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Social Science Homecoming Tailgate!
The College of Social Science Homecoming Tailgate will take place on Saturday, October 16!
 
9:30 to 11:30 am
(Noon Kick-Off)
Tailgate tent across from Munn Ice Arena

Join alumni, faculty and students to cheer on the Spartans!
 
RSVP by October 8 to
Vicki Essenmacher at [email protected] or toll free at 1-866-496-6656.

Sociology Professor on national climate change panel

Tom Dietz, Sociology Professor and former director of MSU's Environmental Science and Policy Program, recently completed work on a national panel that concluded what many have assumed: Climate change is very real, is caused by human activities, and that action must be taken soon to reduce this global threat.
 
Dietz served as vice chairperson of the National Research Council panel whose mission was to take a hard look at the science of climate change and help develop a national strategy to deal with the issue. The project was requested by Congress and funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

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MAKE A GIFT. To inquire about making a financial investment, contact Sarah Blom, senior director of development and alumni relations. Give online.

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. To find out more about upcoming alumni events and activities, contact Vicki Essenmacher.

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Greetings!

Greetings!  Students returned to classes last month, and the campus is once again alive with the movement of 45,000+ determined learners. More than 7,100 of those individuals are students of the social, behavioral and economic sciences.

Although we face ongoing economic challenges, I am pleased that our MSU community persists in its commitment to outstanding research and teaching. Scholars in the College continue to ask hard questions on issues relating to the environment and global climate change, security and democracy, health and human development, and global diversity and social inequality. More ...

Marietta L. Baba, Dean and Professor
First research trip across western Amazon yields surprising results
MSU Geography Professor Bob WalkerDuring his unprecedented expedition into the heart of the Amazon, Geography Professor Bob Walker discovered surprising evidence that many of the Brazilian government's efforts to protect the environment are working.
 
As expected, Walker and two fellow scientists - the first research team to travel a 700-mile stretch of the so-called Transamazon Highway in the western Amazon basin - confirmed the existence of illegal logging and gold-mining operations that threaten further damage to the world's largest rainforest. 
But the researchers also found massive areas of undisturbed forest in the form of nationally protected areas and indigenous reserves - as well as examples of where the government had halted unofficial road building, Walker said. To read more, click here.
Emmy-Award Winning Journalist for ABC News is a Social Science Spartan

Since graduating from MSU (Political Science 1974), Emmy award- winning journalist, photographer and artist Jay Schadler has been on an unparalleled journey across America and the planet. He "took the road less travelled" and then just kept going.
 
Schadler turned the writing and research skills he honed at MSU and Syracuse University into a lifelong passon for storytelling. Schadler has spent 29 years with ABC News, reporting for PrimeTime, 20/20, Good Morning America, and Nightline. He also has reported and anchored major specials for the National Geographic Channel and Discovery. In 2004 he returned to the Titanic to cover Bob Ballard's historic reunion with the legendary ship.  More...
Graduate Student Pursues Interdisciplinary Research in Environmental Crime

Just four days before arriving at MSU in the fall of 2008, Criminal Justice doctoral student Jessica Fry was in the Netherlands - where she was born and has spent much of her life - successfully defending her master's thesis.
 
Fry's current research interests lie in the areas of conservation criminology and environmental crime. She is specifically interested in the application of forensic techniques in conservation and environmental law enforcement, and how the availability and level of advancement of these techniques affect the judicial process in these areas. More ...
Social Science Alumni Association Update

As the incoming president for the College of Social Science Alumni Association (CSSAA), I would like to welcome you to MSU and the CSSAA. We invite you to experience all of the energy within Berkey Hall and across campus.

The May 22nd annual board meeting had plenty of action during the business meeting at the newly renovated and beautiful Wharton Center.  The board welcomed new members and sadly said farewell to those whose terms had ended.  The board voted on agenda items and heard a very interesting presentation by Psychology Professor Rebecca Campbell, who received the 2009 CSSAA Outstanding Teaching Award.  The group had an amazing behind-the-scenes tour of Phantom of the Opera culminating with an outstanding matinee performance. More ...

Allyn Shaw (Human Resources & Labor Relations, 1999)
President, College of Social Science Alumni Association

Thinking of a Year-End Gift to MSU?

Maximize your philanthropic dollars by giving to the Social Science Spartan Scholarship Challenge!  MSU will match $1 for every $2 donated to create new scholarships now through December 31.  Interested in increasing your gift to MSU by 50% while providing scholarships for Social Science students?  Give to the Social Science Spartan Scholarship Challenge by clicking here between now and December 31, 2010.

Questions? Contact Sarah Blom at [email protected] or toll free at 1-866-678-2005.

Outstanding Alumnus and Outstanding Professor Honored

At the Social Science Commencement Ceremony in May, the College of Social Science Alumni Association presented an Outstanding Teaching Award to Social Work Professor John Mooradian (PhD Social Work 2000). Students consistently praise his teaching methods, classroom management, and - above all - his knowledge.  "Through interaction, I learn from my students," says Dr. Mooradian. "I value their curiosity, enthusiasm, experiences, challenges, and successes."

 

Retired Brigadier General James Anderson

For more information on the College of Social Science Alumni Association Awards, click here.

(Ph.D. Family and Child Ecology 2000) received

an Outstanding Alumni Award. General Anderson has developed and implemented systems to ensure that deployed Michigan National Guard soldiers are able to return home and successfully reintegrate into their families and communities.

About the College of Social Science