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Doctor of nursing practice offered |
Early education students practice craft Civil War readings at Sims Library |
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ByLion to take a break
This will be the last issue of the ByLion until next year. ByLion will resume its regular weekly schedule on January 17, 2012.
Southeastern confers degrees on more than 1,200
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Southeastern conferred degrees on more than 1,200 graduates Saturday, Dec. 10, at the university’s fall commencement exercises.
Robert W. Levy, the current chair of the Louisiana Board of Regents, was the keynote speaker at the 10 a.m. ceremony in the University Center arena. Candidates for associate, bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees were led into the arena by the Golden Graduates, alumni who graduated 50 or more years earlier.
In his welcome Southeastern President John L. Crain noted that the 1,274 individuals being recognized at commencement included 470 men and 804 women who were receiving 17 different degrees; and representatives from 19 states and 17 countries. Fifteen candidates received the doctorate in educational leadership and were hooded by their major professors.
Students receiving doctoral degrees were:
Linda Baker, Hammond; Melanie Clement Becnel, Wilbert Boudreaux and Mary Falgout Breaud, Thibodaux; Arthur Ellis Bernard III, Denham Springs; Joseph Bradley Brumfield, McComb, Miss.; Shayla Alexis Guidry, New Orleans; Arthur M. Joffrion Jr., Houma; Kelli Yvette Joseph, LaPlace; Shannon Lee Lafont, Schriever; Katherine Matranga Lorio, Madisonville; Ragan D. Lorraine, Cut Off; Tarakeshwar Mishra, Fort Smith, Ark.; Cherissa Legendre Vitter, Covington; and Debra J. Yarbrough, Labadieville.
The university awarded its highest academic honor, the President’s Medal for Academic Excellence, to seven students with the highest cumulative grade point average in the university’s five colleges.
Medal recipients were:
▪ College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences – art major Alexandra Berndt of Loranger, 4.0 GPA; English major Teresa C. Burkett of Loranger, 4.0 GPA; Spanish major Whitney L. Tisdale of Hammond, 4.0 GPA.
▪ College of Business – accounting major Rhonda Olson Fairburn of Abita Springs, 3.979 GPA.
▪ College of Education and Human Development – early childhood education major Marie Nicole Holley of Ponchatoula, 3.960 GPA.
▪ College of Nursing and Health Sciences – nursing major Tiffany Hollenbeck of New Orleans, 3.977 GPA.
▪ College of Science and Technology – computer science major Travis M. Duryea of Mandeville, 3.794 GPA.
1) President’s Medal Winners: Southeastern awarded its highest academic honor, the President’s Medal for Academic Excellence, to seven students with the highest cumulative grade point averages in the university’s five colleges at Saturday’s commencement ceremony. Seated from left are Teresa C. Burkett of Loranger, Whitney L. Tisdale of Hammond, Tiffany Hollenbeck of New Orleans, and Alexandra Berndt of Loranger. Standing, from left are Louisiana Rep. Steve Pugh, President John L. Crain, Travis M. Duryea of Mandeville, Marie N. Holley of Ponchatoula, Rhonda Fairburn of Abita Springs, and commencement speaker Robert W. Levy, chair of the Louisiana Board of Regents.
2) Commencement speaker: Robert W. Levy, chairman of the Louisiana Board of Regents, addresses the more than 1,200 graduates at Southeastern’s commencement ceremony Saturday.
Southeastern approved to offer doctor of nursing practice degree in partnership with ULL
The Louisiana Board of Regents Wednesday (Dec. 7) approved a proposal by Southeastern and the University of Louisiana at Lafayette to begin offering a doctor of nursing practice degree.
The program, which has been in development by the two institutions for several years, is one of the first DNP program to be offered at public universities in Louisiana and is designed to meet critical needs in the healthcare industry, including alleviating a shortage of doctorally-prepared faculty to teach future nurses.
“We are pleased the Board of Regents recognized both the need and the quality of the program we will offer,” said Southeastern President John L. Crain. “With the state projecting healthcare as a targeted growth area, this program can have an important impact on meeting the needs and demands associated with that growth.”
