newly renamed symposium honors Carden’s legacy, he is quick to point back to the students whose curiosity and work have carried the event forward.
“I love my students, and I want to see them grow and for them to have great opportunities,” Carden said. “I couldn’t do this without them. My students, seeing the excitement they have for research, it’s what keeps me coming back.”