Hornets and Lady Hornets both on their way to NAIA Championships
The women’s basketball team plowed its way through the Southern States Athletic Conference (SSAC) Tournament in Rome this past week, earning an automatic bid to the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Division 1 Championship. The men’s team did not fare quite as well, winning two of its conference games by a wide margin only to suffer defeat at the hands of Emmanuel College in a hard-fought championship game on Saturday. The Hornets, however, will advance to the NAIA Championship as the SSAC's second automatic qualifier.

Tournament Most Valuable Player Marisa Stotler, a senior forward, led all scorers with 18 points as the No. 2 seeded Lady Hornets clinched their second straight SSAC title on Saturday in a game against Loyola University that ended 60-44.

The men – the No. 3 seed in the SSAC East Division and the defending champions of the league – whipped the University of Mobile 70-57 in the quarterfinals and Loyola University 62-55 in the semifinals. The Hornets then met their match in a bitterly fought game against No. 2 seed Emmanuel College with a final score of 63-67.

The NAIA Women’s Basketball Championship is scheduled for March 16-22 in Jackson, Tenn., while the men’s will be held on the same dates in Kansas City, Mo.

Russ Hunt talks about oil cap invention on TV23
TV23, the Cobb County Government Access Channel, recently interviewed Russ Hunt, dean of SPSU’s Extended University, extensively about the oil well cap developed recently by a team of SPSU students, faculty and staff.

Hunt explained to Robert Quigley, host of the program “Focal Point,” how civil engineering technology student Jim Baltimore’s idea for a device that could have prevented last year’s oil spill in the Gulf led to the analytical design of the cap he had envisioned and the successful testing of a prototype on campus last fall.

Hunt said the team is now hoping to attract a few investors to either buy the patent or support further research on refining the device.

“Had this been in place [when the oil well the rig Deepwater Horizon was connected to exploded last spring], no oil or flames ever would have reached the rig, and those 11 crew members wouldn’t have died,” Hunt concluded.

To view the TV23 interview, CLICK HERE

New professional academic advisors around campus
Three new professional academic advisors have joined SPSU’s two existing advisors. Their role is to help students plan their track for graduation.

School of Architecture, Civil Engineering Technology and Construction
Mary Neely is the new academic advisor for the School of Architecture, Civil Engineering Technology, and Construction. Neely completed her Master’s degree in professional counseling at Georgia State. She has spent time working with Delta Air Lines, as well as interning at Emory. She comes to SPSU from SCAD, where she was senior career advisor. Her office is located in the I-Building, Room I-32.

School of Engineering Technology and Management
Vanessa Bard joins the School of Engineering Technology and Management as their first professional academic advisor. She has held various academic advising positions, and has earned degrees in the field of advising. Most recently, she served as academic advisor for the Robinson College of Business at Georgia State. Her office is Q-330, located in the Engineering Technology Center.

Division of Engineering
Jessica Williamson is now a part of the Division of Engineering. She will be primarily focused on working with first-time, full-time freshmen and transfer students in developing their two-year plan. She has earned her Master of Education degree in guidance and counseling from West Georgia. Williamson has previously taught and counseled students of various age groups, and most recently worked as a military guidance counselor at Robins Air Force Base in Warner Robins, Ga. Her office is Q-317, located in the Engineering Technology Center.

The schools of Arts & Sciences and Computing & Software Engineering also have academic advisors, although they are not new to these positions. They are:

School of Arts & Sciences
Jon Lindsay is a general professional academic advisor for undecided and joint enrollment students, falling under the School of Arts and Sciences. He has been at SPSU since 1995, and currently teaches several English and technical writing courses. He has earned master’s degrees in English, and in technical and professional communication. Lindsay previously served 22 years in the U.S. Air Force and taught at several colleges and universities around Atlanta. His office is J-253, located in the Atrium Building.

