November 2008 Archives

A new 2 Plus 2 agreement between the University of Southern Mississippi and Hinds Community College allows Hinds students interested in Southern Miss' construction engineering technology degree to take courses in the program at the Raymond campus.

Hinds and Southern Miss officials signed off on the agreement this week in a ceremony at Cain-Cochran Hall. The program expansion targets a construction industry demand for qualified workers.

"It is a great day for us to announce the signing of an important agreement between the University of Southern Mississippi and Hinds Community College. Hinds and Southern Miss have been closely tied together for many years," said Hinds Community College President Dr. Clyde Muse. "Today is all about the 2 plus 2 agreement, which is unique and going to be a great asset to this college, the university and to this community."

As part of the agreement, Southern Miss courses for the program will be offered on the Raymond campus, beginning with the Construction Organization course Tuesday evenings in the spring 2009 semester. The three-hour course will be taught by Southern Miss School of Construction director Desmond Fletcher.

The program "is exactly the kind of thing we should be doing because we're celebrating what we're supposed to do - and that's educating students," said Southern Miss President Dr. Martha Saunders.

Students interested in enrolling in one or more of the classes must be admitted to Southern Miss by submitting an undergraduate admissions application and official transcript to the university's Office of Admissions.

"What a wonderful opportunity this partnership provides students to train for an industry that needs workers in desperate economic times," said Brad Fountain of Utica, president of Fountain Construction and a member of the Hinds Board of Trustees. "The 2 plus 2 program in construction engineering technology will allow those already working to gain knowledge and educational credentials. It also provides individuals who are unable to relocate to attend a four-year institution the opportunity to do it close to home."

The program is a 2 Plus 2 partnership that goes beyond the standard articulation agreement between the state's public senior colleges and community colleges. By sharing resources, Southern Miss and Hinds are able to offer students more access to a bachelor's degree in the field.

"The concept of this partnership to share state-owned facilities and make this excellent academic program available not only to Hinds students, but to the Jackson area, came from Southern Miss reaching out to another state institution with shared goals," said Dr. Theresa Hamilton, vice president for the Hinds Raymond campus and director of college parallel programs.

For more information about this program, contact Mary Dayne Gregg at Southern Miss at mary.gregg@usm.edu This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it or 601.266.5001; or Theresa Hamilton at Hinds, 601.857.3250.

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About The University of Southern Mississippi
The University of Southern Mississippi, founded in 1910, is a comprehensive doctoral and research-extensive university fulfilling its mission of being a leading university in engaging and empowering individuals to transform lives and communities.  In a tradition of leadership for student development, Southern Miss is educating a 21st century work force providing intellectual capital, cultural enrichment and innovation to Mississippi and the world.  Southern Miss is located in Hattiesburg, Miss., with an additional campus and teaching and research sites on the Mississippi Gulf Coast; further information is found at www.usm.edu.

About Hinds Community College
As Mississippi's largest community college, Hinds Community College is a comprehensive institution offering quality, affordable educational opportunities with more than 170 academic, career and technical programs.  With six locations in central Mississippi, Hinds is serving more than 19,500 students during the fall 2008 semester. To learn more, visit www.hindscc.edu or call 1.800.HindsCC

This briefs package highlights timely news and events from The University of Southern Mississippi. For more information on any of the stories below or for assistance in arranging interviews, contact the Department of Marketing and Public Relations at 601.266.4491.

• Center for War and Society Social set for Dec. 9
• School of Music Offers New Holiday CD
• Yuen to Give Keynote Address at International Conference in Taiwan      
• Geography Professor Honored by National Association
• Biology Pre-Service Teachers Attend MSTA Convention
• Professor Named to National Institute of Corrections Initiative
• Barbour Reappoints Nored to State Committee
• Buchanan Selected for National Workforce Development Committee

      War and Society Year-end Social, Best-Worst Book Review set for Dec. 9

HATTIESBURG, Miss. -- The Center for the Study of War and Society at the University of Southern Mississippi will host a year-end social at 6:30 p.m. Dec. 9 at the Library of Hattiesburg, Petal and Forrest County.

