Letters and Sciences Today - Fall 2021/Winter 2022

Today

Letters & Sciences College of Letters and Sciences Highlights Vol. 17 - Fall 2021/Winter 2022

OUR GRADUATES SOAR (pages 8-14)

Crane flight by moonjazz | flickr.com

In This Issue

Award Winners – 3-4 | Community Outreach – 6 | Meritorious Program – 15

Faculty Publications – 16 | Passages – 17 | Retirements – 4, 18 | CSU Press – 20

Dean’s Welcome “What is life but one grand adventure?”

— Unknown

F

or many of our students, the college experience is the most adventurous experience they have had thus far! Leaving the comforts of home, our adventurous students chose to seek their dream of undergraduate or graduate degree attainment at Columbus State University. As we have seen in the last 20 months, life is uncertain. Adventurers acknowledge uncertainty. Adventurers stand face-to-face with adversity. Adventurers weather the storm.

Adventurers embrace the idea that uncertainty can be the gift of possibility.

The faculty and staff as well as the valued donors of the College of Letters and Sciences are committed to the adventure, possibility, and future success of our students. Together, we seek to create a learning environment that allows our students the optimal chance to create and achieve their full potential. Such a learning environment provides faculty and staff with the optimal chance to create and achieve their full potential as well.

This edition of COLS Today highlights the many successes of faculty, graduates, and programs in the College of Letters and Sciences. We introduce award-winning students and faculty. Profiles of COLS graduates who are achieving career success can be found on pages 8 through 14. Yes, we are very proud of our COLS graduates. We recognize the Command College for receiving a $50,000.00 grant from the USG. We celebrate the establishment of the CSU Press. We also recognize faculty milestones – retirements, new faculty, and faculty publications.

As you consider the achievements presented in this edition, rest assured that the COLS will continue this important work, supporting the success of students, faculty, and staff.

Warm regards,

Annice Yarber-Allen Dean

Letters & Sciences Today Writer and Editor – Barbara Hunt (Hunt_Barbara@ColumbusState.edu) Circulation Coordinator – Angela Johnson (Johnson_Angela@ColumbusState.edu) Design & Layout – Kelsey Vickers (Vickers_Kelsey@ColumbusState.edu)

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Award Winners Terracon Foundation Scholarship Winners Three Terracon Foundation Scholarships were given to these STEM majors: Dominic Fico (undergraduate) $1900 - Dominic is a senior B.S. Chemistry major, ACS Professional Track.

Garret Jones (undergraduate) $1900 - Garret is a sophomore B.S. Robotics Engineering major.

Edison Rea (graduate) $1900 - Edison, an international student from Ecuador, is in his first semester in the M.S. Natural Sciences Biology track program at CSU. He is working in CSU’s Laboratory of Plant Ecological Genetics to evaluate and classify every Magnolia species in Ecuador using a genetic analysis of the twenty-three existing species. His thesis focuses on the DNA barcoding of all the Magnolia species there, not only to create a genetic library of existing common and endangered species but also to aid in the discovery of new species.

Edison says, “I know … this research will contribute directly to current conservation initiatives in Ecuador.”

He is especially grateful for the scholarship he received, even creating a video “thank you” note in appreciation.

Edison Rea

The Uproar (formerly The Saber) Wins Multiple Awards The Uproar, Columbus State University’s student-run news source (staffed mostly by students majoring in COLS disciplines, especially English) has won several awards from the 2020-21 Georgia College Press Association contest. These include: • First place for Layout & Design Excellence.

• Third place for General Photography Excellence.

• Third place for General Excellence. (This is the first time this publication has placed in General Excellence for the GCPA Awards.)

Dozens of universities and colleges around the state - including all 26 USG institutions as well as private institutions such as Emory University and Berry College - compete for GCPA Awards, which are given by the Georgia Press Association. It is a testament to the quality of The Uproar that it competes so well with student publications of bigname schools.

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Award Winners University Grant Awards and Sabbaticals for COLS Faculty In October, Dean Annice Yarber-Allen announced the following University Grant Award recipients and approved sabbaticals.

University Grant Award Recipients • Anil Banerjee (Chemistry). Project: Catalytic Oxidation of Methane; estimating methane concentration at a low level by gas chromatography and flame ionization detector.

• Jonathan Meyers (Chemistry). Project: Biosynthesis and Purification of Novel Preptin Analogs.

• Gary Sprayberry (History). Project: The Civil Rights Movement in the Chattahoochee Valley.

Sabbatical Approvals • Ryan Lynch (History). Project: The History in Video Games: How Modern Media Reinvigorates and Reframes the Past, Fall 2022.

• Markus Weidler (Philosophy). Book Project: “Heidegger’s Mission: Between Political Religion and German Colonialism,” either Fall 2022 or Spring 2023.

• Susan Hrach (English). Project: Fulbright Canada Distinguished Chair in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, conditional approval for Fall 2022-Spring 2023 semesters.

Dr. Dorinda Dowis Retires When Dorinda Dowis transferred as a sophomore to (then) Columbus College in 1987, she had no idea what the future had in store for her.

