BRC Conducts Site Visits at Emporia State and Alverno
Members of the Blue Ribbon Committee for the Redesign of Teacher Preparation (BRC) Steering Committee have spent the week visiting the exemplary teacher education programs at Alverno College in Milwaukee, WI, and Emporia State University in Emporia, KS. These programs were two of four exemplary teacher education programs nation-wide cited by the seminal study Educating School Teachers , published in 2006 by Dr. Arthur Levine, former president of Teachers College, Columbia University. The purpose of the site visits was to identify strategies that can be implemented through the work of the BRC to improve teacher education in Mississippi. The Mississippi team was particularly interested in learning more about Alverno's assessment practices and Emporia State's P-12 field-based work. The BRC Steering Committee will use resources from these visits and other information to formulate the implementation plan for redesigning Mississippi's teacher education programs. The BRC Steering Committee is composed of four university representatives and four P-12 representatives. To learn more about the BRC, contact IHL Assistant Commissioner for Academic and Student Affairs Dr. Lynn J. House.
| IHL Receives $29.7M in Bonds
On Thursday, state legislators passed House Bill 1641, which provides $97.35 million in bonds for state building projects, of which IHL will receive $29.75 million. The bill allocated bond funds to the universities as follows: Alcorn State University, $2.0 million; Delta State University, $2.75 million; Jackson State University, $3.0 million; Mississippi State University, $4.0 million; Mississippi State University Department of Agriculture, Forestry, and Veterinary Medicine, $3.0 million; Mississippi University for Women, $1.0 million; Mississippi Valley State University, $2.0 million; University of Mississippi, $5.0 million; University of Mississippi Medical Center, $2.0 million; University of Southern Mississippi, $4.0 million; University of Southern Mississippi - Gulf Coast Campus, $0.5 million; and IHL Education and Research Campus, $0.5 million. The IHL Board of Trustees requested $130.75 million in bond money to address the priority building needs of the System. The System's bond request is determined through a process whereby each institution presents its top three facilities needs to the Board, which then votes to prioritize those needs within a monetarily realistic proposal. For more information about IHL's capital request, contact IHL Assistant Commissioner for Real Estate and Facilities Harry Sims. | Regular April Board Meeting Next Week
The IHL Board will hold its regular monthly meeting next Wednesday, April 16, in the IHL Board Room in the Universities Center, 3825 Ridgewood Road, Jackson, MS, 39211. The full Board will convene at 8:30 a.m., and will then conduct business as a committee of the whole. Various Board committees, including Educational Policies and Programs; Budget, Finance, and Audit; Real Estate and Facilities; Governance; Legal; and the Gulf Coast will meet as part of the Board meeting. As part of the meeting, the Board will receive an update on the Mississippi EdNet Institute from Trustee Ed Blakeslee and an update regarding the 2008 legislative session by Dr. Jim Borsig, assistant commissioner of governmental relations. The Board will also commemorate the combined 38 years of service of retiring Trustees Mr. Thomas Colbert, Mr. Roy Estess, Dr. D. E. Magee, Jr., and Ms. Virginia Shanteau Newton. The Board meeting will be available for viewing via live webcast beginning at 8:30 a.m. on the IHL website. An executive session may be held in accordance with the Open Meetings Act. | |  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 MISSISSIPPI MEDICAL CENTER NEWS
 Milestone Transplant Gives Pearl Resident Second Chance at Life
Marcus Fields went to bed early as usual the night of Feb. 25. Several months of dialysis had taken a toll on the 32-year-old Pearl resident. A midnight phone call shook him from his sleep. A voice on the other end asked if he was still interested in a kidney transplant. He said yes. He was told a match had been found and was instructed to come to the University of Mississippi Medical Center at 6 a.m. Fields wrote down everything he was told and went back to sleep. Then he woke up again, wondering if it was all a dream. "It took a few minutes for me to realize what had happened," Fields said. "Everything was moving really fast for me. I was really blessed." Learn more. Transplant Successes Draw Nationwide Attention Retiring Biomedical Science Chair Builds Nationally Recognized Department UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI NEWS
Southern Miss Professor Named Summer Faculty Fellow at Air Force Academy
