Focus
July 2009
Summer Enrollment
Summer Enrollment is an excellent time to re-evaluate your health and/or optional insurance coverage(s). Come by Human Resources, Austin Building Room 201, July 6-31, to make changes to your insurance, and/or TexFlex.
During summer enrollment, you may make the following changes:
- Add or drop eligible dependents from Health Select
- Enroll in a dental plan, change from one dental plan to another, or add dependents to dental coverage
- Add, drop, or increase Accidental Death and Dismemberment Coverage (AD&D)
- Drop any optional coverage
- Complete Evidence of Insurability Form to apply for Optional Coverage(s), (Life, Dependent Life, Short Term and/or Long Term Disability
Do something "Notable?"
Complete the SFA Notables Form and tell us about it! Your accomplishment will be mentioned in the next issue of Focus.
This month's desktop calendar wallpaper
In this issue
- McCary named Assistant Athletic Trainer of the Year by NATA
- Presentations
- Conferences
- Publications
- Announcements
- Stone Fort Museum Receives Conservation Bookshelf
McCary named Assistant Athletic Trainer of the Year by NATA
Loree McCary, assistant athletic trainer for Stephen F. Austin State University, was named the 2009 Assistant Athletic Trainer of the Year by the National Athletic Trainers’ Association.
The award serves to recognize collegiate athletic trainers who have demonstrated exceptional performance in their field and are actively engaged in their community.
McCary has served the SFA athletics department for 18 years, and her responsibilities include providing medical assistance for eight women’s Division 1 sports, as well as assisting the head athletic trainer in six men’s Division 1 sports. In 2007, McCary was appointed as the senior women’s administrator for the SFA athletic program.
McCary is involved in coordinating volunteer opportunities through the Big Event and Habitat for Humanity. Also, McCary organized volunteer medical staff for two Houston Avon Breast Cancer Walks and three Komen Three-Day Breast Cancer Walks.
Mario Ajero, Music, delivered a presentation at the Texas Music Teachers Association convention illustrating various uses of technology for teachers giving piano lessons online. Some of the featured technology included a consumer video-conferencing program that allows students to learn piano in a real-time context. Attendees also learned how to use video-sharing sites and podcasts to deliver and receive lessons.
Sharon Templeman, Social Work, presented “Protecting Our Youth: A Comparison of Udmurt and Native American Adolescents through the Lens of Risk-Resiliency Theory” at Social Work and Young People: An International Conference at Udmurt State University in Izhevsk, Russia. The presentation examined traditions in the Udmurt culture in the Russian Federation and the Native American culture in the U.S. that serve as protective elements for at-risk youth. The presentation has been submitted for publication.
Greg Grant, Agriculture, presented “Gardening for the Birds and the Bees” at the Native Plant Society of Texas conference in Mount Pleasant and Texarkana.
Annette James, AARC, presented “Practical Uses for Assessment Data: Using Collected Data to Train SI Leaders and Continuous Improvement” at the Fourth Regional Conference on SI at Texas A&M University.
Dr. David Howard, Music, performed with the Eastern Michigan University combined choirs and symphony orchestra as baritone soloist in Vaughan Williams' "Dona Nobis Pacem" in March and in Orff's "Carmina Burana" performed by the SFA combined choirs and orchestra in May. Howard is SFA's associate director of choral activities.
Janice Hensarling, Nursing, attended the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners conference June 17 to 21 in Nashville.
Dr. Judith Lauter, Human Neuroscience Laboratory, hosted a book signing for her new book “How is Your Brain Like a Zebra?” June 11 at Hastings Book Store in Nacogdoches.
Dr. Darrel McDonald, Forestry, Dr. Alan Sowards, Elementary Education, Dr. Josephine Taylor and Dr. Stephen C. Wagner, Biology, and Trey Watson, former Environmental Science graduate student, published “The Lichen-GIS Project, Teaching Students How to Use Bioindicator Species to Assess Environmental Quality” in the May 2009 Journal of Microbiology and Biology Education.
“Sweet Potato Pie and Hush My Mouth,” by Greg Grant, SFA Mast Arboretum, was published in the May/June issue of Texas Gardener.
“The Horse Knows” and “Horse and Trainer,” two poems by Mark Sanders, English, were published in the spring 2009 edition of Red Rock Review.
An article by Wanda Mouton, Communication, was published in the Longview News Journal on Sunday, June 28. The story details the trip Mouton and husband, Earl, took to Cuba to attend a research conference. It focuses on how people who want to see the island's unique culture should visit now, if they can qualify to do so, before it all changes when entry becomes available to U.S. citizens.
