"The measure of a Life is its Service."
Pulitzer Prize-winning historian David Oshinsky will “look back at America’s most successful public health crusade,” polio, on Thursday (April 16).
The 6th Annual Joan Coffey Symposium lecture will be held at 7 p.m. in the James S. Olson Auditorium, located in Academic Building IV.
Oshinsky holds the Jack S. Blanton Chair in History at the University of Texas at Austin and is a Distinguished Scholar in Residence at New York University.
In 2006, he won the Pulitzer Prize for his book “Polio: An American Story,” which looks at the long struggle to develop a vaccine for the debilitating disease. It was also Hoover Book Award in 2006.
He is also the author of “A Conspiracy So Immense: The World of Joe McCarthy,” which won the Hardeman Prize for the best book about the U.S. Congress and was a New York Times “notable book of the year;” and “Worse Than Slavery: Parchman Farm and the Ordeal of Jim Crow Justice,” which won the Robert Kennedy Book Award for its “distinguished contribution to human rights” and was also a New York Times “notable book of the year.”
This year, PBS’ “The American Century” aired the documentary “The Polio Crusade,” based on “Polio: An American Story.”
The lecture is free and open to the public and will be followed by a reception and book signing.
The Joan Coffey Symposium was established in honor of a longtime faculty member of the history department who passed away in 2003 after a long battle with cancer.
This year, the symposium will also serve as the keynote event of a conference on Medicine and the Social Sciences.
For more information, contact Nancy Zey, assistant professor of history, at 936.294.1489 or visit http://www.shsu.edu/~his_www/joancoffey.
SHSU and the Student Activities department will recognize more than 21 organizations and students for their contributions to the community and for their leadership abilities during the 15th Annual Sammy Awards on Wednesday (April 15).
The ceremony will be held at 6 p.m. in the Lowman Student Center Ballroom.
Hosted by senior Michael Oder and juniors Shawna Brown and Daniel Pawlowski, the event will include performances by SHSU’s theatre and dance department, the SHSU Opera Workshop, the SHSU Jazz Ensemble and The Kinship Quartet, a new barbershop quartet group through the School of Music.
Among the awards that will be presented are outstanding first-year, sophomore and junior student leaders, the McDermett Memorial Award for a female senior, the Creager Memorial Award for a male senior, the Outstanding Non-Traditional Student Leader award and the Sammy Award, as well as outstanding organization awards and excellence in service awards from each of the five colleges, which will be presented by the deans, according to Brandon Cooper, Student Activities program coordinator.
The Sammy Awards is the official ceremony that recognizes SHSU’s outstanding student leaders and organizations.
“It is a wonderful opportunity for all to recognize the amazing students that SHSU has to offer,” Cooper said.
The event is free for anyone who wants to attend.
For more information, visit the 15th Annual Sammy Awards Web site at http://www.shsu.edu/~slo_sad/sammys/ or call 936.294.3861.
The Students on a Quest for Unity and Diversity will share the love with Huntsville’s Good Shepherd Mission by hugging it out April 20-24 during the organization’s second annual Hug Drive.
Through the program, both individuals and student organizations can collect pledges for monetary donations or select items such as canned goods or Ziploc bags that will be donated to the Good Shepherd Mission, according to SQUAD member Jessica Kong.
At the end of the collection period, which is 5 p.m. on Thursday (April 23), students will add up the total donations and match that amount in hugs, Kong said.
“For ever dollar donated, a hug is received,” she said. “It'll be an entire week dedicated to gathering as many hugs as possible.”
Participants will receive a hug drive T-shirt.
“The goal of the Hug Drive is to bring the SHSU campus together for a week-long pledge to give out hugs in order to earn money to donate to the Good Shepherd Mission,” said Ashley McDonough, program coordinator for the Office of Multicultural and International Student Services, of which SQUAD is a part. “I can't think of a more unique way to give back to the Huntsville Community.”
Pledge and hug documentation forms and rules are available online at http://www.shsu.edu/~miss_sa/v2/documents/SHSU2009HugDrivePledgeForm.pdf. In order to participate in the event, individuals or student organizations must fill out the pledge form and turn it into the Student Activities Office, located in Lowman Student Center Suite 328, by 5 p.m. on April 17.
A complete list of accepted donation items, including the number of corresponding hugs given for each item, is also available online at http://www.shsu.edu/~miss_sa/v2/HugDrive2008_Donations.html.