Members of the public are invited to munch, mingle and mull over the best and worst War and Society book of the series to date.

The organization has a number of book discussions lined up for its upcoming spring 2009 series, including roundtables on "Still the Monkey," "Fields of Fire," "Dog Company Six" and "Catch-22: A Novel." The spring series kicks off Jan. 13 with a discussion of "Rabble in Arms," a book by Kenneth Roberts.

The Center for the Study of War and Society serves as a local, national and international resource for the study of the history of warfare at the social, economic, political, cultural and military levels.

Admission is free. For more information about the series, contact Dr. Kyle Zelner at 601.266.6196.

Southern Miss School of Music Offers New Holiday CD

HATTIESBURG, Miss. - The University of Southern Mississippi School of Music has released its first compilation of a holiday season compact disc, featuring music performed by its faculty and students.

From solo performances to major ensembles, such as the Symphony Orchestra, Southern Chorale and Wind Ensemble, "Holiday Gold" boasts 14 selections of classical and traditional holiday favorites. 

Copies are available for a $25 or more donation to the School of Music via the Internet at http://www.usm.edu/music/ (one CD per donation). Donations will support student activities and participation in international competitions. For more information, call the School of Music at 601.266.5543.

Yuen Keynote Speaker for International Conference in Taiwan

HATTIESBURG, Miss. -- Dr. Steve Yuen, professor of technology education at the University of Southern Mississippi, will give the keynote address next month at the Fifth International Conference: Curriculum and Instruction in Technology Education (ICCITE) in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Yuen's address is titled "Embracing Web 2.0 in Education."

The ICCITE conference will bring together educators, professionals and researchers interested in the design, development, implementation and evaluation of technologies that relate to curriculum and instruction in technology education. 

Geography Professor Receives Highest Honor from National Association

HATTIESBURG, Miss. - University of Southern Mississippi professor emeritus of geography Dr. Jess McKee was awarded "The Lifetime Achievement Award" from the Southeastern Division of the Association of American Geographers (SEDAAG). 
McKee will be presented the honor, the most prestigious given by the national association, at its annual meeting in Greensboro, N.C., Nov. 22-25. SEDAAG members gather to share interests in theory, methods, and practice of geography and geographical education.  

Biology Pre-Service Teachers Attend MSTA Convention

JACKSON, Miss. - University of Southern Mississippi director of the Center for Science and Math Education Dr. Sherry Herron and 13 of her students attended the Mississippi Science Teachers Association State Convention at the Jackson Marriott Hotel Oct. 19-21. Herron also serves as chair of the Journal Advisory Committee for the National Association of Biology Teachers.

More than 400 Mississippi teachers attended the convention's breakout sessions and special presentations at the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science and Davis Planetarium. They also heard from the convention's keynote speaker, Brown University professor of biology Kenneth Miller, who presented "Controversy, Conflict, and Politics: Does Science Still Matter to America Today?"

Professor Named to National Institute of Corrections Regional Training Initiative

HATTIESBURG, Miss - University of Southern Mississippi assistant professor of administration of justice Dr. Kelly Cheeseman Dial was recently selected for a three-year appointment as a member of the National Institute of Corrections Southern Regional Training Initiative (RTI). 

Dial received her doctorate from Sam Houston State University and conducts research on issues involving incarceration and institutional corrections. She also worked for both the Texas Department of Criminal Justice - Institutional Division and Federal Bureau of Prisons. She is the first academic appointed to serve as a regional field coordinator. 

The Southern RTI coordinates delivery of corrections-related training for local, state and federal adult and juvenile correctional agencies. The agencies are located in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and the Virgin Islands. 