She also had no idea what she wanted to major in, but then she met Dr. Archie Rainey, who was a faculty member in the Department of Criminal Justice and who became her mentor. She graduated with an Associate of Applied Science in Criminal Justice in 1988, a Bachelor of Science in 1989, and a Master of Science in Public Administration in 1993—all from Columbus College or CSU. In 2003, she completed her doctoral work in Public Administration from the University of Alabama and then attained the rank of Professor at CSU in 2010.

Before becoming employed full-time at CSU in 1994, she worked for five years in the juvenile court system as an intake probation officer. Over the years, she has dedicated her life to service at CSU and to the greater Columbus community. She has worked tirelessly to help students succeed or adapt by participating in ROAR and PROWL, advising student-athletes, serving on hearing panels for Title IX, directing internships, serving for eleven years as faculty advisor for Cougars for Christ, and serving as a BART case coordinator for years, to name just a few of her activities. Dr. Dowis also served as Acting Chair of the Department of Criminal Justice from 2002-2004 and as Chair of that department from 2004-2009.

She retired in June 2021 and plans on spending time with her parents (both of whom are in their 90s).

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Creative Approaches TalkAbroad - CSU’s New Language Immersion Program Not everyone learning a foreign language can afford the cost of study abroad, but what if you could be part of an immersion program wherever you are? In other words, even though you couldn’t go abroad, what if you could at least “talk abroad”?

According to the website of TalkAbroad, a language-based company located in Denver, “It’s our hope that [we] can provide short and affordable ‘immersion experiences’ to students unable to leave their home country.” TalkAbroad provides conversation practice with native speakers in 15 different countries.

The Department of Modern and Classical Languages (MCL) at CSU is now using TalkAbroad to facilitate the creation of the conversation topic and the selection and scheduling of conversation partners. TalkAbroad is a required class activity that students can complete on their own or in the language center. The conversations last 15 or 30 minutes, depending on the language level and students’ needs. Students at any level of language study can participate because the conversation partners are trained to work with all levels.

Beginning this fall, every student taking a modern foreign language at CSU is being given an international conversation partner. That is, German language students will partner with native speakers in Germany; Spanish language students will partner with conversation partners from Spanishspeaking countries; Japanese language speakers, with partners in Japan; and likewise, for CSU’s French and Arabic language learners.

TalkAbroad provides the student and the professor with a recording of the partnered conversation so they can review what the student didn’t understand and can prepare for the next talk. Conversation partners are available in Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Japanese, and Arabic.

Creative Recruitment Of Students, By Students This fall, representatives from CSU’s chapter of Sigma Delta Pi (Spanish student organization) made virtual class visits to local high schools where they talked about CSU, the Spanish major/minor programs, and the different ways students can get involved in department activities.

Pictured from left to right are Alex Yarborough (Spanish minor), Raquel Aponte (Spanish major in Teacher Certification track), and Meredith Cohen (Spanish major in Literature and Culture track).

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Community Outreach Community Outreach Programs in the Department of History and Geography

By Jordan Brasher, Ryan Lynch, and Gary Sprayberry Community outreach has always been a priority and passion for the Department of History and Geography. Our faculty are always thinking about new and innovative ways to teach historical content that connects with the interests of the community while preparing our students for life beyond graduation.

During the spring 2021 semester, Dr. Jordan Brasher partnered with the New Georgia Project to map hotspots of unregistered voters in Muscogee County to support field canvassers’ efforts to get people registered to vote. He also partnered with Southerners on New Ground to help plan the efficient delivery of groceries to families who applied for mutual aid food assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Jordan Brasher

This fall, students in Dr. Gary Sprayberry’s “Civil Rights Movement/Black Power” class conducted research and created content for an upcoming exhibit called “Journey Toward Justice: The Civil Rights Movement in the Chattahoochee Valley” at the Columbus Museum. The exhibit is scheduled to open in January 2022.

To commemorate the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Dr. Ryan Lynch offered an upper-division history course this semester called “September 11, 2001” and organized several events related to the class. We welcomed students and community members to CSU for a 9/11 film series, a conversation with the Commanding General of Ft. Benning, and a discussion with a curator from the 9/11 Museum and Memorial in New York City.

Ryan Lynch

“We want our current students, alumni, and the supporters of CSU to know that the Gary Sprayberry History and Geography Department welcomes them to join the important and exciting conversations that we are having on campus,” Dr. Lynch said. “We want to share our expertise beyond the traditional classroom. We’re committed to making history available for everyone.”

Dr. Ryan Lynch interviews Major General Patrick J. Donahoe, Commanding General of the United States Army Maneuver Center of Excellence and Fort Benning.

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New Leaders CSU’s College of Letters and Sciences Appoints Three to Leadership Roles Columbus State University announced the appointments of Dr. Ben Kamau, Dr. Kimberly Gill, and Dr. Guihong Fan (pictured left to right in order of mention) to leadership positions in the College of Letters and Sciences.

