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Students treated to Traditions |
Rayma Harchar memorial Tuesday |
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1) PRESIDENT’S EXCELLENCE WINNERS RECOGNIZED: At its convocation Friday, President John L. Crain, left, presented the President’s Excellence Awards to faculty and staff. Receiving the awards were, from left, Lee Lind, unclassified staff service; Cynthia Elliott, faculty service; James Winter, artistic activity; and Agnieszka Gutthy, research.
2) REGENTS PRESENTS MATCHING FUNDS: Robert Bruno, left, a member of the Louisiana Board of Regents, presents a matching funds check from Regents to President Crain. The funds help support the Dorcas and H.N. Capron Jr. Endowed Professorship in Marketing, the Joseph H. Miller Endowed Professorship in Business, and the Marcia and Cameron Barr First Generation Endowed Scholarship.
3) EMERITUS HONOR BESTOWED ON MOFFET: Barbara Moffett, former professor and head of the Southeastern School of Nursing, was named Professor Emeritus and Department Head Emeritus of Nursing at the University’s Fall Convocation Friday. With her is President Crain.
4) ANNUAL PICNIC WELCOMES BACK FACULTY AND STAFF: State Representative Steve Pugh, right, and John Yeargain, Accounting and Finance professor, enjoy the picnic after Friday's Convocation. Sponsored by the Alumni Association, the annual picnic was held in Twelve Oaks.
Crain addresses ‘State of the University’ at Fall Convocation
Calling to mind the popular management book “Who Moved My Cheese,” Southeastern President John L. Crain said the institution has undergone a first-hand experience in the dynamics of change in recent years.
In presenting his State of the University address at the annual fall convocation Friday (August 12) at the university’s Columbia Theatre for the Performing Arts, Crain noted that while additional budget reductions of the projected catastrophic magnitude did not occur, the Southeastern family has learned invaluable lessons, namely that change, however uncomfortable, has to be dealt with directly.
He noted that a relatively standstill budget means the university has an opportunity “to re-direct our energy from reacting to budget cuts to instead developing and implementing new strategies and plans that will help us meet our GRAD Act performance goals,” referring to legislation that allows universities to raise tuition and fees in exchange for meeting specific targets. He said to meet those goals, the university will have to be smart and efficient in how financial and human resources are prioritized, allocated and utilized.
Among the many initiatives to help meet performance expectations, especially in the areas of student retention and graduation rates, he pointed to last year’s increased admission standards, the university’s fourth increase since 2000; a rapidly growing partnership with Northshore Technical/Community College; and the steadily growing Early Start program in which area high school students can pursue college-level credit through coursework at their own schools.
“Things are not going to return to the way they were; no one is going to just put ‘our cheese’ back where it was before,” he said. We have to confront and address reality head on.”
Acknowledging there was no growth in the new budget, he added, “Today we start a new academic year with financial circumstances that are much better than they might have been.”
Crain thanked members of the area’s legislative delegation who were present for helping to curtail additional catastrophic cuts to higher education.
“Although we are a little bruised and battered from the last couple of years, Southeastern is still a great university with a beautiful campus and many caring faculty and staff committed to the success of our students,” he said.
At the convocation, four faculty and staff were recognized with the President’s Awards for Achievement, Southeastern’s highest recognition for faculty and staff. Recipients included:
Agnieszka Gutthy, professor of Spanish, Excellence in Research;James Winter, assistant professor of acting and directing, Excellence in Artistic Activity;Cynthia Elliott, professor in the Department of Teaching and Learning, Excellence in Faculty Service; andLee Lind, director of Student Publications, Excellence in Unclassified Staff Service.
Faculty recognized with emeritus awards included Donnie Booth, professor emeritus of nursing and dean emeritus of nursing and health sciences; David Evenson, professor emeritus and department head emeritus of music and dramatic arts; Katherine Kolb, professor emeritus of foreign languages and literatures; Hunter McAllister, professor emeritus of psychology; and Barbara Moffett, professor emeritus and department head emeritus of nursing.
