Campus Briefs

• LSUS International Lincoln Center: The Center received a grant from the Community Foundation of Shreveport-Bossier to send three Caddo Parish middle school teachers to the July 8-15 Summer Teacher Institute in Colonial Williamsburg. This is the sixth consecutive year the Lincoln Center has sent teachers to the institute. Shanmuka T. Shivashankara, an LSUS graduate student, was selected as a McNair Research Scholar with LSU A&M, and has established the Lincoln Society at LSUS. The Center will host two international conferences in the fall: “Thomas Jefferson: His Life, Times and Legacy with an Abraham Lincoln Symposium” on Oct. 16-18, and the Association of Third World Studies on Nov. 6-8. Both conferences will be held on the LSUS campus. Dr. William D. Pederson, professor in political science and holder of the LSUS American Studies Chair, and Chief Justice Frank J. Williams of the Rhode Island Supreme Court, have co-edited Franklin D. Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln. Competing Perspectives on Two Great Presidencies (ME Sharpe). The Center has released the 2002 (Vol. 8) issue of The Lincolnator, the newsletter of the Louisiana Lincoln Group. Articles include those on “The Youngest Lincoln Fan in Louisiana,” “‘Uncle Earl’ Endorses Lincoln,” a Philatelist Forum and a book review. A five-year index of the publication is available. Pederson has written an article on “The 22nd Amendment” for Magill’s Choice: U.S. Laws, Acts, and Treaties (Salem Press).

• Dr. Martha Mangin, associate professor in education; Candi Bagley, assistant professor in education; Dr. David B. Gustavson, professor in education; Dr. Patricia Stanley, professor in psychology, and Joyce Spears from Midway Elementary Professional Development School presented “Partnership for Growth: Impact of a Professor-in-Residence” at the Professional Development Schools National Conference in Orlando, Fla., in March.

• Dr. Diane Knight, associate professor in education, presented “Instructional Implications for the Child with Tourette Syndrome” at the Louisiana State Council for Exceptional Children Super Conference in Baton Rouge in February. Knight and Department of Education faculty Dr. Charles Manges, professor, and Dr. Ruth Ray, assistant professor, also presented a paper, “Inclusion: How Has It Worked? Three Perspectives.”

• Dr. Michael V. Leggiere, assistant professor in history, won first prize in the 2002 Literary Competition of La Société Napoléonienne Internationale (The International Napoleonic Society) for his book, Napoleon and Berlin: The Franco-Prussian War in North Germany, 1813. A total of 15 distinguished works were carefully evaluated based on quality of publication, area of research, originality, style, analysis and overall contribution to Napoleonic studies. In addition to prestigious international recognition, the prize carries a $2,500 award. Leggiere presented a paper, “‘You Shall Lead, but According to a Plan’: Blücher’s Lost Opportunity at La Rothière in February 1814,” at the 33rd Annual Conference of the Consortium on Revolutionary Europe. He will also present a paper, “The Emperor’s Lost Cause: Civil Insurrection and the Allied Response during the Invasion of the French Empire, 1814,” at the 70th Annual Conference of the Society for Military History.

• Dr. Meredith Nelson, assistant professor in psychology, became a Louisiana Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in December. She will co-present a workshop June 30 at the National School Counselors Association in St. Louis, “School counselors as leaders in drug free schools.”

• Dr. Charlotte Jones, dean of the College of Business Administration, has been appointed to the board of directors of the Southwestern Business Deans’ Association (SWBDA). Jones will represent Louisiana business deans in the five state region of Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas.

• Dr. Elizabeth Zippi, associate professor in chemistry, presented research at the 2003 Louisiana Academy of Sciences meeting in March, along with student Candice Moore and graduate Gavin Jones. The project was entitled, “Crystalline Melt Temperature Analysis of Styrene-Based Polymers.” Jones was a student at the time the research was conducted.

• The Louisiana Association of Educators Student Program at LSUS conducted one of its most successful book fairs this spring. The students had gross sales of $4,338 and a cash profit of $1,198 after purchasing $685 in books and materials for Midway Elementary Professional Development School and the College of Education and Human Development’s Curriculum Resource Center.

• Dr. Judith Covington, associate professor in mathematics, has been appointed to the Mathematics Teacher editorial panel. Mathematics Teacher is a publication of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. She will serve on the editorial panel until 2006.

• W. Conway Link, assistant professor in mathematics, and Rogers Martin, instructor in mathematics, presented papers at the Gulf Southwest Regional Conference of the American Society for Engineering Education in March at the University of Texas-Arlington. Link presented “Demonstrating Techniques for Estimating the Constant of Variation in Commonly Occurring Variation Problems in College Algebra Textbooks,” and Link and Martin co-presented “Do Blackboard Accesses Predict a Student’s Final Grade?” Dr. Carlos Spaht, professor in mathematics, co-authored both papers. Link and Martin also presented the “Do Blackboard…” paper at the 2003 Annual Meeting of the Louisiana/Mississippi Section of the Mathematical Association of America at Mississippi College in February. At the meeting, Link also presented “A Fishbowl Activity Demonstrating Relative Risk.” Link has also been named to the Downtown Shreveport Development Corporation board of directors.

