College News
College of Health and Human Sciences
Professor Honored for Teaching Excellence
Dr. Diana Sturges, a professor of human anatomy and physiology in the School of Health and Kinesiology has been selected as a recipient of the University System of Georgia’s most prestigious teaching award. She received the Regents’ Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) Award based on the strength of her teaching and scholarship portfolio and her willingness to share her research with the academic community nationally and internationally.
College of Engineering and Information Technology
Faculty Recognition
Two faculty members in the Department of Mechanical Engineering were recognized with Awards for Excellence during Georgia Southern’s convocation for the 2014-15 academic year. Valentin Soloiu, Ph.D., a professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, was given the Award for Excellence in Research/Creative Scholarly Activity. The award honors faculty who excel in their research efforts in addition to fulfilling their regular full-time teaching responsibilities. Mechanical Engineering Professor Aniruddha Mitra, Ph.D, received the Award for Excellence in Service. It is given to faculty who use their academic disciplines to provide non-compensated assistance to the community and region, as well as in the academic area.
Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public Health
Dr. Yelena Tarasenko Named Exceptional Reviewer
Professor of Health Policy and Management and Epidemiology Yelena Tarasenko, Dr.P.H., was named an exceptional reviewer for “The Journal of Rural Health” (JRH) for the period between July 2013 and June 2014. The quarterly peer-reviewed journal published by the National Rural Health Association is devoted to advancing professional practice, research, theory development and public policy related to rural health. Exceptional reviewers were identified as being in approximately the top 15 percent of all JRH peer reviewers according to the quality, frequency and timeliness of their reviews.
College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences
New Digs for Communication Arts
The Department of Communication Arts has found a permanent home in newly renovated Sanford Hall. The former apartment-style residence hall has been transformed into an $8.65 million state-of-the-art academic facility dedicated to educating the more than 900 students majoring in Communication Studies, Multimedia Film and Production, Multimedia Journalism, Public Relations and Theatre. The renovations included replacing an internal wood structure with a steel frame to allow for studio and classroom space. It contains multiple classrooms, faculty office space, an advisement center, broadcast and film studios, a converged media lab and WVGS radio station.
College of Education
New Adult Tutoring Program
The College of Education (COE) is taking its expertise in teaching and learning to the community through a new adult tutoring program. Every Friday, COE is opening its doors to anyone in the community working on a GED, and to parents who need a refresher course to help their children with homework. The program is called EAGLES Tutoring. EAGLES (Enhancing Adult Georgians’ Life and Educational Skills) was developed by COE faculty Amelia Davis, who specializes in adult education. “It’s a great opportunity for adult learners to build their basic academic skills and for future educators in the College of Education to get firsthand experience developing strategies for working with parents who many not have a high school diploma or who may lack the basic skills needed to assist their child with schoolwork,” Davis said. Students who volunteer with the tutoring program receive training on working with adult learners, and may get service-learning credit.
College of Science and Mathematics
Faculty Members Launch Online Journal
Department of Mathematical Sciences faculty members, Colton Magnant, Ph.D, and Hua Wang, Ph.D., have launched the new open source journal “Theory and Application of Graphs” (TAG). It is a free online mathematics journal supported by Georgia Southern through Digital Commons. Once a year, TAG will publish refereed, high level research papers in the areas of graph theory and its applications. Wang is also a recipient of the 2014-15 University Award for Excellence in Contributions to Research and Creative Scholarly Activity. The award recognizes faculty who excel in their research efforts, in addition to fulfilling their full-time teaching responsibilities.
College of Business Administration
Online MBA Program
The online Master of Business Administration (MBA) program in the College of Business Administration has been named as one of the nation’s Top 30 Best Online MBA programs by BestColleges.com. Standing at number 18 in the national rankings, the University’s Online MBA is a 30-hour program that appeals to working professionals from a broad business background.