Agreement bases Africa Heritage Foundation at SPSU
A formal agreement has established a collaboration between SPSU and the Africa Heritage Foundation (AHF), which seeks to build bridges between the 55 nations of the African Union and the United States, in part through the creation of a network of universities on both continents.

According to Dr. Richard Bennett of the Social and International Studies Department, the agreement will base the foundation at SPSU. The university counts students from 26 African nations among its enrollment.

Chief Tunde Adetunji, a cultural ambassador from Nigeria who founded the AHF and serves as its CEO, said the P.K. Fokam Institute of Excellence in Cameroon – with whom SPSU already has an established partnership – will serve as the flagship institute in a network of universities the AHF is developing in Africa and several other countries.

“These are not to be considered branch campuses, but independent universities networked together in close relationship with SPSU,” Dr. Bennett stressed, noting that the African Union is particularly interested in increasing the amount of meaningful technology and technology transfer in its nations. For SPSU, the significance of the agreement lies in teaching, research and learning opportunities for faculty and students, as well as the opportunity to enrich the campus culture with high-profile speakers and other visitors to campus.

Georgia’s BEST Robotics Competition underway
For the eighth year running, SPSU is the proud host of the annual Georgia Boosting Engineering Science and Technology (BEST) Competition, in which student teams are given six weeks to build a functioning, competitive robot out of $1,000 in robotic parts and supplies.

Kickoff day was Sept. 17 in the SPSU Gymnasium, where parts were distributed and game rules were established. Teams will reconvene with their finished robots on Oct. 29 from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. for the actual competition and awards ceremony.

The BEST competitions began in 1993 as an event for high schools in a Texas county. Since then, the competitions have grown to over 4,000 volunteers, more than 850 participating schools and 12,500-plus students nationwide.

This year’s BEST Robotics competition theme is “Bugs.” For more information, visit www.georgiabest.org.

Nominations sought for Beckman Award for educators
The Elizabeth Hurlock Beckman Awards Advisory Committee is currently accepting nominations for the 2011 award cycle.

This award is given to current or former university faculty members who have inspired their students to create an organization which has demonstrably conferred a benefit on the community at large. Alternatively, the academic faculty member must have inspired their students to establish on a lasting basis a concept, procedure or movement of comparable benefit to the community at large.

The Beckman Award Trust was established in 2008 in memory of Dr. Elizabeth Hurlock Beckman, an educator, a renowned author and a pioneer in the field of psychology. She was one of the first female psychology professors at Columbia University, and she taught at the University of Pennsylvania.

Nomination forms available via the link above must be postmarked by Oct. 31. The awards committee will invite select nominators to complete a full application, and the winners will be notified by Dec. 31. They will receive a minimum of $25,000 for use at their discretion.

New housing director on board
SPSU has a new director of Housing and Residence Life. Chris Bruno comes to SPSU from The University of Alabama in Huntsville, where he most recently served as the resident director and area coordinator for Residence Life.

In his new role, Bruno is responsible for managing the daily functions of SPSU’s Department of Housing and Residence Life, working closely with housing staff and with students.

“I hope to give students a seamless experience from the application process, to move-in to graduation day,” he said, noting that he also is aiming to provide students with an experience that enhances and completes their college career. “My goal in this role is to help transform SPSU’s housing program into something other schools want to emulate.”

Bruno received both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Clemson University in Clemson, S.C.

He can be reached by e-mail at cbruno@spsu.edu or by phone at ext. 4110.

President creates mask for Cobb Library Gala
SPSU President Lisa A. Rossbacher has created a mask for the Cobb Library Foundation’s online auction. Bids will be accepted only until Thurs., Oct. 20, as the auction is a fundraiser held in conjunction with the foundation’s annual gala, “Booked for the Evening – A Literary Masquerade,” on Sat., Oct. 22.

Dr. Rossbacher is quoted on the auction site as having said about her work, “The inspiration was the traditional style of mask from Venice, Italy. Many of the designs come from the Commedia dell’arte that flourished in the 16th and 17th centuries. These masks are characterized by an ornamental style, silver and gold, and complex decorations. This style of mask was used in the movie ‘Eyes Wide Shut’ (directed by Stanley Kubrick and starring Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman).”

The mask has an estimated value of $500, but bids begin at $50. Proceeds from the auction support the Cobb Public Library system.

SPSU sponsors Haunted Hustle 5K
SPSU, along with Life University and the City of Marietta, will host a 5K race, the Haunted Hustle, on Sat., Oct. 29. The race begins at 5 p.m. on the SPSU campus and ends on the Life University campus. There will also be a one-mile fun run called the Graveyard Scramble at 6 p.m. on Life University’s campus and a Yellow Brick Road Tot Trot at 6:15 p.m. in the same location.

The registration fee for the 5K and the fun run is $20 ($25 after Oct. 21), and $10 for the Tot Trot ($15 after Oct. 21).

Proceeds from the race benefit the City of Marietta’s Police Athletic League (PAL), the local chapter of a worldwide program that uses sports to establish positive interaction between law enforcement officers and kids. Awards will be presented after the races.

This event was originally planned to replace the U.S. 10K Classic traditionally held on Labor Day on Cobb Parkway in Smyrna, but was rescheduled.

For more information, including a registration form, visit the Haunted Hustle web page.

Ready for some super soup or stew?
There’s a chill in the air, and sweaters have shed their mothballs – it must be time for SPSU’s Fourth Annual Soup Cook-Off! This gastronomic competition sponsored by the Social and Community Building Committee attracts the university’s best chefs, many of whom concoct highly imaginative names for their creations, and provides a delicious and entertaining lunch for one and all.

This year’s event is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Tues., Oct. 25, in the Student Center Ballroom. A mere $5 buys up to five bowls of soup plus cornbread, crackers, dessert and a beverage.

If you’d like to enter the competition, contact Jennie Vitty-Rogers (jrogers4@spsu.edu, ext. 3174) to give her your name, department, phone number and the name of your entry.

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). To be considered for use in a specific issue of the SPSU Hornet’s Nest, a news item must be submitted no less than four weeks before the date of the issue.

Volume 4, Issue 40
Oct. 19, 2011