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Letters & Sciences College of Letters and Sciences Highlights Vol. 13 - Spring/Summer 2019
High-Impact Practices in the College (pages 10-12)
Farewell to Dean Rome (page 2) Professor Selected as Governor’s Teaching Fellow (page 4) Robotics Engineering and Data Analytics Meet Workforce Demands (pages 8-9)
In this Issue
Donor Spotlights - 3 |Farewell to Dr. Zanga - 4 | Fort Scholar - 5 | Alumni Spotlight - 6 - 7
Community Collaboration - 13 | Student Success - 14 - 16 | Faculty Spotlights - 17 | Faculty Publications - 18 - 19 | Tertulias - back cover
Dean’s Farewell Effective July 1, 2019, I will begin my new position as Provost and Vice President at Northeastern Illinois University in Chicago. It has been truly an honor and privilege to serve as the Dean of the College of Letters and Sciences -- indeed, Columbus State’s Premier College! I am very proud of the many accomplishments we have achieved over the last five years. For example, we have • Celebrated the opening of the new Saunders Center for Laboratory Sciences; • Awarded numerous summer retention scholarships; • Increased the overall number of scholarships in the college; Dr. Dennis Rome, COLS Dean. • Developed new programs including a new Robotics Engineering bachelor’s and master’s degree beginning this fall; • Recruited new outstanding faculty and established the Donald L. Jordan Distinguished Professorship for Creative Writing Endowment; • Increased the number of our students participating in internships programs; • Developed a new program to increase retention, especially among our students who are bordering on academic probation. Dr. Annice Yarber-Allen, current chair of the Department of Criminal Justice and Sociology, has been appointed Interim Dean, effective July 1, 2019. Dr. Yarber-Allen brings to this position over twenty years of leadership experience. Given her extraordinary work ethic and her ability to motivate and empower faculty, staff, and students, I am confident that COLS will continue its positive trajectory. Specifically, Dr. Yarber-Allen will lead the College in the work necessary to achieve its goal of 100 percent placement for our graduates in meaningful careers and graduate schools. I shared the following poem at our spring commencement ceremonies adapted by Chaim Stern from John Rayner, and I would like to share it with you:
Let us treasure the time we have and resolve to use it well, counting each moment as precious, a chance to apprehend some truth, to experience some beauty, to conquer some evil, to relieve some suffering, to love and be loved, to achieve something of lasting worth. Let us fulfill the promise that is in each of us, and so conduct ourselves that generations hence it will be true to say of us: The world is better, Because for a brief space, They lived in it.
Letters & Sciences Today Writer and Editor-Barbara Hunt | Circulation Coordinator-Angela Johnson Development Director-Jill Carroll (Carroll_Jill@ColumbusState.edu) Design & Layout - Shelby Kellin
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Donor Spotlights Endowment for Carson McCullers Center for Writers and Musicians Dr. Thornton Jordan recently accepted a plaque for his and his wife’s support of the Carson McCullers Center. Presenting the plaque to him was Dr. Nick Norwood, the Center’s director. In fall 2018, Dr. Thornton and Sue Jordan donated $50,000 as the first part of a fundraising campaign to establish an endowment for the Carson McCullers Center. The endowment will be used to support the Center’s programming in both Columbus and Nyack, New York. Dr. Jordan is a retired professor who taught composition and literature courses at CSU for two decades. He is also the person who gifted the Smith-McCullers House in Columbus to CSU, which allowed the Department of English to establish the Carson McCullers Center for Writers and Musicians. In addition, the Center also oversees McCullers’ residence in Nyack. That house was bequeathed to CSU by Dr. Mary Mercer, McCullers’ psychiatrist and friend who inherited the house from McCullers. Carson McCullers is Columbus’ most famous Drs. Judi Livingston, Chair, Department of English; Tim writer. One of her novels, The Heart is a Lonely Howard, Associate Dean, College of Letters and Sciences; Hunter, is ranked 17th in Modern Library’s list of the 100 Thornton Jordan, donor and retired CSU faculty member; best English-language novels of the 20th century. and Nick Norwood, Director, Carson McCullers Center.
Donor Mr. Donald L. Jordan with Winners of Sara Ayres Jordan Writing Awards
Mr. Donald L. Jordan (left), sponsor of creative writing awards for CSU students, stands with some of the Carson McCullers Literary Award winners in April.
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The Carson McCullers Literary Awards Ceremony, hosted by CSU’s Department of English and Carson McCullers Center for Writers and Musicians, was held on April 24th in Arnold Hall. The literary awards recognize creative writing by area high school students and students from CSU. As part of the annual Carson McCullers Literary Awards, Mr. Donald L. Jordan sponsored the inaugural Sara Ayres Jordan Writing Awards, named in memory of his wife, to recognize outstanding writing by CSU undergraduates in fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Mr. Jordan and his daughters attended the ceremony and had the opportunity to meet some of the awardees.
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Thank you and Farewell to Dr. Joseph Zanga The College of Letters and Sciences recently bid farewell to one of its biggest champions. Dr. Joseph Zanga, retired Chief of Pediatrics at Columbus Regional Health (now called Piedmont Columbus Regional), served on the COLS Leadership Council from 2015 and supported several programs during his tenure. He and his wife, Chris (who supported CSU’s Schwob School of Music), are moving to North Carolina to be closer to family. Dr. Zanga played a significant role in CSU’s Competitive Premedical Studies Program since its inception in 2013. He provided invaluable input into the program and enabled premedical students to make many connections with physicians. He established the Primary Care Physician Shadowing Program, through which 21 students completed rotations through different areas of medicine. In recent years, Dr. Zanga served as a judge in math tournaments hosted by CSU’s Department of Mathematics and he assisted in the development of the new COLS strategic plan. During April’s Tea with the Dean, Dean Rome presented Dr. Zanga with a gift of appreciation, acknowledging his service to the college. COLS is much richer for having Dr. Zanga’s advocacy. We wish him well in his new adventures!
Dean Rome (left) and Dr. Zanga, holding the award presented to him during April’s Tea with the Dean.
