Ovations

Spring 2011

COVER STORY

SU SYSTEM FACULTY: Opening the door to success

IN THIS

ISSUE:

CONTENTS On the Cover SU System Faculty: Opening the door to success Southern University faculty have distinguished themselves through excellence in teaching, research, extension, and public service. The Southern University Ovations Spring 2011 features these exceptional faculty members, who also demonstrate their dedication to the students in our System.

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Profiles of some of SU’s “star” faculty, who were selected by their campuses, are highlighted for the feature story.

President’s Message.......................................................... 2 System News..................................................................... 3 Faculty and Staff Achievements.................................... 14 Cover Story..................................................................... 20 Student Achievements................................................... 41 Partnerships and Grants................................................ 47 Advancement and Alumni............................................. 53 Athletics.......................................................................... 63

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Mission Statement Ovations, Southern University System Magazine, is published annually by the Southern University System to highlight the institutions of the System. Ovations is disseminated to faculty, staff, alumni, friends, and supporters. The Southern University System, located in Louisiana, is the nation’s only historically black university system with campuses in Baton Rouge, New Orleans, Shreveport, including a Law Center and Agricultural Research and Extension Center. The campuses are accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

All articles for submission should be sent in care of Ovations, Southern University System Magazine, Office of the President, Southern University System, Southern Branch Post Office, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70813, or by facsimile at 225.771.5522 or email to susystemmagazine@sus.edu. Please include name, address, and telephone number in all correspondence.

For more information about the Southern University System, please call 225.771.4680 or visit our website at www.sus.edu.

SU System President Ronald Mason Jr. SU System Board of Supervisors 2010 Darren Mire chair Murphy F. Bell Jr. vice chair Patrick W. Bell Richard J. Caiton Jr. Tony M. Clayton Walter C. Dumas Warren A. Forstall Randall Gaines Walter Guidry Patrick Jefferson Myron Lawson Patrick D. Magee Lea P. Montgomery Murphy Nash Jr. Randale Scott Achilles Williams SU System Chancellors Ray Belton, SUSLA Kofi Lomotey, SUBR Freddie Pitcher Jr., SULC Victor Ukpolo, SUNO Leodrey Williams, SUAREC Publisher Office of Publications Southern University System Editor Henry J. Tillman Copy Editor Evola C. Bates Contributors Barbara Austin Rachel Emanuel Eddie Francis Dawn S. Jenkins Robyn Merrick LaKesha D. Mosley Candace Semien William Strother Bridget Udoh Katara Williams Copy and photos from: SUBR Media Relations SUBR Office of Publications and

Electronic Media SUBR Technology and

Network Services SUBR Sports Information SUSLA Office of Communications SUSLA Graphic Services SUNO Public Relations SU Alumni Affairs Photography N. John Oubre III Christopher J. Rogers Barbara Austin Eddie Francis Pre-press and Printing Moran Printing, Inc. ISSN no: 1545-1801

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President’s Message Changes are rapidly taking place at Southern University and we are well down the road to creating a new Southern University System.

Since July 2010, we have downsized the System office by 15 people, and reduced the budget by $1 million dollars. In September of last year, the Southern University Board of Supervisors approved “Project Positive Direction,” an aggressive initiative to eliminate inefficiencies and reposition Southern as a 21st Century system of higher learning. New leadership was recruited in the finance and technology areas. Comprehensive System-wide evaluations of programs, processes, and personnel reviews are underway in those areas. The internal audit and data management functions have already been centralized. The human resources system is being audited for efficiency in service and costs.

We are also reviewing and updating bylaws, policies, and procedures. We have worked with the Board of Supervisors to focus it more on policy and less on day-to-day management.

Our Southern University System Foundation is also back on track. The audits are up-to-date, the Foundation has been restructured under new leadership, and new Foundation board members have been recruited from a broader base. We have raised several hundred thousand dollars from business leaders who know how important our success is to the future of the state.

Our reputation as a quality institution of higher education is on the mend. Southern Shreveport is one of the best schools of its type in the nation; the Law School just became a member of the prestigious American Association of Law Schools; SUNO, has beaten the odds and will have a 25 percent graduation rate in five years; and, the Ag Center has expanded its important extension work in a new facility in Opelousas. Even Southern Baton Rouge, our most challenged institution, continues to excel in its nursing, engineering, and business programs, to name a few.

Change is a process, but a process to which we are fully committed. We expect that in the near future, Southern will be repositioned as a lean, mean education machine, with centralized business operations, synergized academic offerings, online degree availability, and, most of all, totally student-centered.

And, speaking of change and new directions, the Southern University System Magazine, has been remodeled and renamed, “Ovations.” We hope you continue to enjoy reading about SU news, accomplishments, honors, life-changing research, and the rewarding public service to the greater communities where we live and work.

There is much work to be done, but we are moving inexorably toward a “new” Southern. We need your support, and for you to work closely with us as we change and develop into a more effective institution.

Best wishes, Ronald Mason Jr. President

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SYSTEM NEWS

Activities and accomplishments at the University continue to be brisk and rewarding.

Achievements in academics, research, and public service highlight excellence by faculty, staff, and students. New programs, initiatives, projects, and grants by private and public agencies help field a successful period of progress and growth for the Southern University System. Service is a vital part of the mission of the University.

From career fairs to visits by reknown speakers, the University has sponsored programs and activities for the community, addressed major social concerns, and provided educational opportunities.

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SU System and Campus News

System and Campus News

SU System launches ‘Support Our Southern’ campaign “We are here to announce the, S.O.S. – Support Our Southern Campaign, but the letters could easily also stand for save our schools or save our state,” said SU System President, Ronald Mason Jr. “We sound the alarm because we should all be concerned, yes, for Southern today, but also for Louisiana tomorrow.”

The Southern University System officially launched its advocacy campaign, “Support Our Southern, Preserving Our History....Protecting Our Future,” on Friday, February 25, 2011, in the Smith-Brown Memorial Student Union.

Support Our Southern is a general support and fundraising campaign dedicated to preserving access to education, excellence in teaching, and most importantly, ensuring the perpetuity of the Southern University System. The action was created in response to the budget crisis, along with discussions, that centered around the possible merger of SUNO and UNO.

SU System President Ronald Mason Jr. makes remarks during the SU System’s launch of its,”Support Our Southern,” advocacy campaign. In the background (left - right) is SU Ag Center Chancellor Leodrey Williams, SU Shreveport Chancellor Ray L. Belton, SU Baton Rouge Chancellor Kofi Lomotey, and SU Baton Rouge SGA President Demetrius Sumner.

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Campus chancellors also provided their support for this initiative, pledging to host events on their respective campuses. During the launch, faculty, staff, students and community leaders were asked to remain committed and engaged to the campaign by conveying the importance and value of the entire Southern University System.

“All of our campuses significantly and positively impact the state of Louisiana,” said SU System Board Chairman Darren Mire. “As the only HBCU system in the nation, it is critical that the Southern University System continues to produce skilled professionals who can fuel the economic sustainability of our state and nation.”

Some local and state elected officials, the chairman of the SU Board of Supervisors, campus chancellors, and the SU System President, were on hand to support the launch of “Support Our Southern, Preserving Our History....Protecting Our Future.”

SU System and Campus News

2010

Spring, summer, fall SU System graduation highlights

Students, families celebrate SUS spring 2010 commencements Pictured on stage with SUBR Spring 2010 commencement speaker Dexter Henderson, IBM Vice President of Systems Software, (left) is SU System Interim President Kassie Freeman and SUBR Chancellor Kofi Lomotey.

Credit Union executive encourages SUSLA Spring 2010 grads

John Shu, of Cameroon, West Africa, was SUBR chief student marshal, for spring 2010 commencement.

SU alumnus, Dexter Henderson, an IBM vice president of Systems Software, told the Spring 2010 SUBR graduates and more than 7,000 people in attendance at the F.G. Clark Activity Center, they can help the university by being “recruiters of the best and brightest students.”

John Shu, Southern’s chief student marshal, or student with the highest grade point average, graduated with a 3.9 grade point average. Shu is a computer science major from Cameroon, West Africa.

Also, the first Ph.D. degree in Louisiana in urban forestry was awarded from Southern University and A & M College to Thomas Legiandenyie.

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Southern University Shreveport Chancellor Ray L. Belton (right) makes a presentation to SUSLA’s spring commencement speaker Helen Godfrey-Smith during the May 8, 2010 ceremony. Joining Belton for the presentation was SU Board of Supervisors member Walter Guidry Jr.

Pictured (from left) are top student for the Day Division, Lewis Booth II, Huntsville, Alabama; SULC Chancellor Freddie Pitcher Jr.; and top student for the Evening Division, Laura Christensen, Denham Springs, during the Southern University Law Center Commencement, May 15, 2010.

31 student-athletes receive degrees from SUBR The SUBR Department of Athletics announced 31 spring graduates that received diplomas during spring commencement exercises on May 14, 2010.

SUBR baseball was the top producer of graduates this spring with 12 former players receiving their degrees. Football was second with five graduates.

Southern University, Shreveport, held its spring commencement ceremony May 8, 2010 on the main campus in the Health and Physical Education Complex.

Helen Godfrey-Smith spoke to the approximately 232 graduates.

Godfrey-Smith is the president and chief executive officer of Shreveport Federal Credit Union, where she has served since 1983. The financial institution has grown from less than $2 million in assets to approximately $80 million in assets today.

The top graduate for SUSLA’s spring commencement was Bridged Wanonyi of Webuye, East Kenya, who received a degree in management and accounting.

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SU System and Campus News

2010

Meharry CEO inspires summer grads

SUBR, SUSLA hold commencement ceremonies for 700 during fall 2010

Spring, summer, fall

SU System graduation highlights New Orleans Mayor addresses SUNO graduates

Wayne J. Riley, M.D., president and CEO of Meharry Medical College, was featured speaker for SUBR’s Summer 2010 commencement ceremony July 30, 2010.

New Orleans mayor, Mitch Landrieu, delivers SUNO spring 2010 commencement address.

SUNO awarded 314 master’s, bachelor’s, and associate’s degrees during spring commencement exercises on May 8, 2010 at the New Orleans Lakefront Arena. Top graduate was Marsha Rodrigue Land who graduated with a 3.974 grade point average. Land received her bachelor of science degree in early childhood education. =<

Law Center graduates 139 Antonio “Tony” Clayton, former chairman of the Southern University System Board of Supervisors, delivered the 2010 commencement address for Southern University Law Center, May 15, 2010 in the F.G. Clark Activity Center on the Southern University, Baton Rouge campus.

One hundred thirty-nine graduates received the juris doctor degree last year. James E. Young, Jr. was honored as the golden alumnus.

The top student in the Full-time Day Program was Lewis Arnold Booth II, Huntsville, Alabama; and, the top student in the Part-time Evening Division was Laura Welch Christensen of Denham Springs.

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Jennifer L. Hollingsworth of Shreveport was chief student marshal for SUBR summer 2010 commencement. Hollingsworth received a bachelor of science degree in rehabilitation counseling.

Southern University, Baton Rouge’s Summer 2010 commencement speaker Wayne J. Riley, M.D., encouraged graduates to “enjoy the day” and “seek to serve rather than be served.”

Riley, a New Orleans native, is president and chief executive officer of Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee.

The summer graduating class was led by chief student marshal Jennifer L. Hollingsworth. The rehabilitation counseling major from Shreveport had a 3.59 GPA. Among the 200 summer graduates receiving degrees were 12 student-athletes.

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Houston native, Latoya Reneé Bean, chief student marshal for Southern University, Baton Rouge’s Fall 2010 commencement, leads the student procession into the F.G. Clark Activity Center on December 10, 2010.

Best-selling author and host of nationally syndicated television series star, Judge Glenda Hatchett, told Southern University, Baton Rouge fall graduates, “the world awaits your story,” during commencement on December 10, 2010 in the F.G. Clark Activity Center.

Speaking to the 548 graduates and a large audience, the former Fulton County, Georgia Judge called upon the graduates to “Don’t give up on your dreams.” Hatchett told the 548 grads to expect difficulties, but do not be discouraged.

Houston native, Latoya Reneé Bean, was the ceremony’s chief student marshal, the student with the highest grade point average in the fall 2010 semester graduating class.

The 22-year-old graduate of Thurgood Marshall High School received a bachelor’s of science degree in accounting from the College of Business with a 3.71 GPA. Southern University, Shreveport, held commencement for more than 150 graduates on December 11, 2010 in the Health and Physical Education Complex.

The Reverend Dennis R. Everett Sr. of Shreveport was the keynote speaker.

The former SUSLA student is pastor of Lake Bethlehem Baptist Church.

SU System and Campus News Sir Marquis L. Hall of Shreveport was chief student marshal. Hall received an associate of science in human services degree with a G.P.A. of 3.92.

The graduating class included the largest nursing class in SUSLA’s history with 51 graduates. Also, the health information and radiology technology groups both received a 100 percent pass rate on their national exams.

SU Board of Supervisors elects new has served as a volunteer for officers for 2011 Mire several organizations and serves on a host of civic boards and committees.

He is a past president of the Young Leadership Council, the largest volunteer organization in the New Orleans metropolitan area. He was the first African American to hold the position of president in the organization’s 25-year history.

Darren Mire of New Orleans is sworn in as chairman of the Southern University Board of Supervisors during the trustees’ January 2011 meeting in Baton Rouge.

Mire takes oath of office from his mother, Carmel Mire.

Syndicated television show star Judge Glenda Hatchett was the speaker for the SUBR Fall 2010 commencement ceremony on December 10, 2010 in the F.G. Clark Activity Center. Pictured is Hatchett with SU System President Ronald Mason Jr.

=< Baton Rouge attorney Murphy Bell Jr., who was elected 2011 vice chairman of the SU Board of Supervisors, is sworn in by Winston Decuir Jr.

The Southern University System Board of Supervisors elected a new chair and vice chair during its November 26, 2010, meeting in New Orleans.

The 16-member board elected Darren G. Mire of New Orleans as the new chair, and Murphy F. Bell Jr. of Baton Rouge as the new vice chair.

The first Ph.D. degree in Louisiana in urban forestry was awarded from Southern University and A & M College to Thomas Legiandenyie of Baton Rouge during spring commencement on May 14, 2010. Pictured is Legiandenyie being hooded by Kamran Abdollahi, urban forestry professor and program leader, and Joseph Meyinsse, interim dean, Graduate School.

Mire, a native of New Orleans, serves as the assessor of the 1st Municipal District of Orleans Parish. He is a graduate of Jesuit High School in New Orleans and Tulane University, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in political economy; and, the Graduate School of Political Management, where he earned a master’s in professional studies in political management.

Mire is a founding member and former president of the Boys to Men mentor program. He has served on many boards to include New Orleans Outreach; Jesuit High School Presidency Advisory Council; Dryades YMCA, where he currently serves as treasurer; WYES-TV, where he currently serves as secretary; and, Louisiana Children’s Museum, where he served as vice president of the board of directors in 2009. He is a graduate of the 1995 Metropolitan Area Committee (MAC) Leadership Forum, and was a participant in the New Orleans Regional Leadership Institute (NORLI). He also is a member of Kappa Alpha Psi, Fraternity, Incorporated, and the Zulu Social Aid and Pleasure Club.

For his civic and volunteer efforts, he has been recognized with several awards including WDSU’s Making a Difference Award, CityBusiness Power Generation: Forty Under 40 List, Gambit’s 30 To Watch List, New Orleans Magazine’s 35 and Under Local Leaders, the Spirit of Greatness Award, and the New Orleans Alumni Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Incorporated’s Man of the Year Award.

In 2009, Governor Bobby Jindal appointed Mire to a six-year term representing the 2nd Congressional District. After one year of service, he was elected as vice chairman in 2010. continued on page 8

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SU System and Campus News SU Board of Supervisors elects new officers for 2011, cont.

Bell, a Shreveport native and current Baton Rouge resident, is an attorney/ partner at Jackson-Bell Law Firm.

Bell is a 1987 graduate of Loyola College Prep in Shreveport, earned his bachelor’s degree from Howard University, and a juris doctor degree from the SU Law Center. While at Southern University Law Center, Bell served as editor-in-chief of the Southern University Law Review, chairman of the Southern University Moot Court Board, and is a cum laude graduate.

Bell is active in various civic and non-profit organizations. He serves as vice chairman of the board of directors of the Academic Distinction Fund, and is a member of the Teach for America Board of Directors. He is also a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Incorporated, and the 100 Black Men of Metropolitan Baton Rouge. Bell has received many honors such as a 2004 graduate of Leadership Baton Rouge, and a 2005 honoree in the Baton Rouge Business Report’s Top 40 Under 40. Bell was appointed to the Southern University Board of Supervisors in 2009 by Governor Jindal.

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SULC Ranked in top 10 popular law schools SULC is among the nation’s most popular law program according to a U.S. News and World Report article posted Thursday, March 24, 2011.

In an analysis of yield – the percentage of students accepted by a school who opt to attend that school – SULC ranked No. 4.

The 190 law schools surveyed by U.S. News reported both acceptance and enrollment data for the class beginning in the 2010 academic year. The average yield among all these schools was slightly higher: 30.2 percent, according to the publication’s calculations.

SULC’s yield was 61.5 percent, with 520 applicants accepting and 320 enrolling.

It joins Yale Law School, #1; Brigham Young University Clark Law School, #2; and Harvard Law School in the #3 spot.

North Carolina Central University School of Law was the only other historically black institutions (HBCUs) ranked, at the #9 spot.

The institutions with the 10 highest yield rates include three affiliated with religious colleges, two HBCUs, and flagship universities.

“The data suggest that mission may matter more than typical measures of prestige,” according to Inside Higher Ed, March 28, 2011, issue.

“Someone finally gets that it’s all about the mission!” SULC Chancellor Freddie Pitcher said.

TAKING THE OATH — Shreveport native Randale Scott was officially sworn in as Student Government Association (SGA) president during an inauguration ceremony at Southern University, Shreveport (SUSLA) on September 22. Scott, who also is the student member of the Southern University System Board of Supervisors, became the campus’ 43rd SGA president. He is a sophomore with a double major – business management and accounting. Scott is a licensed minister and a member of Philadelphia Baptist Church in Shreveport.

He graduated from Bossier High School in 2008. Pictured is Scott (right) receiving a presentation from Theron Jackson, assistant to the Chancellor, SUSLA.

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Capital One opens branch in MLK area near SUSLA

On hand to celebrate the opening of a Capital One bank branch in Southern University, Shreveport’s Community Development Corporation building on September 2, 2010, were (left-right) SUSLA SGA president and student SU Board member, Randale Scott; SUSLA Chancellor, Ray Belton; Ronald Mason Jr., SU System President; and, Cedric Glover, mayor, Shreveport.

Capital One opened a bank branch in Southern University, Shreveport’s Community Development Corporation (SUSLA CDC) building on September 2, 2010.

The bank, situated in the city’s Martin Luther King’s neighborhood, located across the street from SUSLA, is the first bank ever in that specific area, and the only one within a 5-mile radius according to the Shreveport Times.

“It’s a big day for north Shreveport,” SUSLA Chancellor Ray Belton said in a Times article. “We have forever needed bank access in this community.”

The bank, at 4646 Hilry Huckaby III Avenue, is a full-service bank with an ATM and a lobby. The bank will also offer financial literacy classes for area residents.

Belton also said in the Times that in the future there would be some mixed housing and a grocery store.

Capital One’s presence is the first step to a long line of economic development plans for the area.

The bank also established a $1,000 scholarship for a senior at Green Oaks Performing High School to attend SUSLA.

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SU System and Campus News

SUBR ranks among top HBCUs best-colleges U.S. News & World Report magazine has once again ranked Southern University and A&M College among the best Historically Black Colleges and Universities in the nation.

Southern University, at 34th in the magazines, “Best Black Colleges” ranking, is in the top tier.

“The state government has always put Southern in the position of having to do more with less. Yet, we consistently outperform even our own high expectations. Thanks to the students, faculty, staff and the Southern University family for believing in yourselves,” said Chancellor Kofi Lomotey.

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SU Baton Rouge’s SACS accreditation reaffirmed Southern University, Baton Rouge, was reaffirmed for accreditation on December 6, 2010 for another 10 years by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) Commission on Colleges, the principal accreditation group for colleges across the southern region.

SUBR Chancellor Kofi Lomotey announced the SACS affirmation after the Commission’s Annual Meeting December 4-7, 2010, in Louisville, Kentucky.

The announcement came after the University worked for more than two years on a self-study of its courses and programs, exhaustive documentation, and critical visits by SACS representatives.

“The 10 year SACS reaffirmation confirms the high quality educational environment at Southern Baton Rouge,” said Southern University System President Ronald Mason Jr.

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SULC recommended for AALS The executive committee of the Association of American Law Schools (AALS) voted to recommend that the Southern University Law Center be admitted to full membership in the association.

The vote came in Washington, D.C. on November 11, 2010 following presentations by Chancellor Pitcher, and SULC Professors Evelyn Wilson and Nadia Nedzel. The committee presented its recommendation to the House of Representatives at the AALS Annual Meeting, January 5-8, 2011, in San Francisco.

“The AALS Executive Committee’s vote and recommendation to the House of Representatives is an external validation of the quality of our program of legal education,” Pitcher said.

The AALS, a non-profit educational association of 171 law schools representing more than 10,000 law faculty in the United States, is a resource for the improvement of the quality of legal education by networking law school faculty, professional staff, and deans to information and resources.

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SUNO earns top president’s honor Southern University, New Orleans (SUNO), was named to the 2009 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll by the Corporation for National and Community Service for service to the local communities. SUNO received word of the honor in late May, 2010.

The Corporation for National and Community Service, which administers the annual Honor Roll award, recognized more than 700 colleges and universities for their impact on issues from poverty and homelessness to environmental justice.

“Congratulations to Southern University at New Orleans and its students for their dedication to service

and commitment to improving their local communities,” said Patrick Corvington, CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service.

Honorees are chosen based on a series of selection factors, including the scope and innovation of service projects, percentage of student participation in service activities, incentives for service, and the extent to which the school offers academic service learning courses.