Gov. Barbour Reappoints Southern Miss Department Head to State Committee

HATTIESBURG, Miss. - Dr. Lisa S. Nored, chair of the Department of Administration of Justice at The University of Southern Mississippi, was reappointed to the Mississippi Juvenile Justice Advisory Committee (JJAC) by Gov. Haley Barbour. 

JJAC is a state advisory group appointed by the governor to advise the state of Mississippi on issues relating to juvenile justice. The committee is overseen by the Mississippi Department of Public Safety Planning, which is a division of the Mississippi Department of Public Safety. 

Buchanan Selected for National Workforce Development Committee

HATTIESBURG, Miss - University of Southern Mississippi associate professor of computing Dr. Randy Buchanan was selected as a committee member for the Instrumentation, Systems, and Automation Society Workforce Development Committee. 

The committee is charged with enhancing career paths that lead to automation including K-12, diversity, university relations, automation engineering curriculum, training and education, certification, and industry/government relations. 

Buchanan says that according to U.S. industry leaders, professionals knowledgeable in automation are critical for keeping U.S. manufacturing competition in a global market and that thousands of new automation professionals are needed.

Dr. Robin Overstreet, marine parasitologist at the Gulf Coast Research Laboratory and professor in the Department of Coastal Sciences, recently received The University of Southern Mississippi's prestigious Innovation Lifetime Achievement Award.

With more than 40 years experience, Overstreet is internationally recognized as a world's authority on fish parasites and disease. He has traveled the world in his quest for new knowledge about parasites and pathobiology and is credited with the discovery of hundreds of new species.

"Robin Overstreet is among those elite scientists who have a world-wide reputation and impact, said Dr. Bill Hawkins, GCRL director. "In a career spanning more than four decades, he remains as productive as ever mentoring graduate students, teaching classes and producing high-quality, peer-reviewed publications. We're lucky he chose the Gulf Coast Research Laboratory as his base of operations."
 
Overstreet, who joined the GCRL in 1969 as a parasitologist, researches taxonomy, systematics, development and life histories, diagnoses and management of diseases, ecology, pathogenesis and host-parasite relationships, and public health. He also has conducted experimental studies since 1975 to determine the effect of carcinogens or other toxicants on fishes and shrimps.

Overstreet said he is passionate about researching such areas, because much is still unknown about the coastal region.

"I think research is vital to the development of our coastal region because so little is known, and much of which has been stated as fact is not what it seems," Overstreet said. "It is much more than the sum of its parts, and so few of those parts are known or well understood."

His avid research about parasites and diseases of marine and freshwater fishes has contributed new knowledge in the field. Overstreet said his research is driven by a desire to answer questions and solve problems.

"I like to solve problems, and my understanding of parasites, diseases, and disease-processes often allows me to answer those questions asked by me, the public, and the scientific community," Overstreet said, who has published more than 300 articles or book chapters in the peer-reviewed international, national and regional scientific literature.

Overstreet is one of the best scientists in the country and a world leader in marine parasitology, said Department of Coastal Sciences chairman Dr. Jeff Lotz.

 "He has made numerous important contributions to the scientific community, as well as the technical community who uses the applied aspects of his research," Lotz said. "His selection for the Lifetime Achievement Award by the University Research Council attests that Southern Miss also recognizes his contributions and I am proud to be part of the same department that he is." 

Overstreet's professional goal is to supply the next generation of the world's authorities in their respective fields. During his tenure at GCRL, he has served as major professor to more than 20 master's and doctoral students and has served on academic review committees for many more.

"I am very proud and honored to be recognized by the university and my peers for my lifetime of work, but I certainly realize that my research actually reflects a joint effort from my great students, technicians, colleagues and me," Overstreet said. "I hope they also feel honored."

Overstreet received his bachelor's degree in general biology from The University of Oregon in 1963, and his master's (1966) and doctorate (1968) from The University of Miami's Institute of Marine Sciences. After completing his doctorate, Overstreet studied at Tulane University's School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine.

The Department of Coastal Sciences and the GCRL are units of The University of Southern Mississippi College of Science and Technology.

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