InnerAction 3rd Summer 2007 issue

Tuesday, July 17, 2007
SPECIAL SUMMER EDITION
Physics prof earns top
honors for teaching
At a recent international conference, the chair of the Austin
Peay State University Department of Physics and Astronomy
was honored for innovative use
of technology in teaching and
learning.
At the 18th Annual International Conference on College
Teaching and Learning, held at
the Center for Advancement of
Teaching and Learning in Jacksonville, Fla., Dr. Jaime Taylor,
professor of physics and department chair, received the Award
for Innovative Excellence in
Teaching, Learning and Technology.
With about 1,000 attendees,
including 800 faculty members
from 48 colleges and universities
worldwide, the conference
emphasized research and practice
in teaching and learning with a
focus on uses of innovative
learning strategies and the Internet in face-to-face, blended and
online course development and
teaching. -- Dennie B. Burke
A man with extensive experience in
both the military and in higher education, particularly for adult students,
has been named new executive director for the Austin Peay State University Center @ Fort Campbell, effective
Aug. 1, 2007.
Dr. William T. Cox replaces Gerald
Beavers, who retired June 30.
Beavers had been director and executive director of the APSU Center @
Fort Campbell since 1999. He was a
32-year law enforcement officer who
served during 1966-68 with the U.S.
Navy.
In 1997, Cox received an Ed.D. in
Higher Education Administration from
the University of Alabama. He earned
an M.A. in Education Administration
from Chapman University, Orange,
Calif., in 1997 and a B.S. in Business
Management from the University of
Northern Colorado, Greeley, in 1978.
Cox was named assistant vice president for extended education and director of the Knoxville Regional Center
of Tusculum College in March 2004.
As such, he was responsible for faculty assignments and scheduling and for
overseeing the daily operations of the
center, which involved integration of
admissions, advising, student services
and faculty staffing for the campus,
which services more than 900 adult
students per term.
An assistant professor of research,
Cox also had served as director of
research and assessment for Tusculum
College since 2003.
Cox was in the U.S. Air Force from
August 1972-March 1997. For four of
those years, he worked as an academic
instructor, trainer and adviser at the
SEE LEAD, PAGE 2
Michigan man named new library director
DEANNE DUNLOP PHOTOGRAPHY, JACKSONVILLE,
FLA.
For more information,
contact Dr. Jaime Taylor by
telephone at 221-6361 or
by e-mail at
[email protected].
Veteran to lead Fort Campbell center
Dr. Jaime Taylor, professor of physics and chair of
the Austin Peay State University Department of
Physics and Astronomy, accepts the Award for
Innovative Excellence in Teaching, Learning and
Technology during the International Conference
on College Teaching and Learning held recently in
Jacksonville, Fla.
Following a nationwide search and
series of interviews, a Michigan man
has been named director for library
services at Austin Peay
State University.
Joseph E. Weber
takes the reins of
APSU’s Felix G.
Woodward Library,
replacing Deborah
Fetch, who resigned as
Weber
director but remains
on the faculty.
Weber has completed coursework
for the Ph.D. in Higher Education
Leadership from Western Michigan
University, Kalamazoo, with an
expected completion date of 2008. He
earned the M.S. in Library Science
from the University of Kentucky, Lexington, an M.A. in Educational
Administration and B.S. in Education
from Central Michigan University,
Mount Pleasant.
Weber comes to APSU from Ferris
State University, Big Rapids, Mich.,
where he has worked since June 2002.
Ferris State is a mid-sized, state-assisted, regional university.
Since 2005, Weber has served as
the assistant dean of the library for
public services leading a department
of eight librarians and nine support
SEE DIRECTOR, PAGE 2
INSIDE THIS EDITION
RESEARCH SCHOLARS
ALUM IN 1ST NATIONAL TOUR
BIOLOGY STUDENTS WIN
Five students are chosen for Presidential
Research Scholars Program for the 200708 academic year.
Page 2
Dale Krupla (‘06) recently wrapped up his
role in the musical production of “Jesus
Christ Superstar.”
Page 3
Several students received honors recently
for work presented during the Tennessee
Academy of Sciences conference.