The DNP program is the second doctoral-level program to be offered by a Southeastern-ULL partnership. In 2006, the Board of Regents approved the institutions request to offer a joint doctoral degree in educational leadership. The program also builds on a highly successful masters in nursing practice program that the two institutions have offered for years in a consortium that also includes McNeese State University in Lake Charles.
An initial cohort of students is expected to enroll in fall 2012.
Under the arrangement, Southeastern and ULL will share program planning, curriculum development, instruction via the Internet and library resources. Each university will award the DNP degree to students enrolled in the program at their institution.
“The partnership is a great example of collaborative planning and excellent use of state resources,” Crain added. “By combining the strengths and resources of each institution, we are able to offer a much-needed program in a more cost effective manner.”
Implementation of the new program is not expected to require additional funding or faculty initially, Crain said, as costs will be addressed through reallocation of current resources.
Ann Carruth, interim dean of the Southeastern College of Nursing and Health Sciences, said the program is an important step in helping Louisiana address pressing healthcare needs.
“Louisiana falls below the national level for both doctorally prepared and baccalaureate prepared nurses,” Carruth said. “We need to significantly accelerate the number of graduates at both levels to meet our needs for a well educated nursing workforce.”
Southeastern SAAC Participates in Southland’s “12 Days of Christmas”
The Southeastern Student-Athlete Advisory Committee recently participated in the Southland Conference’s “12 Days of Christmas” campaign by contributing to the university-wide “Toys from the Heart” program.
The Southeastern SAAC partnered with Southeastern’s Greek organizations Kappa Alpha Psi Inc., Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. and Zeta Phi Beta Inc., along with the Recreational Sports and Wellness Department and the Office of Multicultural and Student Affairs (MISA) to make the toy drive a success.
Through donations collected from their teammates and funds raised at the Gumbo Cook Off, members of the SAAC raised $1,000, then bought and wrapped over 100 gifts at their monthly meeting on Dec. 2. The toy drive is expected to bring joy into the lives of nearly 400 underprivileged Hammond-area children this holiday season.
Southeastern student-athletes participate in community service projects throughout the year, not just at the holidays. Recently the Lions and Lady Lions held a week-long canned food drive, collecting goods at three Southeastern basketball games to donate to the Tangi Food Pantry.
For the fifth consecutive holiday season, Southland Conference institutions are hosting the annual “Twelve Days of Christmas,” a community service project coordinated by the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee in an effort to reach out to their respective local communities. Each institution will plan and execute a community service project leading up the Christmas break.
Above: Southeastern student-athletes display the over 100 gifts the athletic department contributed to the university’s “Toys from the Heart” drive. Pictured from left are Karly Dagys, Megan McMillan, Tamra Grayson, Kyle MacIntosh, Paige Dollison, Gabrielle Dubroc, Jennifer Marzi and Torin Lucas.
Southeastern’s Business Incubator adds two clients
Two new clients have been added to the Southeastern business incubator, a unit of the Southeast Louisiana Business Center.
The JBM Group, a company of computer consultants focused primarily on services for law enforcement agencies, and the multifaceted marketing and communications firm 5 Stones Media are now conducting business in the university facility, located off-campus at 1514 Martens Drive.
“We welcome the addition to the incubator of these two up-and-coming companies that we believe have strong potential to establish themselves in this area,” said William Joubert, director of the business center. “These are the kinds of businesses that our state economic development leaders are hoping will take root and expand. We’re happy to be able to provide them the business support and marketing expertise that comes with being a part of the incubator.”
JBM is operated by Barbara M. Ruppert and Michael DiMaggio, both Southeastern graduates. The company provides programming services for a number of organizations, including law enforcement agencies such as the sheriffs’ offices in Jefferson, St. James, and Lafayette parishes.
“Our clients depend on us to provide custom software solutions, general information systems management tasks and support for the Automated Record Management and Mapping System (ARMMS), which is used by many Louisiana law enforcement agencies to cover a wide range of needs from criminal history record keeping to jail management,” said Ruppert.
While ARMMS is public domain software and free to any agency that wants to use it, the program does require installation, setup, training and ongoing support, which JBM provides, she added.
Ruppert and DiMaggio have extensive experience in information technology and law enforcement support and have typically performed most duties themselves.
