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College of
Dean
Dr. Andrzej Wierzbicki
Associate Dean
Dr. S. L. Varghese
Dr. Victoria L. Rivizzigno
Assistant Dean
Dr. Robert L. Coleman
Assistant to the Dean
Dr. Donald DeVore
Faculty Advisors
Ms. Nadia Bush
Dr. Robert L. Coleman
Editor
Katlyn Conklin
Designer
Daniel Moran
Contributors
Jimena Bellido
Destinee Bliss
Kendall Goldman
Jessica Head
Noah Logan
Catherine K. Pitman
Kristi Williams
Members of
USAs Public
Relations Student
Society of America, Public
Relations Council of Alabama
and Southern Public Relations
Federation chapter wrote and
designed the contents of this
publication.
University of South Alabama
College of
Deans Letter
As Dean of the College of Arts
& Sciences, I invite you to explore
the Spring 2014 Newsletter for the
College. As you will see, a lot of
important things are happening
with faculty, staff, students and
alumni. For example, this edition
of the Newsletter features Mr.
Jason Guynes, Chairperson of the
Department of Visual Arts. Mr.
Guynes won Best in Show for his
self-portrait at the biennial Art of
the State exhibition at the Tennessee
Valley Museum of Art. You will
also want to read the two articles
that highlight the important work
being done through two College
of Arts & Sciences Centers, Dr.
Steve Picous Coastal Resource and
Resiliency Center, and Dr. Jennifer Langhinrichsen-Rohlings Gulf Coast Behavioral Health and
Resiliency Center. The creation of both Centers is directly related to funds from the settlement
of the Deep Water Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Both Centers have significant impact
on the Gulf Coast community. Other articles feature Dr. Vicky Rivizzigno, Associate Dean of the
College, who will be retiring soon, Dr. Sarah Koon-Magnin of the Department of Political Science/
Criminal Justice, and Dr. Lesley Gregoricka, of the Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and
Social Work.
The Department of Music is always performing at the highest levels, and this is very evident in
the Newsletters article on the USA Trumpet Ensembles trip to perform at the Valley Forge. The
Alumni Spotlight page features Megan Heatherly (a Spanish and International Studies double
major) and Ashley Hoye (Communication major). You will also find news about recent graduates
Sandra Huynh, Kaila Matson, Jake Howell, and Micah Crenshaw.
This edition of the Newsletter also highlights four members of the Deans Leadership Council
(DLC): Ms. Gigi Armbrecth, Chairperson of the DLC, Mr. Jerry Friedlander, Dr. Sally Caldwell,
and Mr. Bill Oppenheimer. The other members of the DLCDr. M. Allam Baaheth, Mrs. Patricia
McCrory, Dr. Woody Hannum, Dr. Paul Helminger, Ms. Rickie Voit, and Mr. John McCallwill
be spotlighted in subsequent Newsletters. The DLC members are people in the community
committed to the mission of the College of Arts & Sciences, and particularly, the DLC members
help finding funding support from the community for A & S priorities.
The Newsletter concludes with some faculty and staff news about grants, publications,
conferences and other accolades. In addition, there is an article about high percentage of A & S
majors in Mortar Board, the senior honors society, and about the A & S faculty members selected
as Top Profs by the students in Mortar Board.
As you will see, this Newsletters purpose is to inform you about the outstanding
accomplishments of our faculty, students, alumni and supporters. I am happy to share their
accomplishments with you, and I welcome your feedback on this
issue and on the College of Arts & Sciences as a whole.
Dr. Andrzej Wierzbicki
Dean College of Arts and Sciences
On the Cover
Created by Jason Guynes, the 50th Anniversary mural at Moulton Plaza is a representation of the
many facets of the university: teaching, research, student life, health care and outreach.
Trumpet
Ensemble
Performs
for Guild
Student
News
Student Corner:
Catherine Zivanov: NSF-REU AWARD WINNER
One USA student was given the privilege of receiving
a travel grant to attend the 247th American Chemical
Society (ACS) National Meeting this past March.
