06 Summer Happenings

HAPPENINGS A Newsletter for the Fayetteville State University Family

Vol. 3, No. 5

Published by the Office of Public Relations

Dr. Tim Ajani, Department of English and Foreign Languages • Published article entitled Whatever Happened To “Queen’s English”: Creativity and Innovation In Wole Soyinka’s Collected Plays,” West Africa Review: Issue 7, 2005.

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Presented paper entitled Writing an Effective Syllabus to the faculty of the Grace College of Divinity on August 2, 2006.

Dr. Louise Anderson Allen, Department of Educational Leadership • Co-author of the recently published 2nd edition of Turning Points in Curriculum: A Contemporary American Memoir from Prentice Hall.

Dr. Ruth W. Johnson, Department of Nursing • Published article entitled Integration of Technology in a Clinical Research Setting in The Association of Black Nursing Faculty (ABNF) Journal, Summer 2006 issue, along with other colleagues.

Dr. Phyllis D. Morgan, Department of Nursing • Presented at the following two (2) conferences in August regarding African American women and breast cancer: o Eliminating Health Disparities Among African American Women with Breast Cancer -- Panelist/ presenter at the 7th NHAA Biennial ConferenceHealth Disparities Roundtable sponsored by North Carolina Hampton University Alumni, Charlotte, NC, Westin Charlotte Hotel, August 18, 2006. o The Quality of Life of African American Women Coping with Breast Cancer -- Oral presentation

Summer 06

at the 34th Annual National Black Nurses Association Conference, Ft. Lauderdale, FL, August 8-12, 2006.

Dr. Daniel I. Okunbor, Department of Mathematics and Computer Science • Served as a panelist for the 2006 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program. As a panelist, he reviewed and evaluated applications for the fellowship. The foundation awarded graduate fellowships to over 900 students.

Dr. Gurcharan S. Rahi, Department of Natural Sciences • Reviewer/volunteer - Editorial Advisory Board for SJI (Scientific Journals International).

• Performed research on evaluating potential of radiation (non-chemical alternative) to kill pathogens in porous medium. The short-term lab experiments were conducted at a Research Center of University of Florida located at Quincy.

• Review article, Positive Ion Poisoning, published on FSU’s faculty webpage is quoted by CNG Health and Elite Combat Uniform companies which manufacture Negative Ion Emitters. Reference to this article from Fayetteville State University is made along with articles from Healthwise Health InfoCenter of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Molecular Neurology Department of University of California (Berkeley), Wellness Center of University of Cincinnati, Columbia University, and the Department of Architectural Engineering of Penn State by CNG Health website (Better living through better lighting).

The Latest in the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science The Department of Mathematics and Computer welcomed Dr. Vinod K. Arya as the new department chair, August 1, 2006. Growth within the department has increased faculty member from 27 to 33 faculty members strong. New additions are as follows: Dr. Genevieve Knight Belk Distinguished Professor Dr. Vinod K. Arya Chair Dr. Nicoleta Bila Assistant Professor Dr. Wu Jing Assistant Professor Dr. Xin Tang Assistant Professor Dr. Bing Wu Assistant Professor

Ms. Betty Crumpler retired after 27 years of service here at FSU, thus leaving Ms. Benita Y. Briggs to carry on as the office assistant.

Ms. Briggs is a recent graduate of FSU, May 13, 2006 (History, CUM LAUDE). She is a licensed minister, a mother of four, and a grandmother of one (Quinton, 21, U.S. Army - serving in Iraq; Endya, 19, FSU sophomore and mother of Noah (four months old); Benaiah, 14; and Darryl, 11).

She is once again enrolled as a student at FSU. With first hand experience as a student, she feels equipped to handle the needs of our students.

