Fall enrollment up almost 5% to 5,781 students
Although the numbers aren’t official yet, SPSU’s student enrollment is now at 5,781, which includes 1,243 new undergraduate students.

The number of SPSU students who identify themselves as non-Caucasian has increased from 44.3 percent last fall to 45.3 percent this fall, according to the Office of Institutional Research. Hispanic student enrollment has grown by 8.4 percent over the last year, and the number of black students is up nearly 10.5 percent over last year.

The most popular majors among SPSU students this fall are (in order of the highest number enrolled first): architecture, mechanical engineering technology, computer science, mechanical engineering, information technology, construction management, electrical engineering technology, business administration, mechatronics engineering and electrical engineering.

Dr. Zvi Szafran chair-elect of RACAA
Dr. Zvi Szafran, SPSU’s vice president for Academic Affairs (VPAA), will serve as chairman of the Regents Advisory Committee on Academic Affairs (RACAA) for 2012-13.

RACAA explores and makes suggestions on initiatives, issues and concerns related to the academic units at institutions within the University System of Georgia (USG). These recommendations regarding curriculum and all other academic affairs issues within the purview of USG institutions are ultimately considered by the chancellor and the Board of Regents.

Dr. Szafran will be the first chief academic officer from SPSU to chair the committee since 1988, when former VPAA Harris Travis was selected.

Recent faculty publications
Dr. Ronny Richardson, chair of the Business Administration Department and a professor of Operations Management, has had a book, “Business Applications of Multiple Regression,” published by Business Expert Press.

New elementary school to earn LEED certification thanks to SPSU
An elementary school being built on the site of a former shopping center in Smyrna and projected to open in Fall 2013 will be LEED certified at practically no cost to the Cobb County School District thanks to a partnership with SPSU.

To accomplish this, Doug Shepard, chief administrative officer of the special-purpose local-option sales tax (SPLOST) for the school district, and Daphne Griffin, SPLOST program manager, are working with SPSU students and members of SPSU’s International Knowledge and Research Center for Green Building (IKRC).

Though the school will cost $22 million to build, the costs involved in LEED certification, which requires application and significant documentation, will be offset by the pro bono work of SPSU students on the project.

Eight students from a special topic course in Sustainable Operations and Maintenance taught by Dr. John Mench, a senior lecturer in the Construction Management Department, will apply the LEED Scorecard for New Construction to the design, construction and commissioning of the school during the fall and subsequent semesters in order to identify, document and upload certification scoring data.

LEED certification covers five areas: the site, the use of water, energy and materials in the structure, and indoor air quality.

The two-story elementary school being built at the corner of Windy Hill and Atlanta roads will serve kindergarten through fifth-grade students.

SPSU piloting Women’s Leadership Initiative
A new program is underway at SPSU to increase the sense of community within the university and between the university and the region. The Women’s Leadership Initiative will provide professional- and leadership-development opportunities to female SPSU faculty and staff members.

The program will be launched in Spring 2012 with a small group of full-time, tenured faculty and full-time, professional staff members.

The objective is to increase the diversity and inclusiveness of the university community, with specific action steps that will lead to increasing the percentage of women students and faculty members and developing professional-development strategies to position women and people from traditionally under-represented groups to be eligible for promotion and senior leadership positions.

Eligible faculty and staff members have been invited to attend an information session on the Women’s Leadership Initiative at noon on Wed., Oct. 5, in the Ballroom.

Support the fight against breast cancer on Oct. 5 & 7
SPSU is hosting an event on Wed., Oct. 5, to promote breast-cancer awareness and prevention. Members of the campus community can sign up for 15-minute, 30-minute, 45-minute or hour-long intervals walking or running on treadmills at the SPSU Recreation and Wellness Center.

Participants in the Indoor Cure Walk will receive free refreshments and gifts and can purchase breast-cancer-awareness merchandise to support the Susan G. Komen for the Cure fund.

During last year’s event, the SPSU community walked and/or ran a total of 124.7 miles – roughly the distance from Atlanta to Chattanooga.

For more information or to sign up to participate, contact Kellie Blosser at ext. 3439 or at kellieblosser@spsu.edu.

In addition, the SPSU Staff Council is mustering support for Lee National Denim Day – employees are encouraged to wear jeans to work on Fri., Oct. 7, in support of the fight against breast cancer. Staff Council members will have tables set up in key campus locations on several days during October to collect donations for this cause.

Since its inception by employees of Lee Jeans in 1996, Lee National Denim Day has raised more than $83 million for the fight against breast cancer and unites nearly one million supporters nationwide each year.

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 37
Sept. 28, 2011