Georgia Southern welcomes new international partner

September 11, 2007

The International Chinese Statistical Association (ICSA) has placed its operations in the Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public Health (JPHCOPH) at Georgia Southern University for the coming year. Following the year, the College is expected to become the permanent home of this international organization.

‘We have this tremendous international opportunity thanks to a relationship forged years ago by the late Jiann-Ping Hsu, namesake of the College of Public Health,” said Dean Charles Hardy. ‘In the 1990s, Dr. Hsu was active in the early growth of the ICSA and served at least one term as president of the organization. Her husband, Professor Karl Peace, is a member of our faculty and remains an active member of the ICSA.”

‘Knowing the importance of the ICSA to Jiann-Ping Hsu, Dr. Peace made a proposal to the ICSA Board of Directors in June 2006, to incubate their central office within the JPHCOPH,” Hardy added. ‘That proposal became effective in August 2007.”

The ICSA office is staffed by Chungfeng Ren, a graduate assistant pursuing an MPH in biostatistics. Lili Yu, assistant professor of biostatistics, serves as a faculty advisor to Ren and oversees ICSA operations.

The ICSA office will be responsible for operating the organization’s Web site and e-mail list and for producing the twice-yearly ICSA Bulletin. The office will also be responsible for sending notices of the annual meeting, taking registrations for those who plan to attend, and facilitating membership in the ICSA.

‘Having an office of the ICSA in the J.P. Hsu College of Public Health is a definite advantage,” said Hardy. ‘In addition to the positive recognition it brings to the college, it provides a conduit for recruiting both students and faculty. It also increases the transcultural opportunities for our public health students, a benefit that really enhances the value of a Georgia Southern education.”

Membership in the ICSA is open to statisticians around the world. The ICSA hold an applied statistics symposium each year and an International Statistical Conference once every three years. More information about the ICSA is at http://www.icsa.org/.

For more information about the J.P. Hsu College of Public Health at Georgia Southern University, go to http://jphcoph.georgiasouthern.edu/