LSUA NEWS & EVENTS

A 144-page history of LSU Alexandria written by Dr. Jerry Sanson to commemorate the university’s Golden Anniversary is available in a hardcover book at the LSUA bookstore and online at www.lsua.edu. The cost for “LSU Alexandria: Celebrating 50 years” is $40 plus shipping if applicable. Proceeds will be used for scholarships administered through the LSUA Foundation.

Sanson, interim chairman of the Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences at LSUA, spent three years researching and writing the book. Some of the primary sources were Dudley Frickie, the school’s first registrar, and Fran Bolton Davis, whose father, James C. Bolton, was a pioneer supporter of establishing a branch of the state flagship university in Central Louisiana. Sanson also extracted an extensive amount of information from records of the LSU Board of Supervisors, LSUA Archives, The Alexandria Town Talk and Sentry, the campus student newspaper.

The book contains more than 125 pictures, most of which were selected by LSUA archivist Michelle Riggs. It was published by Donning Co. Publishers of Virginia Beach, Va.

“One of the constant themes I discovered during the research process was that the state seemed almost embarrassed to provide higher education in Central Louisiana,” Sanson said. “What LSUA is today was accomplished in the face of incredible odds.”

The book chronicles LSUA’s history – which is the second oldest outside Baton Rouge in the LSU System -- in seven chapters. It also includes lists of the original 25 faculty members, chancellors and deans, and presidents of the Student Government Association since the university’s founding in 1960. There are 1,500 copies available for purchase.

Dr. David Manuel, LSUA’s ninth chancellor, wrote in the book’s forward that Sanson “has offered the color and interpretations that only a career faculty member and historian can craft. His account … is both accurate and nuanced so that the reader will mark the significant points of interest and appreciate the interplay of all parties involved.”

Sanson, a long-time professor of history and political science, also has written books on state and local government and Louisiana during World War II, and he compiled “Camp Beauregard and Central Louisiana” for the Louisiana National Guard. He has contributed sections to 10 books on such topics as national security, Louisiana governors, European imperialism, military history, American civil rights and the politics of government.

The author, who earned master’s and doctoral degrees from LSU, has held two endowed professorships and is a winner of the Bolton Award for Teaching Excellence at LSUA. He is a member of the prestigious Company of Fellows of the Louisiana Historical Association.

The Biological Sciences Organization at LSU Alexandria seeks used inkjet and laser toner cartridges and cell phones for recycling. The items are sent to a zero-landfill facility, and the transaction generates operating funds for the student organization.

Items for recycling can be delivered to the Department of Biological Sciences at LSUA or mailed to P.O. Box 35 at the university. If enough items are available they will be picked up by a member of the organization. Aluminum cans also are recycled through collection containers found in campus vending areas.

For more information contact Dr. Sue Sullivan, faculty sponsor of the Biological Sciences Organization, at 427-4433 or ssullivan@lsua.edu.

Ten new faculty members and five academic department chairpersons have been appointed at LSU Alexandria for the 2010-11 academic year, announced Dr. Barbara Hatfield, vice chancellor for academic and student affairs. “We’re impressed with the credentials, diversity and leadership of the new faculty and department chairs,” said Hatfield. “Most importantly, we’re impressed with the commitment to quality classroom teaching.”

New department chairpersons are Dr. Arthur Rankin, Department of Arts, English and Humanities; Dr. Nathan Ponder, Department of Mathematics and Physical Sciences; Dr. Jerry Sanson, interim, Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences; Linda Hickman, interim, Department of Nursing; and Dr. Bonnie Himes, interim, Department of Library Services.

Rankin, who holds a doctorate in English from Texas Tech, replaced Dr. Richard Collins, who took a position at another university. Rankin, who has been actively involved in faculty leadership positions and committees and student-oriented activities, joined the LSUA faculty in 2002.

Ponder, whose doctorate in mathematics was earned at Tulane University, came to LSUA from Lyon College in Batesville, Ark. He also has been on the faculty at Louisiana Tech. Ponder was appointed when Dr. Thomas Awtry accepted a position at a Texas university.

Sanson, who has been on the LSUA faculty since 1982, is a former Bolton Award for Teaching Excellence winner and has held two endowed professorships. He is a member of the Company of Fellows of the Louisiana Historical Association and has written numerous articles on Louisiana political history and the state during World War II. Sanson replaced Dr. Greg Gormanous, who retired in the summer after one of the longest tenures on the LSUA faculty.

Hickman replaced Dr. Haywood Joiner, who served briefly as interim chairman of the Department of Nursing following the retirement of Dr. Dorothy Lary. Hickman, whose clinical expertise is maternal and neonatal nursing, joined the LSUA faculty in 2006. She taught at Northwestern State University prior to that and was a nurse and staff educator at CHRISTUS St. Frances Cabrini Hospital for 20 years.