“SUNO is honored to have received this recognition. Many of the academic programs that we offer reflect service to the larger community, and this honor encourages us to strive to serve even more. We are extremely proud of our students, faculty and staff who participated in the process which yielded this great achievement,” said Victor Ukpolo, SUNO’s Chancellor.

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SUSLA among nation’s fastest-growing colleges Southern University, Shreveport, was recently named one of the fastestgrowing two-year colleges in the nation by Community College Week.

The results were published in the publication’s annual edition, Special Report: Fastest Growing Community Colleges.

SUSLA was ranked 22nd in campuses with enrollments between 2,500 to 4,999 students.

“SUSLA is obviously pleased to be recognized as an institution that continues to evolve,” said Chancellor Ray Belton.

“In keeping with our role and responsibility to the constituents, the University is mindful of its need to position itself to serve this community, and we do that by offering stellar programs that have the promise of enriching one’s quality of life,” he added.

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SU System and Campus News

SULC honored as VITA Site of the Year Law students have been providing free income tax filing assistance to eligible taxpayers through the VITA program since 2003. Last year’s program assisted 246 individuals, who received more than $427,500 in tax refunds.

Vice Chancellor John Pierre accepted the award on behalf of the Law Center, along with a special recognition for his outstanding public service through the Stakeholder Partnerships, Education, and Communication (SPEC), VITA, and Tax Counseling for the Elderly Program (TCE) programs.

Samuel Sanders(left), director, Mid-City Redevelopment Alliance, presented SULC’s VITA Site of the Year Award to SULC Vice Chancellor John Pierre.

The SULC Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Program was cited as the VITA Site of the Year during the Volunteer Recognition Ceremony sponsored by the Capital Area Asset Building Coalition, April 26, 2010 at the Southern University Ag Center. SULC also received the Outstanding Community Partner Award during the ceremony.

Law students recognized for their public service to the community through the VITA program are: Miriam Akinfosile, Nelson Allen, Jasmine Baskerville, Shane Bates, Roderick Betts, Joi Boone, Ashley Boutte, Quisoundra Bullock, Rachel Chandler, Bernadette Chimah, Ashley Conish, Trachelle Cornish, Danielle Davenport, Derek Dennis, Daniel Druilhet, Sabrina Effron, Robert Findlay, Antoine Floyd, Deborah Fountain, Jackie Goff, Eugene Gouaux, Lakeisha Gray, Monica Griffith-Braud, Senae Hall, Shontae Harris, Adrea Hebert, Amanda Henderson, Fatmatu Jalloh, Julian M. Johnson, Traneisha Jones, Mary Joseph, Kennisha Firstley, Morgan Lamandre, Kimberly Lamotte, Roslyn Madison, Leslie Martin, Chetamour Mckenzie, Victoria Minor, Timothy Moore, Latisha Nixon- Jones, Iheanyi Nkwocha, Ademola Oloko, Toussaint Pierre, Brian Ponder, Amanda Powell, Shakira Pumphrey, Stephanie Strickland, Jennifer Terry, Alma Thornton, Dewanna Trask, Melody Udoinyion, Rolando Urbina, Andre Welbon, and Jason Wesley.

SUSLA opens new student center

SU System mobile App goes global Southern University, Shreveport (SUSLA), held a grand opening for the new Johnny L. Vance Jr. Student Activities Center on August 20, 2010.

Southern University, Shreveport, Student Government Association President and student member of the SU Board of Supervisors, Randale Scott, and Miss SUSLA, Kristen Davis, cut the ribbon for the new Johnny L. Vance Jr. Student Activities Center on August 20 accompanied by SU Board of Supervisors Vice Chairman Darren Mire, SUSLA Chancellor Ray L. Belton, and SU System President Ronald Mason Jr.

The new student activity center offers some amazing amenities for students and staff alike. Students can retreat from classes and enjoy a new game room equipped with arcade-style video games, a billiard table, plasma televisions, and computer docking stations.

Also housed in the center are new offices for the Student Government Association (SGA) and the Student Center Board (SCB). Other amenities include an enlarged and enhanced bookstore, and a multi-purpose room.

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The Southern University System iPhone mobile app is off to a promising start.

According to information from Straxis Technology’s U360mobile download report, the Jag App had more than 3000 installs from 12 different countries since publishing on July 1, 2010.

Mobile phone users from throughout the United States, and from other countries including, China, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Canada, Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russian Federation, and Sweden have been able to access information about the nation’s only historically black university system.

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SU System and Campus News

SULC featured in The Princeton Review’s The Best 172 Law Schools The Southern University Law Center is one of 67 schools in The Best 172 Law Schools: 2011 Edition that appear on one or more of the book’s ranking lists.

The Law Center is third on the list for “diverse faculty,” and is number five on the list for “best environment for minority students.”

SULC students surveyed agree that, “diverse opinions accepted in classrooms; great research resources and library staff; and good social life” are good reasons to enroll at SULC. Additional perks include a decently broad selection of courses, six clinics, a joint JD and MPA degree program, and the study-abroad program in London.

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SUNO enrollment highest since Katrina The 2011 Spring enrollment for Southern University, New Orleans (SUNO) is 3,318, representing the University’s highest enrollment since Hurricane Katrina. This figure also signifies a 91 percent return of SUNO’s pre-Katrina enrollment of 3,647 students. Also, this marks a six percent increase in enrollment from Spring 2010 to Spring 2011.

“This signifies that students remain confident that we are a great fit for them as they pursue their respective undergraduate and graduate degrees,” said Victor Ukpolo, chancellor of SUNO. Spring 2011 is the second semester that SUNO has implemented selective admission mandated by the Louisiana Board of Regents, and the University’s enrollment has increased even with those standards in place.

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SU Ag Center satellite headquarters holds Ribbon Cutting

Pictured during the Center for Rural Initiatives ribbon cutting ceremony in Opelousas are (left – right) Walter Guidry, SU Board Member; John Joseph, former SU Board Member; Ronald Mason, SU System President; Leodrey Williams, Chancellor; Ledricka Theirry (D) – District 40; Patrick Magee, SU Board Member; Elbert Guillory (D), State Senator –District 24; Murphy Bell, SU Board Vice Chair; and Wanda Burke, Director.

The Southern University Agricultural Research and Extension Center held a ribbon cutting ceremony October 27, 2010 for the new headquarters for the Southwest Center for Rural Initiatives (SCRI).

“It has been a long and tedious journey to get to this day,” said Leodrey Williams, SU Ag Center Chancellor.

The SCRI operates as a satellite entity of the SU Ag Center and serves a 10-parish region in Southwest Louisiana.

“This is a center that will continue to serve the citizens of this great region,” expressed Ronald Mason, Southern University System President.

For the past five years, the SCRI had been housed in a temporary location.

The new headquarters is located at 1209 Diesi Street in Opelousas.

“This is a great day for the Southern University Ag Center,” said Williams.

“This accomplishment is due in part to the interest and tireless efforts of several elected officials and community leaders.

Record enrollment in 2010 SULC Summer Abroad Program

On the trading floor of Lloyd’s of London, Martin Leach, retired public relations director of Lloyd’s of London, shows students the logbooks containing records of every known shipwreck for the last 300 years.

Fifty-two students, representing the largest enrollment ever, enjoyed spending six weeks abroad in the 2010 Southern University Law Center Summer Program in London, England.

The program ran June 20-July 31, 2010 at Queen Mary College of the University of London, which offers ready access to all of London’s attractions, according to SULC professor Maurice Franks, director of the program.

The students took two, three-hour courses. Classes met each morning, four days a week.

This year as usual, all 52 students visited the trading floor of Lloyd’s of London, where a retired executive of Lloyd’s explained the workings of the world’s largest insurance market.

Most of the students also chose to make an optional trip to Amsterdam, and The Hague to visit the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court.

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SU System and Campus News

SU scientists among group to build world’s largest neutrino observatory

IceCube’s sophisticated optical sensors, frozen into some of the purest ice on Earth, records the rare collisions between the water molecules of the ice and neutrinos – tiny, nearly massless sub-atomic particles that pass undetected through most matter.

Southern’s group has been funded through a National Science Foundation Major Research Equipment grant through the University of Wisconsin since 2003. The funding for the detector was provided by contributions from the NSF and its partners in Sweden, Belgium, and Germany.

Pictured from left are graduate student Cheng Guo, and physics professors, Ali R. Fazely, Samuel Ter-Antonyan, and Xianwu Xu.

Several Southern University professors and a student are celebrating the completion of the world’s largest neutrino observatory at the South Pole.

The IceCube Neutrino Observatory is a giant ice-bound telescope containing 5,160 optical sensors on 86 strings embedded 2 kilometers below the National Science Foundation’s Admunsen-Scott South Pole Station.

Construction began in late 2004.

Southern University is one of 36 institutions forming the IceCube Collaboration that built the observatory. Four continents and some 250 physicists were represented.

The Southern group, led by SU physics professor, Ali R. Fazely, includes physics professors, Samvel Ter-Antonyan and Xianwu Xu, and a graduate student, Cheng Guo. The group led the efforts in simulating the IceCube detector.

The simulation programs developed solely at Southern University, reveals a unique capability of the IceCube detector, which makes it the most sensitive Supernova antenna for decades to come.

Neutrinos are born of some of the universe’s most violent events, such as star explosions, gamma ray bursts, and cataclysmic phenomena involving black holes and neutron stars.

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1000+ students attend Ag Center’s Back to School Summit

The event was a collaborative effort among the Southern University Agricultural Research and Extension Center, the Louisiana Department of Education, and 30 other communitybased non-profit organizations, state agencies, local municipal governments, and businesses.

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System radio show moves to KQXL Starting January 2011, “Inside the Southern University System Radio Show” began airing on Citadel Broadcasting’s KQXL radio station.

The show, previously broadcast on the company’s Max 94.1 station, switched to 106.5 on January 16, 2011 from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.

“Inside the SU System” is a weekly radio show produced by the Southern University System and Citadel Broadcasting.

Motivational speakers Rani Whitfield, M.D. (pictured above), known as “Tha Hip-Hop Doc,” Danna Andrus, referred to as “Dr. Truth,” Hollis Conway, Byron Starks, and Den Hussey inspired more than 1,100 St. Landry Parish students during the SU Ag Center’s Back-to -School Summit on August 20, 2010.

More than 1,100 eighth-graders from public, private, and parochial schools in St. Landry Parish gathered in the Yambilee Hall in Opelousas to hear inspiring messages to kick off the new school year during the annual SU Ag Center’s Back-to-School Summit on August 20, 2010.

According to event coordinator, Edna Lastrapes, also director, SU Ag Center’s Southwest Center for Rural Initiatives, the program has been held in St. Landry Parish for the past 10 years, and has proved to be so successful that it has since been expanded into Evangeline, St. Martin, and Pointe Coupee Parishes.

Each will host its own summit in the coming weeks.

The one-hour show is hosted by Katara Williams, director of media relations, and Robyn Merrick, director of alumni affairs, SU System.

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SUSLA CDC improving area SU Shreveport held a press conference on July 29, 2010, to announce major efforts to revitalize the city’s Martin Luther King neighborhood through the campus’ Community Development Corporation (CDC).

The SUSLA CDC is a nonprofit organization created to enhance the quality of life of SUSLA students, faculty, and staff as well as the residents of the community in which the University resides.

SUSLA also announced that two new businesses would be part of the CDC. Capital One opened a bank branch in SUSLA’s Community Development Corporation building on September 2, 2010.

SU System and Campus News The David Raines Community Health Centers will renovate its facility on David Raines Road, and construct its new 5,200 square-foot administrative complex on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive.

This is the latest effort by SUSLA to aid in the revitalization of the MLK neighborhood. In August 2009, SUSLA opened the Center for Business and Community Development across the street from the campus.

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SU chosen for Department of Energy small business program Southern University has been chosen to participate in the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s small business “Mentor-Protégé Program.”

The Mentor-Protégé program is a DOE initiative designed to assist small businesses and minority institutions, including Historically Black Colleges and Universities, in an effort to enhance their capacity to perform subcontracts for the laboratory.

Benefits to Southern’s faculty and students will include expanded access to individual and faculty-student team research opportunities at the Oak Ridge laboratory, visiting researchers and lecturers from Oak Ridge, and participation in Oak Ridge cyber-learning courses.

Southern is one of five groups selected for the program and is the only HBCU chosen for the 2011 class.

Michael Stubblefield, vice chancellor of research and strategic initiatives, said, “We are pleased to join ORNL in creating a new energy workforce that addresses national and global priorities, providing significant exposure to our students and faculty in the process.”

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SU campuses celebrate Homecoming 2010 Southern University celebrated Homecoming 2010 throughout its campuses, Baton Rouge (Harnessing Jaguar Pride to Build for TomorrowOctober 3-9); Shreveport (Jaguar Pride City Wide – November 8-11); and, New Orleans (An Epoch of Prominence with a Rich Heritage and a Vivid Future – October 1-5), with a number of events for students, alumni, and the community, commemorating the University’s 130-year commitment to excellence in academic achievement, athletics, public service, scholarship, and research.

Campus queens crowned during separate coronation ceremonies were: LaShena O. Haynes, a social work major, was crowned Miss SUNO 2010. She is president of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, Zeta Theta chapter, a Haynes member of the Pan Hellenic Council, and the Student Government Association. Haynes also is a member of the First Fifty Knights, Students of Social Work Club, and serves as a peer mentor.

Kenya B. Warren, Miss Southern University, Baton Rouge 2010-2011, a native of New Orleans, began her undergraduate career at SU in 2007, majoring in Warren biological sciences.

Her commitment to education is exemplified in her numerous scholastic achievements which include Dean’s List, member of the National Institute of Science, Who’s Who Among Colleges and Universities, Ronald E. McNair scholar, General Electric Leadership Delta graduate, and Louisiana T.O.P.S. scholar.

Kristin Shanelle Davis, Miss SUSLA 2010, is a medical technology major from Frierson.

After graduating from Southern University, Davis Shreveport, her future plans are to receive her bachelor of science degree in medical technology and to work as a clinical laboratory scientist at LSU Medical Center in Shreveport. Her ultimate goal is to one day pursue a degree in funeral services and own her own funeral home.

Davis is active in the Student Government Association and Student Center Board at SUSLA

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MLK REMEMBERED – Members of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated, Beta Sigma chapter, Southern University, Baton Rouge, lead a candlelight march and vigil to celebrate the birthday of civil rights leader, Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., on Wednesday, January 19, 2011.

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FACULTY STAFF ACHIEVEMENTS

SU faculty and staff throughout the Southern University System are recognized and rewarded for their superior achievements and service in local and national organizations.

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Faculty & Staff Achievements

FACULTY STAFF

Achievements

Taylor receives national honor for healthcare effort

Cheryl Taylor, SUBR School of Nursing’s director of nursing research, had a national award named in her honor that recognizes her efforts to eliminate disparities in the delivery of healthcare to various racial and ethnic groups.

The new, “Dr. Cheryl Taylor Award for Leadership and Vision,” was presented by the federal Centers for Disease Control’s Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health (REACH) initiative at a recent ceremony in Washington, D.C. The REACH award is another major citation that Taylor has won over the past year. She was chosen the 2009 international winner of the prestigious Daniel J. Pesut “Spirit of Renewal Award” for Nursing Excellence from the Honor Society of Nursing of Sigma Theta Tau International (STTI). The Louisiana Nurses Foundation and the Louisiana State Nurses Association recently named Taylor the recipient of the ‘Outstanding Nurse Researcher’ Award and she was inducted into the Louisiana State Nurses Association (LSNA) Nightingale Hall of Fame.

Amedee appointed to N.O. Recreation Development Commission

The City of New Orleans unveiled on December 15, 2010, Mayor Mitch Landrieu’s appointments to the New Orleans Recreation Development Commission and introduced the board that will be responsible for the oversight of the new public-private partnership.

George Amedee, SUNO professor of political science and chairman of the City Planning Commission, is one of the appointees. Plans to form the commission were put into motion after New Orleans voters elected to amend the City Charter to form the new commission.

Terms for appointed members of the Commission will be for five years starting on January 1, 2011.

Amedee says that his main focus, as a member of the commission, will be to make sure that plans to improve and maintain recreational facilities are done in an equitable fashion. “We want to make sure that things are consistent, according to the city’s Master Plan,” says Amedee. =<

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Faculty & Staff Achievements

HONORING A LONG-TIME EMPLOYEE — Tolor E. White, former vice president of finance for the Southern University System, who retired after 53 years of service, received an honorary doctorate from the College of Business during Fall commencement exercises on December 10, 2010. White also was recognized for his years of service to the University during the November 2010 meeting of the SU Board of Supervisors in New Orleans. Pictured is White being hooded by SU Chancellor Kofi Lomotey (right) and Donald Andrews, dean, SUBR College of Business.

Local community center name in Carpenter’s honor

When the Service Learning program began on the Baton Rouge campus in 1993, the Clarksdale Apartments was the first site SUBR service learning students volunteered Carpenter coordinates study abroad programs in Mexico, Senegal, China, and Belize. She has served as the project director for the University’s Agency of International Development programs and has participated on development projects in Jamaica, Sierra Leone, and Gambia.

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Gina E. Eubanks, vice chancellor for extension at the Southern University Agricultural Research and Extension Center, and SU Law Center professor Paul Race were among seven new board members named to The Louisiana Center for Health Equity (LCHE).

“The current board of LCHE is happy to welcome the new board members,” says Alma Stewart, LCHE President.

“LCHE is currently working to address the increasing disparities in health and health care across Louisiana. LCHE will reach out to the local communities by providing information and education, and identify and distribute information about effective and proven practices.”

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The East Baton Rouge Parish Housing Authority named the Clarksdale Apartments Community Center in honor of Barbara West Carpenter, Southern University and A&M College’s dean of the Center for International Education and director of Continuing Education, distance education, and the Center for Service Learning.

The dedication ceremony was held on May 13, 2010 at the Clarksdale Apartments Community Center, on Swan Avenue, on the Baton Rouge campus.

The LCHE announces the appointment of new board members.

Jackson elected to N.O. legal recruiters board Michelle A. Jackson, director of career counseling and development, Southern University Law Center, has been elected to the 2011 Board of Directors of the New Orleans Legal Recruiters Association as its membership outreach coordinator for Baton Rouge.

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Rachel Emanuel, director of publications and electronic media, Southern University Law Center, along with two of the Southern Sit-In Sixteen, Sandra Jones Overby and Vernon Jordan, were panelists for Capital Area CASA Association’s volunteers training on diversity and cultural competency on May 4, 2010 at First United Methodist Church in Baton Rouge.

The Southern Sixteen were a group of SU students who staged civil rights sit-ins in Baton Rouge on March 28-29, 1960.

Emanuel along with SULC alum, D’Army Bailey, joined A.P. Tureaud Jr. and Keith Finley on a panel discussion, April 12, 2011, in the Bo Campbell Auditorium of Cox Communications Academic Center for Student Athletes at LSU. The event is part of the book launch for, A More Noble Cause, A. P. Tureaud and the Struggle for Civil Rights in Louisiana, written by Emanuel and A.P. Tureaud Jr. .=<

Faculty & Staff Achievements Elaine Barham, assistant professor, SUBR School of Nursing, received the Helen Creemens Johnson Excellence in Teaching Award at the Annual Celebrate Nursing Banquet held May 3, 2010 by the Baton Rouge District Nurses Association.

Barham is a member of the International Nursing Association for Clinical Simulation Learning, and has played a pivotal role in incorporating simulation learning into the clinical teaching at the School of Nursing.

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Cynthia Ramirez, associate professor of fine art, SUNO, was appointed to the National Endowment for the Arts’ Art Education Grant Panel for 2011-2012. Ramirez is a multi-media artist who has exhibited her work in numerous local, national, and international exhibitions.

Ramirez has taught eight years in the Talented in the Visual Arts Program for the Orleans Parish Public Schools, and she served as the program coordinator for the Arts Council of New Orleans’ Urban Arts Training Program.

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Ruth W. Johnson, director of SUNO’s Educational Talent Search Program, was elected secretary for the Council for Opportunity in Education (COE) Board of Directors.

Johnson has worked with TRiO Programs over the past 12 years, and has served as president for the LA Association for Student Assistance Programs and the Southwest Association for Student Assistance Programs.

Johnson is an alumnae of SUNO and is a member of the Committee for a Better New Orleans/Metropolitan Area Committee.

=< Minority Access, Incorporated, last fall awarded its national “Role Model Faculty Award” to Southern Baton Rouge’s Samuel Ibekwe, chair and professor of mechanical engineering, and Patrick Mensah, Formosa endowed professor of mechanical engineering, for their exemplary achievements in educating and motivating students.

The awards were presented during the organization’s 11th National Role Model Conference Awards Banquet on September 11, 2010 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

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Trudy Williams, MSN, assistant professor and coordinator of the SUBR School of Nursing’s Skills/Simulation Laboratory, was recently selected as a 2010-2011 participant in George Mason University’s, “Partners for Education in Gerontology” Program.

The Mason PEG Faculty Traineeship in Gerontological Nursing is designed to provide trainees with innovative strategies in teaching gerontological nursing, and to assist trainees in infusing gerontological nursing content and experiences into undergraduate nursing curriculum.

=< Southern University Law Center Chancellor, Freddie Pitcher Jr., was appointed to the State Police Commission by Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal.

The State Police Commission serves as the final authority over the administration of the State Police Service.

Pitcher is a former city court, state district, and appeal court judge.

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SUSLA FACULTY AND STAFF RECOGNITION DAY — Southern University, Shreveport, saluted faculty and staff for their efforts to promote the mission and core values of the University. The QEP Team, Online Certification Team, Compliance Team, and the Nursing Department received awards honoring their dedication to the students and the growth of SUSLA. Pictured (from left) are representatives from each honored team: Iris Champion, online certification; Regina Robinson, compliance certification; Rosalyn Holt, QEP; Shelia Swift, Quiz Bowl; Georgia Brown, Biology Club Community Service Award; Sandra Tucker, 100% Club.

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Faculty & Staff Achievement For the second consecutive year, Southern’s Derek Price has been named the SWAC Equipment Manager of the Year.

Price was selected for the 2009-10 distinction by the conference office for his exceptional efforts in maintaining the Jaguar equipment in the Department of Athletics.

