SOUTHERN MISS'S FAIRCHILD LECTURE SERIES
WILL FOCUS ON RELIGION, VIOLENCE AND SOCIAL CHANGE

HATTIESBURG – The University of Southern Mississippi's Fairchild Lecture Series for spring 2003 kicks off Jan. 30 with the first of three scheduled presentations focusing on religion, violence and social change.

The lectures, all free and open to the public, are sponsored by the university's Department of Philosophy and Religion. For more information, call (601) 266-4522 or send e-mail to <u312788@usm.edu>.

Thursday, Jan. 30, Dr. Laurie Cozad, the Croft Institute for International Studies Professor of Religion at the University of Mississippi, will discuss, "The Imposition of the American Way: the International Religious Freedom Act in India." Cozad is the author of the book, Context as Weapon: The Keepers of Indian Orthodoxy Versus the Snake in the Grass-Roots Movement, due for release later this year. She will speak at 7 p.m. in Stout Hall A.

Wednesday, March 26, Dr. Charles Marsh will speak on the topic, "Imagining a World Without Guns: Lessons in Nonviolent Peacemaking from the Civil Rights Movement in Mississippi," starting at 7 p.m. in Marsh auditorium. Marsh is the director of the Project on Lived Theology at the University of Virginia. His books include, Reclaiming Dietrich Bonhoeffer: The Promise of His Theology, and a religion and civil rights triology, God's Long Summer: Stories of Faith and Civil Rights.

Wednesday, April 2, Martin Prechtel, will present, "The Stigma of Superstition? Or, a Living Language of Spiritual Ecology and Consciousness." He will speak at 7 p.m. in Marsh Auditorium. Prechtel is a shamanic healer, teacher and artist who apprenticed with a Mayan shaman in Guatemala for many years. He is author of Secrets of the Talking Jaguar, Long Life, Honey in the Heart and The Disobedience of the Daughter of the Sun: Ecstasy and Time.

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STENNIS-BASED OCEAN SCIENCE CLASS
TO BE OFFERED AT SOUTHERN MISS'S GULF PARK CAMPUS

STENNIS SPACE CENTER – Dr. Denis Wiesenburg, chair of The University of Southern Mississippi Department of Marine Science, will teach an undergraduate course called "Introduction to Ocean Science" for the first time at the Gulf Park campus in Long Beach.

As a result, some 21 students at Gulf Park will have an opportunity to expand their knowledge of the ocean that surrounds them beyond the Gulf of Mexico during the spring semester. The course will enhance a marine biology program already established at the university's Gulf Coast campuses.

"Students have the opportunity to not only to meet their science lab requirement through this course, but also can learn about 71 percent of the earth's surface," said Wiesenburg. "We have been waiting years for the chance to teach this freshman-level course on the Gulf Coast."

A division of the College of Marine Sciences, the Department of Marine Science is strategically located at Stennis Space Center in Hancock County. Approximately 45 graduate students attend classes at the NASA installation, which is home to more oceanographers than any other single location in the world.

HATTIESBURG – Wes Barrett, manager of University Commons for The University of Southern Mississippi, has been named president of the Region III chapter of the National Association of College and University Food Services (NACUFS).

Barrett, formerly vice president of Region III, assumed the presidency during a mid-January meeting in East Lansing, Mich., following the resignation of Shawn LaPean of Vanderbilt University. Barrett also was named to the association's board of directors.

As regional president, Barrett will lead a 10-state chapter comprised of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. NACUFS is a trade association for campus dining departments at institutions of higher learning in the United States, Canada and abroad.

LONG BEACH – Learning how to approach job, relationships, problems and opportunities more effectively will be the focus of a three-day course this spring at The University of Southern Mississippi Gulf Coast.

"The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People," a Southern MissGC Division of Continuing Education course based on a best-selling book, will be offered from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. April 1-3 at the university's Gulf Park campus in Long Beach.

The course will acquaint participants with principles explained in the book by Dr. Stephen R. Covey. The $1,495 course fee will include a Franklin Planner System and a Seven Habits 360 Profile that all participants will receive.

The registration deadline is Feb. 14. For more information or to register, call the Southern MissGC Division of Continuing Education at (228) 867-8777.

HATTIESBURG – An informational meeting will be held Jan. 28 for persons interested in receiving Microsoft certification training through a course to be offered by The University of Southern Mississippi.

The meeting will be held from 7-8 p.m. in McLemore Hall, Room 205, on the Hattiesburg campus, and is free and open to the public. For more information, call (228) 575-9925 or the toll-free number 1-866-Southern Miss-MCSE.

Southern Miss's Department of Continuing Education and Distributed Learning will offer various Microsoft and CompTIA certifications – including Network +, Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator and Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer. The course will meet from 6-10 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays on the Hattiesburg campus.

HATTIESBURG – Drivers education classes will be offered at The University of Southern Mississippi next summer through the university's School of Human Performance and Recreation.

The classes will be offered mornings or afternoons from May 27 through June 13. In order to attend classes, students must be at least 14 years of age and entering the ninth grade of school in the coming year.

Students who successfully complete the classes will earn one-half credit toward their high school graduation. The cost is $175, payable in advance. For more information, call Cheryl Burnette, administrative secretary, at (601) 266-6325.

LONG BEACH – Individuals needing financial planning assistance for retirement can get help next month at The University of Southern Mississippi Gulf Coast.

Financial Strategies for Successful Retirement, a Southern MissGC Division of Continuing Education Course, will be offered from 6:30-9 p.m. Feb. 6, 13, 20 and 27 at the university's Gulf Park campus in Long Beach and at the Jackson County Center in Gautier.

The course will equip the participant with the facts needed to prepare for a financially secure retirement. Participants will learning how to maximize their income and get mroe from their investments. They'll also learning how to protect hard-earned money from inflation, income taxes and erosion due to possible long-term health-care needs.

The course, which costs $69, presents a conservative approach to wise money management and identifies issues facing retirees. For more information, call the Southern MissGC Division of Continuing Education at (228) 867-8777.

HATTIESBURG – The Glory Phi God Campus Ministry will present a segment on "Love and Relationships" Feb. 13 at The University of Southern Mississippi.

The university group, led by campus minister Jacquelyn McDougle, will present the program starting at 7 p.m. in R.C. Cook Union's Hall of Honors. For more information, contact McDougle at (601) 544-3394 or 606-2359.

Featured speakers for the program will be Dr. And Mrs. Orlando R. Burt of Word of Faith Christian Center. They will discuss various issues many college students face with regard to love and relationships, and some myths related to those topics.