School of Computing and Software Engineering
Beth Haynie is the current advisor to the School of Computing and Software Engineering, working with new students, continuing students, and students on probation. She has been with SPSU since 2001 and has earned her Master’s degree in Information Design and Communication from SPSU. She previously worked at Kennesaw State University as the advisement coordinator for the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. Her office is J-355, located in the Atrium Building.

Two SPSU staffers to sacrifice hair to raise money for research on childhood cancer
John Sprague, SPSU’s assistant soccer coach, and Kelli Tracy, secretary to President Lisa A. Rossbacher, have committed to having their heads shaved to raise money to conquer cancer in children.

The St. Baldrick’s Foundation is a volunteer-driven charity committed to funding the most promising research to find cures for childhood cancers and give survivors long and healthy lives. The Foundation has raised more than $90 million since 2000 and funds more in childhood research grants than any other organization except the U.S. government.

Sprague, who will go under the razor at a March 10 event in Atlanta, was inspired to get involved with the St. Baldrick’s Foundation after his grandmother passed away from cancer and his mother and aunt became cancer survivors. This will be his third year participating in the event. His goal is to raise $1,000 in the two weeks he has given himself to reach out to family, friends and co-workers.

To make a donation in his name, go to John/StBaldricksFoundtion.

Tracy will wait until Sept. 13 to lose her locks because she is doing it in concert with 46 Mommas, an organization of mothers who’ve lost children to cancer. Tracy’s 13-year-old son, Matthew, died in 2009 from a brain tumor, and she first participated in the St. Baldrick’s head-shaving a year ago.

“I’m doing this in memory of my beautiful son and for all the other kids out there who are still fighting for their lives,” she said. “We need more support specifically for pediatric cancer research.”

Tracy has set a particiularly ambitious goal of raising $10,000 by September. To make a donation in her name, go to Kelli/StBaldricksFoundation.

We encourage all faculty and staff to support Sprague and Tracy in their fundraising and head-shaving efforts. Any donations will make a difference and can go a long way.

Alumna joins AmeriCorps, is featured in e-publication
Carrie-Ann MacArthur, a 2010 SPSU graduate, resident assistant, and a caller in the university’s annual Alumni Phonathon, has joined the AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) as a team leader and was recently spotlighted in Vinton Today, an online news cooperative in Vinton, Iowa, where she is working.

Members of the NCCC serve for 10 months, with work ranging from public education to environmental clean-up and typically travel to other areas in response to national crises.

MacArthur earned a degree in industrial and organizational psychology and a minor in business management from SPSU.

11 recruited for 2011 soccer team
The SPSU men’s soccer program announces the signing of 11 student athletes to its 2011 recruiting class. After winning back-to-back Southern States Athletic Conference Regular Season Championships and Sweet 16 Appearances, the Hornets have positioned themselves as one of the top National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics schools in the Southeast. These 11 recruits come from many different backgrounds and will help the Hornets maintain the level of competitiveness to which they are accustomed.

This is by far the most experienced recruiting class that has been brought into SPSU’s soccer program since it's inception in 2007, according to Head Coach Kom Momeni. The class includes a number of high-level transfers and Georgia youths who can play numerous positions.

Three of the signees are from Georgia Perimeter College and were all instrumental in getting the Jaguars to the final match of the 2009 National Championship. Another of the recruits has represented his country, Northern Ireland, in Youth International play, while a transfer goalkeeper was the starter for a rival NAIA school.

“We are starting a tradition of excellence here at Southern Poly, and I feel that with the addition of this recruiting class, we are continuing to move in the right direction,” Momeni said.

Valdosta recruit Zak Worms is planning to major in architecture at SPSU. “I’m pretty excited,” he said in an interview with the Valdosta Daily Times. “I want to be an architect, and they have a good (architecture) program, and they’ve got a good soccer program. It’s a good opportunity.”

Have news to share?
If your department has an upcoming event or other news to share with the campus community, please send an e-mail with all the pertinent information to Diane Payne (dpayne@spsu.edu) and we will consider it for a future issue of the SPSU Hornet’s Nest.

Volume 4, Issue 8
March 9, 2011