Catherine Zivanov, a sophomore Chemistry major,
received this special grant by the National Science
Foundation Research Experiences for Undergraduates
(NSF-REU). The program supports undergraduate
students with their active research in any areas funded
by the NSF.
Zivanov heard about the grant from Dr. Anne
Boeettcher, the NSF-REU program coordinator for USA,
and from Dr. David Forbes, Chair of the Department of
Chemistry as well as Zivanovs research mentor.
Catherine Zivanov was one of 10 students selected
out of over 100 applicants to participate in the 2013 NSFREU Site on Structure and Function of Proteins hosted
by the University of South Alabama, said Boettcher.
I was excited when I found out I was one of the
recipients, Zivanov stated when asked about the award.
Previous to attending the conference, Zivanov said she
was looking forward to presenting at the ACS National
Meeting and gathering with chemists from all over
the country. The theme was Chemistry and Materials
for Energy and featured thousands of expositions on
breakthrough science discoveries. Topics ranged from
health and nutrition to medicine and the environment.
Zivanov presented her project, which focused on the
synthesis and analysis of norcantharidin analogs as
protein phosphatase inhibitors. When asked about why
attending this meeting would make a difference in her
career, Zivanov said its all about networking. Being
able to explore career options, especially those outside of
the realm of academia, is so important. It was great being
College of
Katie
Strickland,a
junior Chemistry
major and minor
in Mathematics,
is spending the
2014 summer
in Australia
at Deakin
University, doing
researching
with Dr. Maria
Forsyth, Professor
of Materials
Engineering.
Nick Grondin,
a sophomore
Meteorology
major, has been
awarded the
Undergraduate
Hollings
Scholarship, a
prestigious award
of up to $8,000
for two academic
years of full-time
study. Recipients
also get a 10week, full-time
internship ($650/
week), during
the summer at a
National Oceanic
and Atmospheric
Administration
(NOAA) facility.
Rachel Austin,
a Criminal Justice
major, has been
selected to receive
one of the nine
awards given
nationally through
the J. Edgar
Hoover Memorial
Scholarship
Program.
This award is
administered by
the Society of
Former Special
Agents of the
Federal Bureau of
Investigation, Inc.
Alumni
News
Sandra Huynh
(BA 12), a Biology
major, is working
at the Gulf Coast
Research Lab and
begins Oregon
State Universitys
graduate program
next fall.
Kaila Matson
(BA 11), a
Chemistry major
and previous
recipient of
the Goldwater
Scholar, is
finishing her Ph.D.
in Chemistry at
the University of
California Santa
Barbara.
Jake Howell
(BA 12), a Biology
major, is currently
working on his
graduate thesis at
the University of
Mississippi. He
plans to spend
this summer
in Mexico,
completing field
work on a new
project.
Micah
Crenshaw
McKibben
(BA 12), an Art
History major,
currently works
at the Mitchell
Cancer Center
and begins
the University
of Alabamas
Masters Program
in Art History this
fall.
in Washington, D.C.
She began as an intern for
Kathleen Sebelius (pictured left),
Secretary of the Department of
Health and Human Services, and
this experience led her to another
internship in D.C.
The internship was an, incredible
and rewarding experience, Hoye
says. She beat out applicants
from very prestigious schools,
including Harvard University and
Yale University, and the reward,
she notes, was a life changing
experience.
She worked in the National
Mall, surrounded by many of the
most powerful and influential
leaders in the Capital. Through her
internship, Hoye was repeatedly
surrounded by U.S. Senators and
U.S. Representatives as well as other
noted government officials.
Her experience as an intern in
the office of the Assistant Secretary
College of
Louisiana,
Mississippi,
Alabama and
Florida, he
added.