Page 4
2
InnerAction
2007-08 Presidential Research
Scholars Program awardees run
gamut from art to astronomy
Five Austin Peay State University
students have been chosen for the
Presidential Research Scholars Program for 2007-08.
The awardees (in bold) and their
faculty mentors are: Joseph Vazqez
with Dr. Chad Brooks, assistant professor of biology; Ed Hadley and Dr.
Sarah Lundin-Schiller, associate professor of biology; Amy Dexter and
Dr. Matthew Jones, assistant professor of mathematics; Heather Lee and
Barry Jones, assistant professor of art,
and Professor of Art Cindy Marsh;
and Melissa Butner and Dr. J Allyn
Smith, assistant professor of physics
and astronomy.
Working with Brooks, Vazquez
of Derry, N.H., will evaluate the
bacterial effects of melittin on
Borrelia burgdorferi (Bb), the
causative agent in Lyme disease—
the most commonly reported tickborne disease in the U.S. The study
will explore melittin—an amino
acid protein found in honeybee
venom—as a potential therapy for
patients with Lyme disease by
quantifying its bacterial effects on
Bb using Bb-infected mouse animal models.
A Clarksville resident, Hadley will
work on a project to measure the first
step in the production of the receptor
for the hormone, oxytocin. By using a
technique, called the reserve transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction
(PT-PCR), Hadley will measure the
amount of messenger RNA for the
oxytocin receptor being produced by
cells in vitro under various conditions. This will help in understanding
how this endocrine receptor may be
regulated in vivo.
Because of a scheduling conflict
with another research opportunity at
the University of Arizona, Amy
Dexter of Cookeville declined participation in the 2007-08 Presidential Research Scholars Program.
According to Jones, although she
had to decline the program, just
being selected is an honor. The goal
of Dexter’s project was to design
and analyze new models for matching systems. It was mathematical,
using differential equations and stochastic processes.
A Clarksville resident, Lee will
explore the creation and use of computer-generated three-dimensional
models to improve her observational
skills and ability to produce realisticlooking art. By learning a variety of
3-D modeling software and creating
a series of two-dimensional artworks,
she plans to develop a workshop,
with supporting resources, to share
with her peers.
A physics major and astronomy
minor, Butner, Joelton, will study
“Variable Stars in the Sloan Digital
Sky Survey (SDSS) Calibration
Fields.” Her research should reveal
several previously unknown variable stars. Of high importance is
the discovery of pulsating variables
used as distance indicators that can
help map the structure of the Milky
Way galaxy.
According to Dr. Allyn Smith, her
faculty mentor, while finishing her
freshman year at APSU, Butner was
accepted into the National Science
Foundation’s Research Experiences
for Undergraduates for Summer
2007. As such, she will spend much
of the summer in Tucson, Ariz.,
where she will work at the National
Solar Observatory with Dr. Matt
Penn, the telescope scientist for the
McMath/Pierce Solar telescope on
Kitt Peak.
For more information about the
Presidential Research Scholarship
Program, contact Dr. Rebecca Jones,
assistant professor of chemistry, by
telephone at (931) 221-7621 or by email at [email protected]. -- Dennie
B. Burke
InnerAction
E-newsletter for
faculty and staff
July 16, 2007
TBR increases tuition by 6 percent
The Tennessee Board of Regents
voted recently to increase in-state and
out-of-state tuition by 6 percent at all
TBR institutions.
This will increase the annual instate tuition at the University of Memphis by $264 from $4,388 to $4,652
and at the five regional universities by
$230 from $3,828 to $4,058.
At the community colleges,
tuition will go up by $134, from
$2,230 to $2,364. And at technology
centers, tuition will increase by
$111, from $1,857 to $1,968. All
figures are for a full year and for a
full-time student.
Mandatory fee increases also
were approved at the following for a
full year: Austin Peay State University, $171; East Tennessee State
University, $20; Middle Tennessee
State University, $282; Tennessee
State University, $92; Tennessee
Tech University, $160,; University
of Memphis $282. At the community colleges, the following fees were
approved: Cleveland State Community College and Motlow State
Community College $10; Dyersburg
State Community College, Pellissippi State Community College, and
Volunteer State Community College,
$20; Walters State Community College, $24; Roane State Community
College, $26; and Southwest Tennessee Community College, $30.
