System Review
Volume 4, Issue 8
April 24, 2009
NEWS FROM THE SYSTEM
Board Holds Regular Monthly Meeting, Passes Presidential Gavel
The IHL Board held its regular monthly meeting on Thursday, April 16 at the Jackson
Convention Complex in conjunction with the Mississippi Economic Council Annual
Meeting. The Board approved the universities' requests to award 9,330 degrees at the
undergraduate and graduate levels in May 2009, provided each candidate has met all
requirements for the degree. The Board received an update on the 2009 Legislative
Session and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 from Dr. Jim Borsig,
IHL Assistant Commissioner for Governmental Relations. The Board also received the
FY2008 IHL System Audit report, presented by Mr. Randy Eure of Carr, Riggs and
Ingram, LLC CPA firm. At the conclusion of the meeting, outgoing Board President Amy
Whitten passed the presidential gavel to incoming Board President Scott Ross. Trustee
Ross honored Trustee Whitten for her distinguished service to the Board during her year
as president. The next regular monthly meeting of the Board of Trustees will be held May
14, 2009, in the IHL Board Room, Universities Center, 3825 Ridgewood Road, Jackson,
MS 39211.
Nursing Programs Achieve Continued Accreditation, Experience Successes
During the April 2009 IHL Board meeting, the Board approved continuing accreditation
for all of the state's 21 schools of nursing. The April Board meeting was the first
opportunity for continued accreditation since the state raised the standards for continuing
accreditation of schools of nursing in November 2007. The heightened standards were
designed to improve quality in nursing education and to improve retention and graduation
rates in nursing programs to help the state meet the demand for nurses. "In this first year,
some schools did not meet every one of the new, higher standards," said IHL Director of
Nursing Education Dr. Martha Catlette, "But Mississippi's nursing schools are thriving."
She continued, "The schools of nursing have responded to the new standards by raising
the bar." Over the past five years, the state NCLEX (national nursing exam) pass rate has
been within 1 to 2 percentage points of the national average, sometimes exceeding the
national average. All 5 universities with nurse practitioner programs achieved a 100
percent certification pass rate for the 2007 calendar year. Since 2000, the number of
Mississippi nursing graduates has increased 50 percent. In addition, of the 21 programs,
20 have national accreditation. "Mississippi is struggling to curb the shortage of nurses,
even though the state's nursing programs operate at full capacity," explained Dr. Catlette.
The schools of nursing are looking at ways to expand capacity, but there is also a
shortage of nurse educators, and up to 30 percent are expected to retire over the next
several years. Expanding capacity will require additional resources to attract nurse
educators and to expand the use of simulation in clinical education. "We are pleased that
the entire nursing community is working together to meet the nursing needs of the state,
while advancing the quality of nurse education," concluded Dr. Catlette. Contact Dr.
Martha Catlette for more information about nursing education in Mississippi.
House Selected for Grant Team to Address Low-Performing Schools
IHL is pleased to announce that Assistant Commissioner for Academic and Student
Affairs Dr. Lynn J. House has been appointed by Governor Haley Barbour to serve on the
Statewide Policy Team tasked with implementing a National Governor's Association
grant to improve chronically low-performing schools. Mississippi was one of only four
states to receive the $150,000 grant. Colorado, Maryland, and Massachusetts also
received grant funds. Dr. House will represent higher education and contribute expertise
in the areas of school leadership, teacher preparation and school improvement. Contact
Dr. Lynn House for more information.
April Issue of Mississippi's Business Released
The April issue of Mississippi's Business has been released by the Economics
Department of the IHL Office of Policy Research and Planning. The issue, which can be
accessed online as a PDF, provides an overview of the state's economic situation as
indicated by the leading and coincident indexes. For more information about
Mississippi's Business, contact Senior Economist Darrin Webb at (601) 432-6556.
UNIVERSITY NEWS
Items included in the “University News” section of the System Review are submitted each week by the
universities. The news items are listed in rotating alphabetical order by university.
