Greetings!

If you're reading this, then the Mayans were wrong, and we are embarking on a new and exciting year. As we say goodbye to 2012 and welcome 2013 with all of the promise that each new year brings, I would like to take a moment to highlight scholarship, not only the financial sums of money that donors help the University provide to its best and brightest students but also those qualities inherent to the students that make them the best and brightest. 

There is indeed something within those young scholars that sets them apart and compels them to the front of the flock - something to be marveled at, something to be celebrated, something to be cultured. That is what the College strives to do: enable each and every student that passes through the doors of one of its multitude of classes to foster his or her intrinsic potential and become the best student, the best professional, and the best person he or she can possibly be. We accomplish this goal in a variety of ways, including, but not limited to, the one-on-one mentorship of faculty, community outreach programs, and the provision of monetary awards.

This month marks the first that we highlight a student scholarship recipient in the newsletter section "At the Front of the CLASS." As you will read below, through the inspiration of faculty members and the opportunities made available to her through scholarship awards, music major Caitlin Long has been able to make the most of her time and education at Georgia Southern, performing during various conferences and tours and seeing the world, experiences that foster her growth as a musician and a person. Caitlin says her goal is to obtain a doctorate in music and to become a professor; we wish her the best in these endeavors and know that she, too, will be the kind of educator that reaches out to her students and helps them to grow, both in- and outside of the classroom's walls.

Community outreach programs allow the College and University to help those in the areas surrounding us to take advantage of our resources to enrich the community. The Eagle Nation in Education project's goal is to do just that, and recently Kelsey Fallin, a seventh-grade student at William James Middle School in Statesboro, was announced as the winner of the county-wide competition. Over the coming months, Kelsey will work with Janet Suarez, an M.F.A. candidate in the Betty Foy Sanders Department of Art, to embellish a 6-foot-tall fiberglass Eagle Nation on Parade statue with her design, "Statesboro Nation." The completed work will be unveiled at the University's annual ArtsFest event on April 6 and will be installed at William James Middle School shortly thereafter. Once installed, the base of the eagle will forever bear Kelsey's name - a permanent honorarium to her scholarship in art and contribution to her school, trends we hope she continues far into the future. 

I would like to wish you the happiest of New Years. Please keep the College informed of your own scholarship, the events (honors, awards, promotions, and successes) of your life, through the online alumni survey or sending an email to [email protected]du.

With warmest regards, 

The Department of Music is always bustling with activity, presenting 100 to 150 free public concerts annually for the Georgia Southern and Statesboro communities. These performances are only the most visible of the many activities undertaken by the talented music faculty and students. Each year faculty and students participate in activities that promote the University and the music program within the community and far beyond.

The latest endeavor is the Sylvia and William Gretsch Memorial Foundation: Boys & Girls
Clubs of Bulloch County Music Education Partnership, which began in Fall 2012. Supported by
the generosity of Mr. Fred Gretsch, president of the Gretsch Company, a world leader in the
manufacture of drums and guitars, this program brings students to campus twice a week for
lessons in guitar and world percussion instruments. Under the direction of Dr. Laura Stambaugh,
the graduate and undergraduate music majors who provide these lessons gain valuable teaching experience while benefitting local students who otherwise would not have access to music lessons. A recital takes place at the end of each 12-week session, and response to the new program has been very positive, a win-win situation.

On an international note, the Southern Chorale, led by Dr. Shannon Jeffreys, has been accepted to compete in the fourth International Anton Bruckner Choir Competition and Festival in Linz, Austria, in May. There is much excitement in the Department and across campus as preparations are under way for this prestigious event, where choirs from around the world compete for prizes and international ranking. Being accepted into the competition is already great publicity for Georgia Southern, but winning it would make us the first school in Georgia to do so. Everyone has been working hard on perfecting the music and raising funds to make the trip possible. After the competition the singers will proceed to Italy, where they will visit several cities, including Florence and Rome, where they will sing in St. Peter's Cathedral. Community members interested in participating in this historic trip should contact the music department.