There were no changes in fees
requested by the Tennessee Technology Centers.
Total cost of attendance including
tuition and mandatory fees, both old
and new, at APSU for a full-time student is $5,238. For other institutions:
ETSU, $4,887; MTSU, $5,278; TSU,
$4,856; TTU, $4,980; U of M, $5,802.
At the community colleges, the average
annual cost of attendance is $2,628.
And at the technology centers, the
annual cost of attendance is $2,168.
According to Chancellor Charles
Manning, “As always, the board was
faced with a difficult task. "We had
the best appropriations year since
1992, but even so, this tuition increase
helps us enormously in being able to
expand our enrollment and educate
more Tennesseans.”
LEAD: New director at post center tapped
FROM PAGE 1
University of Alabama. In 1992-93, he
was selected as the top ROTC instructor in the nation.
As a navigation instructor and inflight evaluator, Cox logged more than
2,100 hours aboard military aircraft.
He served a stint as inspector general
and adviser to the chief executive offi-
cer, Air University, Montgomery, Ala.,
the U.S. Air Force’s premier academic
organization.
Cox’s affiliations include the American Association for Adult and Continuing Education, Tennessee Alliance
for Continuing Education, Capstone
Education Society and the Air Force
Association. -- Dennie B. Burke
DIRECTOR: Library head announced
FROM PAGE 1
staff. He was responsible for planning,
implementing, directing and assessing
such activities as reference, instruction, interlibrary loan and circulation,
reserves and stacks management.
From July 2003-September 2005,
Weber was interim department head of
reference and instructional services. He
was assistant dean of the library for personnel and planning from July 2002July 2005. Prior to that, he was acquisitions librarian, collection department
Submit announcements or other items for
consideration to Melony Leazer by e-mail
at [email protected].
coordinator and associate professor.
Weber has authored several scholarly articles and has been active in myriad campus committees and in the larger community.
He is a member of the American
Library Association, Michigan
Library Association and the Association of College and Research
Libraries.
For more information, contact
Weber by telephone at (931) 2217618. -- Dennie B. Burke
Office of Public Relations and Marketing
Browning Administration Building, Room 206
221-7459
Dennie B. Burke
Executive director
Melony Leazer
Communication specialist, InnerAction editor
July 17, 2007
InnerAction
3
Alum stars in his 1st national tour, ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’
Life has come full circle
for Austin Peay State University alumnus Dale Krupla.
At the age of 12, Krupla
went to a theater in Cleveland,
Ohio, to watch “Jesus Christ
Superstar,” a touring musical
production that first opened on
Broadway in October 1971.
“This was the show that
made me want to do theater,”
said Krupla, who remembers
seeing Ted Neeley headlining
as Jesus.
Krupla, a Brentwood
native, declared theater as his
major at APSU, graduating in
2006. And 14 years after seeing “Jesus Christ Superstar,”
he joins the cast – with Nee-
ley reprising the role for
which he is associated most –
in his first national tour.
Cast as the first priest, Krupla auditioned for the role two
months ago when a former
member left the tour. Awarded
the part, he only had a week
to prepare before the next performance.
“What worked toward my
benefit, though, was that I was
familiar with the musical,”
said Krupla, who appears in
11 numbers in each show.
The tour’s schedule from
city to city follows a routine.
The theater company loads
the bus on the morning of the
performance to travel to the
next venue. Once there, a
series of briefings with the
stage manager, announcements and sound checks are
held – sometimes lasting three
hours.
Before each show, there’s
a half-hour stage call, meaning the entire cast must be in
costume. That’s followed by a
15-minute call, then five and
then “places.”
“Then you do the show,”
Krupla said.
The 2007 tour ended June
12, giving Krupla time to
move from his home in Mesa,
Ariz., to an apartment in New
York City before touring
again in 2008. During the hia-
tus, he will audition for various Broadway shows.
“Actors have to keep their
talent sharp, plus earn a living,” Krupla said.
The national tour also stars
Corey Glover, best known as
the lead singer of the Grammy Award-winning rock band,
Living Colour, as Judas.
Although the 2008 schedule is
not final, the tour will include
a performance at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center, Nashville, Krupla said.