Faculty Award Dr. Diana Riser—a Governor’s Teaching Fellow For the 2018-2019 academic year, CSU’s Dr. Diana Riser, Associate Professor of Psychology, was chosen as one of the Georgia Governor’s Teaching Fellows. This is a highly competitive honor with a maximum of two candidates allowed to be nominated from each school. The program is open not only to the state institutions, but to all private colleges and universities in Georgia. This year, there are 18 Governor’s Teaching Fellows. According to the website, “the Governor’s Teaching Fellows Program was established by Zell Miller, governor of Georgia, 1991-1999, to provide Georgia’s higher education faculty with expanded opportunities for developing important teaching skills. The program is offered through the Institute of Higher Education at the University of Georgia.” Dr. Riser chose to participate in the intensive summer symposium of two weeks at UGA separated by a weekend home. The symposium required her to do a teaching demo with an attendee in another discipline (education). She says she learned a lot at the Institute and enjoyed bonding with faculty from all over the state and in various disciplines. She was nominated because one of Dr. Riser’s passions is working with undergraduates to teach them how to love doing research. Case in point is Stephanie Clarke, an undergraduate double major in psychology and biology, with whom Dr. Riser has worked on several research projects, including a paper under review for publication by Teaching of Psychology, ongoing research with several other professors, and a poster presentation at the 2019 National Institute on the Teaching of Psychology. Out of 98 posters at that conference, they garnered one of the three top recognitions. The Creative Award went to their poster entitled Scientific Memes: Using the Language of Social Media to Improve Student Critical Thinking, Scientific Literacy, and Communication in Lifespan Development in which they explored using social media memes to explain scientific truths. Dr. Riser earned her undergraduate degree (B.S.) in psychology and philosophy at the University of Alabama in Huntsville and both her graduate degrees in psychology (M.S. and Ph.D.) at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. She joined the faculty at CSU in 2011. 4
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International Influence Dr. Cornelia Wilhelm—This Year’s Fort Scholar Every year since 2000, CSU has sponsored an international faculty member to come to CSU for one semester to teach. In the past, scholars have specialized, for example, in political science, foreign language, English, business, gender studies, music, and mathematics, among others. The discipline of this year’s scholar, Dr. Cornelia Wilhelm, is German-Jewish history and migration. The Mildred Miller Fort Foundation Visiting Scholar in European Studies (Fort Scholar) teaches two upperdivision/graduate classes during the 2019 spring semester and is involved in various campus and community activities. Dr. Wilhelm’s two classes this term are “German-Jewish History” (before, during and after WWII) and “Migration, Memory and Diversity in Germany since 1945.” She is also engaged in giving talks on campus, such as the one on March 12 entitled “The ‘Last Generation of the German Rabbinate’ in the United States: The Transatlantic Legacy of a Modern Jewish Leadership 19331999,”and in meeting with various German and German-Jewish members of the Columbus community as well as local rabbis.
She explained that, “Germany is perhaps the only country in the world where the right for political asylum is rooted in [its] constitution (versus other legislation), which is a very privileged place in the legal hierarchy.” While today there is in Germany some backlash to immigrants from the Middle East, German economy depends on immigrant workers, just as the US economy depends on migrant workers from south of the border and elsewhere. Dr. Wilhelm’s credentials and experience are extensive. She wrote her dissertation on political and social organizations of German Americans from 1922Dr. Cornelia Wilhelm, CSU’s Fort Scholar for 1945 and received her doctorate Spring 2019. in 1994 from Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Germany (LMU Munich). Over the years, Modern History at LMU Munich. she has served as Distinguished In addition, she has authored four Max-Kade-Visiting Professor at UGA, books, edited 12 volumes or volumes DAAD-Visiting Professor for German in series, published 25 articles in and German Jewish History at scholarly journals or anthologies, Emory University, and Aresty Visiting published 6 book reviews, and written Professor at the Bildner Center for countless encyclopedia articles. Jewish Studies at Rutgers University. In 2011, she was appointed Professor of
West Anhui University and CSU’s Math Department Last December, Drs. Eric Spears and Houbin Fang visited West Anhui University to celebrate its 100th anniversary. On Dec 7th, the School of Mathematics and Economics at West Anhui University invited Drs. Spears and Fang to an official meeting to discuss possible collaborations with the Mathematics Department at Columbus State University. At the end of the meeting, Dr. Fang gave the invitation letter from the Mathematics Department at CSU to Dr. Wan, the Dean of the School of Mathematics and Economics at West Anhui University, to invite him to visit CSU.
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Dr. Houbin Fang (left) and Dr. Eric Spears (center) meet with administrators of West Anhui University in China.
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Alumni Spotlight Jodie Hood: A Rising Star at MCSD
While working as a student assistant at the Coca-Cola Space Science Center, Jodie Hood (B.S. Psychology ‘09) discovered her love of astronomy and teaching. That experience changed the trajectory of her life. Another detail you need to know to appreciate her accomplishments is that Jodie is deaf. She views herself as proof of what she believes: deaf people can do anything-except hear. Jodie’s road to success has not been easy. When she graduated high school in 1995, she read at the 4th-grade level. She fell behind because she
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didn’t have a sign language interpreter in her classes. Before attending CSU, Jodie obtained a position as a paraprofessional within the Russell County School District where she often felt like a counselor to deaf and hard of hearing students. Thus, when she enrolled in college, she decided to major in psychology, planning someday to be a school counselor. But then fate intervened and Jodie fell in love with science her senior year of college. After graduating, she began her master’s degree in science education at Montana State University. What attracted her to this school was its quality online coursework and its intensive 2-week summer field work in places like Yellowstone National Park and Glacier National Park. Forty miles of hiking in one week is not something many can do, but Jodie did! Even though her graduate degree in science education is from Montana, it was not too difficult for her to get certified in Georgia. It took her a little over a year to complete GaTapp (state teaching certification program) and take the GACE Deaf Education test. In fall 2017, Jodie started teaching science classes at Shaw High School, which has a Deaf program for all
hard of hearing high school students in Muscogee County. She taught classes in biology, physical science, and environmental science, and said she would like someday to teach courses in earth systems, geology, earth science, and astronomy. In January 2019, Jodie changed positions to become Itinerant Teacher of Deaf and Hard of Hearing. This position requires her to travel to seven schools where she works only with deaf students and mostly one-on-one. In her new position, she emphasizes life skills, teaches vocabulary, and helps with classroom work (math, science, other subjects). She knows how important it is that deaf and hard of hearing students get help as soon as possible. Jodie was about two when she was finally diagnosed with a moderate to severe hearing loss and fitted with hearing aids. At such a young age she was already two years behind in language-learning skills compared to hearing children. She has certainly made up for that delayed learning with her positive attitude, her persistence, and her vision that she can accomplish anything.