In the postdisaster period,
Dr. Picou trained
more than 600
peer listeners,
providing them
the skills to help
rebuild social
capital and to
contribute to the recovery of
their communities
This is one of many steps
Picou and Dr. Keith Nicholls,
Associate Director of CRRC,
have taken in order to help
stabilize the communities
affected by the oil spill. The role
of community health workers
and volunteer peer health
advocates includes building
trust and social networks across
the region, while also providing
referrals and information to
residents in need of help.
The peer listener concept
is one strategy for building
therapeutic social relationships
and, in effect, rebuilding trust,
reducing self-isolation and
providing distressed survivors
with important resources for
overcoming adversity, Picou
stated.
As one of the major programs
housed within the CRRC, the
Community Health Workers
Training Project (CHWTP) is
tasked with training CHWs as
part of the overall Gulf Region
Health Outreach Program. The
primary objective of this effort
is to enhance primary and
behavioral healthcare capacity
Langhinrichesen-Rohling Leads
Community Health Awareness
Dr. Jennifer Langhinrichsen-Rohling,
Professor of Psychology at USA, is the
Director of the newly established Gulf Coast
Behavioral Health and Resiliency Center
(GCBHRC). This Center was established
through the Gulf Region Health Outreach
Program (GRHOP) which is series of four
integrated five-year projects to strengthen
healthcare in Gulf Coast communities in
Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and the
Florida Panhandle. GRHOP was developed
jointly by BP and the Plaintiffs Steering
Committee as part of the Deepwater
Horizon Medical Benefits Class Action
Settlement. The ultimate goal of the outreach
program is to ensure that residents of the
Gulf Region are informed about their own
health and have access to sustainable, high
quality, integrated healthcare. The program
particularly targets residents who are
medically underserved or uninsured and are
receiving care in Federally Qualified Health
Centers in 17 coastal counties and parishes
located in the coastal areas of the four
impacted states.
Dr. Langhinrichsen-Rohlings component
of GRHOP is called the Mental and
Behavioral Health Capacity ProjectAlabama. This component is a five-year
grant to advance integrated mental and
behavioral health care, to provide training
in and access to evidence-based mental
and behavioral health treatment, and to
increase the overall well-being of at-risk
individuals and families in Mobile and
Baldwin counties. To help accomplish these
lofty goals, Dr. Langhinrichsen-Rohling and
her team have created a significant health
entity, the Gulf Coast Behavioral Health and
Resiliency Center that did not previously
exist in Lower Alabama.
Langhinrichsen-Rohling describes
her job as one of creating and enhancing
partnerships to enhance integrated mental
and behavioral health. Project partners
include Franklin Primary Health, the Mobile
County Health Center, and the Mobile and
Baldwin Public School systems among
others. The GCBHRC is also partnering with
the USA/Alapointe Psychiatry Residency
College of
Gigi Armbrecht
Ms. Gigi Armbrecht,
Chairperson of the Deans
Leadership Council, graduated
from the University of Alabama
with a Bachelor of Science in
Elementary Education. Later,
she earned two Masters
degrees from the University of
South Alabama: one in Special
Education, and the other in
Sociology.
She served two full terms
on the USA National Alumni
Association Board of Directors
and received the Distinguished
Alumni Award for Public
Service in 2009.
As a lifetime member of the
Alumni Association, Armbrecht
is grateful for the education she
received at the University of
South Alabama. She emphasizes
the importance of being
involved at the University and
sees it as a way to help others get
the level of education they need
to build the lives and careers
they want.
College of
Gerald Jerry
Friedlander
Mr. Gerald Jerry
Friedlander received a Bachelor
of Science degree in Economics
from the Wharton School at
the University of Pennsylvania
in 1961. In 1964, he received a
Bachelor of Law degree from
Harvard Law School, and in
2008 he obtained a graduate
certification in gerontology
from the University of South
Alabama, where he received
the Outstanding Gerontology
Graduate Student Award for
2007-2008.
Friedlander utilized his
training at USA to jump-start
a short but meaningful career
in gerontology at the South
Alabama Regional Planning
Commission, Area Agency on
Aging. He retired in 2012.