Also, new endowed professorships and the university’s inaugural First Generation Endowed Scholarship were announced at the event. Robert Bruno, Louisiana Board of Regents member presented a matching funds check from Regents to help support the Dorcas and H.N. Capron Jr. Endowed Professorship in Marketing, the Joseph H. Miller Endowed Professorship in Business, and the Marcia and Cameron Barr First Generation Endowed Scholarship.
The Convocation included recognition of all new faculty tenure appointments and promotions and awards to faculty and staff for 25, 30, 35 and 40 years of service and was followed by a picnic on campus sponsored by the Southeastern Alumni Association.
Students begin college career with Traditions at Southeastern
Southeastern students will have the opportunity to begin a new semester getting to know their peers and all that the university has to offer thanks to “Traditions.”
“Traditions provides new and returning students with various programming and information to assist them in making Southeastern their home away from home,” said Vice President for Student Affairs Marvin Yates. “Students have the opportunity through Traditions to get to know each other and the campus and become comfortable with the routine of campus life.”
“Students who become engaged with their institution early in their college careers in general perform better academically and socially,” said Yates. “We see this as a way of engaging new and returning students at Southeastern.”
“Traditions” begins Sunday, Aug. 14, with Move-in Mane-ia from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Pennington Student Activity Center. Students can check in at their designated move-in time and receive Traditions materials.
Also scheduled on Sunday is the official Traditions kick-off from 5 – 6:45 at the University Center. Students can meet their Traditions leaders, enjoy entertainment and get fired up about the week. Team meetings are scheduled from 6 – 8 p.m., followed by Late Night with the Pennington at 8:30 p.m. in the Pennington Student Activity Center.
Monday, Aug. 15, begins with international student orientation from 8 to 11 a.m. Sponsored by Multicultural and International Student Affairs, the orientation will take place in the Student Union Theatre.
From 6:15 – 6:45 p.m. students can check out the most spirited place for all home football games, Strawberry Stadium, during “Inside the Den.” Students will meet their mentors and other team members and get a sneak peek at the 2011 Lions football team.
“Live @ the Oak” with Southeastern’s organizations is scheduled at 7 p.m. in Friendship Circle. Sponsored by Campus Activities Board, the event features live music and free food.
Tuesday, August 16, is highlighted by “Picnic with the President” from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Twelve Oaks. Sponsored by the Student Government Association, the picnic provides students an opportunity to get to know President John Crain while enjoying lunch and mingling with their academic advisors.
Tuesday concludes with Strawberry Jam, the official semester kick-off party in the Strawberry Stadium parking facility. Sponsored by the Division of Student Affairs, Strawberry Jam is scheduled from 6 – 9 p.m. and includes music, free pizza, t-shirts and giveaways.
Traditions will conclude on Wednesday, Aug. 17, the first day of classes, with First Day Q&A. Scheduled at 8 a.m. in the Student Union Mall, students can stop by the Traditions tent to get answers to all their first day questions.
For more information about Traditions, contact the Division of Student Affairs at 549-5250.
Business Incubator hatches new companies for area needs
With Louisiana’s various business and tax incentives to start digital media and computer software enterprises, spurred on by Louisiana Economic Development and various Blue Ocean strategies, increasing numbers of companies are viewing Louisiana as the state to grow these specialized ventures.
One of those companies is Envoc. Initially in Houston as High Power Consulting, it has made its entry into the Louisiana market and is contributing to the growth of this prized industry sector in the state. One year ago, Envoc came under the wing of the Southeast Louisiana Business Center and is fast becoming a success story for the center’s business incubator.
“Southeastern has provided a professional business environment for our developers to innovate,” says Envoc Chief Executive Officer Calvin Fabre. “This has included a professional office building, conference and meeting rooms, and human resources, including market analysts to assist with pricing models and general business ideas.”