FSU HAPPENINGS

FSU Astronomer Participates in International Astronomical Union 26th General Assembly

Experience of a Fullbright Fellow

By Dr. John Mattox Dr. John Mattox, associate professor in the FSU Natural Sciences Department, participated in the 26th General Assembly of the International Astronomical Union (IAU), Aug 14-25, 2006 in Prague, the capital city of the Czech Republic. He gave a presentation at IAU Special Session #2, “Innovation in Teaching/ Learning Astronomy Methods,” which was entitled, “Daytime Utilization of a University Observatory for Laboratory Instruction.”

The hot topic of this IAU General Assembly was the determination of the status of Pluto as a planet and the resulting official determination of the number of planets in our solar system.

The IAU is the international astronomical organization that brings together distinguished astronomers from all nations of the world. IAU’s mission is to promote and safeguard the science of astronomy in all its aspects through international cooperation.

Founded in 1919, the IAU is the world’s largest professional body for astronomers. The IAU General Assembly is held every three years and is one of the largest and most diverse meetings in the astronomical community’s calendar.

By Dr. Todd Frobish, Department of Performing and Fine Arts – Few people ever get the chance to be treated like royalty, but this is exactly the treatment I received during my one-month visit to Budapest, Hungary, as a Fulbright Fellow.

It was Professor Joseph Diaz who first introduced me to the U.S. Department of Education’s intensive Fulbright-Hays Summer Seminars Abroad program. Whereas the traditional Fulbright awards are teaching or research grants, the FulbrightHays awards are cultural learning grants wherein grantees are expected to study a chosen culture and then apply that knowledge in the classroom upon return. I applied in October of last year and was selected as a Fulbright-Hays Fellow in March. During the application process, I was provided with a list of six countries, and told that I had the chance to rank order my top three candidates. I only chose one, however, and that was Continued on page 4, Fullbright Fellow

The Math and Science Education Center conducted two workshops and hosted another held on campus this summer. Two fiveday workshops were held during the week of July 10th. The first was an Advanced Functions and Modeling Workshop. This workshop taught function concepts from multiple perspectives: symbolic, graphical and tabular. It also taught modeling techniques using real world data and data collection. Sherman Sumpter, a NC PIMS facilitator, instructed the workshop. Secondly, MSEC conducted a Summer Science Institute. This workshop was instructed by Dr. Lillian Johnson (Assistant Professor of Middle Grades and Special Education) and she was assisted by Cheryl Alston, a MSEC consultant. This is a nine-day institute (five days were conducted during the summer and the remaining four days will be held during the 2006 – 2007 school year). They focused on the major science themes in the NC Standard Course of Study for Grades 3-5: Energy/Forces, and Rock Cycle. The institute also emphasized science content and authentic integration of literacy, mathematics and technology.

The two other major themes, Ecology and Weather and Climate, will be taught during the 2006 – 2007 school year. Upon successful completion

of the nine-day institute and curricular project, participants will receive 6 CEUs. The last workshop the MSEC hosted was held on July 25-27.

It was a free, hands-on Environmental Science Education Workshop. Dr. Mary Bellamy, a K-12 outreach coordinator at the Science House on NC State University, conducted the workshop. It was open to all high school science teachers. The teachers participated in hands-on science learning activities that have correlated with the North Carolina Science Standard Course of study for high school grades. Everyone that completed the workshop received: • A free copy of the National Science Foundation’s Science and Technology Center for Environmentally Responsible Solvents and Process Publication and Environmental Science: A Collection of Activities for the High School Classroom – Volume I • A stipend • Free lunch and snacks on workshop days • Correlations with NC SCOS competency goals • Environmental Education Certification Credit • 18 contact hours of instruction, worth 1.8 renewal credits • Free laboratory materials For information on upcoming workshops and classes, please visit our website www.uncfsu.edu/msec/ and click on Courses & Workshops.

Continued on page 3, Young Minds

FSU HAPPENINGS

Congratulations!

Congratulations!

Congratulations!