Dr. Alina Gearba, assistant professor of physics at The University of Southern Mississippi, has been selected as a Summer Faculty Fellow at the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, CO. The Air Force Summer Faculty Fellowship Program offers hands-on exposure to Air Force research challenges through 8 to12-week research residencies at participating Air Force Research Facilities for full-time science and engineering faculty at U.S. colleges and universities. Dr. Gearba will be working at the Laser and Optics Research Center (LORC), which includes Space Physics and Atmospheric Research. LORC researchers, consisting of faculty and students from departments of physics, electrical engineering, biology, and mathematics, study laser and optical physics problems relevant to the needs of the Air Force. Current research at the LORC includes the study of optical nonlinearities in silica and polymers; the development of fiber optical chemical and biological sensors; laser cooling and trapping of neutral atoms; and the development of infrared lasers. "I consider the Summer Faculty Fellowship a unique program designed to bring together Air Force scientists and research faculty to work on problems that address the Air Force interests and needs," said Dr. Gearba. Learn more. Southern Miss Professors Use Virtual Reality to Teach Engineering to Chileans Southern Miss Redesigns Counseling Psychology Master's Program Extreme Entrepreneur Tour to Visit Southern Miss Coastal Sciences Investigation Career Camp Offered for Teens UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI GULF COAST NEWS
Southern Miss Gulf Coast to Offer Master of Professional Accountancy
The University of Southern Mississippi Gulf Coast will offer the Master of Professional Accountancy degree program beginning in the fall 2008 semester. During each fall, spring, and summer semester, there will be a Master of Professional Accountancy course and a Master of Business Administration course offered back-to-back. These courses are arranged in order to accommodate the schedules of working professionals. Classes will be offered in the evening during the week, and students can expect to finish the required courses in two years. "Having the Masters of Professional Accountancy degree on the coast offered by the only accredited School of Accountancy in south Mississippi allows students to better prepare for the Certified Public Accountant exam and advance their careers," said Dr. Steve Jackson, associate professor and interim director in the School of Accountancy and Information Systems. Learn more. ALCORN STATE UNIVERSITY NEWS
Alcorn State Academic Affairs Recognizes Faculty and Staff Achievements
Alcorn State University faculty and staff have shown a great deal of creativity and scholarly achievements in the past few months. They are to be congratulated for their initiative and interest in pursuing excellence. Congratulations to Dr. Linda Godley, School of Nursing, for being chosen to participate in the National League for Nursing (NLN) Scholarly Writing Retreat that was held in Storrs, CT, April 4 - 6. The retreat was organized by the NLN and the NLN Foundation for full-time faculty members at schools of nursing who have recently done data collection, implemented an innovative approach in nursing education, or completed a search of the literature on a nursing education topic, but have not had the time to craft the information into an article for publication. This selection process was very competitive and we are very proud of Dr. Godley's acceptance. Congratulations to Dr. Alexander Acholonu, Department of Biology, for his research study, Trichomoniasis in Imo State, Nigeria with Comments on Its Prevalence as Compared to Other Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) . Congratulations to the Alcorn State University Concert Choir on the production of their 2008 Spring Tour CD. Learn more. Alcorn State University Office of Student Activities Announces 2008 Election Results DELTA STATE UNIVERSITY NEWS
Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz, Joe Louis Walker, Special Guests of DSU Jazz Ensemble
The Delta State University Jazz Ensemble, directed by Dr. Paul Hankins, chair of the Department of Music and professor of music at Delta State, with special guests the internationally-acclaimed Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz, will perform a free Spring concert on Thursday, April 17, at 7:30 p.m. in the Delta and Pine Land Theatre of the Bologna Performing Arts Center on the Delta State campus. Learn more. Delta State to Hold Dedication Ceremony for the S. Wayne Thompson Journalism Lab, Hodding Carter to Keynote Federal Reserve Bank Coming to Delta State University Seven Former DSU Athletes to be Inducted into Delta State Sports Hall of Fame JACKSON STATE UNIVERSITY NEWS
Jackson State Hosts Male Summit for College Students
The Division of Student Life at Jackson State University will host an All-Male Summit from 8 a.m. until 2 p.m. Saturday, April 12, in the General Purpose Room of the Jacob L. Reddix Campus Union. The theme is "Change Makers: Men about the Business, Making Positive Things Happen." The purpose of the summit is to address issues that increasingly affect male college students through topics such as Hip-Hop and the African-American Masculinity, Leadership and Team Building, HIV/AIDS Awareness, and Unplanned Fatherhood and Relationship Building. Featured speakers are Keith Bush, alcohol/drug trainer for the Inter-Disciplinary Alcohol Drug Studies Center at Jackson State; Ty Howard, author, national motivational speaker, and founder and CEO of InspiraGen Institute Inc., a professional and personal development firm based in Baltimore County, MD; Jerry Watson, assistant professor of social work at Mississippi Valley State University; and keynote speaker Darrin Q. Rankin, vice president for enrollment services and student affairs at Clark Atlanta University. Admission is free for male college students. Continental breakfast and lunch will be provided. Professional attire is required. To register, call the Division of Student Life at (601) 979-2329.