Envoc is a Louisiana-based company specializing in creating software and applications unique to individual businesses. The company deals with small businesses all the way to Fortune 500 companies that want a technology partner that excels in working with Enterprise-grade I.T. departments. It was founded in 1997 in Houston and relocated to Louisiana in 2002. Envoc has completed work for U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Louisiana Department of Labor, Entergy, El Paso Entergy, Edgen-Murray and other large clients.
Fabre began working with center director William Joubert in 2010 and later brought Envoc into the incubator in the fall semester. Joubert sees Envoc as a great partner for the center and the university. The university-based incubator, Fabre added, combined with student talent should create new opportunities for Envoc.
“It is very exciting to have companies like Envoc in our incubator,” Joubert said. “The state has placed high priority in recruiting these kinds of firms. Technology companies tend to move very fast, and they are fun to work with.”
Joubert said the incubator’s goal is to help companies like Envoc develop a strong foundation and then “graduate” them into the business community. Companies in the incubator have access to the Business Center’s physical resources and amenities as well as the brain power and expertise of consultants with the university’s Louisiana Small Business Development Center, located in the same structure near the campus.
The incubator has hosted nearly 20 tenants since its opening several years ago. Joubert said business incubators have proven to significantly reduce the risk of small business failures, increase the creation of jobs more effectively and make important contributions to local economies. Companies developed in Southeastern’s incubator have garnered nearly $14 million in new capital to grow their businesses.
Fabre does not outsource overseas and hires as many local resources as he can. He believes very strongly that he doesn’t need to go elsewhere to find skilled programmers, but that he can find high quality talent in his own backyard.
“I’m a Southeastern graduate and know that the university’s computer science program is creating high-end graduates with cross-cutting skills that out-perform their counterparts,” says Fabre. “By hiring area graduates from Southeastern, LSU and Nicholls State and participating with our local colleges in an advisory role, Envoc is working to make Louisiana the technology capital of the south.”
Fabre is grateful to Southeastern and understands the incubator is only the starting point. He envisions expanding the specialized software company into at least three states by the end of the year while creating additional jobs in Hammond and other Louisiana communities.
“The incubator is like a ‘Singles Group’ where the purpose of participating in the group is to get out,” said Fabre. “Hopefully, we will grow to a size that they kick us out.”
For more information on the Southeastern Business Incubator, contact Joubert at wjoubert@selu.edu or 985-549-3831.
CLIENT GAINS VALUABLE ADVICE: Calvin Fabre (right), CEO of Envoc, discusses business strategy with Wayne Ricks, senior consultant with the Louisiana Small Business Development Center at Southeastern Louisiana University. Envoc is a client in the business incubator operated by the university’s Southeast Louisiana Business Center, a one-stop shop designed to attract new businesses to the area and help existing businesses expand.
BBC on campus for Great Depression story
British Broadcasting Corporation reporter Laura Sheeter visited Southeastern’s campus in recent weeks gathering information for a report she is preparing on the Great Depression for the BBC program “Witness.” The program highlights interviews with individuals who lived through exceptional events in history.
Sheeter interviewed Allie Hyde, Southeastern alumna and mother of Sam Hyde, director of the Center for Southeast Louisiana Studies. Ms. Hyde related stories of how her family had lost its business and much of their property in the crash of 1929 while living in Yazoo City, Miss. Other memories she related included the bartering trade for goods and services that was ongoing during the period, the work of the Civilian Conservation Corps and the WPA staffers in the area, and the survival of the Bank of Greensburg, which survived the Depression because depositors agreed not to rush the bank for collection.
Hyde said Center for Southeast Louisiana Studies is providing photos to the BBC of the area during the Depression to complement the online version of the Worldreport. Hyde is also working with Southeastern radio station KSLU and local station WHMD-WFPR to provide music from the era to supplement the show.
Above: Allie Hyde, left, is interviewed by BBC reporter Laura Sheeter in the Center for Southeast Louisiana Studies on how the Great Depression affected the general area. Observing is Sam Hyde, who provided the television program with photos taken of workers in the area during the Depression.