SFA has secured more than $2.2 million in grant funds since 2002 thanks to Warren Conway, Christopher Comer and Daniel Scognamillo, Forestry. Together they have successfully partnered to garner external support from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Galveston Bay Estuary Program, the National Wild Turkey Federation, the Simon and Louise Henderson Foundation and others to execute more than 25 research projects. Since 2003, wildlife management graduate students have presented more than 80 professional research presentations at regional and national meetings, and have co-authored more than 15 peer-reviewed publications.
The Cole Audiology Lab is open for the summer. The lab offers hearing evaluations, hearing aid sales and services, swimmer’s earplugs, and noise plugs to university employees and their families, students and the community. The lab offers discounts to university employees and is available to all ages. They are located on the second floor of the Human Services building, and can be reached at (936) 468-1252 for an appointment.
Tammy Wall, Early Childhood Lab, and her husband, Krishna, welcomed daughter Kamry Janiyah Wall on June 10. Tammy is a '96 graduate of SFA, and Krishna is a '98 graduate.
Cornell Butler and Craig Yates, Transportation, were both certified as vehicle inspectors for the state of Texas.
Janice Hensarling, Nursing, received a Ph. D. in nursing science from Texas Women’s University in May 2009.
SFA alumna Jamie Bouldin is the new Assistant Director for Student Affairs. Bouldin previously worked for the Paris, Texas, newspaper and recently finished her master’s degree at the University of Tennessee where she worked for their Residence Life program. At SFA, Jamie will oversee our SFA volunteer programs and leadership programs. These programs are cornerstones in SFA’s overall mission to engage our students as part of their communities.
R. Philip Reynolds, Library, was the official referee for the Banked-Track Roller Derby National Championship in Austin.
On June 15, the Texas Certified Public Manager (CPM) Program held its semi-annual graduation ceremony at the Texas State Capitol. Graduates of the program from SFA included Annette James, AARC, Monica Martinez, Telecommunications, and Joy Rhodes, Government. Also attending the ceremony were Dr. George Franks, CPM co-director, Dr. James Standley, dean of Graduate Studies, and Maggie Hilton, CPM graduate assistant. More than 50 graduates from various universities and government agencies in Texas received their certification. To learn more about the CPM program, visit http://www2.sfasu.edu/polisci/CPM/index.htm.
SFA Mast Arboretum will host the Les Reeves Garden Lecture Series at 7 p.m. on Thursday, July 16, in Room 110 of the Agriculture Building. Speaker Cliff Shackelford, ornithologist for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, will present “Do Hummingbirds Really Migrate by Riding on the Backs of Geese?” an informative discussion regarding the state’s wildlife. A free plant raffle will follow the lecture. No reservations are required and admission is free. For more information, call 1832.
Stone Fort Museum Receives Conservation Bookshelf
Treasured objects and artifacts held by the Stone Fort Museum at Stephen F. Austin State University will be preserved for future generations with help from the Connecting to Collections Bookshelf, a core set of conservation books and online resources donated by the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
The institute is the primary source of federal funding of the nation’s museums and libraries. IMLS, in cooperation with the American Association for State and Local History, has now awarded almost 3,000 free sets of the Bookshelf.
“The Bookshelf will guide policy development in care of the collection and training for student employees and volunteers,” said Stone Fort Museum Curator Carolyn Spears. “It’s also a valuable resource in implementing the recent American Heritage Preservation grant supporting conservation work on the wedding dresses of Anna Raguet and Harriett Taylor.”
The Stone Fort Museum was awarded the set of resources based on an application describing the needs and plans for the care of its collections. The IMLS Bookshelf focuses on collections typically found in art or history museums and in libraries' special collections, with an added selection of texts for zoos, aquaria, public gardens and nature centers. It addresses such topics as the philosophy and ethics of collecting, collections management and planning, emergency preparedness, and culturally specific conservation issues.
The IMLS Bookshelf is a major component of Connecting to Collections: A Call to Action, a conservation initiative that the Institute launched in 2006. IMLS began the initiative in response to a 2005 study by Heritage Preservation documenting the dire state of the nation’s collections. The multi-faceted, multi-year initiative shines a nationwide spotlight on the needs of America’s collections, especially those held by smaller institutions, which often lack the human and financial resources necessary to adequately care for their collections.
The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of federal support for the nation’s 123,000 libraries and 17,500 museums. Its mission is to create strong libraries and museums that connect people to information and ideas. The Institute works at the national level and in coordination with state and local organizations to sustain heritage, culture, and knowledge; enhance learning and innovation; and support professional development. To learn more about the Institute, please visit www.imls.gov.