Now in his 27th year overall and 17th at Southern, Pride’s office is responsible for the allocation and maintenance of uniforms, game gear, and proper equipment for student-atheletes in all 16 SU sports.

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Assistant Professor of English Rabiul Hasan’s book, Rediscovering Hemingway in Bangladesh and India, 1971-2006, has been published by University Press of America, Incorporated.

In 2008, Rockford Writers Guild Press published a collection of his poetry, Madonna of the Rain. Hasan is listed in A Directory of American Poets and Fiction Writers.

Also, he received the Southern Conference On African American Studies, Incorporated’s Slade Poetry Award for 2010.

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SULC professors appointed to civil rights advisory committee

Ghetti

Nedzel

The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights has appointed SULC law faculty members, Michelle Ghetti and Nadia Nedzel, among the 11-member Louisiana State Advisory Committee (SAC) to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights.

The Louisiana SAC serves to advise the commission on civil rights concerning legal developments in Louisiana constituting a denial of equal protection of the laws under the U.S. Constitution because of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, or handicap, or in the administration of justice.

Major activities of the advisory committee include fact-finding meetings, information conferences, and investigative studies on both local and national civil rights issues.

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Ghetti, who is the Louisiana Outside Counsel Endowed Professor of Law, has focused her 20-year career in academia in four main areas: criminal practice, freedom of religion, legal ethics, and domestic violence. In addition to teaching and writing, she has served on numerous policy making committees, boards, and task forces, is a frequent speaker at local and national conferences, and has written and testified about numerous pieces of legislation.

Professor Nedzel’s scholarly interests include international and comparative commercial law, policy, and jurisprudence, specifically, the interrelationship among market economy, technology, the rule of law, and personal autonomy. She is currently a Visiting Fellow at the Lauterpacht Centre for International Law at the University of Cambridge in England. She is the author of a book on legal writing for international graduate students, and a chapter in a book on immigration legal issues.

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Louisiana Bar Foundation to honor Jones Southern University Law Center Vice Chancellor, Russell L. Jones, was honored by the Louisiana Bar Foundation as the 2010 Louisiana Distinguished Professor at a black-tie dinner, Friday, April 8, 2011, at the Ritz-Carlton New Orleans.

Jones, the Jesse N. Stone Endowed Professor, was named SULC vice chancellor of academic affairs in January 2007. The 1982 cum laude graduate of the Southern University Law Center and former articles editor of the Southern University Law Review joined the SULC faculty in 1984.

In 1992, Jones earned an LL. M. in labor law from Georgetown University School of Law. He is the co-author of two books: Harges and Jones’, Louisiana Evidence, 2007 (Thomson-West Publishing Company, Lawyers Practice Series), and Harges and Jones’, Louisiana Evidence: Problems and Materials. Jones has written several articles on Louisiana evidence, and the fourth amendment of the United States Constitution. He is a member of the Louisiana State Bar Association Board of Governors.

Jones established the Marshall-Brennan Constitutional Literacy Project at the Law Center in January of 2009. He is the recipient of the 2010 Louis A. Martinet Legal Society’s Outstanding Community Service Award; the 2009 Kean Miller Hawthorne, D’Armond, McCowan & Jarman Diversity Award; the 2001 Baton Rouge Bar Association President’s Award; and, the 1984 Pro Bono Attorney Award presented by the Capital Area Legal Service Corporation.

Recognized for his teaching, research, writing, and service to the legal community, Jones has been named the SULC Student Bar Association Professor of the Year annually from 1997-2004; the SULC Alumni Association Distinguished Professor in 2004; and the Black Law Students Association, Outstanding Law Professor at Nova University – Shepard Broad Law Center, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in 1994.

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Faculty & Staff Achievements

Wilkins receives 2011 Unsung Hero Award

Linda Wilkins, travel supervisor in the Office of the Comptroller at Southern University, Baton Rouge, received the 2011 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Unity Celebration Unsung Hero Award.

The award is designed to showcase and give recognition to those individuals that have humbly contributed to the success of programs and involvement for the betterment of the institution, and community at large.

Wilkins received the award during the 2011 MLK Jr. Unity Celebration held January 26, 2011 in Southern’s SmithBrown Memorial Union.

The annual MLK Unity Celebration is held jointly by students from Southern, LSU and Baton Rouge Community College.

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Johnson elected president of council Lata Johnson, director of information technology at the Southern University Law Center, has been elected president of the Council of Information Services Directors (CISD), a state-based IT organization to support the growth, advancement, and sustainability of information technology resources in Louisiana.

Johnson served as first vice president of CISD in 2009-2010. In that capacity, she was conference chairman for the Annual CISD Conference.

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Dean elected Fellow

by ASME

SUNO chancellor, students receive accolades

Habib P. Mohamadian, dean of Southern University’s College of Engineering, was elected as one of the 3,032 Fellows of the 113,361 member American Society of Mechanical Engineers. The Fellow is the highest elected grade of membership in the organization.

Southern University, New Orleans, Chancellor Victor Ukpolo received the 2010 Quintessence Award from the African Writers Endowment, Incorporated on August 28, 2010, in Trenton, New Jersey.

Mohamadian was elected to the grade of Fellow at ASME for his involvement in research and education in engineering, as well as his contribution and work with the American Society for Engineering Education.

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SU nursing professor recognized Wanda Raby Spurlock, an associate professor in the SUBR School of Nursing, was recently awarded, “Fellow Status,” by the National Gerontological Nursing Association (NGNA).

The honor recognizes outstanding leadership and distinguished contributions to the field of gerontological nursing.

Spurlock has been certified in gerontological nursing and psychiatric and mental health nursing by the American Nurses Credentialing Center for more than 25 years.

In addition to being recognized as an “Excellence in Care Specialist” by the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America, the Baton Rouge native was recently honored by the Southeastern Louisiana University Alumni Association as the 2010 Distinguished Alumnus, College of Nursing and Health Science, and cited for her exemplary work in the field of Alzheimer’s disease.

The award is presented to at least one continental African leader and at least one African-American leader “for distinguished accomplishments in the person’s field of endeavor, and for outstanding contributions to the history and heritage of African people.” An accomplished and extensively published professor of economics, Ukpolo has been at the helm of SUNO since January of 2006 having previously served as Southern University System vice president for academic and student affairs.

Ukpolo was honored for his efforts in leading the SUNO’s recovery after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

Ukpolo was also honored as a 2010 Role Model by Minority Access, Incorporated at the organization’s 11th National Role Model Conference Awards Banquet on September 11, 2010 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

In addition to Chancellor Ukpolo, two SUNO students also were honored with a student’s role model award for their outstanding academic, research accomplishments, and departmental service. The students are Dorcas Falodun, a senior biology major, and Brandi Adams, a mathematics senior.

Both students are NSF funded-STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) scholars, and they have presented in multiple national conferences and won awards for their presentations. Falodun and Adams were nominated by Kambhampati and Omojola respectively.

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Cover Story

SU System Faculty:

Opening the door to success “System-wide, measure for measure, our faculty provide an educational environment of exceptional quality for our students.

Many on our team are nationally and internationally recognized experts, who have made important contributions to their fields.”

– Ronald Mason Jr.

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Shining SU faculty committed to making a difference The roles and responsibilities of college and university faculty members are central to a university’s mission, and to the advancement and success of higher education in general.

In research, teaching, and service positions, they lead the academic, scholarly, and public service work of their respective institutions. These important duties enable faculty members to generate and spread knowledge to peers, students, and external audiences.

Southern University faculty who have distinguished themselves through excellence in teaching, research, extension, and public service are among the SU System’s campuses in Shreveport, Baton Rouge, and New Orleans.

SU System President Ronald Mason Jr. has described the SU System of five campuses as a fleet of ships.

Mason then, serves at the helm as captain, charting the course and destination with five co-captains, – chancellors. Helping with operations necessary for navigation are more than 600 crew members – faculty – who are the backbone of the ship, rigging sails and helping to maintain the ship’s soundness.

“Our standout faculty are committed and dedicated to research, teaching, mentoring, and to excellence and service,” said Mason.

“System-wide, measure for measure, our faculty provide an educational environment of exceptional quality for our students. Many on our team are nationally and internationally recognized experts who have made important contributions to their fields.”

At Southern University, faculty have for more than 130 years committed themselves to teaching excellence and engaging in scholarly, research, and creative activities, and providing meaningful public service to the community. From a handful of instructors in 1880 to a diverse corps of regarded scholars and researchers today, they help maintain the academic charge and role and scope of the nation’s only historically black college and university (HBCU) system. Southern University’s faculty represents a dedicated body of distinguished researchers, senior scholars, and dedicated junior faculty.

The SU faculty body has provided high quality education and global learning experiences for hundreds of SU alumni. Many of the world’s engineers, educators, business leaders, accountants, computer scientist, professional athletes, nurses, lawyers, public servants, and countless other professionals have been cultivated and guided by experienced SU academicians.

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Cover Story: Shining Stars on Southern’s Horizon

Research SU faculty are often performing research at the forefront of their fields and teaching students who become informed, productive, and competitive leaders in their respective professions and occupations. While maintaining normal teaching loads, many faculty members apply their skills, resources, and talents to address important issues affecting communities, the nation, and the world.

“In order to be continually relevant to our students and the state of Louisiana, research engagement is a necessary tool. Faculty aggressively pursue solutions to problems that impact environmental and energy needs, develop new processes that direct technology transfer – which creates opportunities for job creation, and engage in community development in the areas of affordable housing, community design, healthy communities, etc.

To have our students actively participate with our faculty in these activities provides a hands-on opportunity to their academic learning and putting learning into practice. Faculty research encourages innovation and creates an engaged, competitive student in this global marketplace,” said Michael Stubblefield, vice chancellor for research and strategic initiatives, Southern University, Baton Rouge.

From applied mathematics and stem cell research, to the environment, health, technology law, and public policy, SU faculty researchers are integrating new knowledge into relevant applications that will positively impact communities and greatly contribute to the University’s profile and prestige.

A sampling of major research and projects being conducted at SU and its impact on the community, economic, or social implications, shows a faculty committing their time, research acumen, and resources to enhancing communities and public service through partnerships, research, and work that affect every facet of business, society, and life — locally, nationally, and world-wide.

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Cover Story: Shining Stars on Southern’s Horizon

★ Alma Thornton, director, Center for Social Research, SUBR, coordinates The SU Partners Creating Opportunities (SU-PCO) project that will provide home ownership and home rehabilitation and counseling assistance; implement an entrepreneurship training and business start-up program for low-tomoderate income persons, and provide technical assistance for public facility improvement.

Course development and student recruitment would not be possible without strong research program development by faculty. ★ SU physics professor, Ali R. Fazely, led a team of SU physics professors to the South Pole, including Samvel Ter-Antonyan and Xianwu Xu, and a graduate student, Cheng Guo, to complete work on the world’s largest neutrino observatory. (See story, page 12) ★ Mechanical engineering professor, Eyassu Woldesenbet, leads a $5 million grant from the National Science Foundation to establish the “Next Generation Composites Crest Center,” called NextGenC3, on the University’s campus.

The center will focus on the development of cutting edge research on composite materials and educational activities that will provide traditionally underrepresented minority students in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines with research experiences at a readily accessible advanced research facility.

“Southern University will use NextGenC3 as a tool to provide engineering and science education and research exposure to students from K-12 to the doctoral level,” said Woldesenbet who is the principal investigator of the project. ★ SUNO grant researcher, Kimberly Dickerson, is conducting research on the multiple aspects of, “value-added,” for the University’s teacher education program.

This project, funded through a $700,000 U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) grant will positively impact residents of a target area in the community, providing increased access to home ownership, increase minority-owned small and emerging businesses, and improve services provided by area community-based development organizations, resulting in a better quality of life for low-to-moderate income families. ★ Michelle Claville, chair of the Department of Chemistry, Southern University, Baton Rouge, was awarded a $400,000 National Science Foundation (NSF) Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program grant that funds research that seeks to study the reactivity of distonic radical ions in methionine-containing peptides. Distonic radicals are radical species that poses a charge on a separate site.

Claville proposes to use chemical methods to generate these species and study the resulting transformation(s) within the peptides.

In addition to providing extensive training for undergraduates, this project will provide valuable information to industry and government regarding the potential hazards that pertain to purification of foods using irradiative methods. ★ A $1,077,639 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) through its National Institute of Food and Agriculture – Agricultural and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) was awarded to Divya Jaroni, food microbiologist, SU Ag Center, recently to study the “Reduction of Escherichia coli O157:H7 on Small-Scale Cow/Calf Operations using Best Management Practices.” (see story, page 50)

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Cover Story: Shining Stars on Southern’s Horizon

The study will determine the prevalence of E. coli O157:H7 on small cow/calf farms located in Louisiana and Texas. ★ Several SU Urban Forestry faculty members, SU Zhu Ning, Kamran Abdollahi, Daniel Collins, and Yadong Qi, recently received grants totaling $1.6 million from the National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

(See story, page 49) ★ SUNO assistant professor of biology, Illy Tietzel, is the principal investigator for a grant from the National Science Foundation to establish an undergraduate research and mentoring (URM) program. (See story, page 50) In August 2010, Tietzel was awarded a research grant from NSF that will allow SUNO students to receive cutting-edge scientific education, and use science to constructively impact the socio-economic crisis caused by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Tietzel also is currently conducting research at the LSU Health Science Center. ★ The USDA, Agricultural Research Service (ARS), Delta Obesity Prevention Research Unit (OPRU) is coordinating a major research program that brings together the expertise of seven institutions in Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi including Arkansas Children’s Research Institute, University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, University of Southern Mississippi, Alcorn State University, Pennington Biomedical Research Center, and Southern University.

Professor Bernestine McGee, program leader, director, Didactic Program in Dietetics, Human Nutrition and Food Program, SUBR, heads the SU team that is part of the only research unit in America dedicated to rural at-risk populations and their nutrition problems.

Being a part of this research unit, Southern University will contribute to research findings supporting the development of the 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. It is anticipated that appropriately adapting Dietary Guidelines to culture, economic, and social differences will result in reduced weight gain and improved health risks in the target population.

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★ Stephen C. McGuire, chair, physics, directs the $1,050,000 National Science Foundation funded Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory Project (LIGO) with faculty and students from the Southern University College of Education and Departments of Physics, Mathematics, and Science/Mathematics Education Doctoral Program, in partnership with the Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory (LIGO) at Livingston, Louisiana, the San Francisco Exploratorium, and the Louisiana Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (LA GEAR UP). The purpose of this partnership is to significantly enhance pre-service teacher training, and in-service teacher professional development focusing on inquiry-based, science and mathematics teaching and learning using exhibits and activities.

STEM education, STEM undergraduate students, and in-service teachers are being immersed in inquiry-based science and mathematics teaching and learning experiences at the LIGO Science Education Center (SEC), a world-class educational outreach facility, with over 40 interactive exhibits developed by the San Francisco Exploratorium. SUBR has six exhibits in its Inquiry Laboratory, housed in the College of Education, that help to explain LIGO science concepts.

These exhibits facilitate inquiry-based science and mathematics teaching and learning, correlates with Louisiana’s benchmarks and standards, strengthens the content knowledge of pre-service and in-service teachers, and bridges formal with informal science and mathematics education.

“Research engagement should always produce a positive output. Whether spearheading community planning efforts, nutritional research and awareness, partnering with pre-college schools, conducting research in partnership with national laboratories, government, and business, Southern’s goal is to create globally engaged, competitive, and innovative students, support new community engagement, and promote economic growth for our immediate community and the state of Louisiana overall,” said Stubblefield. ★ SUNO biology professor, Murty Kambhampati, supported by a $45,000 supplemental NSF grant, participated in summer 2010 research projects at Brookhaven National Labs (BNL) in Long Island, New York. Kambhampati grant sponsored six SUNO students to BNL as well.

Cover Story: Shining Stars on Southern’s Horizon

Creative Activity

sustainability via course concentrations, eventually leading to a new interdisciplinary B.S. degree in sustainability. This degree program will be unique in Louisiana, thus it will attract a more diverse student population. This HBCU-UP Program also includes a research/study abroad component and the team looks forward to engaging students and the faculty in exchanges with partner universities in China and future partners.

“This will be one of, if not the first degree program of its kind at an HBCU,” said Karen Crosby, associate professor, mechanical engineering, SUBR, who is one of the project’s co-principal investigators and who will be leading the degree implementation process.

Some examples of SU faculty creative activity, supported externally, that involves cutting-edge technology and has an impact on classroom learning and student success, include an impressive list of partnerships, grants, sponsored programs, and projects.

A SU project grant, “HBCU-UP ACE Implementation: The New Energy Workforce: Sustainable Materials, Energy, and Technology,” was funded for $3 million by the National Science Foundation, will create an interdisciplinary international degree program that integrates research, academics and experimental learning toward resolving sustainability issues faced

by Louisiana, this nation and the global community. Undergraduate students will be exposed to sustainable materials, energy, and technologies through an interdisciplinary dual-degree curriculum that integrates academics, research and global engagement with international universities.

The HBCU-UP Ace Implementation award will further strengthen the University’s capacity to do research, especially in the emerging area of sustainability, which includes renewable energy, materials, and design. This project will focus education around current research trends in

★ A U.S.-Cameroon collaboration for information technology in healthcare (E-Medicine) research through faculty in the College of Business and International Studies lays the foundation for a systematic continuation of NSF and NASA funded research in e-medicine and multimedia instructional technologies. Using these funding sources, Victor Mbarika, professor, College of Business, and his team have implemented and assessed e-medicine technologies in developing nations in sub-Saharan Africa as well as in rural Louisiana. Also, they have been funded to develop multimedia instructional technologies to bring real world in-formation technology issues to the classroom. ★ Also, National Science Foundation recently awarded a grant of $1 million to Southern University and A & M College for support of the project entitled, “MRI-R2: Acquisition of a Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) for Research, Research Training, and Education at Southern University a Research Undergraduate Institution (RUI).” The project is under the direction of Edwin Walker, BASF endowed professor of chemistry, SUBR, who is the grant’s principal investigator.

Walker explains that the TEM facility will yield new insights by providing researchers at Southern University and A&M College with a new state-of-theart analytical tool that will immeasurably enhance the quality of their research. The TEM facility will foster a research atmosphere complimentary to undergraduate teaching, while continuing SUBR’s mission to combine research and teaching in a highly productive manner for the training and development of young, highly talented engineers and scientists of the future.

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Eyassu Woldesenbet, professor, mechanical engineering, SUBR/LSU; Guang-Lin Zhao, associate professor, mechanical engineering, SUBR/LSU; and Guoqiang Li, professor, physics, SUBR, are co-principal investigators. ★ Through a $600,000 Louisiana Department of Education grant led by Diola Bagayoko, a strategic partnership has been formed with McKinley High School and Northeast High School to capitalize on the individual strengths of each organization/agency to achieve the goal of improving opportunities for youth through the establishment of the Sankofa Academy (21st Century Community Learning Center). One goal of the academy is to establish community learning center that helps students in high-poverty, lowperforming schools meet rigorous, academic achievement standards; to offer a broad array of additional services designed to complement the regular academic program. ★ SU Ag Center animal science researchers, Fatemeh Malekian and Sebhatu Gebrelul, and research associate, Janet Gager, make up a research team that is working on a collaborative project with four institutions that will identify production practices and product traits at each segment of the meat goat industry that will increase the net economic benefits and productivity of meat goat producers. ★ In 2008, HUD awarded SUSLA‘s Division of Community Workforce Development a $600,000 grant. The grant will strengthen and expand micro-enterprise business development activities by establishing a community resource and training center for community and faith-based organizations; creating a partnership to develop a revitalization plan in the Ledbetter Height community; and, to establish a Community Technology Center for low-income residents in the Mooretown community.

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According to Janice Sneed, vice chancellor for community and workforce development, SUSLA has received six grants from HUD totaling $2.9 million.

SUSLA continues to attract other major grants and contracts including over $4 million in Incumbent Worker Training Program (IWTP) grants; Business Incubation Program contract with the Louisiana Department of Economic Development provider for the Small and Emerging Business Development Program; and, local and federal labor dollars exceeding $3 million to address the critical shortage of health care professionals in the state.

In 2010, Sneed announced a $4.2 million U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) Employment and Training Administration (ETA) grant from the U.S. Department of Labor for “Project Success. It is an initiative to train 325 participants from a 10-parish region in adult basic education and career pathways of dental hygiene, health information technology, nursing, medical lab technology, radiology technology, and respiratory therapy.

SUSLA was previously awarded a $2 million U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration grant for Project Success.

“I was excited, but I wasn’t surprised to hear of our most recent award because of the outstanding outcomes achieved in the previously awarded Project Success grant. We, SUSLA, have a niche as it relates to healthcare training in this region and words cannot express the level of commitment that is shown by faculty, staff, and program facilitators. Their commitment to meet the students where they are in life and provide the necessary educational and supportive services is what really makes the difference. Stephanie Graham and Linda Hines (Co-PIs) are to be commended for their dedication on the previous grant; and, moreover Graham on successfully writing both proposals,” said Sneed.

Cover Story: Shining Stars on Southern’s Horizon

Teaching Excellence and scholarly Achievements

Southern University faculty as a whole, are committed to the advancement of teaching and learning — affording students every opportunity to achieve their highest level of success. Students give positive feedback on the quality of their teaching, ability to mentor and advise students, and their engagement of scholars within their fields. Their superior records of public service and activities/ awards/honors have brought distinction to themselves and to the University.

SU faculty’s expertise in varied areas, also support nationally published books, book chapters, and numerous scholarly articles.

“Equal to path forging research, achievements in teaching at Southern University are having a national and global impact providing the critical foundation for student success, and demonstrate academic rigor and excellence in teaching,” said Mason.

The University does not fall short in providing sterling faculty leadership for students in their scholarly pursuits. ★ Stephen McGuire was elected a Fellow of the American Physical Society (APS), the highest honor bestowed by APS upon a member by the recipient’s peers in recognition of outstanding contributions to physics. (See profile, page 60) ★ Cheryl Taylor, SUBR School of Nursing’s director of nursing research, had a national award named in her honor that recognizes her efforts to eliminate disparities in the delivery of healthcare to various racial and ethnic groups. (See story, page 15) ★ Cynthia Ramirez, associate professor of fine art, SUNO, was appointed to the National Endowment for the Arts’ Art Education Grant Panel for 2011-2012.