Kamau has worked at CSU since 2009 and previously served as the chair of the Department of Mathematics (since 2016) and interim chair of the Department of Criminal Justice and Sociology (since 2019). In 2021, he was appointed the college’s associate dean. “I am excited at the opportunity to contribute to the growth and development of programs that meet the emerging needs of our students. I am passionate about access, quality, and relevant education, and students’ success,” Kamau said.

Kamau holds master’s degrees in applied mathematics from Egerton and SUNY Buffalo, as well as a doctoral degree in applied mathematics and theoretical physics from Delaware State University. His areas of expertise include computational geometry and image processing, as well as mathematics education.

Gill will concurrently serve as interim chair of the Department of Criminal Justice and Sociology in addition to her current role as chair of the Department of Political Science, Philosophy, and Public Administration.

A CSU faculty member since 2011, she also previously served as the assistant dean of military outreach for the college. Her teaching areas include American government, constitutional law, and public administration. She holds master’s and doctorate degrees in Public Policy and Public Administration from Auburn University.

Fan now serves as chair of the Department of Mathematics. She holds master’s and doctorate degrees in applied mathematics from McMaster University. She joined CSU in 2013 and has been an associate professor since 2018. Her areas of expertise include mathematical modeling in ecology and epidemiology, and in infectious diseases including West Nile virus and Lyme disease.

“Dr. Fan is an accomplished academic and a longstanding member of the department. She brings a wealth of departmental experience to her new role and is excited to lead the department through this period of change,” Yarber-Allen said.

From left to right, Dr. Ben Kamau, Dr. Kimberly Gill, and Dr. Guihong Fan.

The College of Letters and Sciences provides most of CSU’s general education core requirements, plus undergraduate programs in mathematics, the humanities, natural sciences, and social sciences.

Graduate-level programs include master’s degrees in history, the natural sciences, public administration, and public safety administration.

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Cover Story: Our Graduates Soar Biology Alumnus Jay Pitts and ClinCept Jay Pitts is the President and CEO of ClinCept, LLC, a clinical research company committed to providing clinical research studies to communities across the Southeastern U.S. He has a B.S. in Biology from Columbus State University and over 20 years of experience in the healthcare, pharmaceutical, and medical research industries.

ClinCept works with pharmaceutical companies, contract research organizations, and academic research institutes and performs clinical operations, data management, statistical analysis, pharmacovigilance, quality assurance, and project management. In addition, it collaborates with medical institutions to support clinical trials nationally.

Jay Pitts

After graduating in 2014, Jay was planning on going to medical school, but then he lost two grandmothers to cancer. Feeling the need to help find cures for diseases, he began working for pharmaceutical companies that required him to fly all over the country to meet a plethora of people, such as researchers at universities and at drug companies. He soon realized that the networking he was doing helped him grow both personally and professionally. He learned that the key to success was treating people with value and, in turn, they will recognize your authenticity.

While there are many organizations where Biology majors can intern, ClinCept is the only local one founded by a CSU Biology graduate. Hunter Preston, a CSU biology major and basketball star (pictured below), completed a summer internship with the company by learning how to monitor patients, record data, and treat patients respectfully. He has only good things to say about his experience at ClinCept.

Hunter says the workers at ClinCept “follow the golden rule of treating people how they want to be treated. It is what keeps new patients coming and the former patients revisiting with their friends for the same or a new study. ClinCept believes patient safety comes first and they should feel cared for at all times. It is founded on values that not only create the best possible clinical experience for those in their doors but the local community outside of it.”

Hunter also describes the founder in glowing terms, saying that Jay Pitts values patient relationships, strives to have a positive influence on the community, and upholds a balance of science and faith in all he does.

As the owner of ClinCept, Jay values being a trusted resource that provides education on the importance of clinical research to our communities. As a result, he routinely dedicates time to host health Hunter Preston fairs, speak to support groups, and collaborate with hospitals, medical clinics, and physician practices. His vision is to incorporate medical research with healthy lifestyles and inspire others to do the same.

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Cover Story: Our Graduates Soar Earth and Space Science Alumni Shine Dr. Page Quinton, a 2010 graduate with a B.S. in Geology, is now an Associate Professor in the Geology Department at SUNY Potsdam in upstate New York. She also teaches field camp in Montana at the Indiana University Judson Mead Geologic Field Station. Her Ph.D. (2016) is from the University of MissouriColumbia. Her research focuses on documenting and understanding climate change in the geologic past. Her past projects focused on the relationship between carbon, climate change, and mass extinction events. One of her projects provided the first empirical evidence that the dinosaur-killing asteroid impact also caused global warming. That paper was published in Science Magazine and resulted in interviews with NPR, Newsweek, and The Washington Post. She was recently awarded a $370,113 National Science Foundation grant to work with undergraduate students studying the relationship between carbon cycling and changes in sea level.

Cameron McCarty graduated from Columbus State University in 2014 with a degree in Earth and Space Science and went on to the University of Tennessee for his master’s in Planetary Geology. Since then he has worked on the science team for the THEMIS instrument orbiting Mars and taken photos with the Mars rover Opportunity as a mission team member. He started his space operations career running simulated missions at CSU’s Coca-Cola Dr. Page Quinton Space Science Center as a kid, and fell in love with the museum. “The CocaCola Space Science Center is what drew me to CSU’s ESS Department,” he says, “and it’s what helped kickstart my whole career with NASA.” Cameron now works as a Flight Controller for the International Space Station at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center where he helps the astronaut crew when they perform science, keeping them safe and answering any questions they may have while in orbit around Earth.