• Dr. Bernadette Palombo, associate professor in criminal justice, attended the annual conference of the Academy of Criminal Sciences (ACJS) in March in Boston. She chaired the panel, “Reforming the Juvenile Detention System: Intervention Strategies,” and presented the results of her evaluation research in a paper, “Delinquency Intervention: Effects of a Reading Proficiency Mentoring Program on Drug-Offending Juvenile Detainees in San Diego County.”

• LSUS and the College of Business Administration hosted the Louisiana Information Technology Research Association (LITRA) conference May 23 at Harrah’s Hotel and Conference Center. Dr. Binshan Lin, professor in management, was the program chair. Thomas Roberts, general manager of Harrah’s, was the keynote speaker.

• Dr. Paul Sisson, associate professor and chair of the Mathematics/Computer Science Department, has published College Algebra, a textbook currently being considered for adoption at various schools.

• Britni McBroom, a sophomore biochemistry major, is the 2003 recipient of the Undergraduate Award for Achievement in Organic Chemistry. The award was presented in April at a meeting of the Shreveport section of the American Chemical Society, and is sponsored by the ACS Polymer Education Committee. A Chancellor’s List student since entering LSUS, McBroom is a teaching assistant in Chemistry 121 Lab and is also employed by the LSU Health Sciences Center Pharmacology Department.

• Dr. Sura Rath’s critical interpretation of “Prahlada Nataka” (The Drama of Prahlada), a miracle play in Sanskrit based on Hindu scriptures, has appeared in the South Asian Folklore: An Encyclopedia (Routledge 2003). Rath is a professor in English. The edited volume, almost 10 years in the making, includes interpretive articles on folklores from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

• Dr. Diane Knight, associate professor in education and immediate past-president and nominations committee chair of the Louisiana Federation of the Council for Exceptional Children, represented the state by serving as a voting delegate to the 2003 CEC International Convention and Expo in Seattle in April. The state’s federation is the most active one in the U.S., sponsoring a state conference (the Special Education “Super Conference”) in the spring of each year.

• The American Humanics Program hosted its semi-annual Volunteer Fair in the University Center in April. Representatives from 20 local nonprofit organizations such as the United Way, the Renzi Center and the Multicultural Center of the South, set up booths with informational materials and giveaways, answered questions and signed up interested volunteers who want to make a difference in their community. The event was open to the LSUS faculty, staff and students, as well as the general public. Papa John’s Pizza donated pizzas for the event. The fair was started to promote volunteerism and educate individuals about local nonprofit organizations and their missions. American Humanics members were responsible for carrying out every detail necessary to ensure the event’s success. For information on this event or to find out how to participate in the future, contact Amanda Joy Bell, American Humanics Program Coordinator, at abell@lsus.edu or 795-4262.

• Dr. Johnette McCrery, assistant professor in communications, is first author of a chapter in an edited book, Media Access: Social and Psychological Dimensions of New Technology Use, due to be published by Lawrence Erlbaum this summer. McCrery’s chapter is “Conceptual Elasticity of the Public Sphere: Tracking Media and Psychological Determinants to Access.” John Newhagen, an associate professor at the University of Maryland, is second author on the chapter.

• Dr. Binshan Lin, professor in management and marketing, has been appointed editor-in-chief of the International Journal of Electronic Government. IJEG is a new quarterly refereed journal published and distributed by Inderscience. The inaugural issue of IJEG will be in Spring 2004. IJEG is dedicated to design, development, management, implementation, technology and application issues in e-government.

• Andranell Watley and Orlandrus “O.L.” Kelly have been added to the recruiting staff as admissions counselors in the Office of Admissions and Records. Watley is a December 2002 LSUS graduate with a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology. As an LSUS undergraduate, she was a member of the S.O.A.R. orientation team for four consecutive years and was a freshman and sophomore focus mentor. Kelly is a 1997 graduate of Texas A&M-Commerce with Bachelor of Science degrees in sports medicine and athletic training, and speech communications and secondary education. He also received an Associate of Science degree from Kilgore College in 1994. Now in his seventh year in higher education admissions, Kelly was assistant director of admissions at Kilgore College and an admissions counselor at Houston Baptist University.

• Dr. Lisa A. Burke, associate professor in management, and A. S. (Tony) Evangelista, a 2002 MBA graduate of LSUS, had their paper, “Work redesign and performance management in times of downsizing,” published in the March-April 2003 issue of Business Horizons.

• Dr. Sanjay Menon, assistant professor in management, will present a paper at the Academy of Management meeting in Seattle in August.