Ramirez is a multi-media artist who has exhibited her work in numerous local, national, and international exhibitions. (See story, page 17) 27

Cover Story: Shining Stars on Southern’s Horizon

Ramirez was awarded an Adolph Gottlieb Emergency Artist’s Assistance Grant, Joan Mitchell Emergency Artist’s Assistance Grant, and Louisiana Cultural Economic Artist’s Assistance in 2006.

★ Diola Bagayoko, last year, was honored by the American Association for the Advancement of Science for his efforts to significantly increase the number of African-American Ph.D.s in physics and chemistry.

★ Wanda Spurlock, an associate professor in the SUBR School of Nursing, received the coveted “Rosemary Volunteer Award” presented by the Alzheimer’s Services of the Capital Area at its 2010 Annual Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon. (See profile, page 19)

Bagayoko, distinguished professor of physics, SUBR, received the 2009 AAAS Mentor Award for Lifetime Achievement for his extraordinary work on behalf of undergraduate students.

In 2009, Spurlock received the Louisiana State Nurses Association’s Nightingale Award for Outstanding Community Service by a registered nurse, and has been recognized as an Excellence in Dementia Care Specialist by the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America. ★ Elaine Barham, another nursing faculty honor, assistant professor, SUBR School of Nursing, received the Helen Creemens Johnson Excellence in Teaching Award at the Annual Celebrate Nursing Banquet last May by the Baton Rouge District Nurses Association.

(See story, page 17) ★ Russell L. Jones, Southern University Law Center Vice Chancellor was honored by the Louisiana Bar Foundation as the 2010 Louisiana Distinguished Professor in April. (See story, page 18) ★ Rabiul Hasan’s, SUBR assistant professor of English, book, Rediscovering Hemingway in Bangladesh and India, 1971-2006, was published by University Press of America, Incorporated. (See story, page 18)

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In 1996, Bagayoko became one of the first recipients of the U.S. Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Mentoring.

The Timbuktu Academy received this presidential award for programs in 2002. ★ Lora Helvie-Mason, assistant professor of communications studies, SUNO, received the Southern States Communication Association’s (SSCA) Dwight L. Freshley Outstanding New Teacher Communication Award in 2010. ★ Habib P. Mohamadian, dean, SUBR College of Engineering, last year, was elected as one of the 3,032 Fellows of the 113,361-member American Society of Mechanical Engineers. (See story, page 19) ★ During the summer of 2010, Nathaniel Manning, associate professor and department head, business management, SUSLA, was one of 30 national and international visiting scholars for Educational Testing Services in Princeton, New Jersey.

Cover Story: Shining Stars on Southern’s Horizon

Public Service

★ Madan Kundu, professor and chair, and Alo Dutta, assistant professor, Department of Rehabilitation and Disabilities Studies, are directing the MinorityDisability (MIND) Alliance Project for Students with Disabilities in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines at Southern University, Baton Rouge.

A $1 million grant from NSF funds the project to design and operate a program to help students with disabilities succeed in the areas of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

MIND also is aimed at increasing the quantity and quality of students with disabilities receiving associate, baccalaureate and graduate degrees in STEM disciplines and entering the STEM workforce. Disabled students are underrepresented in these fields.

Like teaching and research, public service is a prime element of the University’s mission. The three components interact, whereas many public service opportunities evolve from teaching efforts and research projects and contribute significantly to the strength of the University, its campuses, colleges, departments, units, and to the vitality of its faculty enterprise.

At Southern University, faculty members share a passion and commitment to public service. They are involved in public service through a wide variety of settings and roles.

In order to teach local communities, families, school leaders, and childcare center employees how to respond to emergencies, the SU Ag Center Family and Human Development Program, provides emergency preparedness training for extension agents who work through-out the state.

“The last decade has brought to the forefront horrendous weather conditions that have prompted many families and other individuals to learn emergency responses to various hazards,” said Kasundra Cyrus, family and human development specialist, and training organizer, SU Ag Center. These conditions have included natural, man-made, and technological conditions in addition to the risk of pandemic type situations.

“Southern is well poised to lead this challenge,” Kundu said, adding that the university has operated major mentoring initiatives in the past, such as the nationally acclaimed Timbuktu Academy and the Strengthening Minority Access to Research and Training (SMART) program. ★ The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights appointed SULC law faculty members Michelle Ghetti and Nadia Nedzel among the 11-member Louisiana State Advisory Committee (SAC) to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, effective June 3, 2010. (See article, page 18) The SULC Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Program was cited as the VITA Site of the Year in 2010 and vice chancellor John Pierre was recognized for his outstanding public service. (See story, page 10) ★ With nearly $550,000 from a Title III grant, students and faculty at Southern University’s School of Architecture unveiled its newly renovated Urban + Rural Community Design Research Center to the public in 2008.

The research center houses a community outreach program aimed at revitalizing the Scotlandville area adjacent to Southern’s campus.

Faculty and students of the School of Architecture began work in the community long before the research center was completed, conducting a series of listening tours around Scotlandville.

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★ SUSLA Vice Chancellor for Community and Workforce Development, Janice Sneed, along with SU Shreveport faculty, has worked hard to develop and maintain a thriving, successful program of community and workforce development that is well regarded in the academic and business community. As a result, in August 2008, SUSLA opened the doors of its Business and Community Development Center located directly across from the University’s main campus.

The Center also hosted workshops designed to help senior citizens and physically and mentally challenged persons in the Scotlandville area receive local, state, and federal assistance.

Professor Jason Lockhart, who serves as a project manager with the research center, said it would use the residents’ feedback to develop a master plan for Scotlandville tailored to alleviating some of the residents’ concerns. ★ The Corporation for National and Community Service named Southern University, New Orleans (SUNO), to the 2009 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll for National and Community Service for service to the local communities. (See story, page 9). ★ In early 2010, after a catastrophic 7.0 earthquake struck near Port-au-Prince, Haiti. SU professors, Warner Anderson, Kristan Gordon, and Ernst Pierre, started the Southern University Haiti Disaster Relief Drive.

The Center for International Education provided assistance through financial donations, along with other items that will aid in emergency relief.

The Southern University Law Center also sponsored a Haiti Relief Effort, led by law students and supported by faculty and staff, to aid and assist the population in Haiti affected by the earthquake. ★ SUNO faculty members are helping high school students earn college credits while still in high school.

As part of a partnership with O. Perry Walker College and Career Preparatory High School, a professor comes to Walker from SUNO three mornings a week to teach college-level English.

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In 2004, the University opened the Small, Women, and Minority Business Incubator in Bossier City. Through these two facilities and in partnership with several stakeholders, many services including the Business Opportunity Grant program, rural initiatives, and entrepreneurship training are now readily available. ★ Southern University urban forestry faculty and students, ExxonMobil, Baton Rouge Green, Boy Scout Troop 391 at Mount Pilgrim Baptist Church, Louisiana Landscaping Company, and C.J. Brown Realtors collaborate on beautification projects. ★ Professor Eva Kleinpeter's reading, children's literature, and organization of administration in early childhood classes, donated more than $300 to the Society of St. Vincent de Paul to help with feeding the needy during the 2010 Thanksgiving and holiday season.

Kleinpeter also organized a group of about 30 students in her children’s literature class this summer to paint the front of Crestworth Elementary School on June 25, 2010. (See pictures with story cutlines, page 45) ★ Vice Chancellor John Pierre accepted an award on behalf of the Southern University Law Center from the SULC Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Program, along with a special recognition for his outstanding public service through the Stakeholder Partnerships, Education, and Communication (SPEC), VITA, and Tax Counseling for the Elderly Program (TCE) programs. (See story, page 10) ★ The SU Ag Center received half a million dollars in grants from the Louisiana Public Health Institute and The Louisiana Campaign for Tobacco-free Living to enable the Communities of Color Network (CoC) to continue the implementation of a tobacco-education initiative impacting disparate populations, particularly African Americans. (See story, page 50)

Cover Story: Shining Stars on Southern’s Horizon

Making A Difference The Southern University System has star faculty members who demonstrate exceptional dedication to students, and have a record of excellence in teaching, research, and public service that exceed academic responsibility.

The budget crisis that is affecting Louisiana is having an impact on many institutions of higher education across the country.

Despite the effects and threats of budget cuts, SU faculty members are productive. Faculty research and increased external funding are helping to offset the challenges created by limited state funding.

“Externally funded projects provide scholarships, stipends, and research assistantships for undergraduate and graduate students. Also, research and teaching infrastructure are enhanced via acquisitions such as computers, software, and test equipment. Externally funded projects also assist our professors relative to professional development by attending seminars, conferences, national labs, etc. We are able to engage research assistants that assist our professors in obtaining new research awards, which generate indirect dollars that are presently used to augment University general funds,” said Stubblefield.

Having a faculty of committed scholars and researchers actively engaged in research, innovative teaching, and compelling public service is a major asset, and helps attract noted scholars to join SU to inspire, lead, and discover.

Last year, Lisa Delpit, a renowned educator and expert in the field of urban education joined the SU academic troops on the frontier of learning. Delpit, a native of Baton Rouge, became Southern University’s first F.G. Clark professor. She works as an education professor and is the liaison between the College of Education and the Southern University Lab School, including improving the curriculum.

“In charting a new course, we are repositioning the Southern University System as a next generation Historically Black University and a model for higher learning in a global economy. Project Positive Direction, is the first step in establishing a systemic approach to producing globally competitive graduates from among our traditional and increasingly selective enrollment base,” said Mason.

“We are answering our challenges head-on and we are gaining ground on urgent priorities. We have implemented strategies to right size our operation to meet budget threats and to reposition the SU System to operate more efficiently.”

Accomplished SU faculty members (System-wide) research, teaching, and service contribute to the survival of the University and shows that the role of faculty is key to our strategic planning, overall mission, and shared governance.

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IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Ovations Spring 2011 features exceptional System faculty members who demonstrate dedication to students and have a record of excellence in teaching, research, and public service that exceed academic responsibility.

The SU System magazine profiles some of SU’s “star” faculty who were selected by their campuses to be highlighted.

Divya Jaroni Assistant Professor, Food Microbiology Southern University Agricultural Research and Extension Center

From teaching high school physics, chemistry, and biology in Indore, India to an assistant professor of food microbiology, Divya Jaroni, has been teaching and researching since 1990.

After earning a Ph.D. from the University of Nebraska, Jaroni worked as a post doctoral research associate; microbiologist at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA); Roman L. Hruska U.S. Meat Animal Research Center in Clay Center, Nebraska; and, as a post doctoral research associate, food safety microbiologist at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Science, in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Over the past several years, Jaroni’s research has focused on current and emerging food safety issues in pre- and post-harvest environments. She is currently conducting research at the SU Ag Center that is geared towards improving the microbiological safety and quality of beef, poultry, goat and fresh produce. She is principal investigator for a major USDA-NIFA Agricultural and Food Research Initiative, a $1,077,639 research grant project, “Reduction of E. coli O157:H7 in Small-Scale Cow/Calf Operations Using Best Management Practices.”

She also is co-PI on a USDA-NIFA Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative grant, “Improving the Safety and Post-harvest Quality of Field Grown Organic Leafy Greens: Assessment of Good Agricultural/ Production Practices Along the Farm-to-Fork Continuum,” funded for $3 million. (SU Ag Cemter Subcontract: $500,881).

Murty S. Kambhampati Professor of Biology Southern University, New Orleans

She joined SU Ag Center faculty in 2006, and also is an adjunct professor at Louisiana State University.

Her teaching area and expertise is food safety and microbiology.

Jaroni believes that active student participation is using innovative methods, encouraging student questions, and incorporating practical training.

“In addition to classroom lectures, hands-on training is essential, especially for science disciplines,” she said.

Major Professional Memberships: International Association of Food Protection (IAFP); Institute of Food Technologists (IFT), Poultry Science Association (PSA); and American Society for Microbiologists (ASM). Jaroni’s scholarly work includes book chapters and 11 articles in journals and publications.

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Murty S. Kambhampati, professor, biology began teaching at Southern University, New Orleans, in 1994.

Kambhampati received a bachelor’s degree in biology, a master’s of science in botany, a diploma in statistics, and a Ph.D. in ecology, from Andra University in Visakhapatnam, India. He earned a second Ph.D. in environment science from Jackson State University in Mississippi.

A member of the academy for more than 17 years, Kambhampati believes teaching is a noble and highly gratifying profession.

Cover Story: Shining Stars on Southern’s Horizon

“My teaching philosophy revolves around a few simple but vital facts such as providing conducive and interactive learning environment for all students; providing clear goals for each course I teach with a challenging as well as brainstorming questions; motivating, nurturing, and engaging students in research projects by providing one-on-one mentoring toward their preparation for graduate/professional school admissions to pursue advanced degrees in STEM areas; and engaging students in scientific organizations to enable them to learn leadership and networking skills; and, to extend their hand, beyond the call of duty, to peers, to motivate, and to involve in community outreach/volunteer activities as a responsible citizenry.”

As a researcher, Kambhampati has mentored more than 70 biology majors on research projects (environmental toxicology, phytoremediation, limnology, environmental microbiology, and plant science research projects for the past 15 years; some won awards in regional/national conferences) at SUNO, Tulane University, Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium, Argonne National Laboratory (visiting professor), and Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), Dowling College, NY. He has secured more than $6 million as principal investigator or co-principal investigator from the state and federal funding agencies such as the Louisiana Board of Regent, the National Science Foundation, National Institute of Science, and National Institutes of Health.

His short list of publications include articles in Acta Physica Poloinica A, in Environmental Research and Public Health, and a paper published by Battelle Press.

For his accomplishments, Kambhampati was nominated for a Presidential Awards for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring in 2009, received a Minority Access, Incorporated National Faculty Role Model Award in 2008, and Southern University System Faculty Excellence Award in 2007.

He is a member of the American Chemical Society, Beta Beta Beta Biological Honor Society, Beta Kappa Chi, National Scientific Honor Society (SUNO Chapter Sponsor), and National Institutes of Science (NIS-SUNO Chapter Sponsor).

Nathaniel Manning Associate Professor and Department Head Department of Business Management, Southern University, Shreveport

Nathaniel Manning, associate professor and department head for business management, has taught at SUSLA since 2001.

Manning earned undergraduate degrees in mathematics and computer science from Grambling State University.

He holds a MBA degree in finance. Manning has been admitted to the graduate program in statistics at Texas A & M University – College Station, where he expects to complete the Ph.D. in applied statistics.

Before becoming a college professor, Professor Manning worked for the IBM Corporation as a marketing systems engineer. More recently, he served as the chief information officer for GE Power Delivery Commercial Transformer Division, where he managed a global virtual team of software developers.

Manning has developed several online business and economics courses using the Blackboard Learning System. He serves as peer reviewer and mentor for online course developers. Under his leadership as coordinator for the associate degree in business management, enrollment, retention, and degree completion has become one of the top five majors at the University. Manning has developed and added several new courses to the curriculum, including international business, computerized projects, and business communication. Under his leadership, the Department of Business Management has added an accelerated certificate of business management, and will soon offer the University’s first fully online two-year associate degree in the area of business management.

During the summer of 2010, Manning was one of 30 national and international visiting scholars for Educational Testing Services in Princeton, New Jersey.

Continued on page 34

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He now serves on the ETS external audit team for the GRE and SAT examinations. He is an item writer in the area of Economics for the Praxis® Teacher Certification Exam, and the College Board AP Microeconomics and Macroeconomics Exams. Manning has fostered a professional association with the senior vice president of ETS, and is collaborating to establish educational enrichment programs for inner city youth in the State of Louisiana.

In May 2010, Manning became a member of the American Council on Education (ACE). He is a course evaluator for ACE in the areas of calculus, economics, and statistics. He most recently, served as a course evaluator for Straighter Line, Incorporated in the fields of microeconomics and general calculus at Johns-Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland.

Manning served as a member of the Southern University System Economic Impact Study Group, serves as the financial literacy coordinator for SUSLA, and is a Sam M. Walton Fellow where he is advisor to the SUSLA SIFE Club.

Manning is a subject matter expert in the fields of developmental mathematics, probability, and statistics, and economics for eCollege, a subsidiary of Pearson Publishing. He developed an online AP Statistics course for the Florida Virtual High School.

Manning is devoted to academic excellence, and consistently demonstrates such through outstanding classroom teaching, and engaging in scholarly academic research.

He received a 2007 NAFEO NOBLE laureate award in the fields of business and economics, and was one among 10 NOBLE laureate recipients for 2007.

The professor also received the 2005 and 2007 Teaching Excellence Awards sponsored by NISOD, which is sponsored by the University at Texas in Austin.

Manning is active in public service and in the community. He has served as chair of the Education Committee for the NAACP, mathematics tutor, chair of the curriculum committee to develop the Business and Law Magnet Program for Huntington High School, and is a member of the Shreveport Community Church.

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Stephen C. McGuire Professor of Physics Southern University, Baton Rouge

New Orleans native Stephen McGuire received his bachelor of science in physics, magna cum laude, from Southern University; a master of science in nuclear physics from The University of Rochester, Rochester, New York; and a Ph.D. in nuclear science from Cornell University, Ithaca, New York.

McGuire began his college teaching career at Alabama A & M University (AAMU), where he began research with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

In 1989, he was appointed to the Cornell Endowed College of Engineering faculty, and as a result became the first African American to receive this distinction.

Returning to his alma mater in 1999, he was appointed professor and chairman of the department of physics at Southern University where he has begun research on optical materials as part of the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO). He now serves as the LIGO Scientific Collaboration Principal Investigator for his campus; is a co-principal investigator on the LIGO Local Educational Outreach Partnership, a collaboration between Southern University and A&M College; the Exploratorium, the LA GEAR UP/LASIP Program of the Louisiana Board of Regents; and, Caltech. LIGO is managed by Caltech and MIT and is funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF).

McGuire’s expertise and teaching philosophy emphasizes the integration of research and current technology with the development of effective science, teaching, and learning strategies.

Cover Story: Shining Stars on Southern’s Horizon

“I employ inquiry-based learning activities to engage students and develop critical thinking skills while taking into account the variety of learning styles usually present in a diverse student group,” said McGuire.

He believes as an educator it is essential to stay abreast of the most recent developments in your field.

“I believe this can best be achieved through participation in forefront research. In doing so, we not only contribute to the body of new knowledge in our discipline but we make available exceptional educational opportunities for our undergraduate and graduate students through their involvement. Having a state-of-the-art knowledge of our field enables us to communicate the best information to the students we are preparing for the future, and in the process give them the necessary competitive edge to excel in a global environment.

Since coming to Southern University, McGuire’s research grants have been funded by the National Science Foundation and the Louisiana Board of Regents, including Advancing the Southern University Partnership with LIGO in Materials Research and Science Education,” National Science Foundation – $300,000; “LIGO Science Education Center Partnership (SUBR) (co-principal investigator)” National Science Foundation – $1,050,000; “Materials Science, Astronomy and Outreach: A Collaborative Program of Research and Science Education between Southern University and LIGO” National Science Foundation – $603,824; and “Advanced Materials for Information Systems: Magnetic and Optical Materials,” Louisiana Board of Regents Governor’s Initiative Award, $195,700.

He also has been a consultant to the National Institute of Health (NIH) and the Department of Energy (DOE), and has served on the External Advisory Committee of the University of Chicago Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC). His research has been funded by the NSF, DOE, NASA, the Office of Naval Research (ONR), and the Louisiana Board of Regents (LA BoR).

The scientist’s work and research has provided opportunities to work and lecture at major universities and research facilities, including invited lecturer at Stanford Linear Accelerator Center, Standford, California; physicist at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California; consultant at Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico; guest researcher, Center for Neutron Research, Gaithersburg, Maryland; and visiting associate, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California.

McGuire has been invited to talk at numerous major conferences and meetings, including giving the Percy L. Julian Luncheon Address, at the 34th Annual Conference of the National Organization of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers (NOBCChE), Orlando Florida, April 4, 2007. In 1988, he was invited to present his work at the First Edward A. Bouchet International Conference on Physics and Technology held in Trieste, Italy.

In 2008, he was elected a Fellow of the American Physical Society (APS), the highest honor bestowed by APS upon a member by the recipient’s peers in recognition of outstanding contributions to physics.

Over his career, he has served the physics community in various leadership roles, including President of the NSBP and Chair of the APS Committee on Minorities.

The recipient of numerous prestigious awards and honors, McGuire received a Crown Zellerbach Foundation fellowship in physics as an undergraduate, and as a doctoral candidate, he held a John McMullen graduate fellowship. While he was a graduate student, he was an invited lecturer at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center. In 1988, he was honored with NASA’s Office of Technology Utilization Research Citation Award. In 1992 he was named a Charter Fellow of the National Society of Black Physicists (NSBP), and in 1997 he was appointed the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Visiting Scientist in Physics and Astronomy at Wayne State University.

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Dawn Mellion Patin Extension Specialist SU Agricultural Research and Extension Center

Dawn Mellion Patin is an extension specialist for agriculture at Southern University Agricultural Research and Extension Center. Prior to this position, she served at Southern University as faculty in the Colleges of Agricultural, Family and Consumer Sciences and Education. She is the director of the 2501 Program, a post she has held since 1999. Her current interest and the majority of her efforts revolve around working with socially disadvantaged, limited-resource agricultural producers and their families, particularly the youth.

Mellion Patin received a bachelor of science degree in plant and soil Sciences, and a master’s degree in agricultural education from Southern University.

She continued her education at Iowa State University where she earned a Ph.D. in agriculture and extension education, and received an MBA in project management from Jones International University in 2008.

Mellion Patin also is a graduate of LEAD 21: Leadership Development for the 21st Century, whose primary purpose is to develop leaders for the land-grant institutions with the capability of linking academics, research and extension.

Mellion Patin’s teaching (and life philosophy) can be simply defined by three very basic tenets, “Always model the behavior you want to see; let your work speak for itself; and perfect your craft each and every day.” It is a message that she shares with both young and old alike.