Jackson State Offers 'Jazz on the Plaza' April 25 MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY NEWS
MSU Scientist Helps More U.S. Oil Find its Way to Tanks
Lewis Brown continues to devote much of his more than 40 years in petroleum microbiology figuring out how to squeeze more petroleum out of abandoned or soon-to-be-abandoned oil fields. The Mississippi State researcher already has extended the life of one field by 17 years. That may sound far-fetched for those unfamiliar with his ongoing research that involves the forced growth of oil-chasing microbes used to redirect injected water that, in turn, sweeps once-inaccessible oil from old wells into production. Brown said two-thirds of all U.S. oil remains in the ground because it's not economically feasible to remove with existing technology. "We've now developed a method to get some of that oil out of the ground," he added. The veteran microbiology professor long ago proved his method in a Northwest Alabama field experience sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy, along with a Jackson-based oil company. The demonstration reinforced what he had discovered in laboratory experiments. Before Brown began his Alabama experiment, analysts had predicted those wells would stop producing in 1998. After Brown had applied his method, follow-up analysis indicated the wells could still produce - and might continue to do so until 2015. Learn more. Mixon Named Interim MSU Vice President MSU Administrator to Serve on Student Gaming Task Force MSU Prof Chosen for Major Professional Development Program Watson Outlines Plans for MSU Athletic Director Transition MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY DIVISION OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY AND VETERINARY MEDICINE NEWS
MSU Plant Pathologists Ready for Soybean Rust Invasion
Well before planting time, the fight against Asian soybean rust is already under way in Mississippi as sentinel plots are planted and genetic resistance to the disease is being developed. Billy Moore, pathologist emeritus working part-time with the rust program for the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said Schillinger Seeds is developing resistance to soybean rust. "In 2006, they had fantastic resistance," Moore said. "This past year, it looked very good again, and we think the resistance may hold up five or six years or longer under our conditions." Moore said limited supplies of soybeans with genetic resistance to rust should be available by 2011. In the meantime, what have become routine early warning efforts are again in progress across the state. By late March, Extension professionals had planted 22 soybean sentinel plots. These small plots range from 15-50 feet wide and 100-200 feet long, and each is planted to soybeans from four maturity groups. They are scattered throughout the state from Alcorn and DeSoto counties in the north to George and Wilkinson counties in the south. "We plant early so these soybeans in the sentinel plots will reach the most susceptible stage before the soybeans in commercial production reach that stage," Moore said. Soybean rust was found in several sentinel plots in the state in 2007 and did move into some commercial fields before the production season was over. Learn more. MSU Analysts See Two-million Acre Soybean Crop as Largest Since `98 MSU Family Camps Offer All Ages Outdoor Experiences Alumnus to Head MSU's Forest Products Department Veteran Editor Named Interim Head of MSU Agricultural Communications MISSISSIPPI UNIVERSITY FOR WOMEN NEWS
MUW President Limbert Responds to 20/20 Task Force White Paper
MUW President Claudia Limbert charged her campus leadership Monday with implementing strategies to further strengthen the school, ranging from building unity on and off campus, to increasing communication, to ensuring that the university's brand and identity match its mission and future. Dr. Limbert announced her plan as the next step in a process begun in October of 2007 known as MUW 20/20. Specifically, the plans unveiled Monday are in response to a detailed report submitted by a task force that considered information from more than a dozen focus and discussion groups of faculty, staff, students, alumni, and members of the MUW family and community. "Where is MUW going and what do we wish to be?" Dr. Limbert said in an open letter to the MUW family posted on the school's website. "MUW has been sailing for 125 years but, during that long journey, our destination/focus has changed with the times and with the needs of Mississippi and the changing needs of each generation of students." "Since the end of October, MUW has been in the process of thinking about its future," Dr. Limbert wrote. "Such thought seems particularly important when one considers that, in 2009, we will be celebrating our 125th anniversary." Learn more. MUW Homecoming to Feature Master Chef and Blues Band MUW Students Present at Mississippi Academy of Sciences Conference Labensky Named Entrepreneurial Woman of the Year at MUW MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE UNIVERSITY NEWS
MVSU Student Chosen for Archaeological Dig