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Alumni Spotlight Journey from Student to Part-Time Professor – Heather Avery, Ph.D. With four degrees under her belt, Dr. Heather Avery is well equipped to juggle a critical position at Aflac and step into the classroom to teach a new course. A double-degree holder from CSU (B.S. Psychology ’00 and M.S. Applied Computer Science ’05) and Auburn (M.B.A. ’10 and Ph.D. Computer Science & Software Engineering ‘15), Dr. Avery has come full circle with her academics as she has returned to CSU to teach part-time for the Department of Mathematics. Along the journey from student to adjunct professor, she has received several awards recognizing her for her career accomplishments, including CSU’s Young Alumni Award in 2012. Dr. Avery currently serves as Vice President of Customer Analytics & Infrastructure at Aflac, where ensuring customers are at the center of their work has always been the cornerstone of the company. Her role directly affects the company’s customer experience goals by providing the tools and capabilities to understand customers’ motivations and actions. To gain further insight into Dr. Avery’s journey back to CSU, we asked her some questions: Q: How long have you been at Aflac and what positions have you held? A: I joined Aflac in 2001 and held various positions in Internal Operations, Change Management, Strategic Planning, and Marketing. I started my career at Aflac as a universal specialist in what was once referred to as the Flex One. In this role, I focused on adding value to the department beyond the scope of my responsibilities and gained additional experience analyzing data. In less than two years, I was promoted to an analyst position. This was not my first experience working directly with data, so I knew I would enjoy the role while solving problems and helping people. Q: Describe the various aspects of your current job at Aflac. A: My objective is to support my business partners with customer-led, insights driven analytics, to guide action against customer experience and efficiency objectives while also providing quality data and governance in support of Analytics Center of Excellence initiatives. In addition, we are continuing to advance the maturity of our Analytics through implementing new capabilities, upskilling our staff, standardizing and automating our processes. Q: How did your CSU degrees (B.S. Psych, M.S. ACS) prepare you for your career? A: I consider my degrees as critical in enabling me to add value throughout my career. Psychology taught me quantitative methods for analyzing human behavior and with computer science I learned how to work with data structures and automate analytical techniques. Q: How did your teaching position at CSU come about? A: One of CSU’s professors reached out to me about a teaching opportunity and the timing was perfect! I had recently developed the architecture for Aflac’s internal Analytics Training Curriculum and had developed two courses as part of that program and realized I had a passion for teaching. Q: What course are you teaching at CSU and does it relate to your current work at Aflac? A: The CSU course I teach is a new one, Ethics and Data Analytics. With Aflac’s recognition as one of the world’s most ethical companies for the 13th consecutive year, ethics and data analytics go hand-in-hand. Aflac places the customer at the center of our decision-making, and with me leading Analytics, the two topics are a perfect match. I’ve enjoyed discussing the ethical issues faced in business and communities as a result of employing certain types of mathematical models, as well as getting the students comfortable with how to discuss negative implications from bad decisions with recommendations for achieving positive and ethical outcomes. Q: What advice would you give freshmen interested in data analytics? (See story on Data Analytics on p. 8) A: I consider this a required skill set for any profession. One thing is common for anyone in the workplace: we all have problems we’re attempting to solve – and it’s only natural to look to data. Q: What do you like to do in your spare time? A: I have a passion for teaching, and take road trips. There’s nothing like a good beach trip to recharge and prepare myself for the next challenge! Seeing the accomplishments of one of our alumni in a significant role at a Fortune 500 company gives CSU great pride, and to have Dr. Avery share her expertise with our students is a huge bonus!
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New Programs Data Analytics: Enhancing Career Opportunities The Department of Mathematics has developed a new Data Analytics Minor and a Data Analytics Certificate. The minor is now available to all undergraduate CSU students, regardless of major; the Certificate is available to those who have already graduated. Data Analytics Minor Before proposing the minor, the Department conducted considerable research to determine the demand for CSU graduates with a Data Analytics Minor. The consensus from potential employers graduate faculty at research institutions was that the addition of the Data Analytics Minor to a student’s application for employment or for admission graduate school would increase the chances being hired or admitted, all other things being equal. Georgia Tech, for example, has expressed interest in recruiting math major graduates with the Data Analytics Minor for their graduate programs, such as the Master of Science in Analytics with tracks Analytical Tools, Business Analytics, and Computational Data Analytics. In addition, some local regional employers view the Math Major / Data Analytics Minor along with a good selection of courses from the College of Business as a “door opener” for entry level jobs.
and to of
in and Data can be gathered everywhere, from everything, thereby making a minor or certificate in Data Analytics highly useful, regardless of major.
The students most likely to add this minor are those majoring in math, computer science, business, science, and social science. Data Analytics Certificate Individuals who have completed requirements for a baccalaureate degree either at CSU or elsewhere may enroll in the Data Analytics Certificate. Coursework for the minor and for the certificate is identical.