For more information
about the national tour of
“Jesus Christ Superstar,” visit
online at http://www.thejcstour.com/. -- Melony Leazer
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Dale Krupla (‘06) recently
wrapped up his first national tour,
starring in “Jesus Christ
Superstar.”
APSU to host fiction reading Guitar master busy in summer, fall
by Vandy author tonight
Austin Peay State University
will host a fiction reading by Lorraine López, author of “Soy la
Avon Lady and Other Stories,”
winner of the 2002 Marmol Prize
for Latino Fiction.
The reading is
scheduled for 7
tonight in the Morgan University Center, Room 303. A
book signing and
reception will follow Lopez
the event.
The APSU Center
of Excellence for the Creative Arts
and the Tennessee Young Writers
Workshop are co-sponsors
of the reading.
López’s book also won the IPPY
Award for Multicultural Fiction.
Her first novel, "Call Me Henri," is
about urban life but universal in its
themes — the drive for security and
success, the desire for love and
family support and the need for true
friendship.
López currently resides in
Nashville, where she teaches English
at Vanderbilt University.
For more information, call the center at (931) 221-7876. -- Melony Leazer
British-born Dr. Stanley Yates, professor of music and director of guitar
studies at Austin Peay State University, says he will spend the summer
teaching an online music appreciation
class for Austin Peay, as well as teaching and performing at the Cincinnati
Conservatory of Music and VillaMaria College, Buffalo.
In May 2007, Yates confirmed that
a DVD about Spanish guitarist-composer Francisco Tarrega, which Yates
filmed “some time back,” is to be
released soon by the English company, Home TV. “And I’ll be filming
two more DVDs for them this year,”
he said.
Additionally, Yates is completing a
guitar method and teaching DVD for
Mel Bay Publications, slated for
release at the Frankfurt Music Fair
later in the fall.
An international prize-winning performer, recording artist, teacher,
arranger and scholar, Yates was selected recently to the Guitar Foundation
of American Artistic Advisory Board.
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Dr. Stanley Yates has been teaching and
performing at the Cincinnati Conservatory
of Music and Villa-Maria College, Buffalo.
For more information about
APSU’s Guitar Program, contact Yates
by e-mail at [email protected]. -- Dennie B. Burke
NEW EMPLOYEES,
RECENT TRANSFERS
Pamela Ball, business and ticket operations manager in the athletics department.
Eric S. Bates, laboratory-equipment
manager in the department of physics
and astronomy.
Michael H. Dunn, online academic
adviser in the Center for Extended and
Distance Education.
Carrie Harris, secretary in the
Office of Student Life and Leadership.
Brian Hetland, strength and conditioning coordinator in the athletics
department.
Timothy Hurst, assistant vice president for finance.
Kimberley Morrow, associate
director in the Office of Housing/Residence Life.
Melissa Wright, financial aid
assistant.
4
InnerAction
APSU Public Relations earns honors
The Office of Public Relations and
Marketing at Austin Peay State
University won five honors May 18
during the annual meeting of the Tennessee College Public Relations Association (TCPRA) at Vanderbilt
University, Nashville.
APSU won two awards in the Print
Advertisement Category. The University earned the Silver Award for its
“Go for It” advertisement and the
Bronze Award for the “Go Try It On”
ad campaign.
In the Video Advertisement Category, APSU also took two awards –
the Silver Award for its 30-second
“Faces” spot and the Bronze Award
for “Got to Go.” The commercials can
be seen online at http://go.apsu.edu.
In the Brochure/Flier Category,
APSU won the Silver Award for a
full-color, multipage brochure about
the APSU Department of Music. The
brochure also includes a CD of performances by APSU’s student ensembles.
Austin Peay’s contest submissions
were among more than 300 entries
from 16 public and private colleges
and universities across the state.
Also at the TCPRA annual conference, Melony Leazer, communication specialist, was elected to
serve as the organization’s secretary for 2007-08. Other officers are
Greg Pillon, president, Belmont
University; Monica Greppin, president-elect, Tennessee Tech University; and Kim Chaudoin, treasurer,
Lipscomb University.
