Items included in the “University News” section of the System Review are submitted each week by the universities. The news items are listed in rotating alphabetical order by university.

UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI NEWS
Southern Miss Luckyday Scholars Program Receives National Recognition
The Luckyday Citizenship Scholars Program at The University of Southern Mississippi won a Silver Award in the 2006 NASPA (National Association of Student Personnel Administrators) Excellence Awards Program. NASPA is the premier professional organization in student affairs. Southern Miss won the silver award for the Enrollment Management, Orientation, Parents, First-Year, Other-Year category. “We’re honored to have been selected for this award,” said Larry Sparkman, director of the Southern Miss Luckyday Citizenship Scholars Program. “The Luckyday Foundation has provided Mississippi’s sons and daughters with amazing opportunities for student success and development and has been a generous supporter of Southern Miss by equipping us to do truly unique work with students as they pursue higher education.” Mandy Lawrence, a Southern Miss Luckyday Scholar, who is a senior from Biloxi majoring in history and English, said, “I like how the program develops the scholars who participate, including the freshman development program, study-abroad opportunities and the community service and leadership development components.” The Luckyday Foundation was created by the late Frank Rogers Day of Jackson and awards scholarships to exemplary high school seniors who are committed to community service. Students may receive $2,500 per year and up to $10,000 over four academic years along with opportunities to apply for a $4,000 study-abroad scholarship. Learn more.

Southern Miss Students Perform Community Service on King Holiday

Southern Miss Professor Co-edits Book of Hurricane Poems

40th Annual Children's Book Festival Set for March 28-30

ALCORN STATE UNIVERSITY NEWS
ASU School of Education and Psychology Recent Accreditation Completed Successfully
The Professional Education Unit, through the School of Education and Psychology, at Alcorn State University was recently evaluated for continued accreditation by the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE). The team consisted of both state and national team members. The team was most impressed with their visit and findings. It has been recommended to the Unit Accrediting Board (UAB) that the Professional Education Unit have continued accreditation based on the findings that all standards at both the undergraduate and graduate levels have been met. Upon the final decision from the Unit Accrediting Board, which is expected during the March or April, additional information will be announced. Learn more.

DELTA STATE UNIVERSITY NEWS
Delta State Tabs New Head Football Coach
Delta State University announced Ron Roberts as its 17th head football coach this week. The defensive coordinator for the Statesmen since 2005 and the architect of one of the top defenses in the Gulf South Conference, Roberts assumes the reigns immediately from outgoing head coach Rick Rhoades, who stepped down after five seasons late last week. “Ron Roberts has everything I was looking for in a coach,” said Dr. Brad Teague, Director of Athletics. “Ron has produced a proven track record of success everywhere he has been, and I believe he has the integrity, values, and desire to lead this program into the future.” Learn more.

‘Suit Yourself,’ Delta State Career Services Launches Innovative Program

22 and Counting, Delta State Professor to Speak at Ag Leadership Program for 22nd Straight Year

Tony Award-Winning Man of La Mancha Set to Inspire Audiences at the Bologna Performing Arts

JACKSON STATE UNIVERSITY NEWS
JSU Dedicates Dr. Matthew Holden, Jr., Reading Room
Growing up in the Mississippi town of Mound Bayou, Miss., Dr. Matthew Holden, Jr., remembered his mother chastising him for reading the newspaper while he was supposed to be cleaning the floors with it. “That’s OK,” his grandmother chimed in. “I used to do the same thing.” That act led the young Holden to a lifelong love of reading, where he would amass thousands of books on topics ranging from the Atlantic slave trade to East Asian history and philosophy. On Wednesday, January 10, about three years after Holden donated nearly 4,000 books to Jackson State University and its University Scholars Program, school officials dedicated the Matthew Holden Jr. Reading Room in Johnson Hall Room 3. Read more, or review the library's holdings.

