I scream, you scream
Dr. Lisa A. Rossbacher invites all faculty and staff to an ice cream social in the Student Community Center on Wed., July 16, from 3-4 p.m. Like the Campus Coffee Break last month, this is another opportunity for the University community to gather and share our "sense of place." Hope you will come by and join us for a chance to catch up with friends and colleagues!

Runnin Hornets
give back
Recently SPSU's men’s basketball team made a donation of time and equipment to children of the Marietta Housing Authority. The visit was an opportunity for Coach Jeff Jones and his players to support and motivate the local youth. "We think it is important to encourage the kids to hold on to their dreams," Coach Jones said. He along with players Greg Hughes, Chase Armstrong, Tyrese Mumford and Tony Foster plan to pay a return visit to the children again later in the summer.

Paper published by Dr. Renee Butler
The article "Determining a Cost-Effective Customer Service Level" was published in the Supply Chain Management Journal. The article was authored jointly by Dr. Renee Butler, assistant professor and program coordinator for Systems Engineering at SPSU, Mariah Jeffery of IBM Global Business Services and Linda Malone of the University of Central Florida. Dr. Butler was the Ph.D. advisor for the methodology developed, which uses logistic regression to quantify the relationship between inventory and forecasted demand. The methodology used then determines the ideal inventory level based on product characteristics and profit margin. In addition to being a Ph.D. advisor, Dr. Butler also helped to network with IBM personnel.

SCORE for SPSU retiree
Congratulations to Bob Yancy, retired dean of SPSU's School of Management, on his recent recognition of service to the Service Corps of Retired Executives' (SCORE) Atlanta chapter. SCORE is a nonprofit organization dedicated to educating entrepreneurs on the formation, growth and success of small businesses. As a SCORE volunteer counselor, Yancy dedicates his time to coaching young entrepreneurs on business concepts and operations. Before his retirement in 2006, Yancy was the founding dean of the School of Management at SPSU and served as a professor for 23 years.

The Geeks teach the Girls
SPSU, Best Buy and the Girl Scout Council of Northwest Georgia are hosting the Geek Squad Summer Academy from July 14-17. The four-day workshop, aimed at 6th-9th grade girls, is designed to teach younger generations to get involved with technology, specifically computer hardware and software. The Girl Scout Council is handling logistics, SPSU is providing facilities and Best Buy's Geek Squad is providing instructors. To register your Girl Scout or a friend for this program, simply follow the link: http://www.gssummeracademy.com/index.php?
action=studentreg&schedule=8 to the Geek Squad registration site or contact Sabrina Jones at (770) 808-2057 or sjones@girlscoutsnwga.org with any questions.

SPSU in Madrid
The study abroad program, SPSU in Madrid, has departed. The program is designed to give students different cultural exposure outside of their day-to-day experiences . Seven students from SPSU, California State University at North Ridge, Brenau University and Chattahoochee Technical College are participating in the month-long program that also includes a short visit to Paris. Their experiences will be posted on the program blog: http://spsumadrid08.blogspot.com/. This is the third year that SPSU has had a program in Spain. The Social and International Studies department is hoping to add a Maymester in Mexico in 2009. For more information about the programs contact Dr. Bernice Nufer-Halten at bnuhferh@spsu.edu.

David Stone in China
This summer, David Stone, director of Instructional Technology Services, presented at the 2nd Annual International Symposium on Research and Application of Educational Technology in Foreign Language Education at Yantai University in the People’s Republic of China.  While at Yantai University, he also conducted a pilot study with his Ph.D. advisor from Georgia State University, Dr. Charles Xiaoxue Wang. The study was designed to study effects of language tasks for ESL students in Second Life virtual learning environment and to examine the relationships between student computer proficiency, their self-perceived readiness to participate in language learning in the virtual learning environment and their perceptions about language learning in the Second Life virtual learning environment. A conference presentation on the study has been accepted by the Association for Educational Communications and Technology for delivery at the November 2008 conference in Orlando.

Volume 1, Issue 11
July 9, 2008