Throughout her career, Mellion Patin has focused on improving the situation and position of small farmers and their families, to include both rural and urban youth. She has demonstrated her ability to assess various situations and then secure external funding to develop programs and training to improve those identified needs. To date, she has managed a total of $3,435,987 of which $2,050,992 has been awarded competitively.

Mellion Patin’s work also is being recognized by her peers and others in the small farm community. Most recently, she was asked to serve as the National Program Chair for the 6th National Small Farm Conference to be held in Memphis, Tennessee (September 2012).

She has made professional presentations at conferences and workshops all across the county. In competition, Mellion Patin won second place for her youth development work at the Joint Association of Research Directors and the Association of Extension Administrators Conference, New Orleans, Louisiana in June, 2005.

She has served on many university and national committees, most notably as the 1890 Representative on the National Extension Disaster Education Network (EDEN) Executive Committee (2006-2010); former chair of the Southern Region – Agricultural and Natural Resources Program Leaders Committee (2007-2008); and, as the National Historian for the National Society of Minorities in Agricultural, Natural Resources and Related Sciences (2003-2005).

Her professional affiliations include advisory board member for the Louisiana School for Agricultural Sciences; the National Society of Minorities in Agricultural; Natural Resources and Related Science; and, the National Association of Agricultural County Agents.

She has been involved in several community service projects and initiatives over the years, but the one in which she is most proud of is the Ladies of Essence Book Club Mentoring initiative with teenaged girls in the Baton Rouge community.

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Joe Omojola Professor of Mathematics and Physics Southern University, New Orleans

Professor of mathematics and physics, Joe Omojola, joined the Southern University, New Orleans faculty in 1994.

After receiving his undergraduate degree in physics from University of Ife, in Ife, Nigeria, Omojola came to the United States to further his studies. He earned his master of science degree in nuclear engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and a Ph.D. in nuclear engineering from the University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona.

Omojola’s teaching philosophy is deeply rooted in the idea that better citizens are produced though a learning experience that is both interesting and stimulating.

“As far as I can recollect, I have always enjoyed teaching and especially making very difficult subject matter, such as physics, mathematics, science, engineering, and statistics simpler for others. I am committed to excellence in education from elementary school to graduate school. My methods of imparting knowledge include teaching, mentoring, and using research as a teaching tool,” he said.

The scientist, researcher, and scholar authored a chapter in, Effective Methods in Science and Mathematics Education for Urban Students, and has published articles in the Journal of Urban Education.

His recent accomplishments and achievements include, establishing the “Gateway to Excellence in Mathematics and Science (GEMS) summer Camp” for elementary school students.

Recognized as Most Outstanding Grant Writer, Southern University at New Orleans, 2010, Omojola is principal investigator for several major research grants including, “Enhancement, Enrichment, and Excellence in Science and Mathematics,” $1.75 million, National Science Foundation; “Reliability Studies of Space Systems, $ 10,000, Louisiana Space Consortium (LaSPACE); and Louisiana Alliance for Minority Participation (LAMP), Southern University at New Orleans, $500,000, National Science Foundation and Louisiana Board of Regents Among his many awards and achievement are the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Mentoring (PAESMEM) presented at the White House in 2007. Omojola also received a National Role Model Faculty Mentor Award in 2006.

For his public service work, he received the Benjamin Franklin Math and Science Magnet School Volunteer Award in 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, and 1999.

Omojola holds membership in the National Alliance for Doctoral Studies in the Mathematical Sciences, Alpha Nu Sigma – Honors Society of American Nuclear Society (ANS), and the National Association of Mathematicians.

He explained that the students’ interest has always been the focus of his teaching.

“In all my classes, I like to involve my students in the evolution of the material being developed by asking them probing questions and making the class very interactive. One of the offspring of this style is that, after a few weeks, I know every student in my class by name and by face.”

Omojola believes that a knowledgeable teacher is a better teacher.

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Cover Story: Shining Stars on Southern’s Horizon

Wanda Raby Spurlock, DNS, RN-BC, CNS, FNGNA Associate Professor, School of Nursing Southern University, Baton Rouge

Wanda Raby Spurlock, associate professor, Southern University School of Nursing (Baton Rouge) has been certified in gerontological nursing, and psychiatric and mental health nursing by the American Nurses Credentialing Center for more than 25 years.

Raby started the nursing profession as a registered nurse (RN) after completing a diploma program at Our Lady of the Lake Hospital. After a few years, she earned her bachelor’s degree in nursing from Southeastern Louisiana School of Nursing, and a master’s degree in nursing from LSU Medical Center in New Orleans. Shortly after entering the nursing education field, she earned her doctor of nursing science degree from LSU Health Sciences Center in New Orleans.

In addition to being recognized as an “Excellence in Care Specialist” by the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America, the Baton Rouge native was recently honored by the Southeastern Louisiana University Alumni Association as the 2010 Distinguished Alumnus, College of Nursing and Health Science and cited for her exemplary work in the field of Alzheimer’s disease.

Spurlock, also licensed as an Advanced Practice Nurse in psychiatric and mental health nursing through the Louisiana State Board of Nursing, joined the SU School of Nursing faculty in 1993 and is currently teaching in both undergraduate and graduate nursing programs. She previously served as associate project director, and clinical administrator for the School of Nursing’s Nurse Managed Family Health Care Center, including Medicaid Application Center, WIC, and KIDMED Programs.

A hands-on educator, Spurlock believes students learn differently and bring diverse life experiences and world

38

views to the classroom.

“Therefore, I believe that a professor is most effective when teaching modalities are designed to encompass a continuum of learning styles while making the content relevant and applicable to real life situations.

Furthermore, I believe that one of the most important contributions that a professor can make in a nursing student’s learning is to facilitate the development of excellent critical thinking skills. Additionally, I believe that it is essential that professors present themselves as positive role models, and serve as mentors in the students’ growth and professional role preparation,” she said.

A regarded researcher, her focus is Alzheimer’s disease (AD); AD family caregiving; spiritual well-being and caregiver burden; minority health and health disparities; and, disaster nursing.

Her scholarly work reflects her interests and expertise through articles she authored, co-authored, and published in Journal of Gerontological Social Work, American Journal of Nursing, Journal of the Association of Black Nursing Faculty, and in Geriatric Nursing.

In 2009, she was selected in conjunction with a national search for nursing experts in the field of Alzheimer’s disease to develop a web-based dementia knowledge assessment tool for registered nurses employed in long-term care settings.

The nurse educator has served as a manuscript reviewer for the Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved and the Western Journal of Nursing Research. She participated in the Michigan Center for Urban African American Aging Research, Institute for Social Research, 2010 Summer Training Program, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Spurlock has received more than $330,000 from the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals, and the Governor’s Office of Elderly Affairs to support her work and the School of Nursing.

A strong advocate for care of the elderly and the general well-being of others, Spurlock’s outreach and public service efforts are numerous. She has volunteered with Alzheimer’s Services of Capital Area for over 10 years; is a member of the Respite Center Advisory Board; Alzheimer’s Services of the Capital Area Education Committee; Alzheimer’s Services of the Capital Area Board of Directors; and North Boulevard Macedonia Full Gospel Ministry.

Cover Story: Shining Stars on Southern’s Horizon

She coordinated the School of Nursing’s efforts in providing primary health care services to over 1,000 hurricane evacuees residing at the largest FEMA transitional trailer community in the city following Hurricane Katrina; and, served as coordinator of the School of Nursing’s Katrina Primary Health Care Collaborative Initiative – Delivery of Primary Health Care Services to Hurricane Evacuees residing in a FEMA Transitional Trailer Community.

Spurlock was recently awarded “Fellow Status” by the National Gerontological Nursing Association (NGNA), and the 2010 Rosemary Volunteer Award for Outstanding Commitment and Dedication, Alzheimer’s Services of the Capital Area. In 2009, she received the Nightingale Award, “Outstanding Community Service by a Registered Nurse,” sponsored by the Louisiana Nurses Foundation and the Louisiana State Nurses Association. It is awarded for outstanding community service and dedication to persons with Alzheimer’s disease (AD), and volunteerism with organizations serving the special needs of persons with AD and their caregivers.

She is a member of the American Nurses Association, State Nurses Association, Baton Rouge District Nurses Association, National Gerontological Nursing Association, Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing, and the National Black Nurses Association.

Roderick White Associate Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Southern University Law Center

Associate Vice Chancellor Roderick White has been teaching law at the Southern University Law Center for 17 years.

After finishing high school at Southern University Laboratory School, the SU alumnus received his bachelor’s degree in management from the College of Business — both with magna cum laude honors.

White continued his education at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan where he received a master of business administration and a juris doctorate degree.

His professional career included management positions at General Motors and Dykema Gossett in Detroit.

The Baton Rouge native returned to Louisiana in 1999 joining the faculty of the SULC. White’s expertise and teaching areas include contracts, legal ethics, business law, and conflict of law.

He believes all students are capable of learning.

“Students bring various life experiences and learning styles to the classroom, and this situation requires a teacher to develop and utilize various techniques to adapt to these learning styles with the intent of reaching as many students as possible.”

White has served in several administrative positions at SULC, including interim vice chancellor, and director of the American Bar Association (ABA) Self Study Project.

His scholarly publications include a recent publication, “How The Wheels Come Off: The Inevitable Crash of Irreconcilable Jurisprudence: Laws Based on Orthodox Judeo-Christian Theology in a Pluralistic Society;” 37.1 S.U.L. Rev. (Fall 2009), Southern University Law Review.

In addition, he has had several articles cited in other legal journals, such as, Loyola University Chicago Law Journal, The International Journal of Legal Education, Georgetown Journal of Legal Ethics, Nebraska Law Review, and Fordham Law Review.

White was voted Student Bar Association Professor of the Year 2009-2010, serves on the Louisiana Law Institute Governing Council, and the Louisiana Law Institute Corporations Law Revisions Committee at the SU Law Center.

His professional memberships include American Bar Association, Michigan Bar Association, U. S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, Beta Gamma Sigma National Honor Society of Business, and National Honor Society of Secondary Schools.

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Cover Story: Shining Stars on Southern’s Horizon

Evelyn L. Wilson Horatio C. Thompson Endowed Professor Southern University Law Center

Evelyn L. Wilson, Horatio C. Thompson Endowed Professor, began her legal teaching career at the Southern University Law Center in 1986.

Wilson received a bachelor’s degree from Oberlin College, a master’s of science degree in management of human resources from the University of Utah, and a juris doctorate from LSU’s Paul M. Hebert Law Center.

In addition to teaching at the SU Law Center, Wilson was a visiting professor of law at Washington and Lee University Law School in Lexington, Virginia; University of Lagos Faculty of Law, Lagos Nigeria; and, at Vytautas Magnus University School of Law, Kaunas, Lithuania.

Her expertise and teaching area includes federal courts and procedure, and Louisiana property and successions.

A dedicated educator, she engages students, and regularly holds academic assistance sessions with first year students and reviews problems with them. She prepares and reviews problems with other students, and provides individual tutoring for students at their request.

“It is a privilege to be in a position to shape the minds and values of students, to direct them towards excellence, and to be challenged by their inquiries.

I work hard to push students to understand and appreciate the law and its application to their lives and to the lives of others.”

Wilson is author of a legal history book, Laws, Customs and Rights, Charles Hatfield and His Family, A Louisiana History, (Willow Bend Books 2004, reprinted 2008), and has written numerous articles, chapters, a biography, and reviews. She is currently working on “Paternity Presumptions in Louisiana,” submitted for publication to the Athens Institute for Education and Research, and is examining the application by the lower courts of the U.S. Supreme Court’s interpretation of Supplemental Jurisdiction as evidenced in Exxon Mobil v. Allapattah Services, Inc., 545 U.S. 546 (2005).

She recently completed a manuscript on the 18 justices who served on the Louisiana Supreme Court during Reconstruction and their work for the Louisiana Bar Foundation.

Active in public service, Wilson is a board member of the Woodland Community Center, Incorporated, and serves on the Louisiana Law Institute. She has served on the boards of Capital Area Legal Services and Woman’s Hospital Advisory Council.

Wilson was a Louisiana Bar Foundation Scholar in Residence 2004-2006, is a member of the Louisiana Bar Association, and Southeast/Southwest People of Color Legal Scholarship Conference. =<

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Student ACHIEVeMENTS

Southern University students, a large part of the SUccess story, are acknowledged and are recognized as being among the top achievers in the country.

Student achievement continues to frame the Universityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s academic picture.

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Student Achievements

STUDENT

ACHIEVEMENTS

SU Marching Band’s drumline travel to Morocco and D.C.

Demetrius Sumner, Student Government Association president at SUBR, was elected to serve as the student member on the Louisiana Board of Regents by the Louisiana Council of Student Body Presidents.

The Council is comprised of student government leaders from every public institution in the state.

Sumner, a Dallas, Texas native, is a sophomore majoring in political science who was elected 2010-2011 SGA president at SUBR in April 2010. =< Lionel Green was selected as a Third Team All-American by the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Spring 2010 Division I men’s basketball team.

Southern University Marching Band’s drumline recently captivated audiences in the North African countries of Morocco and Algeria.

Fourteen members of the famous “Human Jukebox” band performed in theaters, a children’s center, sporting events, a morning television show and conducted workshops for young drummers, while touring cities in the two countries.

The Jaguar band members were invited by the U.S. State Department through its Performing Arts Initiative. The band members left January 25, 2010, and returned February 5. They were accompanied by director of bands, Lawrence Jackson, and two band administrators.

“This is such a great honor to be selected to go to Africa,” Jackson said. “I hope it opens doors for us.

This is good for Southern University, the state, and the nation.”

While in Morocco, the drumline performed in Casablanca, Marrakesh, and the capital city of Rabat.

In Algeria, the band played for a Boy Scouts group in Sidi Fredi, were guests on “Good Morning Algeria” television, and played at the Bentalha Children’s Center. =< 42

Green, a senior guard from New Orleans, finished the season ranked 20th in the NAIA in scoring with an average of 18.37 points per game, and 21st in assists per game with 4.519. He also ranked 32nd in total assists with 122, 36th in total scoring with 496, and 49th in three-point field percentage with 40. He graduated from George Washington Carver High School where he was a member of the state championship team.

Green was SUNO’s first men’s basketball All-American since 2005. =< Senior visual arts student, Khadrereil Ferguson, has been named to the Manship Theatre at the Shaw Center for the Arts Board of Directors.

Ferguson, a native of Jackson, said she is excited about her new position and feels honored to represent Southern University, and the Visual Arts Program on the prestigious board.

The Manship Theatre, housed within the Shaw Center for the Arts, is located in downtown Baton Rouge, and is modeled after the style of classic European opera houses. =<

Student Achievements

Intramural teams shine SUBR sophomore earns national physics scholarship SUNO teams win pre-national Honda Campus All-Star Challenge The SUNO Honda Campus All-Star Challenge (HCASC) team scored a major victory when they won the 2011 Pre-National Championship Tournament (NCT) at Prairie View A&M University on March 5.

The team, which consists of Eugenie Tobin, Dalvin Ford Jr., Terri SimonColeman, and Letesa Simms, defeated the reigning national champions Prairie View A&M, 250-115 to bring the tournament championship home.

Tobin is the captain, and the team is coached by Ruth Johnson, director of SUNO’s Educational Talent Search Program.

The SUNO team proved to be a more formidable force than in previous years.

At the 2010 National Championship Tournament in Orlando, Florida, the team experienced an early exit. Through all of it, the SUNO HCASC team suffered crushing defeats in Pre-NCT rounds and “scrimmages” against highly experienced teams from across the country.

The victory gives SUNO an automatic bid for the 2012 National Championship Tournament as a member of the, “Great 48.”

=< SUBR senior chemistry major Janae Miller recently received the American Chemical Society’s Outstanding Undergraduate Student Award from the Baton Rouge section of ACS and the American Institute of Chemical Engineers.

Miller, a graduate of Baton Rouge Magnet High School, plans to enter medical school and study internal medicine.

=<

SUBR sophomore, Ronald Alexander, was awarded the 2010 American Physical Society Scholarship for Minority Undergraduate Physics Majors.

The award is presented by the APS Committee on Minorities in Physics based on the student’s academic record in physics, their potential, and commitment to the major of physics.

Alexander, also is a Space Grant Scholar student in Southern’s nationally honored Timbuktu Academy.

The scholarship awards a stipend of $3,000, and also includes the appointment of a local mentor who will provide advice related to physics education and career opportunities.

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JUDGE ALVIN B. RUBIN SCHOLARSHIP AWARD PRESENTED—SU Law Center students Toussaint Pierre, Ashley Smith, and Jennipher Williams were the recipients of the 2010 Judge Alvin B. Rubin Scholarship awarded by the U.S. District Court Middle District of Louisiana. The scholarship awards totaling $10,000 ($3,333.32 to each student) were made during a federal court luncheon on Friday, December 3, 2010. Pictured at the luncheon are (from left) Judge Brian Jackson, Toussaint Pierre; SULC Vice Chancellor John Pierre, Chief Judge Ralph Tyson, Judge James J. Brady, Jennipher Williams, and Judge Frank J. Polozola.

Pictured during a champions breakfast are members of SUBR Men’s Flag Football Team, “End of Dynasty.”

Students kneeling (from left) are Nick Chretien, Shelby Skipper, Barry Snead, and Omar Cook. Students standing (from left) are Ricardo Peters, D’Wayne Norman, and Courtney Johnson.

Pictured with the students are Julie Wessinger, interim vice chancellor for students affairs; Melvin Robinson, director of intramural sports, and Chancellor Kofi Lomotey. The men’s team won the Regional Flag Football Tournament held at the University of West Florida in Pensacola, Florida, November 12-14, 2010.

The SUBR women’s intramural flag football team, “Redemption,” won the 2010 State Tournament held at the University of Northwestern in Natchitoches, November 19-21, 2010.

Chancellor Kofi Lomotey, along with Julie Wessinger, interim vice chancellor for students affairs, and Melvin Robinson, pose with members of the Women’s Flag Football Team, “Redemption,” kneeling (from left) are Cassie Smith, Ronniasha Tapp, Sadie Johnson, and Christine McCoy. Team members standing (from left) are Crystal Williams, Hylisha Ambler, JaLesia Cousin, and Nia Young.

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Student Achievements

SUBR students named tour winners

Southern University and A&M College students, Edifon Ette and Sherron Phae Douglas, were named the winners of Coca-Cola’s Open Happiness Tour contest.

The students joined 19 other winners from nine other historically black colleges and universities on a 5-day, 4-night all-expense paid trip to Johannesburg, South Africa.

Ette is a senior, civil engineering major from New Orleans, and Douglas is a junior, political science major from Shreveport.

To enter the contest, Ette and Douglas had to submit a creative, three-minute video, answering the question: “How does The Coca-Cola Replenish Africa Initiative (RAIN), which provides access to safe drinking water for communities throughout Africa, inspire you?”

SULC student team wins Budgetball Tournament

Check presentation to the “Night Hawks,” SULC BudgetBall Tournament Winning Team (from left) are: Steve Guilliardo, a representative from National Academy of Public Administration in Washington, D.C. (holding the check); Hollis Lewis, Orlando Whitaker, Clint Schexnayder, Sholone Williams, Brady Skinner, Otis Brown, and Sonja Cajuste, SULC Budgetball student scholars/chair.

A team of Evening Division students, the Night Hawks, won the 2010 Budgetball Tournament and a $500 prize sponsored by SULC. The Budgetball Tournament, held March 13, included 10 student teams.

Members of the winning team were Hollis Lewis, Orlando Whitaker, Clint Schexnayder, Sholone Williams, Otis Brown, and Brady Skinner.

Ashley Mitchell, a third-year law student and part-time political =< science graduate student, was Polite Stewart Jr., selected as SU’s 16-year-old Southern junior, attended the University’s International School Thurgood of Solid State Physics Marshall College Fund (TMCF) Student 48th Course in Erice, Ambassador. Mitchell represented Italy.

SULC and SUBR at Thurgood Marshall events and conferences, and was Stewart, a physics/ assigned to speak with Louisiana state chemistry major, took a week-long and Congressional elected officials course with young scientists and about the importance of TMCF and students from around the world. encourage them to continue to The aim of the course is to present support and fund HBCUs. state-of-the-art and future perspectives for materials applied to the production and storage of renewable and sustainable energy.

Their video was selected from hundreds of videos entered by students from a number of HBCUs across the country.

=< 44

SULC was selected to participate in the 2009-2010 Budgetball Civic Engagement Initiative, a partnership of the National Academy of Public Administration (National Academy) and the National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education (NAFEO). A $6,000 stipend was provided to help implement the SULC Budgetball Civic Engagement Initiative, which also included educational events on fiscal responsibility and civic engagement activities related to both personal and national issues.

The National Academy of Public Administration is impressed with SULC’s initiative programs and successful tournament, according to Budgetball student scholar/chair Sonja Cajuste.

SULC was the first to complete the tournament from among the 10 schools from across the country chosen for the initiative.

Professor Arthur Stallworth is the faculty representative for SULC Budgetball, and third-year student Jason Wesley serves on the program’s national board.

=< Southern University, Baton Rouge vocal performance major Demetrius Savoy was chosen to sing in the, “105 Voices of History,” concert at the Kennedy Center on September 19, 2010. The annual event included one student from the 105 Historical Black Colleges and Universities throughout the United States.

This was the second time for Savoy to attend the event. The Lake Charles native graduated from Washington Marion Magnet High School where he was the only student at his school who made the Louisiana All State Choir in 2005.

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Student Achievements

Alec’ Scott, Raina Martin, and Dionta Hill traveled to Paris and London during the Fall 2010 as part of their apparel merchandising and textiles studies. The travel was part of an effort to see the global aspects of fashion.

Apparel Merchandising and Textiles is one of several programs on the campus that helps students travel to get a world view of their chosen fields of study.

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SU students receive SEA award Three scholars from Southern University’s Timbuktu Academy received the Undergraduate Student Award from the Science and Engineering Alliance (SEA) Program, during the Fall 2010, in Gaithersburg, Maryland, at the 20th Anniversary Awards Gala.

Chemistry majors, Rashanique Quarels and Polite Stewart, and physics major, Zephra Bell, received a monetary award of $500 at the event.

Students receiving the awards were taken on a tour of the National Institute of Standard and Technology, visited with attorneys and professionals at Morgan, Lewis, and Bockius Law Firm, and ended the night with the Gala.