Mississippi Valley State University junior Joshua Brown of Belzoni has been accepted to the Field School in the Archaeological and Laboratory Investigations at New Philadelphia, IL. Brown, a history major in the MVSU Social Sciences Department, was one of nine undergraduates selected to participate in the 10-week onsite archaeological dig funded by the National Science Foundation's program of Research Experiences for Undergraduates. "Students will move to graduate student apartments in Springfield, IL, and work at the Illinois State Museum's Research and Collections Center (ISM-RCC)," said Professor Christopher Fennell at the University of Illinois. "This facility provides a state-of-the-art environment and it has vast collections and high quality research laboratories and offices for anthropology, botany, geology and zoology. During the weekends students are free to travel and explore the region when field trips are not scheduled," added Professor Fennell. "Our goal is to study the social history of New Philadelphia in depth and bring its story and heritage to national attention," said Fennell. Brown was assisted in his application process by MVSU professors Dr. Chandra Persaud and Dr. Kathryn Green. "We are so thrilled for this achievement. He is certainly a credit to this institution, and Dr. Persaud and I both predict that he will use this opportunity as the stepping stone to continued achievements at the graduate level," said Dr. Green. Learn more. MVSU Gala Features the Chi-Lites on April 25 International Week Features Parade of 192 Flags Congressman Bennie Thompson is MVSU Commencement Speaker UNIVERSITY OF MISSISSIPPI NEWS
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April 12 - Mississippi State University's Holmes Cultural Diversity Center presents a Native American Pow Wow in the Junction beginning at 10 a.m. For more information about entertainment throughout the cultural event, contact Robbie McCain at (662) 312-3153. Learn more. April 12 - Mississippi State University's department of communications presents a production of Little Shop of Horrors beginning at 7:30 p.m. at McComas Hall's main auditorium. General admission costs $10, while MSU students, senior citizens, and faculty and staff pay $5. Learn more. April 12 - The Southern Opera and Musical Theatre Company presents The Marriage of Figaro at 7:30 p.m. in the Mannoni Performing Arts Center in Hattiesburg. Tickets are $20, $18, and $16. Order tickets by calling (601) 266-5418 or (800) 844-8425, or order tickets online at www.southernmisstickets.com . Learn more. April 13-18 - Jackson State University presents Religious Emphasis Week. For more information, call (601) 979-2329. Learn more. Apr. 15-16 - Mississippi State University co-sponsors the 38th Annual Mississippi Water Resources Research Conference in Jackson. Ten sessions will cover topics including Delta water resources, sedimentation, groundwater, coastal and wetlands, water supply, surface water quality, agriculture, modeling, and invasive species. Learn more. Apr. 17 - The Department of Agriculture at Alcorn State University will be holding their Annual Ag-Day Program on Thursday, April 17, 2008. The program will be held at the Agricultural Science Building and Extension/Research Complex starting at 9:00 a.m. For more information please contact Lillian Sheppard at: 601-877-6525 Learn more. April 17 - Mississippi State University's Sexual Assault Services presents Denim Day at 9 a.m. on the Drill Field. People will bring jeans to put on a clothesline to show awareness of the international campaign against rape and other sexual assaults. Learn more. April 17-20, 24-27 - Southern Miss Theatre presents Our Town at 7:30 p.m. (2 p.m., April 20 and 27), in the Martha R. Tatum Theatre on campus in Hattiesburg. Order tickets by calling (601) 266-5418 or (800) 844-8425, or order online at www.southernmisstickets.com . Learn more. April 21 - Mississippi Economic Council President Blake Wilson will be the featured speaker during the annual MVSU Founder's Breakfast at 7:30 a.m. in the H.M. Ivy Cafeteria, Dining Hall IV. Tickets are $10 and available at the MVSU Cashier's Office, (662) 254-3313. Learn more. Apr. 22 - Delta State University will present the St. Petersburg Ballet in Romeo and Juliet in the Delta and Pine Land Theatre of its Bologna Performing Arts Center at 7:30 p.m. For ticket information, please call the Box Office at (662) 846-4626, or order tickets online . Learn more. April 22 - As part of Founder's Week activities at Mississippi Valley State University, the Alumni Forum will feature Mississippi education superintendents who graduated from Valley. The forum will be held at 10 a.m. in the Business Education Building auditorium. The event is free. Learn more. April 24 - Attorney and Co-founder of the McTeer Foundation, Charles Victor McTeer, will be the featured speaker during Mississippi Valley State University's Founder's Day Convocation at 10 a.m. in H.G. Carpenter Auditorium. The event is free and open to the public. Learn more. May 14 - "Don't Spread Lead," an intensive workshop for professionals and do-it-yourselfers will be from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at select MSU Extension Service video conference sites statewide. To register or learn conference locations, contact Dr. Bobbie Shaffett at (662) 325-3080 or bobbies@ext.msstate.edu . Learn more. May 17 - Spring Garden Day at MSU's North Mississippi Research and Extension Center in Verona is for anyone interested in beautifying a home landscape. Attendees can stroll the beautiful gardens and enjoy the day talking to gardening. Contact Dr. Lelia Scott Kelly at (662) 566-2201 or leliak@ext.msstate.edu. Learn more. |
