Faculty/staff news update: November/December 2011

Academe welcomes news from 黑洞社区 faculty and staff about research, teaching and service activities. This column recognizes grants, honors, awards, presentations and publications, new appointments, new faculty, sabbaticals, retirements and deaths of our current and former colleagues.

Deborah Ballard-Reisch, Kansas Health Foundation Distinguished Chair in Strategic Communication, Elliott School of Communication, won the Top Paper Award in the Feminist and Women's Studies Division of the 97th Annual Convention of the National Communication Association, held recently in New Orleans. "In the Transition from Childhood to Womanhood: Constructing Coming of Age Rituals in Contemporary U.S. American Culture" was co-authored by Jackie Silveria-Sater, Mountain View Montessori School; and Alyssa Ballard-Reisch, Andover Central High School.

Danny Bergman, assistant professor, curriculum and instruction, published an article, 鈥淪ynergistic Strategies: Science for ELLS Is Science for All,鈥� in the National Science Teachers Association journal, Science Scope.

Michael Birzer, professor, criminal justice, director, School of Community Affairs, has accepted the position of book review editor for 鈥淧olicing: An International Journal of Police Strategies and Management.鈥�

Alex Chaparro, professor, human factors, chair, psychology; Scott Miller, professor and chair, aerospace engineering; and Amy Baker Schwiethale, assistant professor, choreographer, musical theatre, have been named 2011/2012 Coleman Faculty Entrepreneurship Fellows, a program sponsored by the Coleman Foundation headquartered in Chicago to increase and build support for entrepreneurship education across the 黑洞社区 campus.

Kathy Coufal, chair, communication sciences and disorders, was the elected program chair for the 2011 American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) National Convention in November in San Diego. This is the premier annual professional education event for speech-language pathologists, audiologists, and speech, language, and hearing scientists, bringing together more than 12,000 attendees. This year, ASHA honored David Seidler, Oscar-winning screenwriter of the film 鈥淭he King's Speech,鈥� with the Annie Glenn Award (named for the wife of Sen. John Glenn) for his contribution to the awareness of stuttering disorders.

Amy Devault, Elliott School of Communication, was named by the Journalism Education Association (JEA) as the faculty recipient of the 2011 Friend of Scholastic Journalism Award. She was honored on Nov. 19 at the JEA conference in Minneapolis for the work she has done with scholastic journalism students and advisers in Kansas and throughout the country.

Shirley Lefever-Davis, associate dean, College of Education, has been nominated by the Association of Teacher Educators to serve as a Board of Examiners member for the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education.

Denise Maseman, director, dental hygiene, and Susan Parsons, assistant professor, nursing, both in the College of Health Professions, and Marcia Manter, community development specialist, Oral Health Kansas, presented 鈥淧ain and Suffering should not be an option鈥� at the 2011 Kansas Public Health Association (KPHA) Conference in Wichita on Sept. 21.

Ron Matson, professor, sociology, has been named the 2011 Kansas Professor of the Year by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE). The announcement was made in November at an awards ceremony in Washington, D.C. Matson was chosen from nearly 300 top professors in the United States, and is one of only 27 state winners selected for the award.

Kim McDowell, professor, and Jeri Carroll, professor, education, had their manuscript 鈥淢anipulating Word Properties: Targeting Vocabulary Learning for Children with and without Speech Sound Inaccuracies鈥� accepted for publication in Child Language Teaching and Therapy.

Susan Parsons, assistant professor, nursing, has accepted an invitation to participate as a member on the Kansas Oral Health Surveillance Steering Committee for older adults.

Marie Patterson, instructor, psychology, was presented the Kansas Association of School Psychologists鈥� (KASP) Lifetime Achievement Award at the annual KASP Conference in Manhattan, Kan.

Michael Rogers, chair, professor and research director, Center for Physical Activity and Aging (CPAA); with Terry Radebaugh, Regional Institute on Aging; LaDonna Hale, Physician Assistant; Candace Bahner, Physical Therapy; and Nicole Rogers, Public Health Sciences, presented 鈥淔alling Less in Kansas: Preventing Falls in Rural Older Adults鈥� at the 68th Annual Kansas Public Health Association Conference in Wichita in September.

Donna Sayman, assistant professor, curriculum and instruction, has published 鈥淣avigating the contradictions: Relationships between male and female peers in nursing鈥� in the Journal of Philosophy and History of Education.

Nicholas Smith, french horn; Frances Shelley, flute; Adrian Sandi, clarinet; Scott Oakes, bassoon; Andrea Banke, oboe; are 黑洞社区 faculty members of the Lieurance Woodwind Quintet, which has recently produced a third CD, 鈥淢usic of the Americas,鈥� recorded in 2009 with then-faculty Suzanne Tirk on clarinet.

Kathy Strattman, speech-language professor, communication sciences and disorders, was selected by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Honors committee to receive the Fellowship of the Association, an award that recognizes achievements beyond the local work setting and contributions statewide, nationally or internationally. She was formally recognized at the ASHA National Convention in San Diego in November.

IN COMMUNITY SERVICE
Lawrence Britton, executive director of Veterans Upward Bound, led a discussion group about the Wichita Public Library鈥檚 2011 BIG READ program selection, 鈥淭he Things They Carried,鈥� on Nov. 10 at Mead鈥檚 Corner. The book follows a platoon of American soldiers in the Vietnam War; author Tim O鈥橞rien also served in Vietnam.