MISSISSIPPI UNIVERSITY FOR WOMEN
MUW Students 'Drawing Out Success' for Local High Schools
West Lowndes High School now has a space dedicated to art thanks to the Drawing Out
Success program created by students at Mississippi University for Women. According to
Dr. Beverly Joyce, MUW assistant professor of art, part of Kappa Pi's mission is to
enhance a deeper appreciation of the arts within the community, and their chapter decided
to achieve this goal through the Drawing Out Success program. The international
honorary art fraternity began the program last academic year and has partnered with area
high schools to raise money for their art programs. "This year, we partnered with West
Lowndes High School to help them convert a space into an art gallery for their students,"
she said. At the beginning of the year, the high school art teacher was asked to provide a
"wish list," and then the MUW students raised the money through the annual Art in
Autumn Auction. Learn more.
Offices Recognized by Secret Shopper Program at MUW
MUW Seniors Exhibit Artwork and Host Reception
MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE UNIVERSITY
Mississippi Valley State University Online
www.mvsu.edu
UNIVERSITY OF MISSISSIPPI
UM Student Accepted into Prestigious Joffrey Ballet Summer Program
Alexander McAdams, a 21-year-old English major at the University of Mississippi, had a
dream come true recently when she was accepted into Joffrey Ballet School's summer
intensive. She heads to New York City in June for three weeks of training. To help
finance her trip, McAdams is performing in a fundraiser at 4 p.m. Sunday, April 26 at the
Powerhouse Community Arts Center in Oxford. "Celebration of the Spirit" showcases
McAdams' choreography in five pieces, three in which she is dancing. "What I'm trying
to drive home with this fundraiser is to let Oxford and the surrounding area know that
ballet is not necessarily so prim and proper," McAdams said. "It can be emotional, it can
be angry, it can be happy and pretty, which is the vision everybody gets with the woman
in the tutu smiling on her toes. But most important is to know it's not just about smiling
when you're having a bad day and you have blisters on your feet. It's about passion, about
what gets us through the day." Besides being a full-time student, she takes five dance
classes each week, teaches a private lesson, works the front desk at Oxford Ballet School
and is a multimedia intern for the UM Office of Media and Public Relations. McAdams
plans to visit other dance companies in New York, where - after she graduates in May
2010 - she hopes to pursue a graduate degree in English before heading to law school.
But, she said she can't imagine life without dancing, especially during times of personal
tragedy. Learn more.
Ole Miss Throws a Happy Earth Day Party
Engineering Dean to Receive Prestigious John Kraus Antenna Award
John Bentley Named APhA Fellow
Vince Gill, Alumni Raise More Than $95,000 for Two Ole Miss Scholarship Programs
UNIVERSITY OF MISSISSIPPI MEDICAL CENTER
Calculating Health: DigitalHuman Simulator Prepares for Blastoff
With a few keystrokes in DigitalHuman, a computer program developed at the University
of Mississippi Medical Center, researchers can create an overweight and diabetic virtual
patient, run him up a flight of stairs, give him a heart attack, then analyze thousands of
moment-by-moment metrics to better understand the human body. Scientists at NASA
using a version of the program are predicting health problems astronauts could encounter
three years into a mission to Mars. Dr. Tom Coleman, professor emeritus of physiology
and biophysics, estimates between 50-100 medical schools around the world use
DigitalHuman for training. Training is one thing. But Coleman and two colleagues, Dr.
Robert Hester and Dr. Richard Summers, are throwing open the doors even wider. They
plan to release DigitalHuman in open-source code next month. Coleman, also senior
biomedical systems analyst in the Department of Emergency Medicine, began building
digital models of the human circulatory system in the late 1960s with the late Dr. Arthur
Guyton. They used off-hours computing power rented on room-sized monstrosities
belonging to a hospital billing department and an area bank. "Think about when I first
started. The digital computer was just being invented," Coleman said. "The integrative
model, now called DigitalHuman, was started in 1985. Before that, Dr. Guyton, myself
and others were building smaller models - since the available technology at that time
couldn't solve big models. Learn more.