=< Southern infielder Frazier Hall, a junior from Baton Rouge, was named Southwestern Athletic Conference player of the year for the 2010 season.

Hall finished second in the SWAC with a batting average of .387.

Mostly a first baseman at SU, Hall has been pitcher and played third base.

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MAKING A DIFFERENCE--Professor Eva Kleinpeter’s reading, children’s literature, and organization of administration in early childhood classes, donated more than $300 to the Society of St. Vincent de Paul to help with feeding the needy during the Thanksgiving and holiday season. This is the second year the classes have donated funds to assist St. Vincent de Paul in feeding the less fortunate for the holidays.

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul is a Catholic lay organization offering person-toperson service to the needy and suffering. SU junior elementary education major, Tabitha Taylor-Spencer (left), presents a check to St.Vincent de Paul president, Michael Acaldo, with SUBR education professor, Eva Kleinpeter. Members of Kleinpeter’s class stand in the background.

Also, SU College of Education students performed community service work by painting at Crestworth Elementary School near Southern’s Baton Rouge campus. As part of a community service project, Kleinpeter organized a group of about 30 students in her children’s literature class this summer to paint the front of the school on June 25, 2010.

The community service project was one of many for Kleinpeter, who incorporates community outreach into each of her classes and has partnered with Crestworth Elementary for the past 10 years. Kleinpeter and the students were featured in the Baton Rouge Advocate in an article highlighting their community service work.

Kleinpeter told the The Advocate that over the years, her students have donated school supplies, computer equipment, and more than 20,000 books to the school, where nearly 80 percent of the students qualify for the free or reduced lunch program — an indicator of poverty.

Third-year student Keith Anderson and Channette Lewis, ‘10, were named the winners of the 2010 SULC Nathan Burkan Memorial Writing Competition.

This competition is sponsored by the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP).

Students write scholarly papers on any aspect of copyright law.

Anderson’s paper, “Copyright and Computer-Generated Speech, or The Curious Case of the Kindle,” won first prize. The St. Francisville native will receive a check from ASCAP for $600.

Lewis’s paper, “Are the Protections Under the Visual Artists Rights Act (VARA) Sufficient to Protect Artists from Infringement?” won the $250 second prize.

=<

SU Baton Rouge business management major, Terrica Williams, is a marketing rep intern with Black Entertainment Television (BET) networks.

The sophomore, one of 26 college students from across the country, was selected from thousands of applicants.

=< SUNO biology sophomore, Aurellia Whitmore, is one of ten students in the U.S. who was selected for the 10-week, Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program at Pennsylvania State UniversityHarrisburg. She maintains a 3.5 GPA, and plans to ultimately pursue her Ph.D. in natural science. The REU program supports active research participation by undergraduate students in areas of research funded by the National Science Foundation.

=< 45

Student Achievements

Student named SRBLSA Executive Board Member of the Year

“I am very proud of the graduates.

Their hard work and dedication has been proven by their many accomplishments,” said Shelia Swift, SUSLA Radiologic Technology Program Director.

Students intern with Tabasco, win competition

According to Swift, this class won the 2009 Louisiana State Society Radiologic Technology Student Quiz Bowl, and student Dale Fontenot was the first place winner of the senior division of the LSRT 2010 Student Bee competition, held in March 2010.

Daniel Druilhet (far right), Southern Region-Black Law Students Association (SR-BLSA), Executive Board Member of the Year, is pictured with one of the SRBLSA annual convention keynote speakers, Florida attorney, Willie Gary (center), and other SULC students who serve on the SRBLSA executive board, (from left) Antoine Floyd, Ashley Mitchell, and Van Freeman.

Daniel Druilhet, executive board member of the Southern Region – Black Law Students Association (SRBLSA) was presented the SRBLSA Executive Board Member of the Year Award at the group’s awards gala held during its regional convention in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Druilhet’s role on the board as corporate relations director required that he expand fundraising efforts (to law schools, law firms, and corporate entities) to ensure that SRBLSA programming funding needs were met.

Students, Ashley Mitchell, Antoine Floyd, and Van Freeman, all members of the 2010-2011 Executive Board, also attended the regional convention.

=<

SUSLA radiologic tech grads receive 100% pass rate The American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (ARRT), confirmed that Southern University, Shreveport’s 2010 radiologic technology graduates achieved a 100 percent pass rate on the national registry exam on their first attempt.

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SUSLA offers a two-year, nationally accredited radiologic technologist program that has been granting associates of applied science degrees to its graduates since 1985. Graduate of the program have a 96 percent pass rate over the past five years on their first attempt at the national exam.

2010 SUSLA radiologic technology graduates were Madison Adams, Brittney Beales, Precious Bell, Camisa Brown, Tara Cook, Ernestine Evans-Pratt, Fontenot, Keidra Johnson, Kasundra Hilliard, Reshod Myles, Lataaron Richardson, Matthew Rodriquez, Antonio Rutledge, Shelia Stewart, Kadetrious Taylor, Candice Tucker, and Latarria Williams.

Marketing seniors Michael Mallery Jr. and Mark Jones were the 2010 Tabasco interns in the College of Business.

Essentially, they were employees of the Avery Island-based McIlhenny Company that makes Tabasco.

They were competing against students from Xavier, Dillard, and Grambling Universities to develop the best marketing/management strategies to grow the Tabasco brand in the African-American community.

Jones and Mallery, Jr. won the McIlhenny Company (TABASCO) Spring 2011 Marketing Challenge.

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READY TO WORK — More than 80 companies and agencies participated in the fall Career Exploration Day hosted by the SUBR Office of Career Services on September 15, 2010. The activity gave students and employers the opportunity to meet face to face. The job fair was held in conjunction with The SU Business and Industry Cluster’s fall meeting and offered development workshops on corporate etiquette, interviewing tips, successful resume tips, and P-I-E (Performance-Image-Exposure). Pictured are students at the Johnson & Johnson booth in the F.G. Clark Activity Center.

More than 1,300 students and graduates of Southern University spent Wednesday, February 9, 2011, seeking job and internship opportunities during the annual Spring Career Exploration Day in the F.G. Clark Activity Center. More than 50 companies including Entergy, Wal-Mart, Boy Scouts of America, Johnson & Johnson, Raytheon, Boeing Company, Cox Communications, Target, and Procter & Gamble, and others, participated in the event.

PARTNERSHIPS GRANTS

Through public and private partnerships, Southern University contributes untapped ideas and research to our nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s and worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s quest for solutions to environmental, educational, social, and other universal challenges. Major grants and awards will provide new initiatives aimed at biomedical and scientific research. Through beneficial partnerships, the University developed programs that serve as national models. Both faculty and students have conducted research through extension programs that are part of vast state and national networks.

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Partnerships & Grants News

PARTNERSHIPS GRANTS NEWS SU receives $3.5 million in U.S. Department of Ed funds

The Southern University System received $3.5 million as part of the U.S. Department of Education’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities Institutional Aid Program.

U.S. Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, announced in early October 2010 the award of $84.775 million to 96 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) to strengthen their facilities and academic programs, and to improve education for their students.

Six schools in Louisiana received money from the program. The award, totaling $6.8 million, provides financial assistance to establish or strengthen academic resources, financial management, endowments, and physical plants to enhance these academic institutions.

The award breakdown for SUS includes: • SU Shreveport - $946,102 • SU New Orleans - $1,043,526 • SU Baton Rouge – 1,593,440 SUBR Chancellor, Kofi Lomotey, said the money will be used for a variety of needs and programs on the local campus, some of which include remodeling and upgrading the Computer Science Department, classrooms in the College of Science, and the Frank Hayden Fine Arts building. Infrastructure improvements and the upgrading of a campus-wide technology system will also be funded. =< 48

Southern University receives $3.7 million in USDA grants

Agriculture Secretary, Tom Vilsack, announced in early September 2010 that the U.S. Department of Agriculture has awarded grants to strengthen the research, teaching and extension capabilities at 18 historically black land-grant colleges and universities in an effort to recruit and train students for careers in agriculture.

The 1890 Institution Research, Extension and Teaching Capacity Building Grants (CBG) Program strengthens the linkages among the 1890 universities, other colleges and universities, USDA, and private industry. It focuses on advancing cultural diversity in the scientific and professional workforce by attracting and educating more students from underrepresented groups.

The 1890 Facilities Grants Program provides funds for acquiring and improving food sciences facilities and equipment, including libraries. Grants enable 1890 land-grant universities to be well-equipped to fully address research, extension, and academic needs.

FY 2010 1890 CBG awards included: • Southern University, Baton Rouge, $2,881,820 (12 awards) FY 2010 1890 Facilities Grants included: • Southern University, Baton Rouge, $912,794 =<

Partnerships & Grants News

Faculty members awarded $1.6 million in national grants

(from left) SU Zhu Ning, Kamran Abdollahi, Daniel Collins, and Yadong Qi, all professors of urban forestry, who recently received grants totaling $1.6 million from the National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

Several SU Urban Forestry faculty members were recently awarded six national competitive grants totaling $1.6 million from the National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

The Urban Forestry Program works through the College of Agricultural, Family and Consumer Sciences in collaboration with the SU Ag Center.

• Integrating Bioenergy Science and Technology into Agricultural Education at SUBR, $298,794. Principal Investigator (PI) – Kamran Abdollahi; Co-Principal Investigators (Co-PI) – Zhu Hua Ning and Andra Johnson, USDA-NIFA Capacity Building FY 2010 (in collaboration with LSU – Dorin Boldor and the Audubon Sugar Institute).

• Enhancement of the Urban Forestry Curriculum in Plant Biosecurity at SUBR, $293,600. PI – Daniel Collins; Co – PI Johnson, USDA-NIFA Capacity Building FY 2010 (in collaboration with Penn State and the USDA-APHIS).

• Quantifying response of urban tree under elevated CO2 and flooding.

USDA – NIFA CBGP FY 2010-2013. $299,959. PI – Ning, Co-PIs – Abdollahi and Johnson (in collaboration with the USDA-FS Global Change Program).

• Ultraviolet-B Radiation Protection Strategies in Selected Southern Trees, $299,510. USDA NIFA – 1890 Capacity Building Grants Research Program Award No: 2010-38821-21608, Project Performance Period: 9/01/2010 8/31/2013. PI – Yadong Qi, CoPIs – Wesley Gray, Shuju Bai, K. L. Chin, and Abdollahi.

• Strengthening teaching and learning through urban forestry in Climate Change, $299,836. National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) FY 2010-2013; PI - Ning; CO-PIs Abdollahi and Johnson (in collaboration with LSU).

• Strengthening the Global Competence of Students and Faculty in Forestry and Agriculture through Collaborative Programs with China. NIFA. International Science and Education Program, $150,000. PI – Ning, Co-PI – Abdollahi and Michael Stubblefield (2010-2013).

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SUNO expands technology resources through partnership

Southern University, New Orleans (SUNO), has expanded its technology resources through Web-based upgrades worth more than $1 million with CampusEAI Consortium. The expansion allows the University to expand its intranet capabilities through myCampus software, which creates a campus portal and Web content management system for higher education institutions.

The portal service will be provided in phases. SUNO will be able to offer its students a portal to serve as a one-stop shop for their virtual needs. The first phase of services includes campus email, Blackboard and a service desk.

Other phases will range from a job hunt link to an iPhone application to library database integration.

The CampusEAI Consortium myCampus Portal Grants are designed to cover the costs of software, hardware, and services associated with the implementation of a myCampus Portal solution, an intranet portal that integrates with online learning, administrative computing, and student services systems. The grant offering includes hardware, software, project management, installation, and training costs.

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SU earns $900,000 grant The Department of Rehabilitation and Disability Studies at Southern University and A&M College has received a $900,000 federal grant to help increase vocational rehabilitation training opportunities to a more culturally diverse group of persons with disabilities.

The goal of the project, funded by the Rehabilitation Services Administration in the U.S. Department of Education, is to improve participation of culturally diverse professionals in state and federal vocational rehabilitation, to enhance long-term employment outcomes of vocational rehabilitation to consumers with disabilities, to promote reduced dependence on social support mechanisms, and increased community integration of the target populations.

The project will be administered by Southern University’s Madan Kundu, project director, and, Alo Dutta, associate project director.

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Partnerships & Grants News

SUNO leads half-milliondollar grant for biology career training Southern University, New Orleans assistant professor of biology, Illy Tietzel, is the principal investigator for a $541,807 grant from the National Science Foundation.

The grant, “Collaborative Research: URM: UNO/SUNO Partnership in Mentoring Undergraduates in the Biological Sciences,” was awarded to SUNO and the University of New Orleans to establish an Undergraduate Research and Mentoring (URM) program.

The program will provide two-year research experiences in biology to four scholars, starting in the fall of 2010 and continuing through summer 2013. Each cohort consists of four students (three from UNO and one from SUNO) who will be trained in research in biological sciences. URM scholars will be able to select from a wide range of research projects, including conservation genetics, ecology, phylogenetic systematics, physiological and evolutionary ecology, molecular physiology, molecular biology, microbiology, and biochemistry.

URM students will conduct independent research mentored by faculty, and will participate in enhancement activities such as seminars, a foundational course in basic research tools, and weekly lab meetings. Students will be mentored in communication skills development, and will present their research results in a departmental research symposium.

They will be encouraged to present at national or regional scientific meetings.

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USDA grant funds Center project Divya Jaroni, food microbiologist, SU Ag Center, recently received a $1,077,639 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) through its National Institute of Food and Agriculture – Agricultural and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) program to study the ”Reduction of Escherichia coli O157:H7 on Small-Scale Cow/ Calf Operations using Best Management Practices.”

Escherichia coli O157:H7, a deadly bacteria, has gathered attention as a major public health concern due to the large outbreaks, and associated recalls in recent years. Cattle are often implicated as a source of this foodborne pathogen.

Scientists at the Southern University Agricultural Research and Extension Center say on-farm production practices may affect the pathogen load of cattle entering slaughter facilities.

However, information is limited on the impact of production practice of small-scale cow/calf operations, where calves are raised primarily on pasture until shipped to feeder cattle finishing sites or to the abattoir.

The study will determine the prevalence of E. coli O157:H7 on small cow/calf farms located in Louisiana and Texas.

The project will also address pre-harvest food safety issues associated with the small-scale cow/calf operations.

The project will be carried out in collaboration with Louisiana State University and Texas Tech University.

This project will contribute to the SU Ag Center’s goal of strengthening the productivity, profitability, and competitiveness of Louisiana’s agriculture.

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Ag Center receives grant to enhance tobacco initiative The CoC Network is spreading a tobacco-free message to youth with help from a friend, “Mr. Ciggy Butts.” Ciggy Butts became a part of the Communities of Color Network in July 2010.

He began his statewide travels in Baton Rouge, at the Southern University Agricultural Research and Extension Center’s Family and Youth Expo. Since then, he has traveled throughout Southwest Louisiana.

The SU Ag Center received half a million dollars in grants from the Louisiana Public Health Institute, and The Louisiana Campaign for Tobacco-free Living to enable the Communities of Color Network (CoC) to continue the implementation of a tobacco-education initiative impacting disparate populations, particularly African Americans.

The CoC aims to reduce tobaccorelated morbidity and mortality among Louisiana’s communities of color, enhance the awareness of the dangers of tobacco, reduce tobacco use, consumption and second-hand smoke exposures, and eliminate health disparities caused by, or related to tobacco use.

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SUBR engineering receives TI grant Southern University and A&M College’s Department of Electrical recently received a $100,000 grant from Texas Instruments. The grant will be used to purchase equipment in the Automatic Testing Lab, student scholarships and other items.

The Automatic Testing Lab permits students to test a variety of material, such as the different electronic circuits and the various complicated measures of nature.

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Partnerships & Grants News

SUNO, Priestley sign MOU

SUBR, EBR schools enter online college credit agreement

SUNO Chancellor Victory Ukpolo and Dennis McSeveny, chair of Priestley’s School of Architecture and Construction’s board, sign a MOU creating a partnership between the two schools to enhance basic academic skills of Priestly students.

Taking an aggressive step toward reaching out to the secondary education community to improve college readiness, Southern University, New Orleans (SUNO) signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Priestley School of Architecture and Construction on November 12, 2010, in SUNO’s Health and Physical Education Building at 6400 Press Drive.

SUNO faculty and students will work collaboratively with Priestley faculty and students to enhance basic academic skills of Priestley students; to raise their ACT scores to meet SUNO’s entrance requirements; and, to make them more college and career ready.

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SUBR Chancellor Kofi Lomotey (right) signs an agreement with EBR Parish Schools Superintendent John Dillworth that will allow high school juniors and seniors to earn college credit through online courses.

SU Dean of Public Policy and Urban Affairs William Arp (far left) looks on.

Juniors and seniors in East Baton Rouge Parish Schools will be able to earn college credits online from Southern, thanks to a program that began in January 2011 funded by the state Board of Regents as part of its Early Start Program.

The program is managed by SU’s Nelson Mandela School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs. William Arp, dean of the Mandela School, said the courses will be college level and earned credits will be transferable to other state colleges.

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SUSLA AWARDS SMALL BUSINESS GRANTS – Small business owners in the Shreveport area pose with Darren Dixon, SU Shreveport’s coordinator of Small Business Development Incubator. SUSLA awarded $50,000 in grants to 24 businesses on November 9, 2010, to help them buy equipment and become more viable businesses. The money is meant to help them buy equipment and become more viable businesses. Applicants were required to be in business for at least a year.

They each received up to $2,500.

SU Center for Social Research receives $800,000 HUD grant The Southern University Center for Social research has been awarded an $800,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) as part of a project aimed at helping historically black colleges revitalize neighborhoods, promote affordable housing, and stimulate economic development in their communities.

The HUD funds go to Southern’s Community Economic Security and Sustainability (SU-CESS) project, which helps low- to moderate-income homebuyers. SU-CESS builds affordable homes and offers mortgage buy-down assistance.

According to Alma Thornton, director, SU Center for Social Research, the SU-CESS project will provide home ownership and counseling assistance for low-to-moderate (LMI) income persons through construction of affordable homes, first time homebuyer training, mortgage buy down assistance, and referrals to matched savings accounts; implement an economic development plan to assist local owned businesses through matching funds for operations, marketing, and/or building improvements to businesses providing services to LMI residents; and, planning and capacity building for Community Based Development Organizations (CBDOs) through training, mini-grants, and development of an integrated vision and strategic plan.

Southern was the only school in Louisiana to share part of the $7.4 million HUD grant. The Historically Black Colleges and Universities Program is one of several initiatives administered by HUD’s Office of University Partnerships (OUP).

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Partnerships & Grants News

SU signs agreement to provide distance learning, training

Southern University, Baton Rouge, in fall 2010, signed an agreement with Advance Baton Rouge Charter School Association.

Signing the agreement with SUBR Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost, Mwalimu Shujaa, is Henry Shepard, CEO of Advance Baton Rouge. Kathryn Rice, principal of Pointe Coupee Central looks on.

Southern University, Baton Rouge, in late September 2010, signed an agreement with Advance Baton Rouge Charter School Association that will help juniors and seniors at Pointe Coupee Central High School take college courses online.

The agreement is for Southern’s Nelson Mandela School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs to provide the Early Start program to qualifying students at Pointe Coupee Central.

The program is online and free.

Students will be able to earn up to six college credit hours per year, three per semester. The subjects taught are English, math, science, reading, and preparation to take college entrance tests.

A junior at Pointe Coupee could end up needing only three years to graduate from college under the partnership with Southern.

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52

SU signs partnership with Guizhou University in China SUBR Executive Vice Chancellor, Mwalimu Shujaa, and Madame Long Chaoyun, a member of the Guizhou Continuing Professional Development Committee, sign an agreement between SU and Guizhou University in China.

Southern University and A&M College entered into a partnership with Guizhou University (GU) in China that will bring student exchange, scholarships, and research opportunities for SU and Ghizhou students as early as next year.

The two sides are developing a training center based in Guizhou to conduct training programs for sending Chinese students to Southern to study, and/or for American students going to China.

Guizhou consists of 20 colleges and 3 public education departments. There are more than 29,000 students, including 25,053 undergraduates and 4,360 graduates. It is located in the suburban outskirts of Guiyang, the capital city of Guizhou Province.

SU Vice Chancellor for Research and Strategic Initiatives, Michael Stubblefield, led the negotiations to establish the Guizhou-Southern partnership.

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LSU, SU students design ‘green’ projects

The partnership could mean as many as 150 students from Guizhou will be attending SU for the fall 2011 semester, officials with both universities said.

The agreement, signed November 1, 2010, provides: • A post doctorate exchange fellow(s) in the area of biology funded by the China Ministry of Science and Technology.

• Guizhou University will offer Confucius Institute Scholarships each year for two Southern students in Chinese Language Study for one year.

The scholarship includes tuition, accommodation, insurance, monthly stipends, and a settlement allowance.

Student exchanges between SU and GU will include a summer camp. There will also be joint degree programs, where Southern and GU students will have part of their degree study at GU and part of their degree study at SU. The credits will be transferred to the other university so students can meet the necessary regulations of each country to obtain degrees from both GU and SU.

Baton Rouge Mayor-President, Kip Holden, highlighted two beautification projects designed by LSU and Southern University students to help create a “greener” city during a press conference on August 31, 2010.

Through the city’s Green Light Beautification Program, the universities have each received $50,000 to spruce up different areas around town.

Urban forestry students at Southern are working on implementing a tree planting project in the median in front of Capital Area Technical College on North Acadian Thruway.

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ADVANCEMENT ALUMNI

Corporate support and giving by alumni, faculty, staff, and friends is an ongoing initiative that depends on community spirit and extends to supporters beyond the University community.

With challenges and opportunities facing Southern University, a strong partnership with alumni is critical to the success of the SU System.

Increasing communication with alumni keeps us informed of their progress and accomplishments that help to tell the SU story.

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Advancement & Alumni News

ADVANCEMENT ALUMNI NEWS AT&T donates $50,000 to SU System Annual Fund

The Southern System is enhancing its efforts to remain highly engaged in the community and place tremendous value on the importance of giving, explained Hughes.