For more information, contact the
APSU Office of Public Relations and
Marketing by telephone at (931) 2217459. -- Melony Leazer
PLAUDITS
Dr. David Guest, associate professor of English, was appointed chair of
the languages and literature department. He had been serving as interim
chair.
Dr. Sergei A. Markov, assistant
professor of biology, had a paper published in the International Scientific
Journal of Alternative Energy and
Ecology.
The title of the paper is “Biohydrogen: Potential of using algae and bacteria for molecular hydrogen production.”
Dr. Stephen A. Truhon, assistant
professor of psychology, was a reader
for the Educational Testing Service’s
16th annual Psychology Advanced
Placement exam held recently in
Louisville.
July 17, 2007
Biology students win awards
at TAS annual meeting
Several Austin Peay State University students studying biology received
certificates during the Spring 2007
semester for winning honors from the
Tennessee Academy of Sciences,
which held an annual conference last
November at APSU.
The following presentations were
made at the conference (names of
APSU students marked in bold):
• Cell and Molecular Biology: First
place, Payel Datta and Dr. Sarah
Lundin-Schiller, associate professor of
biology. They presented “Demonstration of Cell Proliferation in Estrogen
Receptor Positive Human Breast
Cancer Cell Line T47D by Synthetic
Food Colorants.
• Zoology I: Second place, Sarah
Jo Jenkins and Dr. Andrew N. Barrass, assistant professor of biology and
principal investigator at APSU’s Center of Excellence for Field Biology.
They presented “Monitoring of Site
Fidelity of Pipistrellus Subflavus and
Other Bat Species: Trends and Current
Status in Dunbar Cave State Natural
Area, Montgomery County, Tennessee.”
• Zoology I: Third place, Laura D.
Mills, Dr. Steven H. Hamilton, professor of biology and interim director of
the Center for Field Biology, and Dr.
Joseph R. Schiller, associate professor
of biology. The title of their presentation was “Using Macroinvertebrates to
Determine Impacts of Nonpoint
Source Pollution on Twelve Wetlands
in Tennessee and Kentucky.”
• Zoology II: First place, Jon L.
McMahan, Delacy V. LeBlanc, Dr.
Chad S. Brooks, assistant professor of
biology, Dr. Cindy L. Taylor, associate
professor of biology, and Dr. Betsie B.
Rothermel, assistant professor and
principal investigator for the Center
for Field Biology. Their presentation
was “A Preliminary Survey of
Amphibians in Middle Tennessee for
the Chytrid Fungus.”
• Zoology II: Third place, David C.
Henley, James R. Mawhiney and Dr.
Cindy L. Taylor. The topic was
“Stream Salamander Diversity and
Abundance in Urban and Rural
Streams: A Preliminary Study.”
• Zoology Posters: First place,
Jennifer L. Leach, Lisa M.
Reynolds, Dr. Willodean Burton,
professor of biology, and Don Sudbrink, assistant professor of agriculture. The title of the poster was
“The Diversity and Distribution of
Leaf Litter at APSU EEC: A Comparison of the Cave and Surrounding Areas.”
• Zoology Posters: Third place,
Kelvin L. Pollard II, Optimum B.
Robinson and Dr. Willodean Burton. The title was “Comparative
Analysis of Pastured vs. Forested
Soil With Respect to Soil Fauna,
Nutrients and Abiotic Factors.” -Melony Leazer
IN THE MEDIA
Austin Peay State University was
the school spotlight in the July 2007
issue of G.I. Jobs magazine.
Ryan Forsythe, director of admissions, was quoted in the article.
Don Ferguson, informational
research technician in the Office of
Institutional Research and Effectiveness, was featured in July 6, 2007,
edition of The Leaf-Chronicle. Cofounder of the local Chi Delta Chi
veterans organization, he was quoted
in a story about the group’s annual
fundraisers.
FAREWELL AND WELCOME
A farewell for Dr. Sherry Hoppe and a welcome for
President Tim Hall will be from 2-4 p.m., Tuesday,
July 31 in the lobby of the Browning Administration
Building. All faculty and staff are invited to attend
the reception.
Austin Peay State University, a Tennessee Board of Regents institution, is an
equal opportunity employer committed to the education of a nonracially identifiable student body.
AP13/07-07/0