• Kenna M. Franklin, an instructor in sociology, has been selected to receive the 2002 Faculty Fellowship Award sponsored by the LSUS International Lincoln Center for American Studies. Franklin, a member of the LSUS faculty since 1990, submitted a proposal titled, “Developing Sociology and Social Welfare within American Studies.” Last spring, she was voted one of the top 20 faculty members at LSUS. Gov. Mike Foster has appointed her to the Louisiana Board of Social Work Examiners. She received a Master of Science degree from the University of Michigan. Designed as the premier academic honor awarded at LSUS, the International Lincoln Center’s annual award recognizes the achievement of the university’s faculty.

• Ron Sereg, an assistant professor in communications, has been named to serve on the U.S. State Department’s Freedom Support Act undergraduate selection committee. Sereg will assist in the selection of Undergraduate Fellows from a number of Eurasian countries for study at host universities in the U.S. during the 2003-04 academic year. Congress established the FSA program in 1992. It is designed to encourage economic and democratic growth in the countries of Eurasia. FSAU provides academic opportunities for undergraduate students from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan. The program is sponsored by the State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and administered by the International Research and Exchanges Board.

• Dr. Jere Hatcher’s paper, “Improving Administrative Processes Through the Application of Six Sigma Principles,” has been accepted for presentation and publication in the meeting proceedings of the Southwest Administrative Systems Annual Meeting in Houston March 6-8. Hatcher is an associate professor in management/marketing.

• Dr. Sura Rath, a professor in English, was invited by the University of Stockholm to give a lecture and conduct a graduate seminar at its Center for Pacific Asian Studies in December. He gave a lecture on “Post/Past-Orientalism: Orientalism and Its Dis/Reorientation,” a critical study of post 9/11 East-West cultural relations in the light of Columbia University Professor Edward Said’s 1977 book Orientalism. Rath’s lecture will be published in a special issue of the Stockholm Journal of East Asian Studies (Vol. 13, 2003) this spring. Rath also edited Theory and Praxis: Curriculum, Culture, and English Studies with Prafulla C. Kar and Kailash C. Baral (Delhi: Pencraft, 2002).

• New teachers from LSUS once again led the state in its annual assessment program, according to Dr. Gale Bridger, dean of the LSUS College of Education and Human Development. Of the more than 650 new teachers who participated in the 2001-02 school year assessment semester for degree institutions, LSUS had a total of 21 new teachers involved. The LSUS graduates all surpassed the state average. The assessment, conducted annually by the Louisiana Teacher Assistance and Assessment Program, measures attributes necessary for a successful classroom teacher. The 21 LSUS graduates scored 100 percent in 18 of the 25 attributes and higher than 90 percent in the remaining seven categories.

• For the third consecutive year, Noel Memorial Library ranked above all other four-year universities in “Library Facilities and Services,” according to the results of the Louisiana Board of Regents Student Opinion Survey Initiative. The survey asked a sample of students statewide to rate their university on a scale of 1 to 5 in a number of categories for both college services and college environment. At LSUS, “Library Facilities and Services” received a rating of 4.12 in 2000, 4.28 in 2001 and 4.33 in 2002. Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond was rated second behind LSUS in 2000 (4.12), while the University of Louisiana at Lafayette was second in 2001 (4.25) and 2002 (4.30). Noel Memorial Library Dean and Librarian Alan D. Gabehart pointed out that ULL opened its renovated and enlarged library in 2000.

• The LSUS Plant Stress Physiology Research Team made two presentations at the 2003 Annual Beltwide Cotton Conference in Nashville, Tenn., in January. “Superoxide plays a role in NaCl Stress-Induced Signal Transduction,” by Drs. Stephen W. Banks, professor in biological sciences; Dalton R. Gossett, professor in biological sciences, and M. Cran Lucas, professor in biological sciences, and Rock Wayne Fowler, a 2002 Master of Science graduate, was presented by Banks. “A Potential Role for Phospholipids in NaCl-Stress Induced Signal Transduction,” by Gossett, Banks, Lucas and Phillip Cole, a 2001 Master of Science graduate, was presented by Gossett.