Coursework for the Data Analytics Minor and the Data Analytics Certificate STAT 1127 - Intro to Statistics STAT 3127 - Statistical Programming (Spring semester only, STAT 1127 prereq) DSCI 3111 - Data Mining I (Fall semester only, STAT 3127 prereq) DSCI 3112 - Data Mining II (Spring semester only, DSCI 3111 prereq) DSCI 3116 - Ethics and Data Analytics (Spring semester only, DSCI 3112 coreq) DSCI 4698 – Internship in Data Analytics (Fall and Spring semester, DSCI 3112 prereq) OR DSCI 3215 - Research Project in Data Analytics (Fall and Spring semester, DSCI 3112 prereq)
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New Programs CSU Approved for New Innovative Degree in Robotics Engineering The University System of Georgia Board of Regents approved for CSU to offer a new bachelor of science and master of science degrees in robotics engineering. The program could begin as early as fall 2019, pending approval by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges. This will be a first for CSU as the university continues to prepare the technology workforce for our region. “This is a game changer for our university, our community, and our current and future students,” said CSU President Chris Markwood. “The job outlook in robotics engineering is extremely bright, with an increasingly high demand for talent right here in the Columbus. This is yet another opportunity for us to work with local employers to train tomorrow’s workforce with the exact skills needed within our region.” The National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) Annual Job Outlook report consistently ranks engineering as one of the top indemand fields in the country, with 72% of NACE survey respondents from 2014-2018 indicating their intention to employ someone with an engineering degree in the upcoming year. The need for a robotics engineering program in the region became even more apparent following the U.S. Army’s relocation of the Maneuver Center of Excellence and the U.S. Armor School to Fort Benning. Although CSU has offered an associate’s degree of science in engineering studies and a 21 credit hour robotics certificate since 2011, this will be CSU’s first full engineering degree that does not require students to transfer elsewhere before completion. “Now engineering students will be able to stay right here at Columbus State University,” said Dr. Clinton Barineau, Chair of CSU’s Department of Earth and Space Sciences. “We will
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also work with community partners to that CSU plays in developing a highlyprovide our students with internship skilled workforce for industry partners and job opportunities here in regionally and nationally.” Columbus.” In addition to CSU’s proximity to Fort Benning, the work of CSU’s Coca-Cola Space Science Center (CCSSC) and the university’s role as host to the GeorgiaFIRST Robotics Competition were all assets in obtaining approval for the new program. With facilities for 3D design and printing, the CCSSC has been engaged in robotics teacher training, student research programs, summer camps, competitions, and federally-funded grant activities related for more than half a decade. As host of the GeorgiaFIRST Robotics Earth and Space Science majors Devin Janeway and Competition, Cory Mitchell gave hands-on physics demonstrations CSU has also near a robotics display at the grand opening of the developed valuable Saunders Center for Laboratory Sciences, November partnerships with 2018. Fort Benning and local employers in introducing youth to robotics opportunities. The new degrees will be housed “We pride ourselves on offering in CSU’s Department of Earth and innovative education programs that Space Sciences, a department within ensure students are well-prepared for the College of Letters and Sciences. existing jobs in the field,” said CSU Students will have the option of Provost Deborah Bordelon. “The new earning a bachelor’s degree in four robotics engineering program will years or adding an additional year to further demonstrate the crucial role receive their master’s degree.
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High-Impact Practices in the College of Letters and Sciences High-Impact Practices (HIPs) take various forms, the most popular of which is internships (see TESOL Certification and CSU in Mexico stories, below). Other HIPs involve applications of concepts to the real world (see PIC Math story, p. 11), interactions with people in the community (see Community Engagement story, p. 12), and concentrated efforts by students over an extended time period (see John Hood story). All HIPs, whatever the form, are designed to take learning above and beyond the ordinary—and into the extraordinary!
Concentrated Efforts of John Hood, Ph.D. Candidate In the case of John C. Hood III, his B.S. degree in Earth and Space Science (ESS) gave him the hands-on experiences that gained him acceptance into one of the most prestigious Ph.D. programs in the country, that of Vanderbilt University. John’s interest in instrumentation began at CSU where he worked at the Coca-Cola Space Science Center and helped install the new telescope at the WestRock Observatory. John graduated spring 2014 from the Astrophysics and Planetary Geology track of the ESS program. After graduation, he moved to Nashville to complete his Masters in 2017 from Fisk University while in the Fisk-Vanderbilt Masters to Ph.D. Bridge program. He was then accepted into the highly-competitive Ph.D. astronomy program at Vanderbilt University. His doctoral work at Vanderbilt may take him to the South Pole, where he will help set up the largest John C. Hood III by his poster “Broadening Our Horizons,” a presentation he telescope ever deployed there. made when he was an undergraduate at CSU. In sum, John Hood has been successful because he has prepared himself well academically and experientially. While completing his B.S. ESS degree, he worked at the Coca-Cola Space Science Center and earned a certificate in Robotics. He exemplifies that high-impact practices (HIPs) work to create a better student with a brighter future.
TESOL Certification, International Internships, and Full-time Employment Abroad Certification for Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) requires that students participate in a supervised teaching experience either in the US or abroad. Most students in the TESOL Certification program choose to teach abroad (CSU in South Korea) since Dr. Kyongseon Jeon, Professor of Linguistics in the Department of English, has arranged TESOL opportunities for CSU students to teach at the Busan Global Village, Inc. In Summer 2019, five CSU students will participate in this TESOL Practicum in South Korea. • YeEun Yoo (Graduate student, Violin) • Tabitha Upton (English, Professional Writing track) • Jordan Stafford (Re-Entry student, undecided major) • Kristen Broyles (Theater) • Kayleigh Dickson (Communication) Note the variety of majors! Students do not need to be an English major to get TESOL certification. Many of those who graduate with TESOL certification have been successful in landing jobs abroad. Here is a summary of job placements of some recent TESOL certification graduates: (Continued on page 11) 10
Allie Haase, a Theater Education graduate, has accepted a teaching position in France.
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(Continued from page 10) • Jeremy Randall (Spanish): Teaching full-time in Daejeon, South Korea. • Allie Haase (Theater Education): Accepted into the Teaching Assistance in France program, managed by the Centre international d’études pédagogiques (CIEP, an agency of the French Ministry of Education). Haase is a Theatre Education major and a participant in the TESOL practicum in South Korea, Summer 2018. Haase said, “I am currently preparing to pack up my life and move to France to teach English as my first post-graduate job….I feel thoroughly equipped to exceed all of my new employer’s expectations thanks to the carefully designed lessons and projects from each of my [TESOL] classes, the opportunities for me to live and work abroad (which undoubtedly gave me a leg up in the application process), and the connections I made worldwide along the way.” • Caleb Benedict (Postbac, Piano): Accepted into EPIC program and will start teaching in S. Korea in August, 2019. • Stephanie Carney (Biology): Started teaching in Kwangju, S. Korea, after completing an internship at Gwangju International Center in Fall 2018. • Katrina Nicholas (English, Secondary Ed track): Participated in the TESOL internship in South Korea, summer 2018. Accepted a teaching job in Japan, to start October 2019.
International Internships with CSU in Mexico
Katrina Nicholas, an English Education graduate, has accepted a teaching position in Japan, beginning October 2019.
