Farewell to Dean Bill Barnes
Dr. Wilson (Bill) Barnes awarded his last degrees as dean of the School of Architecture and Construction Management at SPSU’s spring Commencement. After 17 years as a member of the construction management faculty and the last 11 of them as dean, Dr. Barnes retired last week.

He has led a school that boasts the only nationally accredited professional Bachelor of Architecture program and the longest-running construction management (CM) program in the state.

Highlights of Dr. Barnes’ tenure as dean include the construction of the multiple-award-winning Design II building, which provided studio space for second-year architecture students, and two rounds of renovations of the older Design I building (the most recent of which is scheduled for completion this fall). He oversaw the addition of a Bachelor of Science degree in Construction Engineering, and a Master of Science degree in Architecture is set to debut in January 2013. Also over the years, a number of certificate and concentration options have been added to the CM program.

Dean Barnes is also a leader in construction education well beyond the SPSU campus. He has been an active member of a national accreditation organization, the American Council for Construction Education (ACCE), since 1992 and served as its president from 2003 to 2005.

SPSU Foundation trustee steps down after decades of service
As a member of the SPSU Foundation Board of Trustees for the past 32 years, James C. Scott Jr. has raised money for student scholarships; equipment; faculty, staff and student recognition programs; academic and building programs; and other priorities of the university not funded by the state of Georgia or tuition and fees.

When he stepped down on May 30, Scott – who is executive vice president and secretary for the transportation contractor C.W. Matthews and a former bank director – had earned the appreciation and admiration of university officials and his colleagues on the board.

“I feel very blessed and very privileged to have been a part of all the progress that has been made at SPSU over the past three decades,” he said during a standing ovation for him at the board's quarterly meeting.

SPSU alumni develop software app snapped up by Apple
Alumni Marshall Miller ‘11 and Tommy Tornroos ‘09, have launched a software company, GearSprout LLC, and this spring they released their first product, SproutConverter, now available in Apple’s Mac App Store.

The patent-pending application is the first software program on the market that can automatically remove blank spaces, video noise, distortion and other glitches from digital video files, home video cassettes and film, and downloaded movies, according to the SPSU alumni. The new software can also convert DVDs and downloaded video files to play on the iPhone, iPad, AppleTV, Xbox 360, PS3 and more. The two men plan to have a Windows version of SproutConverter ready this summer.

Apple only accepts the best applications that have been thoroughly tested and evaluated. To have made it through the company’s rigorous and lengthy approval process is quite a feat.

Miller and Tornroos met at SPSU in 2010 and decided to quit their full-time day jobs in 2012 to pursue their goal: creation of GearSprout LLC.

SPSU hosts thousands for Duke TIP ceremony
Last month, for the 14th consecutive year, SPSU hosted the recognition program for the Duke University Talent Identification Program (TIP).

Held in two separate ceremonies in the SPSU gym, the program brought more than 2,000 people to campus, including almost 500 seventh graders from across the state who received medals in recognition of their strong academic achievement. Among those who spoke to the young students were SPSU Vice President for Student and Enrollment Services Ron Koger and Cobb County State Court Judge Toby Prodgers, a Duke alumnus.

Duke created the TIP program in 1980 to identify academically gifted and talented young people and provide innovative programs to support the development of their full educational potential. Since its founding, TIP has reached out to nearly two million youths.

In Georgia, TIP’s Seventh Grade Talent Search identified a total of 2,378 students (out of a total of 6,359) who scored high enough on their SATs or ACTs to qualify for recognition

Division of IT welcomes new staff
The Division of Information Technology recently welcomed three new staff members:

• Jenny Rief is secretary to SPSU CIO Sam Conn. Previously, she worked for the Cobb County School District where she taught and served as a paraprofessional. In her new position, she provides administrative support to the CIO and directors and staff of the Division of Information Technology. Rief is a graduate of Huntingdon College in Montgomery, Ala., and holds a psychology degree with a minor in sociology. She can be reached at jrief@spsu.edu or ext. 3440.

• Malcolm Ellis is a desktop support technician. Before coming to SPSU, he worked as a computer technician and consultant for Compguard Computer Consulting. He holds an interactive design and game development degree from the Savannah College of Art and Design and is certified in CompTIA A+. Ellis is currently pursuing CCNA and MCSE certifications. He can be reached at mellis2@spsu.edu or ext. 4357.

• Richard Jones is a network administrator. He joins SPSU from the Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC) where he served as a network engineer and security assistant and helped redesign the BMCC network after 9/11. He is Cisco certified and has over 12 years of networking experience. Jones can be reached at rjones@spsu.edu or ext. 4357.

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 22
June 13, 2012