JSU’S College of Liberal Arts Establishes Advisory Council

Customer Service, Accurate Info, Key to JSU’s Successful Registration

JSU/NASA Educator Resource Center Announces Spring 2007 Workshops

MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY NEWS
MSU Organization Helps Students Make ‘Toast’ of Speaking Fears
Tommy Thompson stood in a McCain Hall classroom a few years ago and told an audience how music has defined generations. He also talked about deep-sea fishing, a famous Hawaiian surfer, investing money, and the day music died. While studies have shown people are less afraid of death than to speak in public, Thompson volunteered to speak to the weekly crowd. He looked forward to each speech so he could become a better speaker. Thompson served as an active member of Mississippi State University’s Bulldog Toastmasters. The campus group is associated with Toastmasters International – a national organization begun more than 80 years ago to foster better public speaking. Thompson, now working for Exxon Mobil’s development division in Texas, appreciates the investment in honing his public speaking skills. During his job interviews after college, each potential employer asked about Thompson’s experience with Bulldog Toastmasters. Alexis Powe, a Bagley College technical communications instructor who advises Bulldog Toastmasters, has seen students increase their confidence in public speaking after participating in the program. She said most in Toastmasters get used to speaking to strangers because they’ve practiced what it takes to deliver a strong speech. Learn more.

Former Belhaven Official Now Leads MSU Annual Giving Program

Beethoven’s ‘Greatest Hits’ on Tap for Symphony Concert

MSU Library Program: xTreme Google: Super Searching Tips & Tricks

Acclaimed Guitarist, Singer to Perform at MSU’s Lyceum Series

MISSISSIPPI UNIVERSITY FOR WOMEN NEWS
Smyth Named Chair of MUW’s Department of Graduate Nursing
Dr. Patsy Smyth is the new chair of Mississippi University for Women’s Department of Graduate Nursing. She has the philosophy that “if you can’t do it, you can’t teach it.” That is why Dr. Smyth steps out of her administrative position every week to work in the Health Center as a nurse practitioner. She also works some weekend hours at a clinic in north Mississippi. She said she does this to “keep fresh” and to retain the reason she became a nurse: to help people. Smyth, a former native of Pennsylvania, served as a faculty member at MUW for 10 years before going to Western Carolina University as director of the graduate nursing program. When she discovered that the position as director of the graduate nursing program at MUW was open, she immediately applied for the position. Upon hearing that she was selected for the position, she was thrilled to be returning to MUW. Dr. Sheila Adams, dean of the College of Nursing and Speech Language Pathology, echoed Dr. Smyth’s excitement. “She has been an excellent faculty member… [I was] very happy to see that she was interested in coming back.” Smyth’s responsibilities include making sure the graduate program reflects current standards for nurse practitioners, as well as guiding the faculty and making sure that the graduate students receive a good education. Learn more.

UNIVERSITY OF MISSISSIPPI NEWS
Psychology Researcher Helps Pioneer Therapy that Puts Patients in Control of Their Actions
A new wave is sweeping through the discipline of psychology, and University of Mississippi students have a front row seat to learn about this innovative concept from one of its developers. For 17 years, Kelly Wilson, UM assistant professor of psychology, has worked closely with Steven Hayes at the University of Nevada-Reno, to pioneer Relational Frame Theory, or RFT, and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, or ACT. In 1999, Wilson co-authored the first book on ACT, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy: An Experiential Approach to Behavior Change. Whereas cognitive therapy focuses on changing the content of a patient's thoughts, RFT holds that efforts to control negative thoughts only make them more intense. So ACT focuses on defusing the power of negative thoughts. Wilson is co-investigator on a project funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse to develop treatment protocols and train psychologists to use ACT for methadone detoxification. Now that ACT has the public spotlight, Wilson is hopeful that the publicity will solidify the research. "I think it will get more people interested in helping us sort this out empirically and clinically. It'll bring more academics and researchers to the work, and that is for the good." Read more.

Sen. Eastland's Political, Personal Papers Available for Research in Williams Library

Engineering Alumnus New Director of NASA's Kennedy Space Center

Honors College Student Finalist for Gates Cambridge Scholarship

Senior Class Creates Scholarship, Honors Chancellor with Gift

UNIVERSITY OF MISSISSIPPI MEDICAL CENTER NEWS
Walking, Diet Help Mississippians Start! Heart-Healthy Living
Dr. Dan Jones, vice chancellor for health affairs and president-elect of the American Heart Association (AHA) challenged Mississippians to walk more and eat well to live longer during the launch of the AHA’s Start! wellness campaign. Read more.

University Rehab Director Named Surgery Department Interim Chair

JHS Ancillary Study Explores Genetic Characteristics of Heart, Lung Disease

Jan. 16 - Feb. 9 - The Mississippi University for Women Art Gallery presents "Jeffrey Haupt: Recent Paintings." The gallery, located in Shattuck Hall, is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information on the exhibit or to arrange visiting times, contact the Department of Art and Design at (662) 329-7341 or email gallery director Alex Stelioes-Wills.