In a globalized world, interning and living abroad are critical career makers. When students complete an international internship, they have the work experience, professional skills, and confidence to help them stand out. CSU in Mexico, in conjunction with its host institution Universidad Internacional (UNINTER), offers internships in Medical Personnel, Social Work, Mexican Criminal Justice, Computer Science, and Accounting, among other fields. Students study Spanish vocabulary and best practices in their field, and they spend 6 hours per day at their internship location. To date, CSU students who have completed international internships with CSU in Mexico include Thomas Wingate (Computer Science), Samantha Wooden (Translation), Emily Christein (Medical Personnel), and Joshua Checa (Accounting). During Summer 2019, Mariah Jackson will pursue an internship in Communication. CSU in Mexico internship participants gain not only valuable work experience, but also explore a particular field from a cross-cultural perspective.
PIC Math 2019 PIC Math refers to Preparation for Industrial Careers in Mathematics. Through a PIC Math course, students learn how to interact in a business setting, manage deadlines, produce technical documents, and think critically Thomas Wingate at work during his to find solutions with mathematical rigor. By the end of the course, students internship in Mexico. produce a solution to the project problem and complete a written, oral (video), and poster summary of their work. The partners from industry, business and government provide regular consultation and feedback to the students and faculty. The project this spring was Severe Weather in the Region. This PIC Math course was offered in collaboration between Dr. Guihong Fan (Mathematics) and Dr. William Gunter (Earth and Space Sciences), in consultation with Mr. Bob Jeswald (Chief Meteorologist WRBL). (Continued on page 12) Letters & Sciences Today
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(Continued from page 11)
Community Engagement
By Dr. Vy Dao, Assistant Professor of Sociology, and Dr. Andrew Donofrio, Assistant Professor of Communication Our goal for a unique section of ITDS 1155 (The Western Intellectual Tradition) was this: to build an interdisciplinary course that encouraged students not only to learn concepts and theories related to the sociology and communication disciplines but also to apply that knowledge in their community in some meaningful way. We envisioned a course that allowed students to develop mentorship and interpersonal skills while they armed themselves with core sociological theories. In short, we wanted to create a course in which CSU freshmen and Early College students supported our local community by acting as mentors to at-risk youths. The at-risk middle school students (“tweens”) chosen to be mentored were those in the Eastside Boys and Girls Club after school program. But how to design the course? We opted for “less is more”: we limited our contents to a handful of core theories and concepts from our fields from which we created a utility belt of ideas and softs skills that we thought would best benefit our students as they acted as mentors for the tweens. CSU students were tasked with posting CSU students India Mobley (black scarf) and bi-weekly Austin Bedsole (dark gray shirt) interact with blogs and students from the Club, Destiny Slaughterwriting Jefferson and JuQwan Solomon, in an exercise two major involving batons. reflection essays on their experiences as well as keeping a mentoring log that tracked their visits to the Club. The centerpiece of the course was our Team Programming assignment. To complete this assignment, our students worked in teams of three to five and developed a fun, 20-25-minute activity for the tweens at the Club. The activity integrated an educational component and included debriefing questions that offered the tweens an opportunity to reflect on the activity. In running these programs, our student teams were able to be creative, to demonstrate teamwork and leadership skills, and to strengthen Janiya Phillips (on left, in red shirt) and Jasmine their relationships with the tweens. Barmore talk through details of their project at the Eastside Boys and Girls Club. Many elements had to come together to create this extraordinary learning experience, one that resulted in innovative, student-centered engagement. Cover photo: Students in the Eastside Boys and Girls Club after school program engage in fun educational exercises hosted by CSU students in ITDS 1155 class taught by Drs. Dao and Donofrio.
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Community Collaboration President’s Day in Plains On February 12, more than 30 CSU students and faculty traveled to Plains, GA to hear former President Carter and Mrs. Carter speak at Plains High School on President’s Day. CSU students and faculty were all from two departments: History and Geography; Politics, Philosophy and Public Administration. At the Plains gathering, the Carters spoke on various subjects and were CSU students and faculty ready for President’s Day in asked many Plains. (Photo by Patty Chappel.) questions—on foreign policy, education, and the qualities of good leadership— in the Q/A period. There were more than 200 students attending—from middle school through college. The President Rosalynn and Jimmy Carter at said that the best quality a person can have is to tell the truth, not only to others Plains High School on President’s but to himself. When asked what his biggest regret was, he said he would have Day 2019. sent another helicopter on what turned out to be a rescue mission gone wrong during the Iran hostage crisis of 1980. “It is not every day that you get to meet a president,” said Tiffany Morgan, a senior majoring in history and secondary education. “It is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.” Following the Q/A, the Carters signed books. CSU students then enjoyed lunch and had time to explore historical sites in Plains.
Chemistry Department Helps Create Experiment for International Space Station By Floyd Jackson, Chair, Department of Chemistry Our involvement with the International Space Station (ISS) came about when a teacher, Mr. Ed Tymes at Calvary Christian School (CCS), contacted me to ask if we could assist them in developing an experiment to be conducted on the ISS. I immediately said “yes” to the opportunity. I asked the faculty of the Chemistry Department if they had any ideas. Dr. Daniel (Wade) Holley showed interest and we went over to meet with Mr. Tymes, his students, and other administrators at the school. Dr. Holley designed an experiment involving the crystallinity and property changes that may occur in polycaprolactone under zero gravity conditions. Out of hundreds of schools across the country, CCS was chosen to participate in the program to have an experiment conducted on the ISS. In addition to CSU being involved, engineers at Pratt and Whitney assisted with the computer technology needed to run the experiments. So we have a private school, private industry, and a state university collaborating to make this happen! Everyone at CCS is really excited about the project and having us involved. In fact, during our visit to CCS, they had us pose for pictures with the students and are really hoping to get a lot of publicity as a result. We have been invited to travel to the launch site at Cape Canaveral, FL, when the lift-off occurs.
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Dr. Wade Holley, Assistant Professor of Chemistry, in his office.
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Student Success Helping Students Succeed Departments and programs in the College of Letters and Sciences are actively engaged in helping students succeed. Here are some of the efforts aimed at student success.