He says he enjoys meeting
exceedingly talented
undergraduate students who
have regaled their years at
school and he likes to talk it
up to anyone who will listen.
Sarah Caldwell
Dr. Sarah Sally Caldwell
holds a Doctorate in School
Administration from the
University of Missouri-St. Louis
and a Masters degree from the
University of Hawaii.
As an educational consultant,
specializing in character
education and professional
development, Caldwell has
served on program evaluations
of several large-scale character
education initiatives, working
with over 200 schools in a fourstate area and with national
professional organizations.
Caldwells ties to USA include
her father-in-law James F.
Caldwell, who served as Vice
President for Development from
1964 to 1975, and the James
and Ivel Caldwell Scholarship
in International Studies,
which she and her husband,
Jim, started with other family
members in 1993 to honor her
husbands parents. Jim Caldwell
is a past member of the Deans
Leadership Council.
William W.
Oppenheimer
Mr. William W. Oppenheimer,
a native of Mobile, earned a
Bachelor of Arts degree from
Yale University in 1975.
In 2006, his company, Enveloc,
Inc., a privately held, full service
offsite data backup and storage
provider, moved its corporate
headquarters to the USA
Technology and Research Park
on campus.
Oppenheimers career
objective is to continue to grow
his company by providing a
superior product and service.
He is drawn towards outdoor
activities, especially turkey
hunting, a passion hes pursued
for over 50 years.
Koon-Magnin teaches
introductory classes in criminal
justice and upper-level classes
in theory as well as a special
topics course in Sexual Violence.
Students who take her classes
have a clear understanding of
Criminal Justice after taking her
class.
Since her arrival at the USA
in 2011, Koon-Magnin has been
involved with the Violence
Prevention Alliance and the
Gender Studies program, and
her research has focused on the impact of laws for preventing sexual
violence. The majority of her publications concentrate on perceptions
of the appropriateness of early sexual activity as it relates to statutory
rape legislation. She has also assisted with programming on campus
to bring attention to the issues of gender-based violence and sexual
assault. Along with South being recognized as a high research
activity university by the Carnegie Foundation, Koon-Magnin notes
that USA continues to develop and improve.
Indeed, Koon-Magnin says she particularly enjoys the people
at USA and the universitys growth. According to Koon-Magnin,
There are so many great teachers, researchers and students all
working to help USA continue to grow and thrive as a community.
College of
10
College of
Faculty News
Dr. Glen Borchert,
Assistant Professor in the
Department of Biology,
received the National
Science Foundations
most prestigious award,
the NSF Career Award
for Genetic Mechanisms
in 2014.
Dr. Philip Carr,
Professor of Sociology,
Anthropology, and
Social Work, and Dr.
Diedra Dees, Poarch
Band of Creek Indians
Activist, received a
$500,000 gift from the
Poarch Creek Indians
of Escambia County,
Alabama, to establish a
Native American Studies
program in the College of
Arts & Sciences.
Ms. Rene Culler,
Assistant professor in
the Department of Visual
Arts, coordinated Jag
Glass 2014, a student
and faculty art show
from the USA Glass Art
program.
Ms. Patricia Davis and
Ms. Diane Roe, Senior
Instructor and Instructor
and Laboratory
Manager respectively
in the Department of
Chemistry, published a
laboratory textbook in
2014.
Ms. Carolyn Haines,
Associate Professor in the
Department of English,
recently published The
Seeker: A Novel in March
2014.
Dr. Richard Hillyer,
Associate Professor
in the Department of
English, published his
third scholarly book since
coming to USA. Palgrave
Macmillan published
Hillyers Divided
Between Carelessness &
Care, A Cultural History
in November 2013.
Dr. Mark Moberg,
Professor of Sociology,
Anthropology, and Social
Work, was interviewed
by the Huffington
Post in an article titled
Next Chapter in
The Global Banana
Trades Bloody History:
Walmartization.
Dr. Mollie Nouwen,
Associate Professor in the
Department of History,
received a Fulbright
Award for teaching and
research in Argentina.
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