Memorial service planned for Rayma Harchar
In a sincere effort to honor the memory and contributions of Dr. Rayma Harchar to Southeastern, a memorial service has been arranged for her on Tuesday, August 16, from 3 to 3:45 p.m. in the TEC Lecture Hall.
The Department is accepting contributions to honor Dr. Harchar with a plaque in the Southeastern Educator’s Honor Roll. Those wishing to make a contribution, should see Maureen TEC, room 1004.
Southeastern’s NSSLHA Chapter receives national honor
The National Student Speech Language and Hearing Association recently awarded the Bronze Chapter Recognition Award of 2011 to the local chapter at Southeastern.
This honor is awarded to chapters that demonstrate an awareness of student issues and concerns, outreach to the community, educational opportunities, and social and fund-raising activities promoting the profession and the national association. NSSLHA is a pre-professional membership association for students interested in the study of communication sciences and disorders.
“Our members are extremely active and work very hard in the areas of fundraising, community service, advocacy, and career awareness,” says Lillian Stiegler, professor of speech pathology at Southeastern and the NSSLHA chapter advisor. “For the past two years, our chapter has represented our region in the Knowledge Bowl at the national convention, and at the 2010 convention in Philadelphia we won third place in the nation. We’re well known on the national level for the strength of our organization.”
Chapters receiving “Bronze” recognition must meet several requirements, including being in good standing with the national association, participation in Communication Sciences and Disorders Awareness Month, and participation in advocacy issues, including letter-writing or meetings with elected officials.
Southeastern’s chapter – part of the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders – has approximately 60 members and is one of more than 300 chapters nationally. According to Stiegler, Southeastern is the only chapter in Louisiana to receive this award.
Registration open for Southeastern Community Music School
Registration is underway for the fall session of Southeastern’s Community Music School (CMS), which begins Monday, August 29.
Registration remains open throughout the semester; however, a late registration fee of $20 will be assessed after August 20. Students of all ages and backgrounds may participate in private lessons, classes and ensembles taught by Southeastern’s music faculty and student instructors.
CMS Director Jivka Jeleva said the CMS is well known in Hammond and the surrounding Northshore communities and is characterized by high quality instruction, competitive rates and a stress free environment.
“The real advantage of our CMS program continues to be the one-on-one, nurturing music instruction given by our superb faculty, which is second to none,” said Jeleva. “CMS students who matriculate through our system and desire to pursue a music degree at Southeastern are always among the top scholarship recipients.”
In addition to the main campus, CMS is again offering a variety of musical instruction through either private lessons or group classes at the St. Tammany Center in the parish governmental complex on Koop Drive north of Mandeville and at the Livingston Literacy and Technology Center in Walker, including the following three classes:
High School/Adult Group Piano Class is offered at both the Southeastern main campus and the Livingston Literacy and Technology Center. Taught by Lucian Zidaru, the course content includes basic piano skills, music reading, chords playing, improvisation and technique development. It is suitable for beginners as well as those who have played previously.Beginning Group Violin Class is scheduled at the Livingston Literacy and Technology Center in Walker. Taught by Jeleva, the class will lay the foundations of violin playing and basic music theory, while developing listening and ensemble skills.Music Theory classes are at the Southeastern campus location in Hammond. Taught by Jordan Foster, the classes include lessons on notation, musical terms, ear training and dictation, basic harmony, sight singing, analysis and the basics of composition. The curriculum will help students apply these skills directly to performance study. Students unsure of the appropriate class will take a placement test and, based upon results, be assigned to an elementary, intermediate, advanced or adult theory class.
All three classes include 10 one-hour lessons over a period of 10 weeks and begin the week of Sept. 6.
For more information about these and all CMS programs and general registration, call 985-549-5502, or visit the CMS website at www.selu.edu/cms.
Bogalusa Daily News
Parish primed for retail, industrial expansion, study says
http://www.gobogalusa.com/articles/2011/08/10/news/doc4e4272ff15382016009160.txt
Converge Technology Magazine (August 11, 2011)
Universities refine mobile strategy
http://www.convergemag.com/policy/Universities-Refine-Mobile-Strategy.html
This Week in Athletics
The 2011-12 Southeastern Athletics year officially begins this week, as the defending Southland Conference regular season champion Southeastern women’s soccer team opens its 2011 campaign with a pair of non-conference home matches.