SQUAD is a group of student leaders who dedicate their time to diversity and multiculturalism by educating fellow classmates, Huntsville residents through interactive presentations and workshops.
For more information, contact the Office of MISS at 936.294.3588 or diversity@shsu.edu.
San Juanita García, an SHSU alumna and doctoral student in Texas A&M University’s sociology department, will share her life and experiences and field questions, on Wednesday (April 15).
The “Grassroots: A Series of Conversations on Leadership in a Diverse Community” lecture will be held at 5 p.m. in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences Building Concourse, located in Room 90.
García received her Bachelor of Arts degree at SHSU in 2007 with a double major in criminal justice and Spanish and a minor in sociology.
Stemming from her experience as a second-generation Latina growing up in an impoverished community, she is drawn to research that focuses on the intersections of race/ethnicity, class, gender, international migration, deviance, and mental health, she said.
Her thesis and dissertation examine issues of mental health, specifically depression, among Mexican women in a post-9/11 environment.
“They will focus on how Mexico-born women perceive anti-immigrant sentiment and how this perception manifests itself into symptoms of depression,” García said.
Following the discussion, a meet-and-greet with refreshments will be held in the Student Advising and Mentoring Center, located in CHSSB Suite 170.
The lecture is sponsored by the academic support programs of the Student Advising and Mentoring Center; the Elliott T. Bowers Honors Program; the International Hispanic Association; Lambda Theta Alpha Latin Sorority, Inc.; the NAACP; the Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program; Omega Delta Phi Fraternity, Inc.; and Women United.
For more information, contact Bernice Strauss, director of academic support programs for the SAM Center, at 936.294.4444.
SHSU’s Haven committee, the safe zone and support channel for homosexual students, will recruit faculty and staff participants during a training workshop on Thursday (April 16).
The session, held from 5-8 p.m. in Lowman Student Center Room 302, will cover such things as vocabulary, slang terms, the coming out process and describe sexual/gender identity, heterosexism and the concept of privilege.
“The workshops are very interactive and discussion is highly encouraged,” said Chuck Collins, Program Council coordinator and Haven co-chair. “By undergoing a workshop, we hope to educate, clarify misconceptions, and provide participants an environment in which they can ask any question they desire.”
Attending the workshop does not commit a faculty or staff member to become a Haven volunteer; they can decide afterward.
To participate as a “safe zone,” faculty and staff members volunteer to simply serve as a presence for the university’s gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and questioning community. After the initial training, “maintenance is very minimal,” Collins said.
“A safe zone program operates as an open-door policy initiative,” he said. “By identifying a location as a safe zone, the person seeking the safe zone location will know that they are approaching an individual who is accepting and empathetic—literally, they enter a safe zone, a place they will be fully accepted without fear of reproach.”
Faculty or staff members' participation as a “haven” will be identified through a placard placed outside of his/her office, as well as through the Haven Web site.
Workshops are limited to 20 and will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis.
The training program is currently open to only faculty and staff members.
The final Haven training session for the spring semester will be held on May 13 from 1-4 p.m., also in LSC Room 302.
For more information on Haven, or to sign up for a workshop, e-mail haven@shsu.edu.
The SHSU Sociology Club will provide the Huntsville SAAFE House with commonly used items during a “basic needs drive” through April 17.
The event is being held in recognition of Child Abuse Prevention month.
The group is collecting personal hygiene supplies such as soap, shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, first aid items, nail clippers, brushes/combs, toothbrushes, toothpaste, razors, cough drops, lotions and other personal products for women.
In addition, office supplies including scissors, file folders, pens, envelopes, staples, labels, highlighters, tape, and pencils will be accepted, as well as miscellaneous items such as wash cloths, batteries, toilet paper, facial tissues, trash bags, paper towels, foil, cleaning gloves and plastic food containers.
Supplies may be brought to the sociology department office, located in College of Humanities and Social Sciences Building Room 270B.
For more information, contact Sociology Club secretary Megan Box at mfb003@shsu.edu.
Student, faculty and professional groups will perform a variety of music by guest and SHSU composers and a number of guest lectures will be held during the 47th annual Contemporary Music Festival Tuesday through Thursday (April 14-16).