The Kiwi Connection
Finding Art in Medicine
Stress: Stealthy Foe Takes Many Forms
Overt Information
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI
Alumni Association Announces Peets Buffett Scholarship Winners
The Southern Miss Alumni Association announced Thursday that Alex Gieger of Laurel
and Devin Ladner of Diamondhead are the 2009 recipients of the Mary Loraine Peets
Buffett Scholarship. Gieger, a student at West Jones High School, and Ladner, from
Hancock High School, joined Peets' daughter, Lucy, and Southern Miss President Dr.
Martha Saunders at the announcement at the Aubrey K. Lucas Administration Building
on the university's Hattiesburg Campus. The scholarships, which are managed by the
Alumni Association, are awarded to incoming full-time female freshmen from the state of
Mississippi demonstrating financial need with a minimum high school grade point
average of 3.0. The $5,000 is for one academic year and may be renewed annually for up
to four years provided that all requirements, including full-time status, enrollment in the
College of Arts and Letters, and the maintenance of a 3.0 grade point average, are met.
Born in Crystal Springs, Miss., in 1921, Mary Loraine Peets Buffett was known simply as
"Peets" to her family and friends. A 1940 graduate of Gulf Park College for Women (now
the Southern Miss Gulf Park Campus) she was the mother of two daughters, Laurie and
Lucy, and a son who is one of The University of Southern Mississippi's most prominent
alumni, Jimmy Buffet. She is remembered for her infectious love of books, people and
family. Learn more.
Southern Miss Celebrates Earth Day; SGA President Signs Climate Commitment
Southern Miss Student Violinist Selected for World Orchestra
Southern Miss 2009 British Studies Program Offers New Courses
Society of Physics Students Receives National Honors Two Years in a Row
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI GULF COAST
Southern Miss Distinguished Professor of e-Learning Award Winners Named
The University of Southern Mississippi Gulf Coast Associate Provost Distinguished
Professor of e-Learning Awards were announced at a luncheon held Wednesday, April 8
at Al Fresco Italian Bistro in Biloxi. The awards, made possible through funds given by
the Butch Oustalet family and Dell, recognized faculty members for their dedication and
commitment to technology-rich learning and teaching. Southern Miss Gulf Coast
Associate Provost Pat Joachim, along with Oustalet and Kathy Thomas of Dell, awarded
the four winning faculty members during the luncheon. Award winners were selected by
a panel of judges from various departments within the university. "This is a time to
recognize faculty who have excelled in the area of instructional delivery using technology
to support the transfer of knowledge," said Joachim. "The core mission of Southern Miss
is to provide higher education opportunities, and the faculty members honored today have
made a significant contribution in this area." Receiving the top award of $1,000, the title
of 2009 Distinguished Professor of e-Learning, a Dell Laptop Inspiron 13 and a Dell allin-one printer was Dr. Cyndi Gaudet. As director and professor for the Jack and Patti
Phillips Workplace Learning and Performance Center, Gaudet has been a pioneer in
maximizing learning through teaching with technology, offering online courses beginning
as early as the 1990s. Learn more.
Artist Marlin Miller Recognized for Golden Eagle Carving at Southern Miss Gulf Park
Southern Miss Students Learn about Ecotourism during Visit to Pascagoula River
Issues + Answers to Feature EBONY and JET Magazine VP, Editorial Director
Gulf Coast Marketing and Public Relations Earns Four Awards from State Competition
ALCORN STATE UNIVERSITY
Alcorn's School of Education/Psychology Hosts Education Redesign Conference
Addressing the theme, "Improving Student Learning Through Teacher Education
Redesign," the School of Education and Psychology, under the auspices of Interim Dean,
Dr. Doris C. Gary, conducted a one-day conference to inform students, faculty, P-12
personnel, and other community stakeholders of its efforts, and plans at the state and
national levels to improve the teaching and learning process for preparing teachers and
school personnel. Mrs. Brenda Square, Executive Assistant to the President/Chief of Staff
informed the audience of Alcorn's commitment for completing all actions necessary to
ensure an enhanced teacher education program; the comments set the tone of the
conference. Dr. Boyce Williams, NCATE's Vice President for Institutional Relations and
National Project Director for Reading First Teacher Education Network (RFTEN) and
Dr. Susan Lee, IHL's Director of P-16 Initiatives were guest speakers. Dr. Williams noted
challenges of our changing world including the poor performance of P-12 students in
academic subjects and increased stringent standards used to measure teacher
performance. Through student interaction in sharing their concentration areas and future
plans, Dr. Williams addressed the charge for providing teachers in the workforce to
successfully meet accountability challenges. Dr. Lee addressed how institutions in
Mississippi are planning to address challenges. Learn more.