After earning her B.S. in Geology (2008) and her M.S. in Environmental Science (2011) from Columbus State University, Dr. Kar’retta Venable has accomplished much more. She is currently an ORISE postdoctoral researcher with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Research and Development’s (ORD) Center for Environmental Measurement and Modeling developing mitigation tools for wildfire hydrology and green infrastructure for water resource protection. Additionally, she develops software Cameron McCarty for modeling nutrient transport within hydrologic systems. From 2017-2019, Dr. Venable served as a professor and graduate faculty member at Columbus State University and Columbus Technical College. A graduate of Howard University Program for Atmospheric Sciences (HUPAS), she completed a research fellowship supported by the NOAA Center for Atmospheric Science (NCAS). Her specialties in research are on aerosol-cloud-precipitation interactions, extreme precipitation events, water quality and sustainability, hydrologic cycle and flow Dr. Kar’retta Venable regimes, among many others. She currently is serving two consecutive terms as commissioner for the Keep Columbus Beautiful Commission for Columbus, Georgia.

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Cover Story: Our Graduates Soar Successful Graduates from the Department of English The Department of English highlights the accomplishments of these five recent graduates: Scott DeClue, Professional Writing graduate (2018) and previous editor of The Saber, is now a Regional Planner/Community Developer for River Valley Regional Commission.

Najee Fareed, an English/Creative Writing graduate, was featured on Good Morning America in January 2021. The segment highlighted Najee’s creation of a newspaper and clothing line to support anti-gentrification efforts in his hometown of east Atlanta. In Fall 2021, Najee also began a fully-funded MFA program at New York University. ↓

Scott DeClue

Danielle Davis graduated with a degree in English-Professional Writing Track (2015) with TESOL certification. She is now a Youth Services Librarian for the Pasco County Government (north of Tampa, FL). →

Danielle Davis

Nick Johnston, a Professional Writing graduate (2013), works as a Data Migration Analyst for FIS, Global.

Cailee Davis, an English-Literature Track graduate of 2017, earned her M.A. from Royal Holloway, University of London, served in AmeriCorps, and worked in the Muscogee County School District as an administrator. She is now a Ph.D. student pursuing a degree in history.

Cailee Davis

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Cover Story: Our Graduates Soar History and Geography Graduates Make Their Marks Dr. Mark Sciuchetti, Assistant Professor of Geography at Jacksonville State University in Jacksonville, AL, holds a Ph.D. in geography (2019) and an M.M. in Musicology (2018) from the Florida State University and the M.A. in History from Columbus State University (2015). “His research interests include sound studies, urban geography, cultural geography, musical descriptions of the landscape, and geo-humanities. He has collaborated across many fields, including history, musicology, and ethnomusicology. His dissertation research explored soundscapes on the Hudson River…and the effectual capacity of sound to create and (re)create place and identity.

He recently worked on a sound mapping project, Moravian Soundscapes, which is a sonic history of the Moravian mission communities in North America, specifically in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.” At Jacksonville State, “he teaches classes in world regional geography (GY120), Physical Geography I (GY250), landscape and soundscape, GIS, Dr. Mark Sciuchetti music geography, and urban geography” (quotations from Jacksonville State University website).

Rebekah Atkinson – a Social Studies Teacher and 2019 MCSD Teacher of the Year Honoree at Jordan High School – graduated from CSU with a B.A. in History in 2010 and a Master of Education degree in 2014; she has almost finished her Doctorate in Education from CSU. B. Ryan Willoughby, Executive Director of Habitat for Humanity of Georgia, joined the HFHGA team in May of 2014. Ryan comes to HFHGA from the Columbus, GA affiliate with two years of managing its construction operations as well as assisting in other administrative functions. Ryan is a graduate of both Columbus State University and the University of Georgia. Ryan serves on the State Housing Trust Fund for the Homeless, the Georgia Healthy Homes Coalition, and the UGA Housing Demographics Research Center.

B. Ryan Willoughby

Dr. Russell Pryor, Assistant Professor of History at Abraham Baldwin College, received his B.A. in History from CSU in 2007, and both his M.A. (2008) and his Ph.D. (2013) in Social and Cultural History from Carnegie Mellon University.

Stars of Political Science Ashlyn Dewberry graduated in Spring 2021 and is now - after receiving offers from law schools around the country - in UGA law school. As a member of the CSU Honors College, she wrote her Honors thesis on “A Tale of Two Pandemics: A Comparative Analysis of U.S. Government Responses to the 1918 Influenza and COVID-19.”

Lori Frazier-Bearden, a political science alumna, is Deputy Commissioner of Economic and Workforce Development for the Georgia Department of Labor (GDOL). In a recent interview, she said the GDOL is working hard to safely reopen in-person career services across the state, including such efforts as resume building, interviewing skills, appearance mentoring, and job searching.