Jan. 18 - Feb. 1 - The University of Southern Mississippi Museum of Art will present its first exhibition of the new year with a two-part show that combines the beauty of art and poetry through the works of visiting art professor Jan Laurens Siesling and artist Christopher Karnes. Learn more.

Jan. 22 - Mar. 10 - Delta State University’s Capps Archive & Museum currently has on display, “History and Heritage of the Mississippi Delta Chinese.” A Delta bus trip is scheduled to How Joy’s in Greenville, for the Chinese New Year, Feb. 20. For more information, please call Emily Weaver at (662) 846-4780.

Jan. 22 - Apr. 27 - Delta State University’s Delta Center for Culture and Learning and the Department of Languages and Literature are partnering this spring semester to present a unique class, “The River as Myth, Metaphor, and Reality” which will explore rivers as both a reality and metaphor. Learn more.

Jan. 23 - Mississippi State University's Career Center will sponsor the Spring 2007 Career Day at noon in Humphrey Coliseum to provide an opportunity for students and alumni to meet with company representatives about potential internships and full-time positions. For more information, contact Jan Fitzgerald at (662) 325-3344.

Jan. 24 - Jackson State University’s Trent Lott Geospatial and Visualization Research Center will host an Access Grid event, “SSH Toolbox for MATLAB,” from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. in the Visualization Laboratory at the Mississippi e-Center located at 1230 Raymond Road. MATLAB is a high-level technical computing language and interactive environment for algorithm development, data visualization, data analysis and numeric computation. The Access Grid is a multimedia conferencing system for group-to-group collaboration. Learn more about the Visualization Laboratory. For details about the Access Grid event, contact Monika Rabarison at (601) 979-5933.

Jan. 25 - Delta State University, in conjunction with its “Health & Wellness in the Delta” theme and in cooperation with its Center for Community and Economic Development, will host the Third Annual Delta Health & Wellness Day at the Bolivar County Expo. Free health screenings will be available, including cholesterol and blood sugars. For more information, contact Rori Herbison at (662) 846-4675.

 Jan. 25 - 26 - Jackson State University Department of Elementary and Early Childhood Education is hosting a literacy Conference, “Reading Together:  Promoting Family Literacy.”  For more information, contact Dr. Rodney Washington at (601)979-3414. Read more.

 Jan. 25 - 26 - The University of Southern Mississippi will host the 11th annual DuBard Symposium on Dyslexia and Related Disorders at the Hattiesburg Lake Terrace Convention Center. For more information, contact Michelle Coleman at (601)266-4709, or visit the DuBard School online. Read More.

Jan. 26 - 28 - Mississippi University for Women will host its annual Hearin High School Leadership Conference on campus. Participants will enhance their leadership skills, work with other high school students, be mentored by MUW students, and have the opportunity to interview for the MUW Hearin Leadership Scholarship, which can be up to $10,000 over four years. Students who are selected become part of the Hearin Leadership Program at MUW and become leaders across campus. Learn more.

Jan. 27 - University Sports Medicine will offer free athletic physicals for students in grades 8-12 who participate in any extracurricular activities for their schools and for collegiate student-athletes from 8 to 10 a.m. at the UMC Medical Pavilion. Parent or guardian authorizations or appropriate athletic department forms will be required. To schedule a physical, call University Sports Medicine at (601) 984-6519.

Jan. 30 - The University of Mississippi Gertrude Castellow Ford Center for the Performing Arts will present novelist Howard Owen, who will reads from his work at 7 p.m. in the rehearsal hall. The free program is sponsored by the John and Renee Grisham Visiting Writer's program. Learn more.

Feb. 1 - The University of Mississippi presents award-winning dancer, choreographer and critic Gus Solomons, Jr., as the Phi Beta Kappa Visiting Scholar. The lecture is set for 7 p.m. in Bondurant Auditorium. Learn more.

Feb. 20 - The University of Mississippi School of Engineering hosts a Trebuchet-Building/Tennis Ball Hurling contest for high school teams as part of Engineering Week activities. Registration deadline is Feb. 2. For more information, contact Maxine Woolsey at 662-915-1849. Learn more.

Feb. 22 - Mississippi University for Women's Honors Forum presents Arun Gandhi, grandson of the legendary peace fighter and spiritual leader, Mohandas K. Gandhi, also known as Mahatma Gandhi, at 6:30 p.m. in Nissan Auditorium, Parkinson Hall. For more information, contact the Honors College at (662)241-6850.