Alcorn Student Wins First Place and Cash Award at 1890 (ARD) Symposium
ASU Representatives Participate in the National Library Week Celebration in Port
Gibson, MS
Alcorn State Sports 2nd Annual Football Golf Outing
ASU 2009 Annual Fund Campaign Launched
DELTA STATE UNIVERSITY
Delta State to Host Naturalization Proceedings
Delta State University has the privilege of hosting an event that symbolizes all that is
good about the United States. On Friday, May 1, at 10:30 a.m., a naturalization ceremony
will be conducted on the Delta State Quadrangle. Approximately 110 new citizens from
38 countries will take the oath of citizenship, with 300-350 family and friends expected
in attendance. Judges from the Northern District U. S. Court will participate in the
ceremony. The Delta State Chorale will be singing the "National Anthem" and "America
the Beautiful." This is Delta State's first time to host the event which was traditionally
held in a U. S. courthouse but was recently moved to college campus venues to make the
life-changing experience available to the public. David Crews of the United States
District Court said the naturalization proceedings are a great civics lesson for area
schools. "It is a wonderful and heartwarming ceremony that is an important highlight in
the lives of these new citizens, many of whom have great stories about their journey to
become citizens of the United States," said Crews. Learn more.
Delta State University College of Education Students Win Research Competition
Revered Educator and Delta State Alumnus to be Honored May 2
Lady Statesmen Tennis Wrap up 2009 with GSC Honors
Statesmen Remain No. 10 in NCAA South Region Poll
JACKSON STATE UNIVERSITY
Jackson State University Announces Spring Commencement Speakers
Jackson State University officials announced today that Randall Pinkston, a CBS national
correspondent, and Johnny DuPree, the mayor of Hattiesburg, Miss., will be the speakers
for the 2009 commencement exercises scheduled for Friday and Saturday, May 8-9,
2009. DuPree will be the speaker for the graduate ceremony scheduled for 6 p.m. Friday,
May 8, at the Lee E. Williams Athletic & Assembly Center on campus. Pinkston will
speak during the undergraduate ceremony scheduled for 8 a.m. Saturday, May 9, at the
Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium. In the event of rain, the ceremony will be held
at the Lee E. Williams Athletic & Assembly Center. Seating will be on a first-come, firstserved basis with overflow in the Rose E. McCoy Auditorium and the Jackson State
Student Center ballrooms and theater. More than 1,200 students are degree candidates at
the 132-year-old historically black institution. Of those, more than 300 will receive
advanced degrees. As a correspondent for CBS Evening News since 1994, Pinkston has
covered many major stories of the past decade, including Baghdad on the post-war
reconstruction of Iraq. He also reported on the war in Afghanistan from the front lines in
Tora Bora and Jalalabad; the devastating earthquake in Turkey; the U.S. intervention in
Haiti; the Susan Smith trial, during which he broke the story of her arrest and landed the
first interview with her ex-husband, David Smith. Learn more.