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Ashlyn Dewberry

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Cover Story: Our Graduates Soar Psychology Grad Now Works at Harvard Andrea Dorbu is a Research Associate at the Laboratory for Innovation Science at Harvard (LISH).

“In my role, I work with faculty and other members of the lab on research centered on the science of innovation. However, because the lab is interdisciplinary, we also conduct research in collaboration with other domains in academia and industry. I assist in various tasks within the lab, such as course planning and development, literature reviews, data collection, etc.”

Andrea Dorbu

She received her Master of Public Health in Healthcare Management from Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health in 2021 and her Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Columbus State University in 2020. Her research interests include technological advancements in healthcare and social determinants of health.

Georgia Patterson, Math Graduate, Tells Her Own Story I decided to study math at CSU to pursue an actuarial career. The summer before my junior year, I got an internship at Aflac working in ERM-Capital Modeling on their actuarial team. The next year during school, I continued to study independently and take my actuarial courses at CSU. I found the most helpful classes to be Introduction to Actuarial, Actuarial Regression, Theory of Interest, and Statistics.

Going into my senior year, I interned at The Hartford (financial services company) in actuarial reserving! During my senior year, I continued to study independently along with my school work, while also working in the tutoring lab. I began applying and interviewing for jobs in the fall of my senior year. I interviewed at companies like Berkshire Hathaway, Willis Towers Watson, State Farm, and Prudential.

Georgia Patterson

I decided to go with KeyBank and am now working full-time! During both of my internships, and already in my career, I have leveraged the information I learned in my coursework at school. CSU’s curriculum prepared me well and led me on my path to success. But more than that, my professors and instructors got me where I am today. Through teaching, mentoring, and coaching, CSU helped me reach higher than I ever thought possible. All the late nights studying for Dr. Fan’s calculus courses, all the office hours with Dr. Almada, all the extra help from Dr. Linton, and all the encouragement from Dr. Muse positioned me for success. If I had to do it over again, I wouldn’t change a single thing.

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Cover Story: Our Graduates Soar Sociology Grad Harriet Stephens - The Epitome of Servant Leadership After graduating with her first Bachelor of Science degree from (then) Columbus College in 1989, Harriet Stephens went on to have a productive career in the Army as a Communications Officer, retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel after 20 years of service. She returned to CSU in 2013 to complete a B.S. degree in Sociology, which she received in December 2020, after taking such classes as Sociology of Homelessness, Social Stratification, and Social Problems, among others.

Dr. Cameron Williams, Assistant Professor of Sociology, recalled that “Harriet’s life experience as a prior service member added unique perspectives to the topics that were under discussion, and she won the admiration of her peers because of her willingness to help out when they needed her.” While at CSU, Harriet was also engaged in extracurricular activities, both on campus and in the broader Columbus community.

“For two terms, Harriet served as the President of the Sociology Alliance Club until she graduated,” Dr. Williams said. “She was instrumental in reviving the Club, which she molded into a group that embodied a spirit of service….She spearheaded the collection of food items, clothing and other important necessities to support families in the Columbus community. On two occasions, Harriet mobilized members of the Sociology Alliance Club, who delivered various items to the Open Door Community House, to the Homeless Resource Network Inc., and to disabled Army Veterans in Columbus….Through Harriet’s leadership, the club acquired a freezer and donated it to the CSU Food Bank to help students access fresh foods.”

Harriet Stephens

Dr. Williams also remarked about a successful panel Harriet organized on Social Justice via Zoom on October 13, 2020. “The panel was organized by the Sociology Alliance in collaboration with the SGA. Dr. Annice Yarber-Allen, the Dean of the College of Letters and Sciences, served as the facilitator, and the Honorable Superior Court Judge Gil McBride delivered a thoughtful talk about social justice issues in the Columbus community and in the country as a whole.”

Harriet was the recipient of the Student of Excellence Award for Sociology by the Department of Criminal Justice and Sociology. This award distinguishes her among fellow students and illustrates the respect that her academic efforts inspired among her professors. She was also a finalist for the Faculty Cup Award, CSU’s most important and distinguished award presented to a student each year.

Harriet’s compassion, positivity, and unwavering commitment to service and leadership will serve her well in the future. Harriet is now working on a master’s degree in Christian Ministry at Mercer McAfee School of Theology, Atlanta, Georgia.

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Cover Story: Our Graduates Soar Spanish Graduates Succeed in Many Fields Diana Rodriguez, a 2011 graduate of the B.A. in Spanish, completed her M.A. at Auburn University and is currently working as a Spanish adjunct faculty member at Auburn and at Columbus State University.

David Varas, a 2011 graduate in Spanish, worked for Aflac as translator coordinator and is currently owner/videographer of DNA Media in Columbus. His website says, “We have been providing top-notch service to the southeast region and across the U.S. since 2015….Here at DNA Media, we pride ourselves on delivering quality work with the intent of capturing the magical moment in each event. We are here for all your wedding videography and photography needs.”

Diana Rodriguez

Tiffany Rivers, a 2014 graduate, has worked as a bilingual customer service representative for Ad Astra and TSYS. She recently completed her master’s degree in education and is now a teacher.