Hines, who earned a doctorate in education from Northwestern State University, replaced the retired Jules Tate. Hines came to LSUA in 2005 following more than 30 years at Louisiana College.

The Department of Nursing has two new assistant professors, Gloria Phillips and Victoria Young. Phillips, a registered nurse since 1980 with more than a decade of experience at Rapides Regional Medical Center and the Veterans Administration Medical Center, was on the faculty of Central Louisiana Technical College before joining LSUA. She is an LSUA graduate in nursing and earned a master’s degree in health administration from Central Michigan University.

Young, who earned undergraduate and master’s degrees in nursing from Northwestern State University, was director of nursing at Rapides Primary Healthcare Center before joining the LSUA faculty. She has expertise in alternative medicine procedures.

In addition to Ponder, the Department of Mathematics and Physical Sciences, has added instructors Tanya Lueder and Carolyn Smith. Lueder, whose undergraduate degree is in chemical engineering, holds a master’s in mathematics from LSU. She has been an adjunct instructor at LSUA and supervisor of tutors at Mathnasium in Alexandria.

Smith, a mathematics education graduate from the University of New Orleans who earned a master’s in education from the University of Georgia, taught for several years at Cisco Junior College in Abilene, Texas, and has extensive experience with non-traditional students.

Dr. Cathy Denison has joined the Department of Business Administration as assistant professor of management. Dennison, whose doctorate in vocational/adult education comes from LSU, was president of her own management and consulting services company in Lake Charles before her appointment to the LSUA faculty.

The Department of Education has added Dr. Katrina Jordan as assistant professor. She has been an elementary school teacher and coordinator of the Winn Parish Gifted Program. She recently completed a doctorate in education at Louisiana Tech.

Dr. Linda Zhao has been appointed assistant professor of criminal justice in the Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences. She earned a doctorate in criminal justice last year from Temple University in Philadelphia and has been a visiting scholar at the Center on Race, Crime and Justice at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York.

Min Wu is instructor of communication studies in the Department of Arts, English and Humanities. She holds undergraduate and graduate degrees from two universities in China and is nearing completion of a doctorate in international and intercultural communication from Purdue University.

Dr. Thomas Cocena has joined the Department of Biological Science as assistant professor of biology through a grant from the Rapides Foundation to develop science teachers in secondary education. He earned a doctorate in college science teaching from Syracuse University and taught for 10 years at the SUNY Institute of Technology before coming to LSUA.

A rare grouping of 31 sculptures and artifacts from the Arnold Aubert Vernon collection will be exhibited Aug. 27 through Oct. 8 at the Alexandria Museum of Art. An opening reception will be held Aug. 27 from 6:30- 8:30 p.m.

The majority of the collection is sculptures from pre-Columbian Meso-America, including pieces from the Mayan culture and indigenous people of what is now Central America. There are also pieces from Asia, including Buddhist statues and an ancient Chinese robe. The contemporary portion of the exhibit includes Shona-region sculptures from Zimbabwe and American works.

Museum curator Sara Fuhrer said the exhibit, all of which is three dimensional, represents pieces of antiquity not seen in Central Louisiana since the Heart of Spain Exhibit in 2003. Catalogs with descriptions and pictures of the exhibit will be available at the museum.

Vernon, a former resident of Alexandria who lives in California, has spent more than 50 years collecting artifacts, art and representative period objects. The collection on exhibit at the Alexandria Museum of Art has been donated to the LSUA Foundation and will be permanently displayed at various locations on the LSU Alexandria campus.

“Mr. Vernon has spent a lifetime amassing this collection, some of which is more than 2,000 years old. We are very pleased that he has chosen to make this extremely significant gift to LSUA during our Golden Anniversary year celebration,” said Dr. David Manuel, chancellor. “It will have a lasting impact on our students and Central Louisiana.”

The museum, which is near Alexandria City Hall on Main Street, is open Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Additional information is available by calling 443-3458.

An article on technology for students with disabilities by Carol Martin, instructor of business application at LSU Alexandria, has been published in the Journal of Instruction Delivery Systems, a quarterly publication from the Learning Technology Institute.

Martin’s article, “Assistive Technology to Improve Transition, Career, and Vocational Rehabilitation Services for Postsecondary Students with Disabilities,” explains how students can obtain the most benefit when colleges provide assistive technology. The article also evaluates success rates for disabled students in schools that maintain assistive technology devices and provide computer/assistive technology labs and career services that include job-seeking training. Martin contends that significant barriers to employment are removed when colleges work with vocational rehabilitation programs.

The journal, which is devoted to the issues, problems and application of instructional delivery systems in education, training and job performance, is sponsored by the Society for Applied Learning Technology.