Jackson State University Hosted Emergency Management Showcase
JSU Students Elected to the National Black Graduate Student Association Board
JSU Freshman Earns U.S. Congressional Award Gold Medal
MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY
Mississippi State Names CAVS Director
A veteran Mississippi State academic administrator now is the permanent director of the
university's Center for Advanced Vehicular Systems. Roger King, previously associate
dean of research and graduate studies for MSU's Bagley College of Engineering, recently
was appointed to the position he has held on an interim basis since July. Dean Sarah
Rajala said King's contributions to the college have enabled MSU to be among the
nation's leading research institutions. The land-grant institution now ranks in the top 10
percent among engineering research expenditures of more than 350 U.S. engineering
schools. "During his time as associate dean for research in the Bagley College of
Engineering, Roger facilitated a significant increase in research funding, worked with the
departments to grow the graduate program and enhanced the extension and outreach
activities," Rajala said. "I am confident that he will effectively apply his leadership skills
to move CAVS and our college to new heights." MSU's automotive research program
was established in 2001 as part of the state's successful bid to attract the Nissan Motor
Co. manufacturing plant near Canton. CAVS formally came into being in late 2003 as an
interdisciplinary center comprised of engineering, research, development, and technology
transfer teams focused on enhancing human and payload mobility. Learn more.
MSU Honors Top Faculty
MSU Spring Commencement to Feature William Winter, Fred Carl
Mississippi State Researcher and Professor Honored for Toxicology Leadership
Mississippi State's College of Business, BankPlus Launch 'Economy Watch'
MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY, &
VETERINARY MEDICINE
MSU Study Shows Machines Improve Greenhouse and Nursery Work
A new Mississippi State University study shows that the right combination of machinery
and human laborers can cultivate positive results for the state's growing horticulture
industry. Many nursery and greenhouse industry jobs are labor-intensive and physically
demanding. To improve production and prevent worker injuries, the industry is turning to
mechanization and automation. Researchers with the Mississippi Agricultural and
Forestry Experiment Station and MSU's Extension Service conducted a study measuring
the socioeconomic impact of automation and mechanization. They looked at sales,
employment, workers' earnings, safety and worker retention in nurseries and greenhouses
in the northern Gulf of Mexico region. Researchers collected data through personal
interviews with 87 randomly selected nurseries and greenhouses in Mississippi, Alabama
and Louisiana. "There needs to be continuous improvements in the work force and
processes for the industry to succeed," said Ben Posadas, MSU associate Extension and
research professor and the study's lead investigator. "We aimed to develop a
socioeconomic profile of horticulture workers and specifically look at how new
technology affects nursery and greenhouse work force operations." Study results showed
that adding new systems to increase efficiency did not displace any workers but instead
improved workers' total earnings. Researchers also found that businesses taking
advantage of mechanization and automation had higher sales. Learn more.
MSU Veterinarian Earns National Recognition
MSU Ant Study at Noxubee Refuge Suggests Healthy Ecosystem
MSU Extension Hosts Continuing Ed Classes for Logging Industry
4-H Adult Volunteers Lead through Example
COMING UP
April 24 - JSU's Fourth annual AFROTC Dining Out ceremony will feature Pentagon
official Maj. Gen. Darren W. McDew at 6:30 p.m. in the new Student Center on the
university's campus. Learn more.
April 24 - Jackson State University's annual outdoor concert, "Jazz On The Plaza," will
feature New Orleans jazz saxophonist, Donald Harrison, at 6 p.m. on the main campus,
1400 John R. Lynch St., Jackson. Jazz on the Plaza is free and open to the public. For
more information, call (601) 979-2141. Learn more.
April 24 - The 5 Browns, a quintet of classical pianists who happen to be brothers and
sisters, perform at 8 p.m. in the UM Ford Center for the Performing Arts. Tickets, priced
at $20 and $28 for various seating, are available by calling (662) 915-7411 or by visiting
the UM Box Office. Learn more.
April 24 and 26 - The University of Southern Mississippi Gulf Coast Civic Chorale will
perform two free concerts. The first concert will be Friday, April 24, at 7:30 p.m., at the
First Baptist Church in Biloxi. The encore performance will be Sunday, April 26, at 3
p.m., in the auditorium on the Gulf Park Campus. Learn more.