Kelly Shannon, a 2015 graduate, is a regional manager for Starbucks.

David Varas

Alice Mendez

Alice Mendez teaches Spanish at Richards Middle School and just completed her M.A. in Hispanic Studies at Auburn. She is a 2018 graduate of CSU’s Spanish program.

Marta Lopez graduated in Spring 2021 and now teaches Spanish at Rainey-McCullers School of the Arts.

Marta Lopez

Marianela Cruz, a Spring 2021 graduate, works for CSU as a Recruiter for the Enrollment and Admissions office.

Marianela Cruz

Do You Know What Your Donations Have Supported?

With the help of our alumni and friends, the College of Letters and Sciences has been able to provide 43 summer scholarships and other significant opportunities for our students! By giving back to CSU, you make a meaningful impact on students’ lives!

Tax-deductible contributions to our scholarship funds or other programs can be made online at ColumbusState.edu/Giving. For more information about our programs and initiatives, please contact Jill Carroll, Development Officer: 706-507-8431; Carroll_Jill@ColumbusState. edu.

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Meritorious Program Command College Extends Outreach CSU’s Command College was chosen as this semester’s Meritorious Program for two reasons: it received a grant to provide “Quiet Cop” mental health training for the entire state and it opened two new program sites.

According to its director, Billy Mixon, Command College (CC) received a $50,000 grant from the USG to train all 26 USG institution police departments in response to students in crisis, a mental health initiative. CC identified 6 locations where each institution would send 5 staff (Chief, Asst Chief, training officer, and two others) plus 2 representatives from mutual aid response agencies.

The “Quiet Cop” training and accompanying book is a course on the social and emotional intelligence skills necessary to de-escalate someone whose thinking, emotional state, or life circumstances has made them unable to be rational in their actions. The course is taught by Dr. Stephen Sampson, who has been teaching courses in this area of expertise for 35 years. He Billy Mixon has taught around the country to local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies (FBI, National Security Agency, Secret Service) and others.

Additionally, a QPR (Question Persuade Refer, a suicide prevention training program) Instructor course has been set up for each USG institutional police department to send a minimum of one participant.

Six selected campuses were identified for the delivery of this “Quiet Cop” program. Sites were selected with the intent to minimize the amount of travel from each of the 26 USG institutions:

Northwest - Kennesaw State University

Middle Ga. - Ft. Valley State University

Atlanta - Ga. Tech. University

Southwest - ABAC

Northeast - University of Georgia

Southeast - Ga. Southern University

Another reason for commending Command College is that it has opened two new Professional Management Program (PMP) sites in 2021. The first one is at the Cobb County Police Department police academy training facility, a $26 million facility. CC has a dedicated space in that facility, beginning Fall 2021. At the second site, hosted by Ft. Valley State University (FVSU) at its Warner Robins campus, CC also has a dedicated space.

Dr. Steve Sampson

The PMP provides a program of study that goes beyond what is currently available in law enforcement supervision and management development courses, serving as an “advanced school” for public safety personnel. The PMP brings together leading thinkers in corporate and public management to provide public-safety officers with intense training in the best available management theory and practice to render innovative solutions to organizational problems and to address important issues in managing public service organizations effectively.

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Faculty Publications CSU Professor Publishes Poems on the Myth of Icarus In June 2021, Dr. Carey Scott Wilkerson’s new book Cruel Fever of the Sky was published by Negative Capability Press. Taking the myth of Icarus as their point of departure, Wilkerson’s poems explore the nature of art, ambition, failure, flying, falling, love, loss, and the redemptive power of imaginative experience. Set variously in California, Germany, Alabama, and Georgia, the book traces the motif of Icarus plummeting from the sky through scenes of daily experience, fairy tale imagery, and operatic surrealism.

The book description reads, “With touches of Symbolism, Magical Realism, and PostModernism, the poems move easily from classical myth to popular culture. Whether under faerie lights strung in pepper trees or atop a Ferris wheel on the Santa Monica pier, magic and myth abound. With characters as unexpected as Norman Mailer, Jacques Cousteau’s pastry chef, Mayhaley Lancaster, we watch Icarus plunge time after time - into the Hudson Bay, the Potomac, the Chattahoochee River, even onto the dark side of the Moon. In spite of the miracles of salted tomatoes, fireflies, and the scent of gardenias ‘trilling the air with their white perfume,’ we come to recognize our own ‘cycles of cataclysm.’ We realize that for us, as for Icarus, those wings we’ve been told to spread will eventually fail us and gravity will bring us down.”

A poet, dramatist, and opera librettist, Dr. Wilkerson received his Ph.D. from Georgia State University and is an assistant professor of creative writing. His current projects are two operas, one based on Carson McCullers’s novel The Heart is a Lonely Hunter and the other on the life of Columbus-born painter, Alma Thomas.

CSU Professor Co-Authors Book on the Psychology of Eating For years, Bloomsbury Academic publications have served as vanguards, leading the way for others to follow.