• Gary Joiner, an instructor in history, was congratulated by College of Liberal Arts Dean Merrell Knighten on the publication of his new book, One Damn Blunder From Beginning to End, “which,” Knighten said, “is not about a dean, but about the Red River Campaign of 1864.” Released in December, the book is published by Scholarly Resources, Inc., and includes “some great back cover quotes from the Civil War heavyweights.” Joiner has also been working with the Civil War Preservation Trust in Washington to GIS (Geographic Information Systems) map the Red River and Camden campaigns, and has completed a GIS mapping project for them on the Petersburg campaign in Virginia. He has completed editing and writing a article in a book of essays, The Red River Campaign: Studies in Union and Confederate Leadership in Louisiana, by Parabellum Press. In addition, he worked with the Civil War Preservation Trust, the State of Louisiana and AEP/SWEPCO to secure 41 acres for the Mansfield Battlefield in the form of a historical easement; served as a technical advisor and on-air talent for a Louisiana Public Broadcasting episode of “Louisiana the State We’re In” about lignite mining in DeSoto Parish and the destruction of the Mansfield Battlefield; served as a technical advisor and on-air talent for an LPB episode of “Lost Louisiana: The Castaways” about the most endangered sites in Louisiana (Mansfield Battlefield and the McNeill Street Pumping Station in Shreveport); wrote a cover article for Hallowed Ground, a national battlefield preservation periodical, and spoke to the Arkansas Civil War Roundtable in Little Rock in October on “Forgotten Confederate Maps in the Defense of Arkansas.” With Dr. Doug Bible, professor and chair of economics and finance, and Dr. Chengho Hsieh, professor of economics and finance, Joiner co-authored an article in the international journal, Property Management (Vol. 20, No. 5), “Environmental Effects on Residential Property Values Resulting From the Contamination Effects of a Creosote Plant Site.” The article deals with the Lincoln Creosote site in Bossier City.

• Wolfgang Hinck, assistant professor in marketing, had his paper, “Conceptualizing Corporate Reputation in Germany: Evaluating and Extending the RQ,” accepted at the 2003 Academy of Marketing Science World Marketing Congress to be held in Perth, Australia, June 11-14. The paper is co-authored with K. P. Wiedmann and G. Walsh (University of Hannover).

• March is Louisiana Career Development Month. The LSUS Career Center will host the first Major Declaration Day March 20 in cooperation with the academic colleges. The month’s activities also include an MBA roundtable, information booths in the University Center during Common Hour and workshops with area employers about the benefits of using LSUS interns in their businesses. The workshops are offered in cooperation with the Shreveport and Bossier chambers of commerce and the LSUS Small Business Development Center. For more information, visit the Web site: www.lsus.edu/career or call 797-5062.

• Dr. Michael V. Leggiere, assistant professor of history, had his article, “From Berlin to Leipzig: Napoleon’s Gamble in North Germany, 1813,” published in the January 2003 edition of the Journal of Military History.

• The LSUS College of Education is now “The College of Education and Human Development.” The Louisiana Board of Regents officially granted the name change Jan. 7. The expansion of the college’s name more clearly communicates the diverse disciplines offered – psychology, kinesiology and education.

• The (Shreveport) Times is partnering with Dr. Johnette McCrery’s public affairs reporting class in covering local government. McCrery’s students are covering city councils and police juries in smaller communities, and The Times is publishing their stories.

• Dr. Judith Covington, associate professor in math/computer science, organized two sessions at the MAA/AMS Joint Mathematics meetings as co-associate director for Project NExT. She also organized a session, “NCATE and the Mathematics Community.” At the end of the meeting, she completed her term as co-chair of the Committee on the Mathematical Education of Teachers. She served as a reviewer for grant proposals at the National Science Foundation in January, and participated in a panel discussion, “Activities of the MAA: What is going on around here?” at the LA/MS MAA section meeting in February.

• Dr. Doug Bible, Diane Boyd, Janice Goode, Dan Goodwin, Dr. Karen James, Jeff Key, Cleatta Morris, Dr. Rebecca Nolan, and Dr. Tim Winter have been selected to participate in the first “Learning to Teach Online” class taught by Dr. Donna Austin, associate professor and director of the Teaching, Learning and Technology Center.

• Frank J. Williams, chief justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court and visiting scholar in the LSUS International Lincoln Center, was interviewed by Brian Lamb on C-SPAN’s “Booknotes” Nov. 10 regarding his new book, Judging Lincoln (Southern Illinois University Press). Students Shanmuka Shivashankara and Skanda Shivashankara presented papers on Lincoln’s political legacy in modern Asia at the annual meeting of the Association of Third World Studies in Taipei, Taiwan, Dec. 27-29. Dr. William D. Pederson, who holds the LSUS American Studies chair, co-edited with Thomas Howard, Franklin D. Roosevelt and the Formation of the Modern World, M.E. Sharpe, 2003. He also was a guest of the Canary Island Association in Havana, Cuba Dec. 15-21. His survey of Lincoln’s legacy abroad appeared on the Civil War page of the Oct. 5 Washington Times. The Center’s 20th annual Washington Semester will be May 14-31. Regardless of major, year in school, or home campus, students may earn up to six hours academic credit. For more information, see the Web site www.lsus.edu/lincoln/washington.asp or call 797-5138.

