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Annual awards luncheon acknowledges faculty achievements, scholarly projects
 David Thompson was honored as the recipient of the college's 2014 Distinguished Teaching Award at last week's annual end-of-year celebration and awards luncheon. Mike Keleher was awarded the 2014 Distinguished Service Award. Stephanie Foote, Richard Mosholder and Heather Scott were each provided with a University College Professional Development Award for current scholarly endeavors.
Thompson, who joined the college in 2007, teaches first-year seminars, public speaking, and honors courses. He is a strong proponent of undergraduate research, working with several first-year students to develop papers that they have presented at national academic conferences. He is the author or co-author of multiple publications and successful grant proposals dedicated to teaching and learning, and he was previously honored as Professor of the Year at Loras College.
Thanks to funding from the Provost's Office, the Faculty Development & Awards Committee selected three winners of the Professional Development Award. Each received $500 to assist in funding current scholarship projects. Foote will continue her research related to transfer student success, and Scott will further her work in the area of women and leadership. Mosholder is working on a collaborative project with KSU colleagues to improve student success in learning communities.
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Keleher named INTS Director as of July 1
 The winner of the 2014 Distinguished Service Award not only has a new award for his office but also a new title. University Studies Chair Becky Casey has appointed Mike Keleher to serve as Director of the Integrative Studies degree program effective July 1. Keleher, who is currently the INTS Assistant Director, will convert to a 12-month faculty position to lead the college's undergraduate degree program. Ree Howard, who agreed to serve as the Interim INTS Director for this semester, will assume the permanent role of Assistant Director in July.
According to documents provided by Enterprise Information Management, out of 51 possible majors Integrative Studies was the 20th largest undergraduate degree program in FY13 and the fifth fastest-growing program in terms of graduates. At its final meeting in May, the Undergraduate Policies & Curriculum Committee (UPCC) voted to approve changes to the INTS degree on first reading. The second reading and final vote will occur at the first UPCC meeting in August. The changes will create three tracks for the degree program: Specialized Studies, Environmental Studies, and General Studies. The Environmental Studies will no longer be offered post-consolidation, however, since SPSU has an Environmental Science degree program, and the College of Humanities and Social Science is developing a proposal for an Environmental Policy degree.
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Phi Eta Sigma honored at Golden O's
KSU's Phi Eta Sigma chapter, which is advised by Kathy Matthews, won both the the "Humanitarian Jewel Initiative" and "Program of the Year" awards at Student Life's annual Golden O's ceremony. The chapter was lauded for its "Ghost Out Program," which it sponsored last fall.
Two Phi Eta Sigma officers received scholarships from the national honors society to continue their studies at KSU. Both Jill Thompson (President) and Adam Gates (Treasurer) received $6,000 scholarships in recognition of their academic achievements, leadership capabilities, and passion for service.
Phi Eta Sigma is a national honor society for first-year college students.
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Law graduates from John Marshall Law
 KSU alumna Chinny Law graduated with her law degree from John Marshall Law School last week. Law, who will once again serve as a temporary full-time Lecturer in the Department of First-Year and Transition Studies in the fall, will spend the summer preparing to take Georgia's bar exam.
Law received both her undergraduate and master's degrees from KSU and was active in the Center for Student Leadership. She has taught KSU 1101 and KSU 1111 in the college and will return this fall to teach several sections of "Tomorrow's World Today."
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Smith selected for Blended Learning Institute
 Debbie Smith will be spending a week in June and a day in July honing her teaching skills within the hybrid environment. Smith was selected as a participant in CETL's Institute for Blended Teaching and Learning.
According to the website, "the Institute will include sessions on blended teaching and learning pedagogy, structured work time, and consultation time with facilitators." Smith serves as the coordinator for the Leadership Studies certificate program and teaches in both hybrid and online environments.
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