Performances will kick off at 5 p.m. on Tuesday with a student composers concert in the Recital Hall, followed by a concert choir concert at 7:30 p.m., also in the Recital Hall. That morning, beginning at 9 a.m., festival guest composer Peter Garland will give a master class for student performers in Music Building Room 202.
On Wednesday, Garland will present a lecture on “Looking Back: Four Decades in American Music,” from 8-10 a.m. in Music Building Room 201.
Evening concerts will include a faculty composition recital at 5 p.m. and the SHSU Percussion Ensemble concert at 8 p.m., both in the Recital Hall.
Thurday will open with a lecture by SHSU music theory and composition professor Vini Frizzo, from 9-11 a.m. in Music Building Room 202.
That evening, two concerts will feature “The Music of Peter Garland.” The first will include solo and chamber music performed by School of Music faculty members and students at 5 p.m. in the Recital Hall, while the second will include Garland’s percussion music, performed by the professional group Pulsus, at 8 p.m. in the Recital Hall.
Pulsus, a percussion ensemble, is comprised of Christopher Deane, from the University of North Texas; SHSU percussion area coordinator John Lane; and Brian Zator, Texas A&M Commerce.
A native of Maine, Garland edited and published “Soundings Press” for 20 years and has written two books of essays on American music and culture.
“’Soundings’ published much of the most important music by Conlon Nancarrow, Lou Harrison, James Tenney, Harold Budd, and many others, long before anyone else took an interest,” Lane said.
Garland has been a lifelong student of Native American music and has lived in New Mexico, California, Maine, Michoacán, Oaxaca and Puebla.
Tickets for evening concerts are $10 for adults, $5 for senior citizens and SHSU students and free for SHSU music majors, faculty and staff members, and children under the age of 10.
Afternoon concerts are $5 for adults and free for senior citizens, SHSU students, faculty and staff members and for children under the age of 10.
All other festival events, including lectures and the master class, are free and open to public.
For tickets or more information contact the School of Music at 936.294.3808 or visit www.shsu.edu/music.
More than 300 photographs spanning Huntsville’s almost 150-year history will be on display in the Lowman Student Center Gallery beginning April 19 through May 1.
A reception for the “Huntsville: Then and Now” exhibit, sponsored by the Political Science Junior Fellows, will be held on Sunday, from 4-6 p.m. in the gallery, located on the second floor of the LSC.
Photos in the exhibit will include those of the 11th Street and Avenue J locations, with photos capturing scenes from 1863 to the present, according to junior fellows president Megan Bryant. They were taken by Dena Shipley and Matthew Jackson.
“Much of Huntsville’s past has unfolded on these two streets, and this exhibit captures the rich history of our city,” Bryant said. “It’s a great opportunity to walk through Huntsville’s history while also celebrating the present and pondering the future.”
Along with the photographs will be brief histories of the exhibit’s featured locations, including such local landmarks as the Coca-Cola Bottling Plant, the Wynne home, the old Hospital, the James Gee home, the historic square, the old Walker County Jail, the old City Hall building, the First Christian Church, the Thomason-Cole home, the First Baptist Church, the Train Depot, the McKinney home, Austin Hall, and Old Main, as well as approximately 100 other locations.
“This has been a great way for us, as students, to learn about Huntsville’s history,” said junior fellows vice president Laken Jenkins. “We’ve done archival research, oral histories, and worked with local organizations such as the Huntsville Police Department, First Baptist Church, and the First National Bank to recreate historical photographs.
“We’ve also had the privilege of working with long-time residents such as Mac Woodward, James Patton, Mary Laura Gibbs, Johnnie Jo Dickenson, and others,” he said.
Snacks and refreshments will be provided at the come-and-go reception.
The Political Science Junior Fellows is a civic-minded organization that promotes public service, education, and professionalism.
For more information on the event or the organization, visit www.shsu.edu/org_psjf or contact Mike Yawn, junior fellows adviser, at 936.294.1456.
The Elliott T. Bowers Honors Ambassadors will provide a forum for undergraduates to present their research and gain presentation experience during the annual Undergraduate Research Symposium on April 18.
The event will be held from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Lowman Student Center.
The symposium’s goal is to allow undergraduate students who have been conducting research over the past year to present their findings in a professional environment, according to event coordinator Nicole Lozano.