In addition to serving as elected officials of national and international organizations, music
faculty members and students pursue activities that lead to presentations and publications.
Highlights in this area include Dr. Greg Harwood's two 2012 book publications - a revised and
expanded edition of Giuseppe Verdi: A Research and Information Guide, and, with co-author Dr. Deborah Burton of Boston University, a scholarly annotated English translation of Francesco Galeazzi's Elementi teorico-pratici di musica, Vol. 2, published by the University of Illinois Press. Dr. Bill Schmid recently published 20 arrangements for both brass quintet and brass quartet with Really Good Music, LLC. Dr. John Thompson, the 2012 recipient of the CLASS Award for Excellence and regular presenter at national and international conferences, also promotes student research, encouraging submission to professional and research conferences. This fall his music technology graduate student Zach Berkowitz was selected for a presentation at an international music conference in Slovenia, and 2012 graduate Michael Palmese had his review of John Adams' The Gospel According to the Other Mary published in the October 2012 issue of Tempo, the premier English-language journal devoted to 20th Century and contemporary concert music. Also in October the Department's Magnolia String Quartet and pianist Kaisaer Ainiwaer each won first place at the Georgia Music Teachers Association annual competition. They will represent Georgia Southern and the state in the regional auditions in Greensboro, N.C.

These are only a few of the many exciting activities going on in the music department. For a
more complete view we recommend you stop by and see for yourself what the buzz is all about.

Communication Arts  

Several students have been nominated to represent Georgia Southern at the Region VI Kennedy Center/American College Theatre Festival. Students selected for acting include, from Fuenteovejuna: Greg Hernandez, Christopher Hunt, and Karen Aguirre; from Barefoot in the Park: Matt Morris and Aubrie Fils; from Joe Turner's Come and Gone: Brian Coote and Briona Johnson; and from Triangle Factory Fire Project: Amanda Starling, Julianne Norkus, and Lori Beth Dickey. Students selected for stage management include Brandon Muggy for Fuenteovejuna and Triangle Factory Fire Project and Gage Crook for Barefoot in the Park and 1940's Radio Hour. Students nominated for lighting design include Zoe Campbell for Fuenteovejuna and Matt Morris for 1940's Radio Hour. Students nominated for sound design include Ethan Coker for Barefoot in the Park, Zoe Campbell for 1940's Radio Hour, and Brandon King for Triangle Factory Fire Project. Students selected for scenic design include Zoe Campbell for Triangle Factory Fire Project and Patrick Galletta for 1940's Radio Hour, and Austin Bolay was nominated for directing Barefoot in the Park.

Faculty nominations for the Region VI Kennedy Center/American College Theatre Festival include James Harbour for directing Triangle Factory Fire Project, Sarah McCarroll for the costume design of 1940's Radio Hour, and Lisa Abbott for directing Fuenteovejuna.

Sociology and Anthropology

The Cluskey Embankment Stores

A student team led by Andrew Ayala and principal investigator Dr. Sue Moore is working with the City of Savannah to excavate the 170-year-old Cluskey Embankment Stores vaults at the Drayton Street Ramp on Bay Street. The Cluskey Embankment Stores were completed in 1842, and though they have been used for parking over the past several decades, their historical use remains unclear. The goal of the excavation project is to help Savannah better tell the story of the Cluskey Embankment Stores, including how they were used and what types of goods were stored in them. Once complete, the City plans to install appropriate signage and interpretation to convey the site's historical significance.

The entryway to the Archaeology Lab

The entryway to the Department's Archaeology Lab recently obtained a facelift when screens featuring graduate student Mathew Newberry and alumna Misty Giles were installed. The graphics were designed by Suzanne Tatum and Ray Hoffman in the University's Department of Marketing and Communications and were installed by Action Signs. 