April 25 - JSU's College of Public Service "Celebrating the Giving Heart II" Scholarship
Gala will feature the original Temptations singer at the Hilton Jackson Hotel in Jackson.
Learn more.
April 26 - Mississippi State University's Riley Center in Meridian presents "Mammoth
Follies" from 4 to 6 p.m. The fun, kid and adult entertaining show explores the wonders
of evolution through original songs and witty jokes performed by giant dinosaur puppets.
Learn more.
April 27 - The L-O-U Symphony performs Handel's Concerto Grosso in A minor,
Johann Strauss's "Voices of Spring Waltz" and symphonic selections from Bernstein's
"West Side Story" at 8 p.m. at the UM Ford Center for the Performing Arts. Tickets are
$10 at UM Box Office and at the door. Learn more.
April 28 - Mississippi State University's department of computer science and engineering
presents "game design demonstration night" beginning at 6 p.m. Students enrolled in the
"game design" class will demonstrate their computer video games on the National
Science Foundation funded display wall. Learn more.
April 28 - Mississippi State University's Carl Small Town Center presents a celebration
of 30 years of the center helping improve small towns and communities throughout the
state at 5 p.m. in Giles Architecture Building room 140. A reception and unveiling of the
CSTC's new Web site will take place. Learn more.
April 29 - Alcorn State ROTC "End of the year Battalion/Fun Run" will be held at 6:30
a.m. at the E.E. Simmons Gym. The group will start running no later than 6:45 a.m. The
distance will be about one mile at a slow fun pace. Everyone is invited. Learn more.
April 29 - The eighth annual Caring for Aging Relatives Effectively Fair at the
University of Mississippi features exhibits by more than 25 organizations and companies
serving the aging. A companion workshop focuses on aging and caregiving issues. The
free fair runs 9 a.m.-3 p.m. in the Student Union lobby. Learn more.
April 30 - The Sun Herald and Southern Miss Gulf Coast College of Arts and Letters
present Bryan Monroe, vice president and editorial director of EBONY and JET
magazines, at 7 p.m. at the Advanced Education Center auditorium on the Gulf Park
campus in Long Beach. Learn more.
April 30- May 2 - The Southern Miss Dance Program presents Studio 115 concert. Learn
more.
May 2 - The University of Southern Mississippi Gulf Coast will host the Southern Miss
Jazz and Blues Festival from 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. on the front lawn of the university's Gulf
Park campus in Long Beach. Musical acts to perform include the Sauce Boss and Steve
Warren Band. Learn more.
May 9 - MUW's graduation ceremonies will be held at 10 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. in
Whitfield Hall, Rent Auditorium. The time-honored Mag Chain ceremony will be held at
8 a.m. on Shattuck Lawn. For more information, contact (662) 329-7135. Learn more.
May 13 - MSU Extension Master Gardener Volunteers will have tours, workshops,
educational sessions and awards recognition at the Bost Extension Conference Center on
campus. Contact Lelia Kelly at (662) 566-2201 or [email protected]. Learn more.
May 16 - The 8th annual Catch the Vision benefit is at the Mississippi Horse Park to help
fund outdoor adventures for children with life-threatening and terminal illnesses. Funds
go directly to the Catch-A-Dream Foundation, housed at Mississippi State. Contact Marty
Brunson at (662) 325-8149. Learn more.
May 18 - Mississippi Homemaker Volunteers hold their annual meeting at Griffis Hall
on the Mississippi State campus. Contact Reba Bland at (662) 832-3554 or
[email protected]. Learn more.
June 7-26 - Mississippi Governor's School is a residential honors program established in
1981 at MUW to provide academic, creative and leadership experiences for a select
number of rising high school juniors and seniors who have demonstrated exceptional
ability and achievement in their studies. Learn more.
June 14-16 - Freshman and transfer orientation sessions at MUW are designed to help
newly enrolled students transition into college life. Learn more.