• Dr. Chuo-Hsuan (Jason) Lee, assistant professor of accounting, successfully defended his dissertation at Kent State University and received his Ph.D. at May commencement ceremonies there.

• Dr. Wolfgang Hinck, assistant professor in marketing, successfully defended his dissertation at the University of Texas-Pan American and received his Ph.D. at May commencement ceremonies there.

• Dr. Julien Doucet, assistant professor in mathematics, was principal writer of “Sums of Powers of Integers” published in Proceedings of the Louisiana-Mississippi Section of the Mathematical Association in January.

• Wanda Moseley, instructor in mathematics, was elected Louisiana state president of Kappa Kappa Iota Educational Sorority in April. Kappa Kappa Iota is the oldest sorority for educators in the nation, dedicated to promoting the advancement of education by providing an effective network for the exchange of education and teaching practices by educators. It unites top educators from a broad cross-section of the country; encourages professional and personal development through workshops, meetings and scholarships; responds to the problem of child abuse and neglect; and provides the opportunity to develop leadership skills.

• Dr. Karen James, associate professor in marketing, received the “Outstanding Advisor of the Year” award from the Student Organization Council for her work with the LSUS American Marketing Association Collegiate Chapter. James and Dr. Wolfgang Hinck, assistant professor in marketing, received AMACC “Chapter Appreciation Awards” for their contributions to the student organization.

• Dr. Beverly Burden, associate professor in biological sciences, conducted a seminar in April at the American Rose Center on “Identification and Control of Common Flower Garden Insect Pests.” In early May, Burden conducted a seminar for the Bossier Optimist Club on “West Nile Virus.”

• Faculty members and students were initiated into the LSUS chapter of the Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi in April. Dr. Martha Mangin, the chapter’s 2002-03 president, said the primary objective of the national Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi is “the recognition and encouragement of superior scholarship in all academic disciplines. The society is convinced that recognizing and honoring those persons of good character who have excelled in scholarship...will stimulate others to strive for excellence.” The initiates included: Faculty – LaMoyne Batten, professor and chair of the Arts/Humanities/Languages Department; Dr. Diane Knight, associate professor in education, and Dr. Ken Masters, associate professor in management/marketing. Graduate Student – Laura Lea Beliech. Seniors – Michelle Leanne Ashby, Sara Burney, Susan Croft, Brian Dupree, August Hurtel, Jennifer Knafla, Sharon Lawrence, Julianna Petchak, Courtney Prothro, Abdul Rehman-Fanian, Marcia Sample, Deserie Templeton and Christen Waldrop. Juniors – Amina Bader, Stacey Belden, Amanda Bell, Virginia Blake, Joshua Cason, Michael Collins, Melissa Dean, Martha Durham, Stephanie Johnson, Krystal King, Joe Lawler, Benjamin Liscano, Dianna McCormick, Heather Marzec, William Murray Jr., Jessica Phipps, Sara Sullivan, Shauna Vaughn, Lindsay Westmoreland and Jeffery Whitton. Chapter officers for 2003-04 were also installed: Dr. Cindy Sisson, president; Krystal King, student vice-president; Rhonda Failey, president-elect; Dr. Stephen Banks, public relations, and Dr. Binshan Lin, secretary-treasurer.

• Dr. Megan Conway, professor in French, presented a paper, “Changes of the Heart and Mind: from de Crenne’s Novel to her Letters,” at the 16th Century Studies Conference in San Antonio in October. In February, she attended the Consortium on Revolutionary Europe in Lafayette, presented a paper, “Olympe de Gouges’ Political Theatre: Mirabeau aux Champs Elysées” and chaired a session on “Bumps on the Road to Revolutionizing Europe.” In March, she presented a paper on a different aspect of Olympe, “Endless Energy: Olympe de Gouges, Indefatigable Feminist, Activist, Playwright, Pamphleteer, Gadfly,” at the South Central Society for 18th-Century Studies in Ft. Worth.

• The College of Business Administration’s Jan. 15 interim progress report to the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) was accepted April 21, bringing with it an excited announcement from Dr. Charlotte Jones, the college’s dean. “Having our AACSB report approved is comparable to receiving reaffirmation of accreditation,” Jones said. “AACSB accreditation is extremely important to the College of Business Administration. It is critical to our reputation with students, potential students, alumni and the business community. It helps us attract quality faculty like the seven we were able to hire this (academic) year. To lose it would be devastating.” The college will have annual data reports and a two-year progress report to submit to AACSB Jan. 15, 2005.

• 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; February – Rachael Green, David K. Switzer, Dorothy Welbourne and Ambassador Faith Whittlesey; March – Phillip Butcher, Joseph Harris, Mary Jarzabek, William D. Pederson and Carolyn Penny; April – Richard Colquette, Pearla Despot, Daniel Klem Jr., William McCleary, William Pederson, Department of the Air Force, The Dept. of Political Science - USAF Academy, Colorado, and Ministry of Flanders, c/o Belgian Embassy at Washington.