“JBM is taking the next step in business expansion by hiring employees to assist in application programming,” said Joubert. “This gives them time to spend more time consulting with current and potential clients and further the development of the business. With the help of the business development staff here at the center, they are structuring their operation into more of a general business model that will allow growth and provide a wider variety of services for their current and future clients.”
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Southeastern Channel student program wins an Emmy
A student-produced program for Southeastern’s television station was recognized with a coveted Emmy Award at the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Suncoast regional gala in Miami.
“Glazed: The University Donuts Story,” produced by students Stephen Pfeil of Hammond and Calvin Nix of Baton Rouge, won the Emmy in the Student Productions: Non-News category.
A documentary about the origin and operation of Hammond’s University Donuts shop and the donut industry in general, “Glazed” features original footage of the shop’s operations that start at 2 a.m. each morning. The program also includes humorous archival clips about donuts from old commercials and “The Simpsons,” along with statistics about the world popularity of donuts.
Pfeil, a former University Donuts employee, not only wrote, directed and videotaped the project, he also edited the production and created screen graphics.
“It is a great honor to have been awarded a student Emmy,” Pfeil said. “It’s a form of professional vindication for my work, showing me that I could make a living in the industry.
“The documentary has a human-interest side,” he added. “And the appeal is not just about donuts. But who doesn’t like donuts, right?”
Nix co-produced “Glazed,” handling scheduling of location shots and conducting the on-camera interviews. He also assisted in the editing process.
“The moment they called ‘Glazed’ all I could do is jump up with excitement and a heart of gratefulness,” Nix said. “Winning a student Emmy demonstrates how hard work and sacrifice can result in high recognition. This Emmy gives me hope and lets me know that I can achieve whatever I desire.”
The Southeastern Channel program was the only university production to win an Emmy out of 12 college nominees, including seven from the Southeastern Channel. Competition included all university television stations and production entities in the Suncoast Region of Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Puerto Rico. Other 2011 student nominees included the University of Florida and the University of Miami.
“Glazed” was the first college production to win a student Emmy since the Southeastern Channel last won in 2005 for the documentary short “For the Love of the Game” about former Southeastern baseball coach John Stephenson.
NATAS awards Emmys to those productions achieving excellence in television at the highest level. Winners are selected after rounds of judging against the Emmy standard of excellence, not against other productions. Categories with nominees often have no winner.
It marks the seventh Emmy overall won by the Southeastern Channel in the past seven years. The channel has received 29 Emmy nominations during that time.
“It’s a tremendous honor for our students to win an Emmy, as it’s the highest honor given in television,” said Channel General Manager Rick Settoon. “Stephen and Calvin are most deserving of this Emmy recognition. They’re talented and worked hard to produce a very creative, informative and entertaining documentary.”
A Southeastern Channel student documentary production recently won an Emmy at the 2011 Suncoast Region Emmy Awards gala in Miami. The student documentary “Glazed: The University Donuts Story” was the only Emmy winner selected out of 12 college nominees. Pictured from left are student producers Stephen Pfeil of Hammond and Calvin Nix of Baton Rouge and Southeastern Channel General Manager Rick Settoon.
Early education students practice craft 
Southeastern education senior Amber Madere of Gonzales, dressed as Dorothy in “The Wizard of Oz,” guides young Emerson Acosta of the Southeastern Lab School in an activity designed to encourage higher order thinking skills. Each semester, Southeastern students taking the Early Childhood Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten Methods course create developmentally appropriate learning centers in order to demonstrate their skills in teaching pre-kindergarten and kindergarten aged students. The students present their learning centers and activities to local early childhood students, early childhood educators, and the Southeastern community. This semester over 40 children and many more educators, visitors, and current Southeastern students participated in Southeastern’s Early Childhood EXPO presentation.
Sims Library to sponsor Civil War reading and discussion series
Sims Memorial Library at Southeastern has been awarded a grant from the American Library Association and the National Endowment for the Humanities to sponsor a five-part reading and discussion series on the Civil War.
Entitled “Let’s Talk About It: Making Sense of the American Civil War,” the discussion series, as well as topical books, will be offered at no charge on five Tuesday evenings in the Southeastern library starting Jan. 31 and concluding March 27, said Beth Stahr, head of reference and instruction. She and fellow librarians Dayne Sherman and Ladonna Guillot wrote the application for the $3,000 competitive grant.