A Guide to the Psychology of Eating will be no exception. Co-authored by Dr. Stephanie P. da Silva (Professor of Psychology at CSU) and Leighann Chaffee (University of Washington—Tacoma), it is set to be published in January 2022. Here is a sampling of its 12 chapters: • This is Your Brain on Food: The Biopsychology of Eating • L’appétit vient en mangeant: Learning Processes in Consumption • The Apple of My Eye: Child Development and Eating • “When in Rome …”: Social Influences on Eating • Eating is Necessary, But Cooking is an Art: Origins of Cuisine The publisher’s description entices readers: “Why are spicy cuisines characteristic of hot climates? Does our stomach or our brain tell us when it is time to eat? And how do we decide if bugs are food? Employing a learner-centered approach, this introduction to the psychological mechanisms of consumption engages readers with questions and crosscultural examples to promote critical analysis and evidence-based comprehension….The authors illuminate contemporary eating topics, including the scope and consequences of overnutrition, the etiology of eating disorders, societal focus on dieting and body image, controversies in food policy, and culture-inspired cuisine.”

Dr. da Silva developed this text for her Psychology of Eating (PSYC 3175) course, an online summer offering at CSU, and in an effort to further galvanize and organize this subdiscipline of psychology. The book, being released worldwide, currently is available for pre-order and will be available in Spring 2022 for private purchase and instructor course adoptions.

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Letters & Sciences Today

Passages Dr. Nemia Chai (1934-2021) - Always Giving and Sharing Dr. Nemia Chai, who taught Linguistics and Freshman Composition at CSU for over 34 years, will be remembered for her keen intellect, surprising sense of humor, and compassionate heart. Born in the Philippines, she completed her master’s degree in English (Speech) at The Philippine Women’s University in Manila before coming to the U.S. and earning a second master’s degree in Speech at Pennsylvania State University. She then earned her Ph.D. in Linguistics at the University of Pennsylvania. With her thenhusband, Nam Yearl Chai, Nemia joined the faculty at Columbus State University (formerly Columbus College) where she taught in the Department of Language and Literature. She was a finalist for Professor of the Year in 1997 and retired as professor emerita.

Nemia was a longtime advocate and supporter of women’s and girls’ rights.

She served in leadership roles with the American Association of University Women and supported the AAUW Legal Advocacy Fund. She was particularly honored to serve twice as president of AAUW and to represent AAUW at an international conference in China. She was also a member of the Columbus Alliance for Battered Women, Girls Inc., and the Faculty Wives Club (at CSU). She prized and promoted her Filipino heritage, sharing the culture whenever possible. An active member of the Filipino American Association since 1989, she was most proud of spearheading the scholarship program during her term as president. Additionally, she was one of the founding members of the Asian Pacific Alliance whose sole purpose was to serve as a political block ensuring a voice for Korean, Indian, Japanese, and Samoan in the Columbus community.

Bill Birkhead (1941-2021) - Gone, But Never Forgotten Dr. William “Bill” Stuart Birkhead could talk as easily with someone with a Ph.D. as someone with no formal education. Although he held degrees from Cornell (B.S. in Biology) and from the University of Texas at Austin (M.S. and Ph.D. in Vertebrate Biology), he knew the names of all janitors, maintenance workers, and cafeteria staff wherever he went and could “talk turtles” with locals just as well as with colleagues in academia. Birkhead was a living legend, had a terrific sense of humor, and was a great story teller, whether about wrestling alligators, milking rattlesnakes, investigating the impact of a nuclear power plant on ecology in North Carolina, researching catfish toxins in Argentina, surveying the fishes of the Southern Andes, or leading bird-watching expeditions through FDR State Park near Pine Mountain, GA. His coursework at CSU took him and his students on trips to locations across the Southeastern U.S., South America, Africa, the Caribbean, and Australia.

Birkhead came to CSU in 1978 and retired at the rank of Professor in 2011 after having served as Department Chair of Biology. He died July 7, 2021, at his residence in Hamilton, GA. He is survived by his wife of 56 years (Faith), 2 children (Heather and Roger), and five grandchildren. Memorial contributions may be made to The Nature Conservancy, The Audubon Society, Oxbow Meadows Environmental Learning Center, or the William S. Birkhead Biology Endowment Fund at Columbus State University.

Letters & Sciences Today

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Retirement New Avenues

By Dr. Amanda Rees Effective Dec. 31, 2021, I’m wrapping up a 30-year academic career, 16.5 of those years at CSU. Columbus State has offered me a remarkable space to fashion a career that integrated teaching, research, and service. Over the last decade, CSU’s Faculty Center provided support as I explored Team-Based Learning (TBL). TBL revolutionized my classroom and brought remarkable student success. From research collaborations with colleagues across the U.S. to training folks across the world, it’s allowed me to follow my passion for faculty development.

Dr. Amanda Rees, front left in black with scarf I began CSU’s Columbus Community Geography Center, a new organization that since 2010 has brought together faculty, students, and community organizations to complete over 20 community-led projects with over 30 partners. From working with whitewater river guides to create historicallyinformed narratives of Columbus history and designing new heritage tours to help relaunch Talbot County’s tourism program with the reopening of Pasaquan, my students have been involved in problem-solving in their community.

