Online MSIT degree ranks among top 20 in U.S.
SPSU’s online Master of Science in Information Technology (MSIT) degree program is among “The 20 best master of IT degree programs,” as listed by The Best Schools, a resource for college-bound students and their parents.

This independent organization bases its rankings on program quality, types of courses offered, faculty, awards, rankings and reputation, including the school’s reputation for effectively providing online degree programs. SPSU’s MSIT ranked No. 13 among online MIT degrees.

To view the rankings, go to thebestschools.org

MCAA chapter gearing up for national competition
SPSU’s student chapter of the Mechanical Contractors Association of America (MCAA) recently attended the MCAA Student Summit in Kansas City, Mo., in preparation for the organization’s national competition in March 2013.

Students representing more than 20 schools from the United States and Canada attended the summit. Participants got behind-the-scenes tours of the mechanical systems at Arrowhead Stadium, home of the Kansas City Chiefs football team, and the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts.

In attendance at the Student Summit were SPSU construction management students Morris Lewis, Wainwright Jeffers, Samantha Anselmo, Chris Flynn and Sean Barden. Anselmo and Jeffers were on the first- and second-place teams, respectively, at a mini-competition held during the summit.

SPSU won the National MCAA Student Competition in 2011. The team members will submit their proposal in December and wait to hear if they have been selected as one of the top four teams that will present at MCCA’s annual conference next year.

Faculty/staff activities
• Ava Werner, an instructor in the new media arts program, has artwork featured in the ongoing Holiday Boutique exhibit at the 2 Rules Fine Art Gallery on the Marietta Square. The exhibit, which touts “perfectly giftable fine art,” opened last week and will remain on display through Jan. 18.

• Pierrette Maillet, associate director of Alumni Relations, has received a $1,500 Professional Development Scholarship from the National Educational Alumni Trust (NEAT). Maillet was one of 15 winners selected by the scholarship committee this fall. The scholarship will enable her to attend a professional development conference during the 2012-13 conference season. NEAT is a not-for-profit organization that provides insurance and financial services to constituents of its 140 member associations.

Honors student presents research from internship at SHPE conference
Marian Alicea, an honors student who is a senior in civil engineering technology (CET), was selected to present an undergraduate research paper at the 2012 Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) conference held last month in Fort Worth, Texas. As a presenter, she received a full conference scholarship and was listed in SHPE Magazine.

Her presentation, “Photooxidation of Hg(0) in the East Fork Poplar Creek, Oak Ridge, Tenn.,” focused on research she conducted over the summer as a member of the Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internship (SULI) program at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL).

Alicea is the president of the SPSU Chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers and in addition to being a SHPE member, she is a member of the Society of Women Engineers. She received scholarships this year from Women in Electronics and the American Society of Civil Engineers.

SPSU students participate in Model U.N. Conference
Eight students from SPSU’s recently established Model United Nations Student Association participated in the 23rd annual Southern Regional Model United Nations (SRMUN) Conference, Nov. 15-17 in Atlanta.

The program drew nearly 700 students from 53 institutions who participated in a simulation of the United Nations and other international governing bodies. Model United Nations is an academic exercise that aims to educate participants about current events, topics in international relations, diplomacy, and the U.N. agenda. Participants research a country, take on roles as diplomats, investigate international issues, debate, deliberate, consult and then develop solutions to world problems.

The students in the SPSU Model U.N. Student Association major in either international studies or political science. They employed a variety of communication and critical-thinking skills in representing the policy of the west African country of Burkina Faso at SRMUN, including public speaking, group communication, research, policy analysis, negotiating, conflict resolution and technical writing.

“Attending SRMUN allowed SPSU students to experience what it would be like to serve as an ambassador to the United Nations, debating issues such as climate change, peace and security, and access to food,” said Dr. Tom Rotnem, faculty advisor to the student association. “I’m proud of our students, most of whom are new to Model U.N. They spent hours researching and preparing for the conference, fully immersing themselves as a delegation from Burkina Faso.”

The eight students attending were Shanneiqua Goodlow, Erin McGehee, Miranda Haeg, Teya Henry, Tyler Maran, Timothy Friedel, Jerry Floyd and Tsvetelina Chahova.

Women’s basketball team undefeated to date!
The SPSU women’s basketball team is on a roll with perfect 7-0 overall and 4-0 Southern States Athletic Conference (SSAC) records.

Three of their wins were victories of 21 or more points, and this is the Hornets’ second-best start in their 10-year program history. They are ranked No. 29 in the latest National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Division I Women’s Basketball Coaches’ Poll.

The team has multiple conference rankings, including No. 2 in the SSAC in scoring offense, field goal percentage, field goal defense and total rebounds per game. They are No. 3 in the conference in scoring defense and assists per game.

The Hornets will host Truett-McConnell College (Cleveland, Ga.) in their next home game at 6 p.m. on Tues., Jan. 8.

Honors Program participates in MUST Ministries’ Gobble Jog
For the third consecutive year, the SPSU Honors Program fielded a team for the annual MUST Ministries’ Gobble Jog on Thanksgiving morning. This was the 10th annual run for MUST, with an estimated 10,800 participants and 38 countries represented.

The goal was to raise $375,000 to assist with the mission of MUST. This event helps provide clothes, food, shelter and jobs for 34,000 people a year in Cobb and Cherokee counties. About half of them are children.

The first SPSU Honors team, organized in 2010 by Ann Parker, assistant director of the Honors Program, had eight participants. Participation rose to 17 in 2011, and this year, 32 people either ran, walked or jogged for the cause. Several members ran the timed 10K or timed 5K, which are qualifiers for the Peachtree Road Race held every July 4. The remaining team members, including some 4-legged friends, were part of the untimed 5K. SPSU students, faculty and staff were joined on the team by family members and friends.

SPSU baseball team ranks 33rd in NAIA coaches’ preseason poll
The SPSU baseball team, under first-year head coach Marty Lovrich, will begin the upcoming 2013 season ranked 33rd nationally after receiving 32 points in the 2012-13 NAIA Baseball Coaches’ Preseason Top 25 Poll.

Participating in the poll were head coaches representing each of the NAIA conferences, independents and unaffiliated groups. The panel also put SPSU fourth in the Southern States Athletic Conference (SSAC), behind Lee University (Cleveland, Tenn.), Faulkner University (Montgomery, Ala.) and Auburn University at Montgomery (Ala.).

The Hornets went 36-25 overall in 2012 and ended in fifth place in the SSAC with a 17-13 record. Last season, the team made its sixth straight appearance in NAIA postseason play. SPSU will open its 2013 season by hosting a doubleheader with Asbury University (Wilmore, Ky.) on Feb. 1 at 1 p.m.

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 5, Issue 46
Dec. 12, 2012