Momentum Year Initiatives Momentum Year is a suite of strategies designed to help students in their crucial first year of college. CSU’s Momentum Year initiatives involve using focus maps, revamping remediation, and redesigning core courses. Using focus maps is what CSU Advise does to help students who are still deciding on a major. There are eight focus maps to help students select courses in which to enroll when they only have a vague area of interest but have not chosen a specific major. Focus maps list courses for students to take during the first year at CSU. The eight focus areas (with maps) are • • • •
Health Professions Business Education (excludes Secondary Education) Computer Science, Math, & Science
• • • •
Social Science Humanities Fine & Performing Arts Exploratory
Revamping remediation falls, in part, to Melody Shumaker, First Year Experience Director and Learning Support Coordinator. Due to USG system changes in delivery of remediation, co-requisite Math and English courses have replaced stand alone remediation classes. These new co-requisite courses provide students with support to reinforce concepts taught in the core classes. In order to enhance these efforts, the Learning Support Success Center provides coaching for students who are required to take corequisite Math and co-requisite English. The coaches receive training from the National Center for Developmental Education on best practice to serve students who place into the co-requisite classes. Services are offered day, evening and weekend to meet student needs. Redesigning core courses falls to both the English and Math Departments. Dr. Rebecca Gerdes-McClain, Director of First Year Composition in the Department of English, received an Affordable Learning Georgia grant for $29,750 to redevelop ENGL 1101 and ENGL 1102 curricula to incorporate free open educational resources (Summer 2018-Fall 2019) so students will have free textbook materials. She is also redesigning First Year Composition courses to lower their DFW rates (D and F are non-productive course grades that require students to repeat the course; W means the student has Withdrawn from the course and thus must reenroll). Likewise, the Math Department has revised its gateway math courses to increase student retention and the number of productive grades. MATH 1001 (Quantitative Skills and Reasoning) and MATH 1111 (College Algebra) now feature numerous co-requisite courses designed to allow students to practice skills learned. These co-requisite courses run parallel in topics taught in the Dr. Rebecca Gerdes-McClain is busy regular class. The co-requisite labs are facilitated by faculty and peer leaders. redesigning core English courses.
MathConnections MathConnections is a seminar geared towards developing essential study skills in math. This is an informal, non-credit seminar that is optional for students in MATH 1001 (Quantitative Skills and Reasoning) and MATH 1111 (College Algebra). It features a series of weekly topics with an emphasis on reducing math anxiety, having a growth mindset, developing study skills, and applying time management, among many other topics. Math Faculty volunteer to lead presentations and discussions on the various topics, answer questions, and generally guide students to being successful in gateway mathematics courses. The lead faculty on this project are Dr. Houbin Fang and Elizabeth McInnis.
Department of Chemistry The Department of Chemistry requires majors to take a seminar in their first year. See story on p. 15.
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Chemistry Seminar—A Living User’s Manual for Majors The Department of Chemistry has discovered how to spell success for its majors: S-E-M-I-N-A-R. Created and taught by chemistry professor Dr. Kerri Taylor, the 1-credit Introductory Chemistry Seminar (CHEM 1715) provides students with a living user’s manual by giving students a sense of security and confidence in their choice of chemistry as a major. The course helps students answer many questions from lab safety to the methodology and ethics of writing lab reports. Key to the course is answering this question: What can a graduate do with a degree in chemistry? Field trips, invited guest speakers and topical presentations provide excellent real-world learning opportunities and contribute to students’ understanding and appreciation of chemistry in various aspects of society. Field trips to the Columbus Water Works, Refresco (formerly Cott Beverages), John Emerald Distillery, and the Columbus Museum help students see how various companies and organizations use chemists and chemistry in their everyday operations. Another way this course helps chemistry majors is by equipping them with the soft skills necessary to be successful in the real world. Course instruction is accompanied by reading, writing, and multi-media assignments that spotlight essential undergraduate research skills such as literature reviews, quantitative reasoning, critical use of primary sources, the identification of a research problem, and critical analysis of texts. These immersive experiences help students improve their communication with others, both inside and outside their discipline. CHEM 1715 has created an environment for chemistry majors to debunk the stereotype that a chemist can only be a male wearing a white coat in the research lab setting. Since the class’ inception, the number Students enrolled in Fall 2018 CHEM of majors has begun to rise. Enrollment in the course has increased 1715 Introductory Chemistry Seminar at over the last three years from 11 to 20 students. Upon completion of the Columbus Water Works. course, a large number of students become involved in student groups and in undergraduate research. The course has invigorated their love of chemistry. One student said this about her experiences at Columbus Water Works: [When thinking of a chemist, most people would picture] “a faceless nerd in some far off lab that lives and breathes on nothing but math and science. Devoid of all social skills and isolate themselves to the rest of the world. This couldn’t be further from the truth. [The trip to the Water Works helped me] to discover how something so simple as… add[ing] carbon to river water to make all the dirt to clump up [would be the way] to start purifying water….[I wondered] if this is just one job for chemistry, then what other jobs could be out there for my degree? Maybe medical school does not have to be the only option [for] me and all chemistry majors out there. It makes me excited to see CHEM 1715 students at John Emerald what happens next on my journey to more knowledge about the Distillery. chemistry working world.” A trip to Refresco helped another student realize how chemists can work in places the student didn’t even know about and in ways the student never thought about: “My perspective has definitely been broadened in my use of my chemistry degree…. Before this trip, I had never really put much thought into soft drinks and beverages….The slightest deviation from the formula can cause the drink to taste different from its intended taste. This field trip… has broadened my mind to different career possibilities….It amazed me how this facility is in charge of sending out product[s] to the whole world. The chemist in charge explained that he gets the opportunity to travel to different countries to create new flavors and work with them to produce product[s] that they want. This interests me greatly, because not only do these chemists get to be innovators but they also get to travel.” This required seminar for chemistry majors is responsible for creating a cohesive community for chemistry majors, increasing the retention of majors, developing soft skills needed for upper division coursework and a career, and helping majors understand the many opportunities a background in chemistry offers them.