“We’re proud to support the efforts of the Southern University System Foundation in strengthening their community by promoting educational access,” said Rick Demint, regional director, AT&T Louisiana.

Increased SU System Institutional fundraising initiatives are planned for the upcoming year to encourage and promote new individual and corporate gifts.

The SU System recently received a $50,000 donation from AT&T to support the SU System Annual Fund. Pictured during a check presentation on December 15, 2010 at Southern University are (left – right) Ernie T. Hughes, vice president of advancement, SU System; Richard Demint, regional director, AT&T; Tracie Abraham, director of development, SU System; SU System President Ronald Mason Jr.; and Dalton Honoré, state representative, District 63.

“This donation is a wonderful way to begin our track of corporate giving,” said Ronald Mason Jr., president of the Southern University System. “We appreciate AT&T for reaching out to SU and for showing leadership in establishing the partnership. =<

The Southern University System received a $50,000 donation from AT&T to support the SU System Foundation Annual Fund.

The Annual Fund is a partnership between the System and the SU System Foundation to support University priorities such as academic programming enhancements, and increasing student access and success by providing annual support for the campuses within the System.

“Southern University has a long history of providing opportunities to students from all walks of life,” said State Rep. Dalton Honorè. “It’s important that we prepare students to compete in a global marketplace and this University is making that happen for their students.”

A gift to the annual fund benefits the University, students, faculty, alumni, and the community says System Vice President for Institutional Advancement, Ernie T. Hughes.

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COX SUPPORTS HUMAN JUKEBOX — Jacqui Vines, vice president and region manager, Greater Louisiana, Cox Communications, Incorporated, gave a $6,000 donation to the SU Marching Band, during pre-game activities for SU’s homecoming football game. Chancellor Kofi Lomotey and Director of Bands Lawrence Jackson accepted the donation.

Advancement & Alumni News

SU

ADVANCEMENT

ExxonMobil supports SU

the College of Business and the College of Engineering. Also, during the Fall Career Exploration Day on September 15, 2010, in the F.G. Clark Activity Center, ExxonMobil’s representatives presented a $16,000 donation to Southern University to be divided by the College of Engineering and the College of Business.

The ExxonMobil Educational Matching Gift Program matches donations made to affiliated higher education institutions by employees and retirees on a 3-to-1 basis, providing more than $423 million since the program’s inception in 1962.

George Pietrogallo, ExxonMobil Baton Rouge public affairs manager, presents Chancellor Kofi Lomotey with a check for $44,000 for the Baton Rouge campus.

In April 2010, George Pietrogallo, ExxonMobil Baton Rouge public affairs manager, presented a $44,000 donation to SUBR, that were proceeds from the company’s 2009 Matching Gift Program.

ExxonMobil and its employees donated more than $2.6 million to a total of 19 educational institutions across Louisiana through the ExxonMobil Foundation’s 2009 Educational Matching Gift Program.

ExxonMobil is a major contributor to the Southern University at Baton Rouge campus.

During fall 2010, Southern University, Baton Rouge received donations from ExxonMobil totaling $26,000 for support to

ExxonMobil recently presented $26,000 in donations to SUBR. Pictured (from left) are Tamara Montgomery, interim director of Career Services, and Mwalimu Shujaa, executive vice chancellor and provost, SUBR; and Caroline Mays, major projects venture manager, and Claudette Bradford, Technical Section Supervisor, ExxonMobil.

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SUPPORT FROM KELLOG’S — The SU System, during the fall 2010, received a contribution of $20,000 from Kellogg’s Corporate Citizenship Fund.

Kellogg’s Corporate Citizenship Fund is the charitable arm of the Kellogg Company, and the founding sponsor of the World of Children Awards.

“Kellogg Company’s founder, W.K. Kellogg, said, ‘Education offers the greatest opportunity for really improving one generation over another,’” said Celeste Clark, Kellogg Company senior vice president, public policy and external affairs.

“This spirit is still alive at Kellogg through our continuing scholarship support to Southern University.”

“Kellogg’s has been a strong supporter of education, and we are appreciative of their willingness to assist the Southern System in providing optimal educational opportunities for the next generation,” said SU System President Ronald Mason Jr. Pictured is Mason receiving the $20,000 Kellogg donation from Clark.

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Advancement & Alumni News

SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY LAW CENTER’S MARSHALL BRENNAN PROJECT RECEIVES DONATION — Curtis Soderberg of the Baton Rouge architectural firm, Chenevert-Songy-Rodi-Soderberg (CSRS), made a $2,000 donation to the SULC Marshall-Brennan Project. Pictured at the check presentation (from left to right) are Ed Jenkins, ‘98 (SUBR), architect with CSRS; Russell Jones, SULC vice chancellor for academic affairs; Soderberg, principal partner and CEO of CSRS; Tarvald Smith, ‘95 (SULC), and Darryl Robertson, ’99 (SULC), members of the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board.

SUNO share of Coca-Cola Foundation grant to provide scholarships Southern University, New Orleans (SUNO) Foundation, has been awarded $25,000 from The Coca-Cola Foundation, the philanthropic arm of The Coca-Cola Company.

The funds are part of a $4 million grant distributed to 38 organizations across the United States and Canada in keeping with the Foundation’s commitment to build sustainable communities throughout North America, and one Canadian province. The total scope of the grants includes water conservation, community recycling, active healthy living, and education.

The grant will provide first generation college scholarships to 20 students who are enrolled as full-time students at SUNO. To be eligible, students must have completed at least one semester at the University. The First Generation Scholarship Program provides scholarship support to full-time students who are the first in their immediate family to attend college, maintain a 3.0 grade point average, and demonstrate financial need.

The Southern University, New Orleans Foundation is the fundraising arm of SUNO. “These funds are important to helping SUNO maintain a commitment to its mission of providing access to a college education to students,” said Victor Ukpolo, chancellor of SUNO. “The University wants to do whatever it can to ensure that first generation college students from everywhere have access to the affordable quality opportunity SUNO presents to help students advance their lives.”

The Coca Cola Foundation has contributed more than $23 million in First Generation Scholarship support since 1993.

SUBR receives $25k donation Southern University and A&M College recently received a $25,000 donation from Hollywood Casino Baton Rouge as part of the casino’s commitment to the University and to higher education in Louisiana.

The donation was made July 7, 2010, during a check presentation at the downtown Baton Rouge facility by Hollywood Casino General Manager John Chaszar.

Chancellor Kofi Lomotey said the money would go toward student scholarships and other educational programs on the campus.

Over the past 18 months, Southern has received $75,000 from Hollywood Casino. Chaszar said the donation is part of Hollywood Casino’s commitment to Southern, and the cause of higher education.

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Radiothon net funds for scholarships SUBR SGA President Demetrius Sumner and other SU students in the studio at Citadel Broadcasting during the 20th Annual SU System Radiothon.

The 20th Annual SU System Radiothon was held Friday, October 8, 2010, at Citadel Broadcasting. The broadcast aired live for 12 hours on three stations powered by Citadel Broadcasting – KQXL 106.5 FM, WEMX 94.1 FM, and WXOK 1460 AM. According to Ernie T. Hughes, System vice president for institutional advancement, the Radiothon’s total is estimated at $90,000.

All proceeds from the 2010 Radiothon support student scholarships, assistantships, and youth programs. “We are appreciative that our students, alumni, and supporters have joined together for the past 20 years to make this event a huge success, and we anticipate the continuance of this tradition for years to come,” said Hughes.

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Advancement & Alumni News

SUSLA’s ‘Cooking Classic’ a success

Center’s facilities. The inaugural portrait of the late Louisiana Supreme Court Justice Revius O. Ortique, Jr., was hung during the 2010 spring semester.

Those interested in participating in the campaign may do so by submitting a 16” by 20” professional color photograph printed on canvas, with a pre-approved 2-inch mat and 20” by 24” frame (without glass), along with an annual fund contribution of $1,000.

Funds raised will be used by the chancellor to address institutional needs, such as student and faculty scholarships, technology upgrades, and more.

SUSF, President Winzor Andrews (center), is pictured with Gentleman’s Cooking Classic honorees Jason and Michael Brady, owners of Wine Country Bistro.

Southern University, Shreveport Foundation (SUSF), hosted the 11th Annual Gentleman’s Cooking Classic (GCC), Saturday, June 26, 2010, at Harrah’s Louisiana Downs in the Red River Room.

Unveilings will be made at special receptions held during the fall and spring semesters.

Checks should be made payable to the Southern University System Foundation, noting SULC in the memo section, and mailed to: SULC Attn: Judicial Wall of Fame Post Office Box 9294 Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70813

Known for its fabulous cuisine, the GCC has become the largest gathering of diverse and exceptionally talented chefs in the Shreveport/Bossier area. Last year’s theme was, “Good Friends, Delicious Foods, and Fine Wine.”

The annual fund contribution may also be made through the SULC online giving program by visiting the website, www.sulc. edu, and using a Visa, MasterCard, or Discover credit or debit card to make your gift.

The 2010 event honored local celebrity chefs Jason and Michael Brady, owners of Wine County Bistro; City of Shreveport’s chief of police, Henry Whitehorn; and the city’s fire chief, Brian Crawford, as the evening’s “Southern Gentlemen.” John Hubbard, manager external affairs, AEP SWEPO, served as chair, and Helen Godfrey-Smith, president and CEO of Shreveport Federal Credit Union, was co-chair.

For more information on the campaign and for specific framing instructions, please contact April W. Brumfield, annual fund coordinator, at (225) 771-5044, or via email, abrumfield@sulc.edu.

The GCC has hosted more than 70 chefs and thousands of patrons in the past, including Mayor Cedric B. Glover; former Mayor, Keith Hightower; former U.S. Congressman, Jim McCrery; and Caddo Parish Sheriff, Steve Prator.

Red River Bank representatives presented a $5,000 check to the Division of Community and Workforce Development at Southern University, Shreveport, on November 9, 2010, in the Leonard Barnes Administrative Building.

The event raised nearly $12,000 for student scholarships for Southern University, Shreveport.

Chancellor Ray L. Belton said the funds will be used to assist in training low-to-moderate persons who open Assets for Independence Individual Development Accounts (AFI-IDA) for the purpose of acquiring a home for the first time, starting or expanding a small business, or entering a postsecondary institution.

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Wall of Fame Campaign launched for SULC Annual Fund The SU Law Center Judicial Wall of Fame Campaign, a testament to the contributions graduates have made to the judiciary, has been launched as part of the 2010-2011 SULC Annual Fund Drive.

The first-time campaign provides an opportunity to recognize esteemed alumni judges, and to inspire fellow alumni and current students to strive for excellence and achievements in the legal profession.

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Red River Bank donates $5,000 to SUSLA

Individuals save up to $1,000 and receive up to $3,000 in matching funds. Through asset-specific training, financial education courses, and credit counseling, the program participants gain knowledge on how to become financially independent and maintain their assets.

Red River Bank is one of the key partnering agencies for SUSLA’s AFI-IDA Program. As a partner for the AFI Program, Red River provides assistance to participants opening a savings account. Red River also facilitates financial literacy classes to potential home buyers.

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The SULC Judicial Wall of Fame will be located in the North Wing of A.A. Lenoir Hall, the newest addition to the Law

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SU SU Alumni Federation installs new president

Dennis S. Brown of Houston, Texas took the oath of office as national president of the Southern University Alumni Federation (SUAF) during the organization’s national conference gala on July 10, 2010.

Brown was elected president after votes from national balloting were tallied at the SU Alumni Federation’s National Alumni Conference in Washington, D.C., July 7-11, 2010.

Brown, an honors graduate of Southern University at Baton Rouge with a degree in accounting, is a national motivational speaker and trainer, and is the author of, Change your Attitude, Change Your Life.

Known by his peers as, “Mr. Attitude,” Brown has been actively involved in the SUAF since 1976. Prior to his election as national president, he served as president of the SUAF Houston Chapter.

Brown is actively involved in professional and community endeavors.

He is a member of the Brentwood Baptist Church in Houston where he served as deacon board chairman, and is currently church treasurer. He is vice president of the SU College of Business Advisory Council, member of the SUBR Chancellor’s Advisory Council, and is a member of the Buffalo Soldiers Advisory Board, Houston Chapter.

Brown is married to the former Barbara Graves, SU Class of 1976, and has two daughters: Destiny, SU Class of 2003, and Britany who is currently enrolled at SUBR.

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Advancement & Alumni News

ALUMNI SU Law Center alums sworn in Two graduates of the Southern University Law Center, appointed to federal posts by President Barack Obama, took the oath of office on November 22, 2010.

Stephanie Finley was officially sworn in as the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Louisiana becoming the first woman to serve as the head attorney for the Western District, as well as the first woman to hold the position in the state of Louisiana. Her investiture ceremony was held in Lafayette.

The new U.S. attorney has practiced law in the federal arena as a judge advocate and as an assistant U.S. attorney. She was senior litigation counsel for the Criminal Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Lafayette where she previously served as acting deputy chief.

A Lt. Colonel stationed at Barksdale Air Force Base, Finley previously served her nation on active duty in the U.S. Air Force, and currently is a reservist.

Brian Jackson was sworn in as U.S. District Judge of the Middle District of Louisiana.

Jackson was a partner in the New Orleans law firm Liskow & Lewis, and served as the first assistant U.S. attorney for the Middle District of Louisiana from 1994 to 2002. In 1998, he became part of the Justice Department as an associate deputy attorney general. Jackson has also served as an Assistant General Counsel and General Attorney for the U.S.

Immigration and Naturalization Service, as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Louisiana, and as assistant director for the Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys.

U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu (D-LA), who nominated Finley and Jackson, joined U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder at both investiture ceremonies.

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SU alum realizing career, life goals Rachel McKinsey, who received her undergraduate degree in physics from SUBR, recently came a step closer to realizing her goals of entering a residency program and “starting a medical physics programs at HBCUs.” McKinsey, a Shreveport native, received a Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a major in medical physics on May 14, 2010.

Joining many of her family members who traveled to Madison, Wisconsin for McKinsey’s graduation ceremony was Stephen McGuire, professor and chair of the Department of Physics at Southern University, who was her advisor and mentor during her undergraduate work.

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Make a gift online: http://foundation.sus.edu

Advancement & Alumni News

Ballard appointed to Fulton Financial Corporation Board of Directors SU alumnus Lieutenant General Joe N. Ballard, US Army (ret), of Davidsonville, Maryland, was named to the board of directors of Fulton Financial Corporation.

As a director, Ballard’s responsibilities will include appointing and reviewing the performance of senior management, reviewing and evaluating the Corporation’s financial and operational results, approving its overall strategic direction, and representing the interests of the shareholders.

Ballard also serves on the board of directors of The Columbia Bank, a Fulton Financial Corporation subsidiary.

research in a number of computer related areas, and was part of the design team that developed the prototype for the IBM Scalable Parallel Processor (SP2), the base machine for, “Deep Blue,” IBM’s world famous chess machine.

Johnson is a member of the IBM Academy of Technology, which consists of the top 300 of IBM’s over 250,000 technical professionals. She has received numerous technical and professional awards, and is a master inventor with over 40 patents issued and pending. She has authored and co-authored over 80 publications, is editor-in-chief of the book, Performance Tuning for Linux Servers, and is author of, Inspirational Nuggets and GREGORY: The Life of a Lupus Warrior.

Johnson earned B.S. (summa cum laude), M.S., and Ph.D. degrees, all in electrical engineering, from Southern University, Stanford University, and Rice University, respectively.

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SU alum and IBM researcher, inventor address students Sandra K. Johnson, with IBM, is the 1st African-American woman to earn a Ph.D. in electrical engineering in the United States.

The SU grad spoke recently to students about Cloud Computing.

Johnson is a senior technical staff member at IBM. Her previous assignments include: working as the chief technology officer, Global Small and Medium Business for IBM Systems and Technology Group; the Linux Performance Architect; and managing the Linux Performance, WebSphere Database Development, and Java Server Performance teams within IBM development and research organizations. She has conducted

Former SU Jaguar named ‘Nets’ coach Southern University alumnus and former Dallas Mavericks coach, Avery Johnson, became head coach of the NBA’s New Jersey Nets.

The former SU and NBA standout, who is completing his second season at ESPN as a NBA analyst, owns career averages of 8.4 points, 1.7 rebounds and 5.5 assists in 25.3 minutes (1,054 regular season games with Seattle, Denver (twice), San Antonio (three stints), Houston, Dallas and Golden State (twice). He also owns a career 3.34 assit-to-turnover ratio and appeared in 90 playoff games, averaging 10.5 points, 2.1 rebounds, 6.2 assists and 1.13 steals in 31.2 minutes.

Johnson became the 75th player in NBA history to play 1,000 career games and

joined Calvin Murphy as the only other player under 6-feet in height to reach that milestone. Johnson holds the San Antonio Spurs franchise record for most consecutive games played appearing in 296 straight (from 12/1/92 to 3/14/97), and was named winner of the NBA Sportsmanship Award in 1997-98.

Johnson is one of six former Southern Jaguars to play in the NBA.

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SU alums among BR Business Report’s ‘Forty Under 40’ Two Southern University graduates were among the Baton Rouge Business Report’s Forty Under 40 award recipients recently highlighted in the publication.

SU alums recognized for their professional accomplishments were Edward “Ted” James II, executive counsel, Louisiana Department of Revenue, and Kizzy Payton, director of public information, Louisiana Community and Technical College System.

James is a graduate of SUBR (accounting, ‘03) and the SU Law Center (‘06) where he served as SBA president. He was a policy adviser to Governor Kathleen Blanco followed by a stint as a staff attorney with the Louisiana House of Representatives before joining the Department of Revenue.

Payton received undergraduate (‘99) and graduate (‘02) degrees in mass communications from SUBR. She previously worked as a communications specialist with the SU Ag Center, and currently is president of East Baton Rouge Parish Library Board of Control.

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Advancement & Alumni News SUBR alumnus Preston J. Castille Jr., a partner with Taylor, Porter, Brooks and Phillips, has been elected president of the Baton Rouge Bar Association. Gail S. Stephenson, Southern University Law Center, is president-elect.

The Public Law Practice Section officers include SULC alums, Nina Hunter, Louisiana Department of Revenue, Policy Services, chairman; and the Construction Law Section officers, Jason Bonaventure, Louisiana Division of Administration, chairman; and Steven B. Loeb, Breazeale, Sacshe and Wilson LLP, past chairman.

=< Judges Leon L. Emanuel III, ‘77, and Ramona L. Emanuel, ‘86, of the First Judicial District Court in Shreveport, were recipients of the Jesse N. Stone Award by the Shreveport Branch of the NAACP at its Annual Freedom Banquet, held in September.

A two-time All-American selection in football as an offensive lineman, and an All-American in track and field competing in the discus and shot put during each of his four years at Southern University, Granger went on to play in the NFL for the Dallas Cowboys and St. Louis Cardinals in the early 1960s.

Ronald Gathe Jr., ‘00, has been appointed to the Louisiana Law Institute Criminal Law Committee.

The Lake Charles native is now the chairperson of the Southern University Hall of Fame Commission, a position he has held since 2003. He is a retired teacher and coach from the East Baton Rouge Parish School System, and is active in several community service projects and organizations. He is also active in the NFL Retired Players Association, and a member of Omega Phi Psi Fraternity, Incorporated.

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Rev. Tommy Gipson, ‘86, has been appointed to fill the unexpired term on the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board of former board member Jay Augustine. Tarvald Smith, ‘95, is the new vice chairman of the board.

=< Ted James, ‘06, special counsel to the secretary of the Louisiana Department of Revenue, was selected by the NAACP as one of its 2010 “Top 40 Power Players Under 40.” James received the honor from the national organization during a reception on September 17 in Washington, D.C. James also was among the Baton Rouge Business Report’s Forty Under 40 award.

=< Mary J. Mudrick, ‘83, has been promoted to criminal chief of the U. S. Attorney’s Office – Shreveport Office.

Mudrick joined the U. S. Attorney’s Office 11 years ago as an assistant U. S. Attorney assigned to the Shreveport Criminal Division.

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Former SU jaguar, Charlie Granger, was among six inductees in the SWAC Hall of Fame on December 10, 2010.

Former SU Jaguar, Rickie Weeks, was named the Brewers 2010 nominee for the prestigious Roberto Clemente Award. Weeks was one of the 30 Club nominees who were finalists for the national award, which is given annually to the Major League Baseball player who combines a dedication to giving back to the community with outstanding skills on the baseball field.

=< SU alum Michelle McCalope, an award-winning journalist with more than 15 years of experience in print, broadcasting, and public relations, recently became the local CBS affiliate, WAFB “9 News Neighborhoods,” Web news producer.

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Southern University graduate Saundra McGuire and fellow LSU researcher William H. Daly were named Fellows by the American Chemical Society, recognizing their outstanding achievements in and contributions to chemical science and the organization. McGuire is assistant vice chancellor for learning and teaching in LSU’s division of student life and enrollment services, and professor of chemistry.

=< The 2010-11 Louisiana State Bar Association President’s Awards were presented to Alejandro R. Perkins, ‘04, on behalf of the Louis A. Martinet Legal Society, Inc., and Chauntis T. Jenkins, ‘98, in recognition of her exemplary work as chair of the LSBA’s third annual Conclave on Diversity in the Legal Profession.

=< Carlos Sam, director of innovative and specialized programs for the East Baton Rouge Parish School System, was elected as a director-at-large for the national Magnet Schools of America board.

=< SU grad Karla Smith has been named director of Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blind Field Services.

Smith will provide leadership for AIDB’s eight regional centers located in Birmingham, Dothan, Huntsville, Mobile, Montgomery, Talladega, Tuscaloosa, and Tuscumbia.

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Advancement & Alumni News

SUNO alum named recruiter of year for LSU work New Orleans native, Frank Wilson, running backs coach at LSU since 2009, has been named national recruiter of the year

by Rivals.com for this past 2011 recruiting season.

Wilson, who has coached on the college level since 2004, served previously at Ole Miss (2005-2007), Southern Miss (2008), and Tennessee (2009).

Prior to coaching at the college level, Wilson was head coach at O. Perry Walker High School in New Orleans, and served as the athletic director for Orleans Parish in 2004.

Wilson graduated from St. Augustine in 1991. He went on to play at Nicholls State, earning his degree, before obtaining a graduate degree, from Southern University, New Orleans in 2002.