“We think it's important because first, it allows students to present their research that they have in an affordable, professional environment,” Lozano said. “Secondly, it allows the community at SHSU (students, faculty, staff) a chance to see what students have to offer, and what they are giving back to the university.”
During the event there will be several sessions throughout the day, all of which will have a professor sitting in to critique the presentation, as well as
an open poster session.
A light breakfast, lunch and afternoon snack will be served for attendees.
The registration deadline for the event, which is free for students, is April 15.
For more information, contact Lozano at SHSUSymposium@gmail.com or 936.294.1477.
SHSU will host a public auction on Saturday (April 18) beginning at 8:30 a.m. at the property warehouse in the Sam South Complex, at 2424 Sam Houston Ave.
Items will be sold, “as is, where is,” piece by piece or in lots to the highest bidder.
Some auction items include office furniture, televisions, refrigerators, tables, fax machines, chairs, file cabinets, copiers, an aerobic exerciser, candy machines, a table saw, a 20-foot flat bed trailer and John Deere mowers, among many others.
In addition, a 2003 EZGO Industrial, a 1989 Chevrolet station wago, a 1989 Dodge Ram pickup and a 2002 Ford Crown Victoria will be auctioned off.
Vehicles can be removed the day of the sale if paid by cash, or check with original current bank letter of credit guaranteeing payment. Otherwise, vehicles will be held for 10 working days to allow check clearance.
Cash or checks will be accepted with proper identification.
All items, except vehicles, must be removed after the sale until 2 p.m. or 8 a.m. to noon and 1-5 p.m. the following week.
SHSU reserves the right to adjust, make changes to and add or delete lots/items from the auction, as well as to place a minimum bid on selected items.
For more information, call Wayne Frosch at 936.294.1903 or 936.294.1908.
A report on which Pam Zelbst, assistant professor in the department of management and marketing, was the lead author was recently recognized as the best by the Southwest Academy of Management.
"An improved Cluster Concentration Typology for Examining the Fit Between Organization Needs and Cluster Concentration Characteristics in Location Decision Making" received the “Best Paper” award in the “Technology, Innovation, and Operations Management” track during the academy’s recent meeting in Oklahoma City.
It was coauthored with Gregory Frazier, professor of operations management at the University of Texas at Arlington, and Victor Sower, SHSU retired professor of operations management.
The research, a direct result of Zelbst’s dissertation, focuses on location decisions from a macro perspective and utilizes findings for the development of a typology.
“The typology is useful for practitioners as well as academia,” she said.
Comments made by reviewers who selected the paper for the award included calling it a “stellar effort,” with “conclusions (that) are well stated and confirmed.”
"It is one of the most unique papers I've seen in a while with the potential to start a useful dialog in the academic community interested in this subject," one reviewer said.
Another said, "Overall this is a very interesting article, and I believe very useful to the discipline."
Information for the SHSU Update can be sent to the Office of Communications electronically at Today@Sam.edu or to any of the media contacts listed below.
Please include the date, location and time of the event, as well as a brief description and a contact person.
All information for news stories should be sent to the office at least a week in advance to give the staff ample time to make necessary contacts and write the story.
For electronic access to SHSU news see the Communications Web page Today@Sam.
- END -
SHSU Media Contacts: Bruce Erickson, Julia May, Jennifer Gauntt
April 10, 2009
Please send comments, corrections, news tips to Today@Sam.edu
This page maintained by SHSU's Communications Office
Director: Bruce Erickson
Assistant Director: Julia May
Writer: Jennifer Gauntt
Located in the 115 Administration Building
Telephone: 936.294.1836; Fax: 936.294.1834
Please send comments, corrections, news tips to Today@Sam.edu.
Brian Domitrovic, assistant professor of history, appeared on Book TV (C-SPAN) May 1-2, speaking about his recent book "Econoclasts: The Rebels Sparked the Supply Side Revolution and Restored American Prosperity" (www.econoclasts.net).
Houston Chronicle education writer Jeannie Kever recently turned to Regents Professor of English Paul Ruffin for his views on university presses moving toward "digital books" as opposed to traditional ink-on-paper."We're fulfilling the ancient role of the university press, and that is to produce books," said Paul Ruffin, the Texas poet laureate for 2009 and director of the Texas Review Press at Sam Houston State University. "I don't want to give up the book because it is an art."
Monday, May 3
Tuesday, May 4
"The measure of a Life is its Service."