Dr. Amanda Rees, center and standing, at Pasaquan

Research indicates that departments should include at least three women. It can be rare to find that balance. Creating a web of support is essential. I’ve enjoyed creating a co-mentoring community of practice (COP) for female faculty at CSU. Over the last 16 years, the Women’s Research and Writing Group has met to set weekly goals in support of our professional development. Over 60 women have been mentored through this COP including deans, chairs, program directors, and faculty of various ranks (assistant, associate, and full professors).

What’s next? Short-term: more tennis with great CSU colleagues. Lots of conversations with colleagues across CSU and the U.S. who are also interested in exploring their next adventures. Longer-term: refashioning my abiding interest in climate change to explore the cultural landscapes that are now being reshaped by the climate crisis in the UK where we plan to relocate for a few years.

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Dr. Amanda Rees, seated far left

Dr. Amanda Rees

Letters & Sciences Today

New Faculty New COLS Faculty, Fall 2021 Dontreal Jackson-Ross – Lecturer of English Dontreal Jackson-Ross is a passionate English professor who enjoys teaching college-level literature and English composition. He specializes in the first-year composition experience, and his teaching philosophy encompasses a student-centered methodological approach.

During his spare time, Professor Jackson-Ross enjoys traveling to international destinations and spending time with family. He is a doctoral candidate at Columbia International University. His dissertation investigates the correlation between language inclusion and constructivism in first-year composition classrooms.

Caroline Newhall – Assistant Professor of History Dr. Caroline Wood Newhall is a historian of 19th-century United States history, focusing on North American slavery, warfare, and the Civil War Era. She examines the experiences of Black Civil War soldiers who became prisoners of war in the Confederacy. She is passionate about using mapping and digital humanities projects to help students visualize and understand the past, and is working on a digital database centered on her research into Black POWs. Dr. Newhall was most recently the Postdoctoral Fellow at the Virginia Center for Civil War Studies at Virginia Tech where she created and co-hosted public-facing webinars to engage with a broad audience and introduce the public to new research on the long Civil War Era.

Stephen (Steve) Jessup – Assistant Professor of Atmospheric Science Dr. Stephen (Steve) Jessup comes to Columbus State University from SUNY Brockport, near Rochester, NY, where he taught meteorology from 2013-2020. Before his time teaching at SUNY Brockport, Dr. Jessup studied at Cornell University, where he earned his B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees in atmospheric science, and did postdoctoral work at Cornell and Princeton universities studying flash flooding and heavy rainfall. Dr. Jessup studies forms of severe and hazardous weather, having published on flash floods and microbursts. Working with undergraduate students, he has also examined aspects of tornadoes and the impacts of complex terrain on thunderstorms. In his spare time, he enjoys taking walks, arranging music, and playing the trumpet; he is a member of the Bob Barr Community Band in Columbus.

Mohammad Jafari – Assistant Professor of Robotics Dr. Mohammad Jafari was born in Tehran, Iran. He received his Ph.D. degree in Electrical Engineering in 2018 and his M.S. degree in Computer Science and Engineering in 2015 (both from the University of Nevada, Reno) while working at the Intelligent Autonomous Systems Lab. He received his M.S. degree in Mechatronics Engineering in 2012, and his B.S. degree in Computer Hardware Engineering in 2007, both from Iran. From 2018 to 2021, he worked as a Postdoctoral Researcher in the Department of Applied Mathematics at the University of California, Santa Cruz. He started working at Columbus State University in August 2021, where he currently holds an assistant professor position in Robotics Engineering.

Letters & Sciences Today

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4225 University Avenue, Columbus, GA 31907

Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage Paid Permit No. 10 Columbus, Georgia

Creation of CSU Press For at least a decade, there was discussion about forming CSU Press.

Talks occurred between faculty, chairs, deans, and other administrators.

Then in 2016, Dean Dennis Rome and Columbus businessman and author Donald L. Jordan conferred, leading to the creation of the Donald L. Jordan Endowment at Columbus State University. Part of the endowment’s mission was to provide financial support for the press.

The endowment also designated funding for an annual national writing contest, an annual humanitarian-based study-abroad service trip, and an endowed chair position to oversee these and other projects. As of fall 2021, CSU Press has been established. Dr. Allen Gee, the Donald L. Jordan Endowed Professor of Creative Writing, worked with many key staff and administrators university-wide to create the logo and website, arranging for UGA Press to handle marketing and distribution. Gee will serve as the press Editor while Dr. Carey Scott Wilkerson will be Associate Editor. Gee expresses his gratitude for what was an “extensive collaborative effort” to get the press off the ground.

The first publication for CSU Press will be Michelle Herman’s novel CloseUp, winner of the 2020 Donald L. Jordan Prize for Literary Excellence.

The annual prize carries a $10,000 award for an unpublished novel, collection of short stories, memoirs, or essay collections. The winner is offered a publishing contract with CSU Press’s first imprint, DLJ Books. Publication of Herman’s book was delayed due to the author’s request, because of COVID-19. She is thrilled that the novel will be published on March 15, 2022.