In addition to the in-depth sessions on campus, the grant -- one of only 65 awarded from more than 175 submitted -- will allow the university to partner with the Southeastern Department of History and Political Science and the Tangipahoa Parish Library System to offer six free Civil War presentations next year at area libraries.
“This is a natural follow-up to the national exhibit which the library hosted earlier this year on the Constitutional crises that President Abraham Lincoln faced during the Civil War,” said library Director Eric Johnson. “We’re pleased to be able to offer this exceptional discussion series to our area residents.”
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German’s word book cited as a ‘Best of 2011”
A vocabulary book authored by English Professor Norman German has been cited as one of the “Best of 2011” by Kirkus Reviews, an American book review magazine that serves the book and literary trade sector.
German’s The Word on Words: The Play of Language was recognized in the magazine as first in the “Best of Indie” Arts and Letters category and fourth in non-fiction for books produced by independent publishers.
German expressed his gratitude to the university and the English Department for the sabbatical he took in 2008 that allowed him to finish the book.
Published in June, The Word on Words takes an innovative and interactive approach to vocabulary building and is considered an ideal general text for students preparing for aptitude or admissions tests, such as the SAT or ACT. The book uses humor and etymology – the actual word origins from foreign languages – as memory devices to help build a more dynamic vocabulary. More than 1,500 words are defined in a wide range of areas through the use of fascinating and humorous essays about their origins and roots.
Kirkus Reviews describes the book as “lively, informative and thoroughly beguiling,” and said, “The author introduces readers to some of the knottier words in the language through an approach that mixes analysis, history and lots of engaging anecdotes. His method is to seize on dusty old lexical roots, usually from Latin but also from Greek, Old English, Norse and French, and to follow their branchings through the modern English words derived from them. It’s a fun read that sparkles with photographs, bright colors and crazy-quilt fonts; but this smorgasbord is still a serious textbook; readers will gain not just a store of factoids but a sharpened ability to analyze new words and a deeper appreciation for the history and beauty of the language.”
The book is available through Amazon.com.
Chefs Evening is April 1, 2012
Southeastern receives $4.9 million in TRIO program grants
The U.S. Department of Education has awarded the TRIO programs at Southeastern nearly $5 million to provide counseling and information on college admissions to individuals from underserved populations looking to enter postsecondary education.
TRIO refers to the original three programs of the Higher Education Act of 1968: Upward Bound, Talent Search and Student Support Services. While retaining the TRIO name, the program has expanded to include other programs, including Veterans Upward Bound and Educational Opportunity Centers.
“These programs are geared toward first generation and low income students in an effort to prepare them for postsecondary education opportunities,” said Duane Donald, Southeastern coordinator of Special Projects and TRIO. “The programs have proven to be very effective, and many students from low income families depend on them to succeed academically in high school and college.”
Educational Talent Search programs for Tangipahoa and Washington parishes were awarded $3.04 million to cover operations through August 2016. The grants fund programs in selected schools in the two parishes.
Serving junior and senior high school students, ETS offers academic tutoring and non-academic services, including personal and career counseling, information on financial aid and ACT/SAT testing.
The Educational Opportunity Center at Southeastern received a $1.87 million grant through 2016. Donald said the program annually serves more than 1,200 individuals in the nine parishes of East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, Iberville, Jefferson, Orleans, St. Helena, St. John the Baptist, Tangipahoa and Washington.
The program, he said, is committed to improving the lives of its participants by providing services, such as academic assistance, career exploration, enrollment and financial aid assistance and financial and economic literacy counseling.
Donald said the EOC program maintains strong partnerships with numerous organizations and schools that are also working to assist individuals from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds.
Southeastern yearbook featured in Best of Collegiate Design
Southeastern’s 2010 yearbook “Le Souvenir” has been featured in the 19th edition of College Media Association’s Best of Collegiate Design.
Patrick Costilow of Slidell, a visual art/graphic design major who graduated last May, received second place in the area of student life spread for yearbooks and third place in informational graphics for all publications for an article about the 2010 BP oil spill. He was also recognized with an honorable mention award in the cover category for yearbooks.
The awards were selected from more than 1,000 entries submitted by 74 colleges and universities.