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Student Spotlight CSU Winners—Southern Literary Festival Najee Fareed and Esther Zuiderveen were the first and second place winners in the one-act play category at the 2019 Southern Literary Festival, held in April at Christian Brothers University in Memphis, TN. English Department faculty members Dr. Allen Gee and Professor Natalia Temesgen drove the students to Memphis to receive their awards for their oneact plays Bill (Fareed) and The Head of Mishaps and Assholery Najee Fareed (left) and Natalia Temesgen Aryn Singer (left) and Esther Zuiderveen (Zuiderveen). reading Fareed’s play Bill. reading The Head of Mishaps and “Reading my play was very fun Assholery. and I received a lot of great advice in workshops that I think will go a long way in furthering my writing career,” Fareed said of his experience. Zuiderveen went to a “variety of cool panels that had a lot of tips and prompts for writing. Everyone was very nice at the college, and even though I was nervous, I got to present my play with my best friend helping out and it was a fun experience.”
CSU Student Named Goldwater Scholar ZiJie “Jerry” Lin has been selected as a 2019 Barry Goldwater Scholar. This marks Columbus State University’s first Goldwater recipient after having two students selected for Honorable Mentions in 2017. Jerry was among 496 students selected for this honor from more than 5,000 applicants. The award will fund up to $7500 in educational expenses as he completes his undergraduate degree. Originally from China, Jerry moved to Columbus, Georgia in 2006 and became a US citizen earlier this year. He is a graduate of Columbus High School and is pursuing a B.S. degree in chemistry with the American Chemical Society Certified Track as well as minors in both biology and math. Jerry is also an Honors College scholar at CSU. Jerry has published in the Journal of Heterocyclic Chemistry and presented at the National Meeting of the American Chemical Society and the Georgia Academy of Science. For the 2019 - 2020 academic year, he has been accepted to attend Oxford University through Columbus State’s Oxford Visiting Student Program. Ultimately, Jerry aims to earn a Ph.D. in Medicinal Chemistry, conduct research in chemical synthesis, and teach at the university level.
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 29 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 Director: 706-507-8431; Carroll_Jill@ColumbusState.edu. 16
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Faculty Spotlights Assistant Dean Downs Recognized by Columbus Police Department Bridget Downs, CSU’s Assistant Dean in the College of Letters and Sciences, recently received the Citizens Recognition Award at the Columbus Police Department’s Annual Awards and Commendations Ceremony. Downs received the award in recognition for her work with the police department in developing partnerships and internships, as well as mentoring police department interns.
Bridget Downs (red dress) is flanked by Dean Rome (from left), Chief Ricky Boren, Provost Deborah Bordelon, and Columbus Mayor Skip Henderson.
Classroom Innovator, Dr. Bryan Banks Last semester in his European History class (HIST 3157 Modern Europe, 1789-Present), Dr. Bryan Banks decided to do things a bit differently. Rather than approach modern European history solely through the lens of political or military history, Dr. Banks focused on the theme of the social history of technology. He was inspired by an article he read on how, over the last decade or so, smartphones have rewired our social interactions. To understand how technology can affect society and the way people interact with one another, students read Emile Zola’s La Bête humaine (1890), which explores the impact of train technology on nineteenth-century French society. In order to think about the ways that technology furthered imperialism, students watched Werner Herzog’s Fitzcarraldo (1982) – a film on the ways European colonizers used steamboats to explore the Amazonian basin. Then Dr. Banks asked students to conduct short research projects on European technological innovation during the period, which would become the basis for their radio broadcast scripts. Students researched subjects as diverse as the guillotine, the Russian Mountains (or the first version of roller coasters), and the introduction of subways in European cities. After researching their projects, each student wrote a script for a 10-minute radio broadcast, which Dr. Banks helped edit for clarity, argument, evidence, and so on. At the close of the semester, students went to CSU’s radio station and recorded their projects. The recordings aired in early 2019. Assistant Professor of History in the Department of History and Geography, Dr. Banks is a specialist in eighteenth-century French History, with a particular emphasis on the Huguenot Diaspora. He received his Ph.D. from Florida State University. Dr. Banks is also a co-founder and executive editor of Age of Revolutions (www.AgeofRevolutions.com), a website on the history of revolutionaries, revolutions, and the idea of “revolution” itself.
Letters & Sciences Today
Dr. Bryan Banks, Assistant Professor of History, demonstrates how to present a script for radio broadcast.
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Faculty Publications John Barone’s new book, Southeastern Grasslands Southeastern Grasslands: Biodiversity, Ecology, and Management, published in January 2019 and available on Amazon, was co-authored by Dr. John Barone, Professor of Biology at CSU, and Dr. JoVonn G. Hill, assistant research professor with the Mississippi Entomological Museum at Mississippi State University. Both served as editors and contributors to this book, published by University of Alabama Press (UA Press) and consisting of 344 oversized pages (11” x 8.5”), dozens of charts and tables, and beautiful color photographs. Three hundred years ago, an important feature of the southeastern US was its grasslands. Though much smaller in extent, these prairies rivaled those of the Great Plains in terms of the beauty and diversity of its plant life (flora) and animal life (fauna). Today, nearly 99% of these grasslands have been “lost to agricultural development, urban growth, and cattle ranching” (Preface). This collection of 20 essays was inspired by the Southeast Prairie Symposium, held in May 2012. There, the editors heard various presentations and asked select presenters to submit their papers for this volume. The book encompasses a huge range of topics concerning flora, fauna, conservation, and restoration. Here’s a sampling of a few of the chapters: grasshopper fauna of southeastern grasslands, native flora of grasslands and woodlands of eastern Arkansas, and prehistoric molluscan faunas of the Mississippi black prairies. Drs. Barone and Hill edited every chapter, then submitted them to peer review. The entire process of collecting the articles, editing, revising, and reviewing took 6 years! The amount of work involved was voluminous and incredibly time consuming. When asked what he would do differently if he could go back in time, Dr. Barone said that he would have created a style manual from the start. Doing so would have saved a lot of work in the final review process because just when they thought they were done, they had to go back and redo everything. The price of the book is low (under $55 despite its size, quality On the Amazon website and the appearance and extensive color) UA Press website, readers can see the complete list of chapters, because partial funding was provided sample chapters, cited references, by various organizations including short biographies of contributors, US Fish and Wildlife Services, Wildlife Dr. John Barone is a plant ecologist who and index. Mississippi, and Roundstone Native has, for 15 years, studied the history, Seed, among many others. diversity and structure of blackland prairies. Dr. Barone has two undergraduate degrees (B.A. and B.S.) in psychology and biology and a Ph.D. in Biology from the University of Utah, Salt Lake City. He has been teaching at CSU since 2003.