• Dr. Karen James, associate professor in marketing, is one of six individuals from the Shreveport-Bossier area working to create a local chapter of the Worldwide Organization of Webmasters. She was invited to join the board of directors last fall by LSUS alumna Pat Gill, Internet and systems manager of the Shreveport-Bossier Convention and Tourist Bureau. Two other board members are also LSUS alumni: Allison DeFatta, vice president of ShreveNet, and Audrey Brahm Ache, co-owner and marketing director of Synapse Multimedia LLP.

• Dr. Marjan Trutschl, assistant professor in computer science, has been invited to co-chair the workshop section of the Visualization 2003 Conference to be held in October in Seattle, sponsored by the IEEE and IEEE Computer Society. The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers is a nonprofit, technical-professional association of more than 377,000 individual members in 150 countries. Through its members, the IEEE is a leading authority in technical areas ranging from computer engineering, biomedical technology and telecommunications, to electric power, aerospace and consumer electronics.

• The LSUS Institute for Human Services and Public Policy, directed by Dr. Norman A. Dolch, continues to make strides toward increased economic development in the Mid-South. The Red River Academy for Social Entrepreneurs, a program of the Institute, is a collaboration of five universities in Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi and East Texas committed to developing a universal curriculum for nonprofit professionals interested in social entrepreneurship. In addition to the curriculum development, professors at each university will be available to assist nonprofit organizations with the decision-making process that a nonprofit board must face when deciding whether to begin a “for-profit” business venture. To facilitate an exchange of ideas, the Red River Academy will meet annually in Shreveport for the Red River Summit. During this two-day conference, nonprofits will share ideas and guest speakers will provide information on business development. Nonprofits reluctant to begin a mission-related business may be more comfortable with the process after seeing that it works for others. For more information, contact Michelle Landrum at mlandrum@lsus.edu or 795-4261.

• LSUS received LifeShare Blood Centers’ Platinum Plus Award for organizations hosting six or more blood drives and achieving at least 95 percent of their blood drive goal. Mollie Schmelzer, who coordinates blood drives for Student Activities, said LSUS hosted six blood drives in 2002 and reached 135 percent of its Blood Drive Goal. “Sounds to me like it is time to raise our goal!” she said. The next blood drive is scheduled from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. March 24 and 25.

• An article by Tim Shaughnessy, assistant professor in economics, “How State Exceptions to Employment-at-Will Affect Wages,” will be in the Journal of Labor Research, Volume XXIV, 2003.

• Dr. Ken Masters’ paper, “Eagle Country Markets, Inc.,” was accepted for presentation at the 2003 meeting of the Southwest Case Research Association in Houston, and was named the best case in the conference’s Strategic Management Track. He is an associate professor in management.

• Two Mathematics Department faculty members, W. Conway Link, assistant professor, and Rogers Martin, instructor, presented papers at the Annual Fall Conference of the Louisiana Association of Teachers of Mathematics in Baton Rouge in November. Link presented “Demonstrating Techniques for Estimating the Constant of Proportionality in Several Commonly Occurring Variation Problems in Algebra.” Martin presented “The Traveling Salesman Problem,” and they co-presented “The Relationship Between the Number of Hits on Blackboard and a Student’s Final Grade in Math Courses at LSUS.”

• Dr. Ronald Byrd, professor in kinesiology and health science, presented two papers, “Biomechanics of Elite Female Weightlifters” and “A Comparison of the Mechanics of a Commonwealth Games Gold Medalist and a USA Weightlifting Development Center 11-year-old.” He also co-authored two journal articles: “Young Weightlifters’ Performance Across Time” in Sport Biomechanics and “Tinker Toys: An Analysis of Instructors’ and College Students’ Perceptions of Learning” in International Journal of Scholarly Intellectual Diversity. He coordinated the Conference on Girls and Women in Sport and carried out video and biomechanics analyses at the National Collegiate and Under 23 Weightlifting Championships, both held this winter at LSUS.

• The faculty, staff and patrons of the Noel Memorial Library appreciate the support and generosity of the following persons and organizations making donations of books or periodicals to the library: November – Mr. & Mrs. Dutta Chaudhary, Rachael Green, Martha Lawler, William McCleary, William Pederson, Sura Rath and Wilfred H. Smolinski; December – Lillian J. Hall, W. Conway Link, William D. Pederson, Mamon M. Saifadin, American Council on Education, Washington, D.C.; Center for Studies in the Humanities & Social Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville; U.S. News & World Report, Washington, D.C., and School of Music-Thanatology, Missoula, Mont.; January – Anna Beltrani, Rachael Green, David M. Foley, Mel Harju, Steven Lynch, William McCleary, Malcolm Parker, William D. Pederson, Alzheimer’s Disease Education & Referral Center - Silver Spring, Md., Economics & Finance, LSUS, and Educational Communication, Inc. – Austin, Texas.