Professor April M. Schueths had two articles printed in December: "Navigating Around Educational Road Blocks: Mentoring for Pre-K to 20+ Latino/a Students," which she wrote with Miguel A. Carranza, in Latino Studies and "Where Are My Rights? Compromised Citizenship in Mixed-Status Marriage" in the Journal of Sociology and Social Welfare. 

Writing and Linguistics

Assistant Professor Emma Bolden's essay "Love Have They Waited, Long Have They Planned" will soon be published in Barely South Review.

Assistant Professor Jared Sexton's short story "Maggie" has been accepted for publication by The Southern Humanities Review. Sexton has also been invited to be a featured reader at the 2013 Little Grassy Literary Festival at Southern Illinois University.

Lecturer Peggy Lindsey has been elected secretary of the Second Language Writing Interest Section for the International Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages Association.

History

Three graduate students have had papers recently accepted by conferences. Ashley Ellington's "France in the Spanish Civil War" has been tentatively accepted for presentation at the annual meeting of the Southwestern Social Sciences Association, which will be held in New Orleans on March 27-30. Shannon Browning Mullis' "Shifting Alliances and Reconstructing Identity: The Bushmen in the South African Defense Force" and Kimberly Knipe's "The Effectiveness of Aid Organizations in Liberia" have been accepted for presentation at the 12th annual Graduate Research Symposium at the College of William and Mary on March 22 and 23. 

Professor Bill Allison gave a public lecture, "My Lai and Memory in the Vietnam War," at Bucknell University on Nov. 28.

Professor Jeff Burson's "Reflections on Enlightenment Pluralization and the Notion of Theological Enlightenment as Process" was published in the December edition of French History, and another of his articles, "Reassessing the Role of the Abb� in Enlightenment Paris," was recently published in Ideas, Aesthetics, and Inquiries in the Early Modern Era, 1650-1850. Earlier in the semester, Burson presented "Enlightenment and Local Communities in Eighteenth-Century Europe" at the European History Section of the Southern Historical Association. 

Professor Timothy Teeter's "Payment Record" was published in Papyrological Texts in Honor of Roger S. Bagnall, and his "A Fragment of Ephraim the Syrian" was published in Literarische Texte der Berliner Papyrussammlung (Berliner Klassiker Texte 10).

Professor Anastatia Sims presented "Savannah's Daisy: Juliette Gordon Low" as the featured speaker at the holiday luncheon of the Savannah Chapter of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution on Dec. 11.

Forrest Rackham

Psychology

The Department awarded its first doctorate in clinical psychology (Psy.D.) during the University's Dec. 14 commencement ceremony. Forrest Rackham entered the program in Fall 2007 as part of the University's first cohort of Psy.D. students and has completed coursework that included summer courses and practicum experience. The Psy.D. program, now in its fifth year, will soon become eligible for accreditation from the American Psychological Association.

Foreign Languages

Youssef Salhi will join the Department in Fall 2013 as a lecturer of Arabic. Salhi, a native of Morocco, received his M.A. with a concentration in linguistics from the University of Louisville. Before coming to Georgia Southern, Salhi held full-time positions at Eckerd College and the University of Tampa. Dr. Angela Pinilla-Herrera will also join the Department in the fall as an assistant professor of Spanish. Pinilla-Herrera completed her doctoral studies in at the University of Minnesota, concentrating in Hispanic and Luso-Brazilian literatures and linguistics. Her dissertation, "�Realidades (in)alterables? Pr�cticas ling��sticas de tres hablantes biling�es en su temprana adultez en una escuela secundaria del medio oeste," explores in a microcosm the linguistic, social, and pragmatic challenges and realities of that are apparent in the larger macrocosm of Spanish-English bilingualism in the United States.

Art

Ceramics Professor Derek Larson had two solo exhibitions: Leveling the Genres at the Vox Populi Gallery in Philadelphia on Dec. 7-30 and The Floridian Sweats at the Microscope Gallery in Brooklyn on Dec. 3.