=< Patrick M. Dobard has been appointed

by Louisiana State Superintendent of Education Paul Pastorek as his personal Liaison to the Recovery School District (RSD). The move comes as Paul Vallas, superintendent of RSD, prepares for his resignation from the post at the end of the 2010-2011 academic year.

Dobard currently serves as the deputy director of governmental affairs for the Louisiana Department of Education (LDOE). He has served in the position for nearly three years.

Before joining LDOE, Dobard spent 11 years in the classroom. He taught in math and social studies in Orleans, Tensas, and East Baton Rouge Parishes on the junior high and high school levels. At Northdale Magnet Academy

he created the Young Men’s Club, pairing male high school students with the Cortana Kiwanis Club to facilitate mentoring opportunities. He later moved on to serve as an adjunct professor of history at Baton Rouge Community College where he was named “Adjunct Faculty of the Year” in 2002. In 1998, Dobard was named”Outstanding Young Educator” by the Baton Rouge Jaycees.

Dobard, a native of New Orleans, graduated from Southern University, New Orleans in 1989 with a degree in secondary education. He later received his master’s degree in history from Southern University and A&M College in 1999.

Four recognized at 2010 NBA SULC Alumni Breakfast

2002 and re-elected in 2008 without opposition. In addition to his normal docket, Willard is a certified drug court judge.

Willard began his legal career as a staff attorney with the Secretary of State’s office.

Edwards currently serves as general counsel/privacy officer for the Family First Medical Clinic, family practice located in Plaquemine, Louisiana. Prior to that, Edwards was assistant secretary for the Office of Mineral Resources of the Department of Natural Resources (DNR), and secretary of the State Mineral and Energy Board. As DNR assistant secretary, Edwards managed a staff of 72 employees consisting of auditors, geologists, engineers, and GIS professionals.

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Shreveport natives, Judge Leon L. Emanuel, III, a 1977 SULC graduate, and Judge Ramona L. Emanuel, a 1986 SULC graduate, both of the First Judicial District Court; Judge Benedict “Ben” Willard, a 1992 SULC graduate, of the Orleans Criminal District Court, and attorney Monique M. Edwards, a 1986 SULC graduate, of Baton Rouge received 2010 Alumni Leadership Awards, during the annual SULC Alumni Breakfast, August 11, 2010.

Leon Emanuel has more than 30 years of legal experience with most of his time spent in public service and government. Emanuel was first appointed judge in Shreveport City Court in 1989. He was elected state district court judge in 1992, Judge Emanuel was re-elected without opposition in 1996, 2002, and 2008, and has presided over criminal and civil cases.

SU GRADS LEAD JACK AND JILL—Three SU graduates were recently elected and installed as national officers of Jack and Jill of America. (middle) Tara Joseph-Labrie, national president; (right) Tamara Turnley Robinson, national vice president; and (left) Jacqueline A. Nash, national corresponding secretary.

Ramona Emanuel was elected as Caddo Parish judge in Criminal Section 4, Division B in the First Judicial District Court in November 1995, becoming the first female elected to that court. Judge Emanuel now serves as deputy chief judge.

Willard was elected to the Criminal District Court bench of New Orleans in

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Advancement & Alumni News

SU alumnae appointed to Fulbright board President Barack Obama appointed SU graduate, Shelby F. Lewis, to a key administration post on November 16, 2010.

Lewis, who was welcomed as a new board member on December 1, joins three other new appointees as a member of the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board.

Lewis is professor emeritus at Clark Atlanta University, executive director of the Lewis Foundation, and an international development consultant.

As a senior Fulbright lecturer at the National University of Lesotho from 1982 to 1983, she helped establish the Women’s Research Collective; and, as an international consultant in Zimbabwe from 1985 until 1987 she helped found Network: A Pan-African Women’s Forum and Development Consultants Network, a development company. She served on the Board of the Council for the International Exchange of Scholars (CIES) for two terms, and established a teaming relationship between CIES and the United Negro College Fund Special Programs, Incorporated (UNCF/SP) during her tenure as Vice President for International Development and director of university-to-university linkage programs at UNCF/SP. Lewis earned her undergraduate degree from Southern University, Baton Rouge, a master’s degree from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and a Ph.D. from the University of New Orleans, all in political science.

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SU 10TH MILITARY GENERAL HONORED — SU alumnus Brig. Gen. Craig C. Crenshaw was honored at Southern University, Baton Rouge on Monday, February 7. Crenshaw, a 1984 graduate, was recognized as the tenth Southern University graduate who has earned the rank of general in the U.S. military. He is the first SU graduate to become a general in the U.S. Marine Corps, Crenshaw commands more than 3,600 marines 3rd Marine Logistics Group, III Marine Expeditionary Force, in Okinawa, Japan. During his visit, that was part of the University’s Black History Month celebration, he spoke to an assembly in H.D. Lawless Auditorium in W.W. Stewart Hall.

Pictured is Crenshaw in front of a gallery of the other nine SU alums who are military generals.

Alum pens book on history of Louisiana’s charity hospitals Southern University alum, Jonathan Roberts, visited the SUBR campus last fall to sign his new book, A History of the Charity Hospitals of Louisiana: A Study of Poverty, Politics, Public Health, and the Public Interest, co-authored with Thomas J. Durant Jr. Roberts, who helped start the healthcare management program on the SU campus was assistant secretary of the Department of Health and Hospitals, and director of the Charity Hospital System from 1980 to 1984. He was also CEO of the Medical Center of Louisiana at New Orleans, and administrator for Earl K. Long Medical Center.

The book provides a definitive and descriptive history of all 10 Charity Hospitals that make up the Charity Hospital System of Louisiana. It traces the origins of the first Hospital in New Orleans in 1735 through the modern day Louisiana System.

=< ALUMNI ON CAMPUS—The SU System Office of Alumni Affairs hosted hundreds of SU alumni on campus during Homecoming activities October 3-9. A reception was held to honor graduates from the classes of ‘50, ‘60, ‘70, ‘80, ‘90, and ’00, who were celebrating milestone reunions.

Visiting alums enjoyed a campus tour, a Roundup Dance, and tailgating prior to the football game. Pictured is SU Alumni Federation National President, Dennis Brown, on stage with musician Willie Clayton who performed during the annual Jaguar Alumni Roundup.

For both women and men, SU athletics provide wholesome opportunities through a variety of sports with enthusiastic support form students, alumni, and loyal fans. As a member of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) – SUBR, Gulf Coast Athletic Conference (GCAC) – SUNO, and MISS-LOU Junior College Conference (MLJCC) – SUSLA, the University continues to build on its legacy as one of the country’s top HBCU athletic programs.

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Athletics Highlights

ATHLETICS Highlights Southern Jaguars clinch SWAC regular season title Three players earn All-SWAC Honors SU senior forward Freda Allen’s dominance on the court help lead the SU Jaguars to the SWAC regular season championship, the team’s second in a row.

Southern senior forward Freda Allen was named SWAC Defensive Player of the Year. Also receiving honors were senior center Jamie Floyd-All SWAC First Team and senior guard Hannah Kador-All SWAC Second Team.

As predicted, The Southern University Jaguars women’s basketball team clinched the SWAC regular season title when they defeated the Texas Southern University Tigers 60-59, in Houston, Texas on March 3, 2011.

With Texas Southern leading 56-48 with 3:13 remaining, SU’s Freda Allen scored the Jaguars’ next seven points to pull the Jaguars to within two points, at 59-57.

Down 57-59, SU’s Hannah Kador tied the game with a jumper with 13 seconds remaining, and after two missed free throws by Texas Southern’s Gabrielle Rosiji with 10 seconds left, the Jaguars Jamie Floyd secured the rebound and passed it out to Hannah Kador where she was fouled with 2 seconds left.

Kador hit one of two free throws for the win.

Hannah Kador finished with 15 points to lead the Jaguars, with Freda Allen scored 14 points and pulled down 10 rebounds. Jamie Floyd had a huge night, scoring 13 points and pulling down a game high 20 rebounds.

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During their run toward the regularseason conference title, the Jaguars won 12 straight games — their longest winning streak since 2001-02.

Jamie Floyd

Hannah Kador

The SWAC regular season championship marks the first time the Jaguars have won back to back regular season championships.

In 2010, after taking the conference title, the Jaguars went on to capture the SWAC tournament championship, earning its fourth berth to the NCAA Tournament.

The SU Jaguars who were top-seeded for the 2011 SWAC Championship Tournament, advanced to the final game but were defeated by the Prairie View A&M Panthers, 48-44, for the championship title.

“I think this was definitely one of my best teams ever,” said head coach Sandy Pugh.

In a vote of the conference coaches and sports information directors, Southern senior forward Freda Allen was named SWAC Defensive Player of the Year.

Allen was a key leader in Southern’s defense as the Lady Jags forced a league-leading 2.71 turnovers per game. Also receiving honors were senior center Jamie Floyd – All SWAC First Team and senior guard Hannah Kador – All SWAC Second Team.

The SWAC regular champions accepted an invitation to the WNIT, an automatic berth for conference champions that do not win their respective tournament title. The Lady Jaguars travelled to New Orleans to face Tulane on Thursday, March 17, 2010 in the opening round of the 64-team tournament. =<

Athletics Highlights

SU football announce 18 signees during ‘Bash’ Southern University hosted its annual, “Football Recruiting Bash,” on Wednesday, February 2, 2011 in the Royal Cotillion Ballroom of the Smith-Brown Student Union on the Southern University campus.

The annual event celebrates National Football Signing Day, where hundreds of athletes sign a binding National Letter of Intent for college sports.

SU head football coach Stump Mitchell addresses fan during the annual football bash on February 2, 2011

The SU 2011 recruiting class includes 15 prep athletes and three mid-year signees already enrolled at Southern. =<

Photo by David Clark III/Southern Digest

Player POS

Hometown High School

Player POS

Hometown High School

Arthur Miley DL

Jeffrey Watkins DL

JP Douglas QB

Isaiah Webster OL

Robert Sanchez LB

Eric Juneau TE

Gene Pete QB/Ath

Zach Brown OL

Jaylen Jordan DL

Jamal Massey DL

Daniel Brown LB

Mangham, LA Mangham HS Mangham, LA Mangham HS Roswell, GA Roswell HS New Orleans, LA OP Walker HS Houston, TX Lamar HS New Orleans, LA St. Augustine HS Iowa, LA Iowa HS Missouri City, TX Elkins HS Missouri City, TX Elkins HS Orlando, FL Jones HS New Orleans, LA JS Clark HS

Kristopher Scruggs LB/DE

Donald Glover OL

Brandon Raby OL

Christian Allen DE

Jacksonville, FL Ribault HS Camden County, GA Camden County HS New Orleans, LA Higgins HS Chicago, IL Rich South HS

Mid Year Signees (already enrolled at SU) Lamarkus Pettaway DB

Chattanooga, TN Howard School of Academics & Technology

Allan Spry OL

Blythewood, SC Blythewood HS

Jeremy Coleman DB

Houston, TX New Mexico Military Institute

65

Athletics Highlights

Annual State Farm Bayou Classic delivers excitement

Also on Friday, more than 250 volunteers from Intercultural Charter School / Recovery School District, State Farm, organizers from KaBOOM!, and residents of the communities joined forces to build a new, safe playground at the Intercolor Charter School in New Orleans.

The project was undertaken in conjunction with State Farm’s sponsorship of the Bayou Classic.

To celebrate its 15th year as sponsor of the game, State Farm hosted “Kicking It!,” a Facebook sweepstakes for an all-expense-paid trip for two to New Orleans for the 37th Annual Bayou Classic. The winner attended the gridiron match-up and was given a chance to kick a field goal and win $15,000.

On Saturday, November 27, fans and visitors enjoyed a variety of live entertainment in popular Champions Square outside the Louisiana Superdome.

Officials from State Farm present sponsorship checks to SU and GSU during the 37th State Farm Bayou Classic in New Orleans.

Pictured (left – right) are Brent Wroten, agency vice presidentcentral zone, and Brian Ferguson, executive assistant – corporate presenting to SU Chancellor Kofi Lomotey; and, Kimberly Rollins, vice president of agency – Louisiana, and Fred Marsh, vice president of operations –Texas presenting to GSU President Frank G. Pogue.

Several thousand fans and supporters jammed the City of New Orleans for the 37th State Farm Bayou Classic during Thanksgiving weekend in New Orleans, November 26-27, 2010.

The annual weekend of activities leading up to the football game between rivals Grambling State University and Southern University offered the usual line up of events on Friday, including a Job and College Fair, Coaches’ Luncheon, Corporate Reception, and the popular Battle of the Bands/ Greek Show.

Members of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Alpha Tau Chapter, Southern University, pose with the winning check after placing first in the Greek Step Show and Battle of Bands on Friday before the 37th State Farm Bayou Classic.

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Upon arriving for the game, patrons had the opportunity to participate in health screenings at the State Farm Bayou Classic Health Fair.

Only days before the observance of Worlds AIDS Day, organizers partnered with the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals, OraSure Technologies, Incorporated, and the Kaiser Family Foundation’s, “Greater Than AIDS,” movement to provide free HIV screenings to fans.

The GSU Tigers took home the game trophy by edging the SU Jaguars 38-17. The Tigers now lead the series 19-18.

SU freshman quarterback, Dray Joseph, and Grambling senior tailback, Frank Warren, were named team MVPs.

SU freshman quarterback, Dray Joseph, is interviewed by Lewis Johnson of NBC Sports during post-game ceremonies following State Farm Bayou Classic XXXVII, November 27, 2010, in the Louisiana Superdome. Joseph and Grambling senior tailback, Frank Warren, were named team MVPs for the game.

Athletics Highlights

Southern inducts 11 new members into Hall of Fame

Former NFL and SU stars, Isiah Robertson and Aeneas Williams, are the newest inductees to the Allstate Sugar Bowl’s Greater New Orleans Sports Hall of Fame.

The official induction was at the Greater New Orleans Sports Hall of Fame banquet on Friday, July 23, 2010, at the Louisiana Superdome.

Robertson, a New Orleans native, attended Southern University and went on to be one of the NFL’s top linebackers of the 1970s. The former Jaguar went on to play 12 NFL seasons for the Rams and Buffalo Bills.

SU Alumni, family and friends joined the Southern University Sports Hall of Fame Commission at a banquet to induct 11 new members into the SU Sports Hall of Fame on May 8 in the Smith Brown Memorial Student Union.

The Southern University Sports Hall of Fame Commission inducted 11 new members into the Southern University Sports Hall of Fame during a banquet on May 8, 2011, in the Royal Cotillion Ballroom in the Smith Brown Memorial Student Union.

The new inductees enshrined into the Southern University Sports Hall of Fame are: Paul Bailey, who played football from 1956-60 and later served as head football coach at four Louisiana schools for nine years; Theophilus Boyd and Jesse J. Jackson, both natives of Mansfield and teammates on the football team from 1958-62; Terry Lewis who played football at SU from 1966-70;

Henry Parish, who played baseball from 1978-82 and received the honor posthumously. Parish died in 2006; Eric Randall, star quarterback of the SU football team from 1992-95; Larry Rowley, who played football and baseball from 1960-64; Lloyd Robinson, who played football at SU from 1979-83; Allan Ray “Rudy” Rudison, who played football from 1959-62; Kenyatta Sparks, who played football from 1992-95; and Erika Yearby White, who played three seasons on the softball team from 1997-99, including the program’s first squad.

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SU players claim SWAC softball honors The Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) announced its 2010 all-conference softball honors in April 2010, with Southern’s Shawntall Steamer and Lanaya Jenkins claiming top honors.

Steamer, a freshman shortstop, was named the 2010 Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year.

Jenkins, a senior from Seattle, Washington, was voted the 2010 Pitcher of the Year.

Other SU players earning 2010 SWAC All-Conference selections included first-team honor for outfielder Victoria Stewart.

Williams walked on the SU football team, earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting with a 3.2 grade-point average, was eight-time Pro Bowl, and four-time All-Pro selection in his 14-year NFL career. He spent his first 10 seasons with the Phoenix/Arizona Cardinals before being traded in 2001 to the St. Louis Rams, where he played four more years.

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SU women’s team adds assistant Former Southern University standout, Rolanda Monroe, a two-time Southwestern Athletic Conference Player of the Year and two-time SWAC tournament MVP, has joined the SUBR women’s basketball staff as an assistant head coach.

Monroe helped the Jaguars win two SWAC championships from 2002-06, and finished her college career as the programs all-time leading scorer.

She replaces T.J. Pugh, a part-time assistant, who took over as boys basketball coach at McKinley High School this summer.

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67

Athletics Highlights

Jaguars women’s tennis claims title

Anderson

Azubuike

Carter

Three from SUNO named to “all-conference team Three SUNO freshmen, Veronica Azubuike, Wynieka Anderson, and Gabrielle Carter, were named to the 2010 GCAC All-Conference Volleyball Team, November 18, 2010.

The trio helped turn SUNO from a 1-18 team, in 2009, to a 10-11 2010 contender for the GCAC championship. The Lady Knights were the GCAC Tournament runners-up.

Azubuike is a 5’9” middle blocker from Arlington, Texas where she played at Juan Seguin High School. Named, freshman of the year, Azubuike led the conference in kills with 3 per game. She also contributed 22 aces on the year.

Carter is a 5’8” setter from New Orleans where she prepped at O. Perry Walker High School. She averaged 7.8 assists during the season with a season-best 48-assist performance against Judson College in September 2010.

Anderson is a 5’8” freshman outside hitter from Baton Rouge, where she played at Glen Oaks High School.

During the season, Anderson posted 128 kills and 23 aces.

The Lady Knights ranked in the top 33 in the NAIA in aces per game for most of the season. =<

For two years in a row, Southern University, Baton Rouge’s women’s tennis team claimed the HBCU National Championship. The team won the 2010 trophy on September 25, 2010, at the 10th annual tournament in Atlanta, Georgia.

Pictured left -right) are players Carlista Mohammed, Lois Alexis, Kathryn Curtis, Jo’Vonna Gaines, and Demetria Woods with tennis coach, Jeff Conyers.

SU sophomore Demetria Woods’ cumulative 3.6 GPA has led the Lady Jaguar Tennis Team to a spot on the prestigious Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) All-Academic Team.

Wood’s GPA also placed her into the elite status of an ITA Scholar-Athlete.

The All-Academic award is open to any ITA program that has a cumulative team grade point average of 3.20 or above.

=< The 2010 all-SWAC football teams were announced in early December 2010, and SU’s Ramon Chinyoung, Joshua Duran, and William Griswold were all selected to the SWAC’s first team. Christopher Browne was named to the second team.

This was the second consecutive season that Chinyoung was named first team All-SWAC. SU WINS 2011 SWAC BOWLING CHAMPIONSHIP — No. 6 Southern University held off No. 4 Prairie View A&M to win the Southwestern Athletic Conference Bowling Championship, March 6, 2011 in Birmingham, Alabama.

This was the Lady Jaguars first SWAC championship title since 2009. Pictured holding the championship banner are (left – right) head coach, Karen Couvillon, and members of the Jaguar bowling team, Kate McConnell, Brandi LeBlanc, Courtney Mosley, Shannon Pearson, Adrianna Guillory, Otia Stewart, and Samantha Simpson.

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This is the third time Duran has been named to the All-SWAC team.

Griswold was selected to the All-SWAC first team after a stellar freshman season.

Browne was selected to the All-SWAC second team as an offensive lineman.

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FOUNDERS DAY 2011

HIGHLIGHTS

The Southern University System, in March 2011, celebrated its annual Founders’ Day to pay tribute to individuals who founded the University in 1880 in New Orleans, Louisiana. This year’s theme was “Southern University and A&M College: Navigating the Waters and Mastering the Currents.” An array of events, speakers, and activities, were held in honor of the University’s 131st anniversary.

The Southern University Alumni Federation hosted its fifth Annual Founders’ Day Gala, March 11, 2011, in Baton Rouge in the Royal Cotillion Ballroom in the Smith-Brown Memorial Student Union. The celebration honored former NFL star, Aeneas Williams; longtime Southern football radio announcer, Henry Baptiste; former head football coach, Pete Richardson; former Kellogg’s Corporation vice president, Joseph Stewart; Cox Communications senior vice president and general manager, Jacqui Vines; and, longtime Southern finance administrator, Tolor E. White. Pictured (left – right) at the event are Ernie T. Hughes, SU System vice president for advancement; Stewart; Ronald Mason Jr., president, SU System; Blaine Grimes (accepting for Richardson); White; Vines; Baptiste, Laurence Williams (accepting for Aeneas Williams); Darren Mire, chairman, SU Board of Supervisors; Dennis Brown, president, SU National Alumni Federation; and Robyn Merrick, director, Alumni Affairs, SU System.

Southern University, Shreveport celebrated Founders’ Day, March 11, 2011 during a convocation in the Health and Physical Education Complex. Sam Gilliam, a SUSLA retiree and former chairman of the SU Board of Supervisors, was keynote speaker.

Also, employees with 30, 20, and 10 years of service, was honored during the event.

Pictured is Clifford Collins, (left), associate professor of sociology, receiving an award for 40 years of service from SUSLA Chancellor Ray L. Belton.

The SU Laboratory School held a Commemorative Founders’ Day Ceremony and placed wreaths on the Clarks’ graves on March 9, 2011. The Reverend J. Bertell Davis Sr., (pictured), pastor of Magnolia and First Little Rock Baptist Churches, and who is a 1971 graduate of the Southern University Laboratory School, was guest speaker.

The SUBR Founders’ Day Convocation in the F. G. Clark Activity Center on March 9, 2011, featured Southern University Law Center graduate and U.S. Attorney, Stephanie Finley (pictured). Finley, appointed by President Barack Obama to head the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Western District of Louisiana, also is a graduate of Grambling State University.

SU System President Ronald Mason Jr., congratulates SU System employee, Graylin Hammond, who was honored for 20 years of service during the Southern University, Baton Rouge’s annual Founders’ Day Luncheon, held on March 9 in the Royal Cotillion Ballroom of the Smith-Brown Memorial Student Union.

SU faculty and staff celebrating 20, 30, and 40 years of service to the University were honored during the luncheon.

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