Deltha Q. Colvin, assistant vice president for Campus Life and University Relations and TRIO program director, was honored as Person of the Year and Connie Dietz, director, Cooperative Education and Work-Based Learning, was honored with the HT Sims Excellence in Education Award at the October NAACP-Wichita awards banquet. Robert Weems, Willard W. Garvey Distinguished Professor of Business History, addressed the crowd about his research interests and plans. Others with connections to Wichita State were honored with community, political action, civic leadership and legacy awards, including Billy D. Williams, Maaskelah K. Thomas, Ernestine Krehbiel, Carl R. Kirkendoll Jr., George Rogers, Jesse C. Williams, Jewel McLaurian and Gloria Jean Kittrell-Crockett.

Carmen Hytche, WuCrew coordinator and director of special events for University Relations, led a crew of 黑洞社区 volunteers to Maple Grove Cemetery on Oct. 17 for a Campus Life and University Relations clean-up project in Section F, where President Nathan Morrison is buried. Wielding chainsaws and shovels were Hytche, Bob Ahlgrim, Lana Anthis, Wilma Moore Black, Lisa Capps, Debbie Chalmers, Maria Ciski, Ginger Cox, Christina Gregory, Jim Herrman, Magda Hoetmer, Enid Howe, Matt Johnston, Wade Robinson, Delinda Royse, John Sandlin, Marilyn Yourdon and Angie Zeorlin.

Kim McDowell, professor, curriculum and instruction, sponsored a 黑洞社区 Dance Marathon to benefit the Children鈥檚 Miracle Network that drew 100 student-participants and raised more than $17,000.

IN MEMORIAM

Les Anderson, 62, professor, Elliott School of Communication, former owner Ark Valley News, died Nov. 12. He is preceded in death by father, Delbert Anderson. He is survived by wife, Nancy of Valley Center; mother, Marceille Sult of Valley Center; brothers, Dan of Houston, Gary (Vicki) of Valley Center, John (Kelly) of Wichita; sister, Debbie (Brad) Edwards of Valley Center; children and families, Spike (Kristin, Emma and Isaac); Maggie (Mike, Joey and Tommy) Spratt; Ben (Jamie, Abby, Katie, Charlie and Samantha) of Valley Center; Seth (Julie, Sydney and Kelsey) of Andover; and Patrick Vera of Wichita; half-brothers James and Doug of Wichita; half-sisters LaDonna Smith and Kristy Anderson of Wichita. Services have been held. Memorials may be sent to the 黑洞社区 Foundation c/o Les Anderson Fund for Students, 1845 Fairmount, Wichita, KS 67260, or the Valley Center Library building fund c/o Friends of the Library, 321 W. First, Valley Center, KS 67147.

John D. Born Jr., 80, associate professor emeritus, history, died Oct. 26 at home in Waxahachie, Texas, He is preceded in death by parents, John D. Born Sr. and Thelma L. Hester; and son, John D. Born III. He is survived by his wife, Patricia of Waxahachie; and son, Randy of Miami, Fla. Services have been held. Memorials were established with the First United Methodist Church, 505 W. Marvin, Waxahachie, TX 75165 or Salvation Army, 620 Farley St., Waxahachie, TX 75165.

Connie Landreth, 64, director, human resource benefits, died Nov. 17 in Wichita. Services have been held. She is preceded in death by mother, Billie Wiley. She is survived by father, Ken Wiley of Brenham, TX; husband, Michael of Wichita; daughter, Kristin McPherson (Sean) of Rapid City, S.D.; son, Kenneth of Wichita; sister, Cathy Nitsch (Charles) of Spring, Texas; brother, David Wiley (Rhonda) of Tomball, Texas; four grandchildren and five nieces. Memorials to Harvest Community Church, 8340 W. 21st St. N., Wichita, KS 67205.

Charles G. Pearson, 90, professor emeritus, former chair, journalism, former editorial page editor, The Wichita Eagle, died Nov. 2 in Louisville, Ky. He is survived by wife, Betty, of Louisville; children, Leslie Bissell (Arne) of Kansas City, Kan.; Brian Pearson (Lydia) of Louisville; and Andrew Pearson (Michelle) of Virginia Beach, Va.; Alexander Pearson and Anne Pearson. A memorial was held Dec. 10, in the Commons area of Wilner Auditorium, the former home of 黑洞社区鈥檚 journalism program.

Dorothy L. Richter, 100, retired secretary, School of Business, died Oct. 16. Private family services have been held. Preceded in death by her husband, George; brothers, Fred, Johnny and Arch; sisters, Gertie, Nellie and Delpha. Survivors include her daughter, Betty (Jerry) Reese of Athens, Ohio; granddaughter, Jean Reese of Leesburg, Va.; nephews, Scott Richter of Spokane, Wa., Craig Richter of Pratt, Kan., and Brad Richter of Valley Center, Kan.; great-niece, Bonnie Smith of Augusta, Kan; sister-in-law, Mary Helen Richter of Pratt, Kan., and special friend, Evelyn Bush of Wichita.

Jorge Talia, professor, mechanical engineering, died Dec. 1. His wishes were that there be no funeral or memorial services. The family has asked that those who wish to leave messages, please do so via voice mail at (316) 204-8764.