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Faculty Publications Dr. Weidler Publishes Book on Heidegger Dr. Markus Weidler, Assistant Professor of Philosophy, took on a difficult task in writing a book on Martin Heidegger. Heidegger scholars are often polarized about where they stand on this influential 20th century philosopher. Many scholars are such fans of Heidegger’s writings, they fail to be very critical of him. Others are extremely negative about him largely because of the way he courted Nazism during the years leading up to WWII. 19361946 was not only the time of the rise and fall of the Third Reich, in Dr. Weidler’s account it also marks the “decisive decade” during which Heidegger’s thought came into its own as a strategic mix of ideas about art, religion, and politics. Thus the dilemma. In fact, one reviewer has already praised the present volume, saying “rarely are books this nuanced also this comprehensive.” Dr. Weidler’s ambition was to give a fair analysis of Heidegger’s philosophy particularly as it affected two central themes reflected in Heidegger’s style of writing—that of aesthetics (specifically, how art may reveal a new sense of the holy) and philosophical anthropology (as a search for the elusive essence of humanity). Dr. Weidler describes Heidegger’s “prickly charm” in terms of how Heidegger says what he says; that is, Heidegger explained art with “great ingenuity, crafting a novel genre of writing” which was intended to force philosophy out of the ivory tower and make it more relevant to social life. What makes Heidegger’s language so seductive and even eerie, at times, is his implicit promise to unleash philosophy and turn it into a daring form of “artisan thinking,” fit for shattering our everyday complacency. Heidegger was dismissive of philosophical anthropology as a separate field of study within philosophy, a field that competed with phenomenology and other Letters & Sciences Today
philosophical disciplines. That’s because Heidegger blended metaphysics (the inquiry into the fundamental nature of reality) with certain elements of phenomenology (the study of consciousness and the objects of direct experience). After all, his seminal work, published in 1927, was Sein und Zeit (Being and Time). Yet, it was not until the mid-1930s when he began lecturing on Friedrich Nietzsche and on art, that Heidegger would show his true colors. Heidegger’s concepts are sometimes difficult to comprehend because they can occur, often sporadically, in more than 100 published volumes— and new volumes are still being published every year even though Heidegger died in 1976! Dr. Weidler sees Heidegger’s thought as relevant because modern man continues to be thrust into situations that require soul searching and a balancing of conceptual opposites. In an interview, Dr. Weidler gave three examples of how Heidegger’s views and his uneasy relationship to philosophical anthropology are germane to various current “revolutions”: the revolution in genetics (whereby we ask questions of who we are as “self-editing” creatures); the revolution in artificial intelligence (whereby we ask questions about the difference between humans and machines); and the revolution in ecology (whereby we ask questions about how our existence impacts the world around us in mitigating or catastrophic ways). Dr. Weidler said the target audience for this book would be upper level philosophy students, although individual chapters might be useful in an introductory philosophy class as well. The publisher, Bloomsbury Academic, sought his input concerning the book’s cover, Ernst
Barlach’s “The Singing Man,” which Dr. Weidler chose for its ironic commentary on Heidegger. Heidegger and Barlach were contemporaries but received opposite reception from the
Dr. Markus Weidler holding his publication Heidegger’s Style: On Philosophical Anthropology and Aesthetics.
Nazis. Even as the Nazis sanctioned Heidegger and his writings, they seized Barlach’s works, declaring them to be “degenerate art.” At the same time, Barlach’s expressionist sculpture embodies the motif of holy song, which proved crucial for Heidegger’s stylistic maneuvers in tapping the revelatory power of art and poetry. Exemplified by Heidegger vis-à-vis Barlach, the figure of the thinker and the figure of the sculptor resist easy contrasting and so re-raise the question of how social meanings can become manifest. Prior to teaching at CSU, Dr. Weidler taught at the University of Auckland, New Zealand. His undergraduate degree is from the University of Konstanz, Germany, where he majored in philosophy and German literature. He earned his graduate degrees in philosophy (M.A. and Ph.D.) from the University of Texas at Austin. 19
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Tertulias—Popular with Students What if students don’t get extra credit, but instead gain confidence and improve their ability to do something? Will that motivate them to participate in an extracurricular activity? It does when it comes to Tertulias, or Spanish Conversation Tables. Tertulias literally means informal get together to talk about current affairs, the arts, politics, and so on. The Department of Modern and Classical Languages hosts weekly Tertulias (with alternating 12:00 and 6:00 times) so students gain more practice in speaking Spanish and learning from others. According to Dr. Sheryl Bernardo-Hinesley, Assistant Professor of Spanish, the attendance in Fall 2018 averaged 22 students per gathering. Based on the attendance list from last semester, 6% of the students came from upper division Spanish courses and 94% from Spanish language courses (Elementary and Intermediate levels). Students get no “extra credit” for attending, but extra sessions have been added to accommodate their popularity! Overall, the evening Tertulias are more popular than the noon sessions and are sometimes filled to overflowing. Because all the Spanish teachers take turns leading the conversation sessions, another thing the Tertulias do is allow students to “meet the profs” in an informal way. Students are not being graded or tested. Students can make mistakes and not be judged. They can also meet students in other sections of the course they are taking. The result is a lot of bonding, comradery, and fun while improving speaking abilities and overcoming shyness. In a classroom setting, the fear of making a mistake can paralyze some Dr. Sheryl Bernardofrom even trying because they know they are being “graded.” With Tertulias, fear can be Hinesley, Assistant overcome and confidence can blossom. Professor of Spanish. Dr. Bernardo-Hinesley coordinates not only the lower- level Spanish courses (SPAN 1001 to SPAN 2001), but also the Spanish teacher education program. She is intent on expanding Columbus State’s teacher education program due to the shortage of foreign language teachers in Columbus and in the state. CSU is one of only six universities in the University System of Georgia that produce certified teacher education graduates in a foreign language—in CSU’s case, only in Spanish. Bernardo-Hinesley earned both her undergraduate degree and her master’s degree from the University of Texas at Arlington. She earned her Ph.D. in Hispanic Linguistics from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Her specialty areas are Spanish methodology and linguistics. The Tertulias certainly help learners advance their speaking and listening abilities due to the encouraging and open learning environment.