Suzetta Perkins, Secretary of the University in the Office of the Chancellor, released her debut novel Behind the Veil on August 8, 2006. Behind the Veil is a riveting tale of love, betrayal, and loyalty. It is Suzetta Perkins, Secretary in the Office of the the story of Jefferson Myles, Chancellor.

CEO of his own securities firm, who allows greed to take him down a dark and dangerous road and compromise the lives of those near and dear to him.

This book represents a major milestone in Suzetta’s life and she is very excited about where this journey is taking her. She is touring on weekends, promoting her book in Washington, DC; Virginia; Maryland; North Carolina; Massachusetts, Michigan, and Georgia. Suzetta is also a contributing author of My Soul to His Spirit, an anthology of short stories that was featured in the June 2005 issue of Ebony magazine and winner of the 2006 Fresh Voices Award.

Suzetta will be in the Fayetteville area signing her book on September 16, from 1 p.m. - 4 p.m. at Waldenbooks in Cross Creek Mall. On September 30, from 5:30 p.m. – 8 p.m., she will host a book release party in the Seabrook Auditorium lobby on the campus of Fayetteville State University.

Young Minds: Continued from page 2 The NC–PIMS (North Carolina Partnership for Improving Mathematics and Science) has also been busy this summer. In June, K–5 and 6–12 summer courses were held for lead teachers within the NC– PIMS. New material was presented to these teachers so they could begin preparing professional development presentations for their peer teachers throughout the 12 NC–PIMS partner districts. Facilitators Dr. Kwami Tuprah (associate professor of Math & Computer Science), Joyce Hodges and Casey Sensenich, who work out of the FSU hub, held three five-day leadership training workshop sessions from June 19 - July14, 2006.

K-5 Lead Teachers with Dr. Tuprah and NC–PIMS Facilitator Joyce Hodges (standing).

Psychology Professor and Student Studies in Central America Dr. Clara B. Jones, associate professor of psychology, and Heather Miller, psychology major, traveled to Belize, Central America for 10 days in June to investigate bush-meat hunting.

Jones and Miller were particularly interested in documenting which ethnic groups are most likely to hunt monkeys (howler monkeys and spider monkeys).

The researchers interviewed key officials in the Belizean Forestry Department and in non-governmental agencies (e.g., The Belize Audubon Society and The Nature Conservancy) as well as Belizean ecologists and conservationists. Interviews were conducted in Belize City, in Belmopan, the capital of Belize, and at the Community “Baboon” Sanctuary, an ecotourism site.

This summer’s study is part of a larger investigation of “conservation psychology”

by Dr. Jones and her students documenting the relationship between residents of Belize and their natural environment. One tentative finding of this summer’s study is that illegal immigrants appear to be primarily responsible for hunting monkeys in Belize. We also documented that Belizean primates are killed not only for food but also for fun, and possibly for the pet trade.

Anyone wishing additional information on this initiative or any undergraduate interested in traveling to Belize with Dr. Jones next June to continue these studies is invited to contact her at cbjones@uncfsu.edu.

FSU HAPPENINGS

Continued from page 2

Hungary. (As a high school student, I had the opportunity to travel to Europe for three weeks, but only got a one-day glimpse of the beautiful city of Budapest during that time. It was a no-brainer that I now take the opportunity to return.)

The timing was perfect. I was able to teach a few courses during the first Summer session, and then leave for the two-day orientation program they had prepared for me at Indiana University, Bloomington. Here, I met my group for the first time. There were eight of us total, which was an unusually small group given past years. I was the lone male with seven females of differing backgrounds. We had three high school teachers, two community college professors, and three university professors. Indiana University was chosen as the orientation site because they have an excellent program in East-Central European studies with Hungary being one of its emphases. So we listened to two full days of preparatory lectures by the experts, and got to know each other during the process. A few years back, we were told, they would simply put the group of strangers on a plane, which was awkward at best.

This way, we could board the international flight at least as acquaintances.

