College of Education and Human Performance
- Southern Arkansas University has been ranked #12 in the nation as the Best Online Master’s Degree in Kinesiology by University HQ. Congratulations to HPSS Department Chair Steve Dingman and his amazing faculty and staff!
- The Human Performance and Sports Sciences Department dedicated their new Human Performance Lab in October. Students from the Exercise Prescription & Fitness Program class provided information and demonstrations of how advanced equipment, such as the VO2master, InBody 570, Kaatsu C3 BFR cuffs, Push Band and Watt Bike, will play a pivotal role in shaping their future careers. The event was an informative and exciting opportunity for students to share their insights with members of the University.
- SAU paid 50 student-teachers working in southwest Arkansas during the fall, double the number of residents since the launch of their paid residency partnerships in the spring. The education department graduates more than 10% of all first-year university-prepared public school teachers in the state.
- Casey Henry was recently named Teacher of the Month for November at Grimsley Junior High School. Casey is a candidate in the SAU Master of Arts in Teaching program.
- Dr. Jessica Samples, SPED M.Ed. program director and counseling and professional studies department chair, presented at the Council for Exceptional Children TED Conference in Long Beach, California, in November. The presentation “Seas the Day!” Transforming Teacher Prep to Include SPED Training was a collaboration between Dr. Samples, Dr. Neelie Dobbins and Dr. Lynze Greathouse.
- Dr. Megan Quebedeaux, assistant professor of education, was accepted to speak at the International AICMSE 2024 Harvard University Conference on Multidisciplinary Studies and Education in Spring 2024. She will be presenting on Self-Efficacy in the Writing Classroom: Goldfish in the Wild.
Dempsey College of Liberal and Performing Arts
- Drew Leder, a senior instrumental music education major from Stuttgart, AR, composed Who is He? Leder served as student conductor of the ensemble for the premiere at the Fall Wind Ensemble concert in October. Drew is a member of the Mulerider Marching Band, Jazz Band, and the Chamber Singers.
- Dr. Shannin Schroeder, a professor in the Department of Modern Languages, is serving the second of two years as President of Sigma Tau Delta, the international English Honor Society. She has served as the Executive Board’s Secretary/Treasurer and Vice President/President-elect. Dr. Schroeder is especially delighted to fill this role through 2024, which marks the Society’s 100th anniversary. She is the advisor for SAU’s Sigma Tau Delta chapter and has traveled with SAU student participants to every convention since 2000.
- Shannon Evans, Dr. Elizabeth Gloyd, and Dr. Deborah Wilson had a poster presentation titled “Stranger Danger”: Perceptions of Safety from College Students at the Southwestern Association of Criminal Justice (SWACJ) in Little Rock in October.
- In October, students in World War II: The Pacific class and Honors College students took a trip to the Japanese-American Internment Museum in McGehee, AR, followed by a stop at the Rohwer Memorial Heritage Site where more than 8,000 first-generation Japanese immigrants and second-generation Japanese-American citizens were forcibly interned during World War II. The trip was sponsored jointly by the History, Political Science, and Geography department and the Honors school.
- SAU hosted the third Arkansas Indie Fest in October, where Indie developers attended workshops and showcased their video games, tabletop games, animation shorts, short films and zines. Keynote speakers Ahmed and Khalil Abdullah, cofounders of Decoy Games, kicked off the event.
Rankin College of Business
- Students and faculty traveled to Houston in September. Alums arranged company visits related to their majors. Some of the stops included PwC, Frito Lay, HCA Healthcare Gulf Coast Supply Chain, HCA Houston Healthcare, an Astros game, and dinner with area alumni.
- Financial literacy expert, CEO, author, and educator Dara Duguay presented financial fitness tips to over 300 students as the Peoples Bank Speaker in September.
- Backpack to Briefcase was held on September 25-29. Highlights of the week included visits from alumni sharing career opportunities with first and second-year students, a networking event, and mock interviews.
- Curtis Malone ’96 of MegaSack served as
Entrepreneur in Residence in November, talking
with classes and presenting to the students and
faculty. In the evening, the in-person finals for
the Entrepreneur Pitch & Idea Competition
(EPIC) took place in Foundation Hall. Ten
student projects were selected from the virtual
round to compete in a live presentation judged
by local business professionals. - A Master of Science in Business Analytics
was added to the Rankin College of Business
graduate offerings. With a STEM designation,
this program is expected to attract many
students. - The Finance program was reconfigured to offer
an emphasis in risk management and insurance,
which will prepare the large number of students
entering that field. - The SOAR sustainability committee led a
campus book drive, recycling or rehoming over
1800 books.
College of Science and Engineering
- The Department of Biology and the College of
Science and Engineering hosted a weeklong
Summer Health Professions Education Camp
in June for high school students interested
in health care careers. Organized by Dr.
Antoinette Odendaal and Ms. Stacey Hickson
of the College of Science and Engineering, the
camp was part of a collaborative grant from the
Arkansas Department of Health and the Centers
of Disease Control and Prevention. Laboratory
and other camp activities were facilitated by
SAU faculty and SAU Pre-Health majors. - Dr. Hayder Zghair, assistant professor of
industrial engineering in the College of Science
and Engineering, was presented the Industry
4.0 Award in June during the Industrial
Engineering and Operation Management
(IEOM) International Society conference in
Houston, Texas. Dr. Zghair was recognized
for his contributions to Industry 4.0 education
and lab development as well as promoting the
Industry 4.0 initiative. - Hannah Harcrow, Andrew Wood, and Jackson
Roberson traveled to the University of Arkansas
at Little Rock to participate in a cyber security
challenge event hosted by JOLT in October.
The team was guided by Dr. Rami Alroobi and
Dr. Bruhadeshwar Bezawada. The trip was
made possible by SAU Foundation. - SAU Engineering Department partnered
with Southern Aluminum for an experiential
learning opportunity. Fifteen students began
work-study projects on lean manufacturing and
production system quality. The collaboration
was made possible by a $31,200 grant. - Dr. Hayder Zghair was elected to the Board of
Officers and Directors of the Environmental
and Engineering Division at the American
Society of Engineering Education (ASEE). - Dr. Adrian Showalter, assistant professor of biology and cancer biologist, received a $50,000 instrumentation grant from the NIH-funded Arkansas INBRE (Arkansas IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence). The funds will provide an inverted microscope, used to provide high-resolution, three-dimensional images of biological specimens, including breast cancer cells that Dr. Showalter uses to study the chemotherapeutic efficacy of metal-bound nanoparticles. The microscope will be housed in the Science Building at SAU.
- Dr. James Hyde, associate professor of biology and neuroscientist, presented his research on the connection between brain structure and mental health at a meeting of the Magnolia Rotary Club in November.
- Biology professors Jesse Filbrun and Abe Tucker led a Biology Club trip to the Ouachita Mountains Biological Station, near Mena, AR, where students explored the unique biodiversity of the Ouachita Mountains region, including crayfish, salamanders, frogs, zooplankton, birds, insects, fungi, and plants.
- In November, Dr. Md. Hasanuzzaman, associate professor of computer science, presented his research entitled “Evaluate Effectiveness of NAO Robot to Train with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)” at the IEEE International Conference on Cognitive and Machine Intelligence (IEEE Cog MI) in Atlanta, Georgia.
- Dr. Tara Almand, associate professor of nursing, was named the 2022-2023 Golisano Health Leadership Award honoree for her commitment to supporting the athletes of Special Olympics Arkansas.