The Lady Lions return 17 letter winners from last season’s squad, which tied a single-season school record for victories and won the fifth Southland regular season title in school history, finishing with a 15-3-3 overall record. Southeastern welcomes Alcorn State to the Southeastern Soccer Complex on Friday for a 3:30 p.m. match, before returning to its home pitch for a 1 p.m. match with Alabama State on Sunday at 1 p.m. match.
The Southeastern football program will also continue its preparations for the Sept. 3 opener versus Tulane, as it will hold will hold its first-ever Kickoff Reception on Aug. 20 at Twelve Oaks on the Southeastern campus.
The event, which begins at 6 p.m., will give fans an exclusive opportunity to meet the 2011 Southeastern football team and coaching staff. Fans will also be able to view the new uniforms the Lions will wear at home and on the road for the 2011 season.
Admission is $20 per person with all children 11 and under admitted free. Refreshments will be served.
For more information, contact Anna Woodall in the Southeastern Athletic Department at 549-2395.
Friday, August 19Women’s Soccer, vs. Alcorn State, Southeastern Soccer Complex, 3:30 p.m.
Saturday, August 20Football, Kickoff Reception, Twelve Oaks, 6 p.m.
Sunday, August 21Women’s Soccer, vs. Alabama State, Southeastern Soccer Complex, 1 p.m.
Southeastern home events in bold
Professional Activities
Dr. William F. Font (Biological Sciences) has published an article entitled “Metacercaria of Alloglossidium corti (Digenea: Macroderoididae) from three species of crayfish (Decapoda: Cambaridae) in Arkansas and Oklahoma, U.S.A.” in the latest issue of Comparative Parasitology. The paper was coauthored by C.T. McAllister and H.W. Robison of Eastern Oklahoma State College.
Dr. Robert Kraemer (Kinesiology and Health Studies) attended the annual American College of Sports Medicine meeting in Denver in June and presented a study, “Effects of prolonged running on agouti-related protein and cortisol.” Coauthors included graduate student Michelle Francois and Dr. Roldan Valverde (Biology), as well as Dan Castracane, TTUHCS - Odessa and Abbass Ghanbari-Niaki from the University of Mazandran, Iran. At the same meeting Kraemer chaired an ACSM research session, “Normobaric Hypoxia.” In addition Kraemer served on the committees of two graduating PhD students, Jason Miller at the University of Utah and Ryan Russell at LSU, and was a coauthor on Miller’s July research presentation “The effect of exercise order on testosterone responses to lower and upper body resistance training exercises” at the National Strength and Conditioning meeting in Las Vegas. Kraemer was also coauthor of a research Russell’s presentation in April, “Metabolic Inflexibility: The Link Connecting Diabetics with First and Second Degree Offspring of Diabetes” at the Experimental Biology and Medicine meeting in Washington, DC. In July Kraemer also presented an invited lecture to the faculty and students in Department of Kinesiology at the University of Wisconsin La Crosse entitled “Exercise endocrinology: Important chemical messages during physical activity.”
Dr Thomas Sommerfeld (Chemistry and Physics) and former chemistry major Becky Weber (now a graduate student at the University of North Texas) published the paper “Empirical Correlation Methods for Temporary Anions” in the Journal of Physical Chemistry. The paper can be accessed at http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/jp202817d.
Andrew Traver (History) presented a paper entitled “Thomas Aquinas and Nicholas of Lisieux on Evangelical Perfection” at the International Medieval Congress in Leeds.
ByLion is published weekly online (bi-weekly during the summer session) for the faculty and staff of Southeastern Louisiana University. Send submissions to publicinfo@selu.edu, SLU 10880, fax 985-549-2061, or bring to Public Information Office in East Stadium. Submission deadline is 4:30 p.m. on Thursday.
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