“I’m very proud of our yearbook staff. They have established a tradition of creating eye-catching designs that showcase the university, while creating enduring memories that students will look back on and enjoy in the years to come,” said Lee Lind, director of Student Publications. “Our student staff works very hard all year long capturing the information and images that become ‘Le Souvenir.’ Recognition such as this is a great acknowledgement of their efforts.”
College Media Association has been working since 1954 to help student media professionals improve their media operations. Endorsed by state and regional professional and college media associations and schools and departments of mass communication, CMA communicates and works with professional media organizations and education associations on the local, state, and national levels.
Southeastern in the news
Associated Press (multiple publications)
SLU receives $4.9 million in TRIO grantshttp://digital.olivesoftware.com/OLIVE/ODE/APRESS/LandingPage/LandingPage.aspx?href=QW1QLzIwMTEvMTIvMTI.&pageno=Nw..&entity=QXIwMDcwOQ..&view=ZW50aXR5
New degree programs proposed at LA collegeshttp://content.usatoday.net/dist/custom/gci/InsidePage.aspx?cId=theadvertiser&sParam=38125015.story
BR Advocate
Colleges seeking new degreeshttp://theadvocate.com/news/education/1513422-123/colleges-seeking-new-degrees.html
Training offered on spotting child sex abuse
http://theadvocate.com/news/livingston/1495305-123/training-offered-on-spotting-child.html SLU graduation speaker to be regents’ chairman
http://theadvocate.com/news/livingston/1472854-123/slu-graduation-speaker-to-be.html
Hammond Daily StarDoctor of nursing degree wins approval
http://www.hammondstar.com/articles/2011/12/08/top_stories/education/5544.txt
Hammond Ballet’s Nutcracker celebrates 15th anniversary
http://www.hammondstar.com/articles/2011/12/08/community/kids_shine/9401.txt
WAFB.comBusiness incubator adds two new clients
http://tangipahoa.wafb.com/news/business/51470-southeasterns-business-incubator-adds-two-new-clients
TRIO Program receives grant funds
http://tangipahoa.wafb.com/news/business/51467-southeasterns-program-receives-5-million-help-low-income-students
This Week in Athletics
The Southeastern men’s and women’s basketball teams both have two non-conference games during this week in Southeastern Athletics.
The Lions (4-3) will open the week at home on Monday, hosting Southern at 7 p.m. in the University Center. The visiting Jaguars are coached by former Lion associate head coach Roman Banks. On Saturday, Southeastern heads to Arkansas for a 2 p.m. contest with the Razorbacks.
The Lady Lions (4-5) will host the Christmas Classic on Friday and Saturday at the University Center. Southeastern will face Alcorn State on Friday at 7 p.m. and Florida A&M on Saturday at 4 p.m. Freshman guard Elizabeth Styles will be Saturday’s Spotlight Player of the Game and the first 100 fans will receive a trading card featuring the Savannah, Ga. native courtesy of the Southeastern PRIDE.
Northwestern State will also take part in the inaugural Christmas Classic. The Lady Demons will take on FAMU on Friday at 5 p.m. and Alcorn State at 2 p.m. on Saturday.
All of this week’s basketball games will be broadcast in the Hammond area on KSLU-FM (90.9) and on the Internet at www.LionSports.net.
Monday, December 12
Men’s Basketball, vs. Southern, University Center, 7 p.m. (KSLU)Friday, December 16
Women’s Basketball, vs. Alcorn State (Christmas Classic), University Center, 7 p.m. (KSLU)Women’s Basketball, Northwestern State vs. Florida A&M (Christmas Classic), University Center, 5 p.m.
Saturday, December 17
Men’s Basketball, at Arkansas, Fayetteville, Ark., 2 p.m. (KSLU)Women’s Basketball, vs. Florida A&M (Christmas Classic), University Center, 4 p.m. (KSLU)Women’s Basketball, Northwestern State vs. Alcorn State (Christmas Classic), University Center, 2 p.m.
Southeastern home events in bold
Professional activities
The Division of Administration and Finance and the Human Resources Department were recently featured in The Higher Education Workplace for their fundraising efforts for Relay for Life. The article can be accessed at: http://www.cupahr.org/knowledgecenter/files/heworkplace/HEWorkplace_Vol3No3_GivingBack.pdf.
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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