From the moment we arrived in Hungary, we were treated like diplomats. We had a private van pick us up from the airport and deliver us to the hotel, and then to a restaurant on the edge of the River Danube for our first meal in Budapest. While we ate, we could peer across the blue waters and see the beautiful Chain Bridge, the Castle district, and the National Gallery. We had no idea at this point how much history was in this one simple view, but we soon came to realize that history is paramount to this geographically small country.

A usual day consisted of waking

up around 7a.m., leaving the hotel at 8:30 a.m. and walking to the bus stop, which would drop us off in front of the Hungarian Fulbright Commission building. We then listened to lectures from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m., on every conceivable topic. There were lectures on East-West relations, 1100 years of Hungarian history, economics, politics, media, music, folk art and dance, minority issues, the Nazi occupation, the Soviet occupation, the Holocaust in Hungary, education, and, of course, several Hungarian language lessons. After 3 p.m., we would either travel the city together with a tour guide and listen to even more lectures, or have free time to explore the city ourselves. Free time was rare, however.

Of the thirty days spent in Hungary, we only had two “free” days. I put quote marks around the word because the Fulbright Commission included optional events on these days that sounded so appetizing that we were easily persuaded to attend.

Mixed into this month of lectures were two 3-day excursions into the countryside.

The first excursion took us to the Northeast, where we visited, among many cities, Győr, Sopron, Fertőd, and Tihany at Lake Balaton. This was essentially the castle and palace trip. Our next excursion took us to the Northwest, where we explored, again among many cities, the Puszta (flatlands), Debrecen, Eger, and Hollókő. This, it seemed, was more an exploration of the natural side of Hungary with a few visits to some universities and museums thrown in for good measure.

I won’t go into too many details about the many sites we explored in Budapest, but I will say that it is a city saturated in history.

Every street corner has a statue, and every building, it seemed, had been at one time occupied by some unwanted repressive force. This is a country that has lost every single major battle and war, and lost more than two-thirds of its territory because of it. This history was especially apparent in the faces of its older generations—those

that longed to reclaim what used to be theirs. No one, not even the professors and politicians, wanted to talk about Hungary’s future. Indeed, it was impossible for them to even speculate without first referencing their past. I will say, however, that this 17-year old democracy and EU nation is doing quite well, and has surpassed the U.S. in more than a few ways. Although it is a modest country, they have little to be modest about.

Among the many highlights of my trip, I will best remember our trip to Parliament where we got to meet Hungary’s most senior Parliamentary member, our meeting with the Lord Mayor of Budapest, the opportunity to become an audience member in an economic summit hosted by the US Embassy, a visit to the Labyrinth, an underground maze of tunnels under Budapest that was once used as a wartime shelter for 10,000 Hungarians, and, the highlight of highlights, the people of Hungary, who were always gracious and friendly toward us Yanks.

I encourage anyone visiting EastCentral Europe to spend some time in Hungary, and especially the city of Budapest. I also encourage others to apply for the Fulbright-Hays grant for this coming Summer. It is a wonderful opportunity to learn, grow, and develop as a person and teacher, and the application process is quick and painless.

Anyone wishing more information on the program is more than welcome to contact me for more details at 672-1206, or tfrobish@uncfsu.edu.

Todd S. Frobish, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Communication in the Department of Performing and Fine Arts. He would like to thank Dr. Valentine James, Dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, and Ms. Beverly Warren, Director of Sponsored Research and Programs, for their personal and financial assistance.

FSU HAPPENINGS

Kindergarten through Grade 8 Teachers Literacy Academy Completes Second Year The 2005-06 K-8 Teachers Literacy Academy (KTLA) ended a second year of collaboration between the Fayetteville State University School of Education and the Weldon City Schools on August 4, 2006. KTLA, originally funded by the NC QUEST grant in 2004, began with Weldon City School District’s elementary (K-4) school teachers who participated in a year-long in-service program (40 hours of intensive synchronous face-to-face training over two summer sessions and ten five-hour sessions scheduled January 2004- September 2005) designed and implemented by the School of Education and the former College of Arts and Sciences. The Weldon City elementary school students passing the NC ABC achievement tests went from 68.5% in 2003-2004 to 77.1% in 2004-2005.

