Content about Education and Psychology

As a kickoff to the 2012 Southern Miss Campaign, the USM Foundation hosted a "Dancing with the Deans" dance competition on Tuesday, Feb. 14 at the Thad Cochran Center.

Ann Blackwell serves as dean of the College of Education and Psychology at The University of Southern Mississippi. A Southern Miss alumna, Blackwell taught in the Hattiesburg Public School System before taking on her current role. She took a few moments recently to reflect on her current responsibilities and outside interests in a question-and-answer format.

Q: What is your hometown and educational background?

Dr. Christopher Barry, an associate professor and director of clinical admissions with the Department of Psychology at The University of Southern Mississippi, will be interviewed today, April 25 from 3-4 p.m. Central Daylight Time (CDT) in a teleconference hosted by The Practice Institute (http://thepracticeinstitute.com/) as part of its Interviews with the Authors series. To register for the teleconference, visit the website and click on the calendar date located on the right hand side of the page.

A lecture to be given Wednesday, March 27 at The University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg will examine various aspects of the ascension of women in higher education administration.

Dr. Celeste Wheat, an adjunct instructor of sociology at Southern Miss, will present “Women’s Pathways to the University Presidency: A Qualitative Inquiry into University Women Leaders’ Career Paths and Presidential Aspirations” from 5:15-6:15 p.m. in the Liberal Arts Building’s Gonzales Auditorium, room 108.

A University of Southern Mississippi graduate student's research has earned a first place award from the Southeastern Psychological Association's (SEPA) Committee on Equality for Professional Opportunity (CEPO).

Dr. Stan Kuczaj, professor of psychology and director of The University of Southern Mississippi’s Marine Mammal Behavior and Cognition Laboratory, was recently interviewed by the British Broadcasting Company (BBC) for a future episode of its “Natural World” series. The show airs on the Animal Planet channel.

Even at age 95, University of Southern Mississippi professor Dr. Mary Beth Evans still enjoys coming to work to help her students prepare for rewarding careers as educators.

That passion for education has not gone unnoticed by one of the region’s top educational organizations, the Mid-South Educational Research Association, which recently recognized her with its top honor, the Walter M. Mathews Historical Contributions Award. The award was recently presented to Evans at the organization’s annual meeting, held Nov. 7-9 in Lexington, Ky.

The Provost’s Office is asking Southern Miss students and faculty to assist in the Fall 2012 Textbook Survey that is now available on SOAR. Faculty and students will find separate surveys, which must be completed before midnight on Friday, Nov. 16 to be included in the final results.

The Day of Sharing for Teachers of the Gifted will be held Friday, Oct. 26 at the R.C. Cook University Union on the Hattiesburg campus of The University of Southern Mississippi. This conference, sponsored by the Frances A. Karnes Center for Gifted Studies, is designed to educate teachers on current curriculum and instructional issues in gifted education.  

Does a school board’s management style play a significant role in student academic achievement?

That’s the question University of Southern Mississippi educational leadership professor Dr. David Lee and some of his graduate students hope to answer through a research project examining correlations between high and low-achieving school districts and the behavior, decisions and personalities of the boards that govern them.

Jasmine Thomas, an elementary education major with endorsements in mathematics and social studies at The University of Southern Mississippi, recently received the Jo Anne J. Trow Scholarship Award. Thomas is the only recipient of the $1,000 scholarship this year in the state of Mississippi.

Thomas said winning the award will provide important assistance in furthering her education. “It’s a big accomplishment for me. School can be so hard to pay for, so it’s nice to know my education is secured,” said Thomas.

A reunion of participants in The University of Southern Mississippi’s former Summer Program in Graduate Education (SPGE) on the Hattiesburg campus last weekend reunited old friends, fellow students and colleagues. The three-day program included an opening reception, Saturday recognition luncheon and Sunday brunch.

The SPGE spanned more than 30 years and brought students from across the U.S. and around the world to Southern Miss for a wide variety of graduate programs, with some that could be completed in just two summer semesters.