SouthernLife
Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Permit No. 501
A NEWSPAPER FOR THE CAMPUS COMMUNITY Southern Connecticut State University
April 2010 • Vol. 13 No. 5
inside:
4 On the road to medical school 5 Shrouded in mystery
Ellis Earns Prestigious Teaching Award Rondinone Also Recognized for Research Excellence
Scott Ellis, associate professor of English, is looked upon by his colleagues as a peer leader in the effective use of technology to improve student learning. Troy Rondinone, associate professor of history, is a prolific writer and researcher on labor history who is able to apply the knowledge base he gains to the classroom. Their hard work and dedication to students and their profession have been recognized as exemplary by the Connecticut State University System (CSUS). The CSUS Board of Trustees recently awarded Ellis the 2010 system-level Trustees’ Teaching Award. He was selected from among four finalists – one faculty member nominated by each of the four CSUS schools (Southern, Central, Eastern and Western Connecticut State universities). Rondinone was recognized as Southern’s recipient of the Norton Mezvinsky Trustees Research Award. The award is named after a former history professor at Central Connecticut State University who retired in 2009 after four decades of teaching. Ellis is highly regarded for his contributions to the improvement of academic programs. His dedication to faculty development and role as program administrator include the use of innovative technology and teaching methods. He has played a significant role in the First-Year Experience (FYE) and Writing Across the Curriculum programs. “Scott has employed the use of wikis, blogs and other Web-based activities when teaching American literature and his creative activity includes publications and presentations on the use of new technologies in teaching and scholarship,” said President Cheryl J. Norton. Nicole Henderson, who nominated Ellis and serves as director of the FYE program, offered high praise.
Scott Ellis
“It is truly impossible to measure the impact Dr. Ellis has had on the improvement of teaching and learning,” Henderson said. “He is a true leader and role model, the embodiment of the teacher-scholar.” Rondinone is well-respected for his scholarly work in American labor history. He has produced original works that shed light on the role that media, military images and rhetoric had in shaping U.S. labor struggles in the 19th and 20th centuries. He is also noted for his scholarly treatment of televised boxing in the mid-20th century. President Norton noted that Rondinone has completed one book and is currently working on two others. He also has written five peer-reviewed journal articles and three book chapters, as well as book reviews and more than a dozen invited presentations.
“Troy has pursued an ambitious research agenda that has been marked by several significant accomplishments,” she said. Stephen Judd, who nominated Rondinone and serves as chairman of the History Department, agreed. “Dr. Rondinone’s work is impressive in both its quality and quantity,” Judd said. “This balance of original research and pedagogical application epitomizes the proper role for research at SCSU.” The Trustees Teaching Award is granted to faculty who have distinguished themselves as outstanding teachers for at least five years and have a minimum of a two-year track record of promoting instructional improvements for their programs or departments. The Trustees Research Award is granted to faculty who are conducting research work of exceptional promise. Nominees are expected to demonstrate substantive contributions or achievements and scholarly activities in their academic fields of study during the last five years. Both awards are open to tenure track faculty members who are either an assistant or associate professor within CSUS. “The caliber of teaching and research at Central, Eastern, Southern and Western is truly remarkable and the level of scholarship by these faculty members is both inspiring and significant,” said Board of Trustees Chairman Karl J. Krapek. “These awards provide a means of recognizing the exemplary work of the highest promise being done by our up-and-coming faculty,” added John A. Doyle, chairman of the board’s Academic Affairs Committee. “They are all demonstrating an impact on their academic fields, our students and our state.”
:
In Service and In Scholarship Four
outstanding S outhern students have been chosen as this year’s recipients of the Henry Barnard Foundation Distinguished Student Award. Each year, 12 students are selected from the four campuses of the Connecticut State University System, including four at Southern. Considered one of the university’s most prestigious awards, it is presented to students who have at least a 3.7 GPA and have demonstrated outstanding participation in university and/or community life. Emily Brown, a history major, has a 3.8 GPA. She is pursuing a career as a college professor. Brown has been president of the History Club for the last two years, as well as a member of Southern’s Future Teachers Organization and the campus chapters of Zeta Delta Epsilon, a service honor society, and Phi Alpha Theta, a history honor society. She has been a co-captain of the intramural soccer team. In addition, she has served as a team captain during the university’s Relay for Life event. She has been a student worker in the Admissions Office and was named in 2009 to “Who’s Who Among American Colleges and Universities.” With a passion for world languages, she studied in France during the fall semester of her senior year. Steven Judd, chairman of the History Department, says that Brown has essentially been doing graduatelevel work and is one of the best students he has seen at Southern. “Ours is not a department of easy
graders, and Emily has sought out the most demanding professors in the department,” Judd says. In my own experience, Emily is a diligent and eager student who adds tremendously to the dialogue in class.” Lauren Chicoski, an anthropology major, has a 3.75 GPA. She plans to attend graduate school. Chicoski has served as secretary of Iota Iota Iota, a women’s studies honor society; president of the Anthropology Club; president of the LGBT Prism Club and treasurer of the campus chapter of Amnesty International. She has served as a student worker in the Accounts Payable Office, as well as at the SAGE Center, where she organized speaking panels and planned events. She is secretary of the Stonewall Speakers Association Board of Directors and led a discussion in 2008 at the Ella Grasso Youth Action Conference. In addition, she was named in 2009 to “Who’s Who Among American Colleges and Universities.” Kathleen Skoczen, chairwoman of the Anthropology Department, says that Chicoski has excelled as a student. “Lauren’s thirst for knowledge does not begin nor end in the classroom; seemingly all of her spare time is dedicated to learning about and improving the world we live in…She stands above the crowd and has given much of her time and energy over the last four years to improving the campus environment for all students.” Edward Dostaler, an exercise science major, Scholars continued on page 6.
Interim President Named
Stanley F. Battle, former president of Coppin State University and North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, has been appointed as interim president of Southern, effective next month. Battle’s interim appointment, made by Connecticut State University System (CSUS) Chancellor David G. Carter, was announced April 1 and endorsed by the CSUS Board of Trustees. He is scheduled to arrive at Southern on or about May 14. Cheryl J. Norton, who has served as president of Southern for the last six years, recently announced her retirement. “I am confident that Dr. Battle will make an immediate and positive impression at Southern,” Chancellor Carter says. “His commitment to students, faculty and staff is unparalleled. By virtue of his many years as an educator, and as an administrator in Connecticut, Wisconsin, Maryland and North Carolina, he brings substantial experience to this interim position.”
battle continued on page 6.
WINTER OLYMPIAN TO SPEAK
Winter Olympics speed skating champion Apolo Ohno will appear at Southern May 12 as part of the Mary and Louis Fusco Distinguished Lecture Series. For details, see Page 3.