The goal of the 2005-06 program was to increase teacher knowledge and proficiency in the use of evidence-based strategies for teaching reading, writing, and literacy skills across the content areas to all children in elementary and middle schools. The second year program consisted of two sets of participants. The first group consisted of teachers in grades 5-9 in the Weldon City School District. The teachers were involved in 95 hours of professional development via asynchonous instruction online, onsite workshops, one-to-one coaching/mentoring sessions, and self-reflection. Topics covered include reading, writing/literature, working with special populations, content teaching and literacy, student work sampling, peer coaching, and reflective commentary.

Department of Performing and Fine Arts

Fayetteville State University Fine Arts Series

S

The

ibyl Quartet

The Performing and Fine Arts

Series series opens on the weekend

of September 16 and 17 with

the newly formed Sibyl

Quartet. The four-member

ensemble is com

prised of two guest

artists and two FSU

professors. The guest artists

are violinist Dr. Janet Orenstein of

the University of North Carolina

at Greensboro School of Music, and cellist

Dr. Beth Vanderborgh of the Greensboro

and Winston-Salem Symphony Orchestras. The FSU

ensemble members are violist Dr. Diane Phoenix-Neal

and pianist Dr. Karen Carney. A master class in chamber music will be

given by Dr. Orenstein and Dr. Phoenix-Neal from 12-2 p.m. on September 16. Their formal concert will be held on September 17 at 4 p.m. in the Rosenthal Concert Hall. Admission is free. Contact Dr. Phoenix-Neal at 910-672-1749 or dphoenix@uncfsu.edu for more information.

Using technology mediated instruction, the participants were able to correspond with instructors on a daily basis as well as with one another in discussions online. Video and audiotape enhanced self-reflection and provided an avenue for mentoring. The second group of teachers taught in pre-kindergarten through tenth grade.

During this final phase of the program, teachers participated in 45 hours of online course instruction supplemented with face-to-face sessions that addressed the implementation of learning stations that integrate the teaching of literacy in the content areas and making home-school connections in literacy instruction. Teachers earned graduate credit toward licensure in reading and/or their master’s degree.

The faculty for the second year program included Dr. Priscilla Manarino-Leggett and Dr. Marion Gillis-Olion, both of the Department of Elementary Education; Dr. Virginia Dickens, Dr. Cathy Butler-Kosterman, and Dr. Kimberly Smith Burton, all of the Department of Middle Grades, Special Education and Secondary Education; and Dr. Carole Weatherford, Dr. Brooksie Harrington, and Dr. Judy Fowler all of the Department of English and Foreign Languages. Dr. Frederick Smith of the Department of Educational Leadership directed the grant and Dr. Judy Fowler served as the project co-director. This program is an exemplar of inter- and intrainstitutional collaboration for regional service at Fayetteville State University.

Riggs Johnson Participates in Visiting Scholars Program Dr. Lillian Riggs Johnson, assistant professor in the School of Education, Middle Grades, Secondary, and Special Education, participated in a month-long Visiting Scholars Program sponsored by the Educational Testing Service (ETS) in Princeton, NJ. Each summer ETS invites visiting scholars from underrepresented groups to spend time at ETS and study fairness issues for minorities in test design and development. The scholars also work on educational policy issues related to equity and present seminars.

As a visiting scholar, Dr. Johnson had the opportunity to write and review test questions for the PRAXIS II, GRE, SAT, and other standardized tests. She also participated as a guest lecturer to create a mini-listening comprehension test segment that will be included in the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL).

Fortunately for Fayetteville State University and Dr. Johnson, she has been granted a two-year contract to write and review pedagogy questions for PRAXIS II. It is Dr. Johnson’s goal to be able to help FSU students who want and need to pass both PRAXIS I and II exams.