SPSU introduces new division of engineering
 In the past two years, SPSU has added an additional three engineering programs to the curricular offerings. There are currently no fewer than 33 sections of engineering courses, with 71 Construction Engineering majors, 59 Mechatronics Engineering majors, and 23 Systems Engineering majors (undergrad + grad). 

As a consequence of our strong results so far, it is clear that we need an administrative structure to advocate and facilitate the success of our current engineering programs, especially as related to meeting our engineering students’ needs.  Following up on discussions and an affirmative vote of the Deans Council and of the Engineering Technology faculty, a proposal was submitted to President Rossbacher to establish a Division of Engineering at SPSU.  The proposal has now been approved, so the Division of Engineering is officially established, and Dr. Tom Currin will serve as the Interim Associate Dean of Engineering. We will conduct a national search for this position next year during the normal hiring cycle.

An initial small group of faculty will be reclassified as engineering faculty, and will begin to report to Tom as of August 2008 as to annual reviews, etc.  As time goes by and engineering enrollment increases, additional faculty will be identified as engineering faculty.  In all cases, the logistics of the transfer and how the faculty will be replaced will be worked out with the faculty members themselves and their department chairs.   Dr. Zvi Szfran, Dr. Currin, the Deans Council and the Engineering Technology Chairs will continue to meet on a periodic basis to address any issues that may arise.

The Division of Engineering is a step on our overall journey.  There will be lots of great things to come.

Courting success
The SPSU Lady Hornets ended the 2007-2008 basketball season with a 18-13 record. This is the team’s second straight winning season and tied the school record for wins set the pervious season. After advancing to the semi-finals in the SSAC Tournament, head coach Nate Teymer credited his batch of new recruits over the last two years for the team’s success. “Their high goals and expectations have not only made them great basketball players, but also great role models to fellow students.” The SPSU women’s basketball team has existed since 2002. In the first four years, the team won a combined total of 27 games. In the last two years, the team has won a combined total of 36 games. Go Lady Hornets!

Outstanding staff award nominations due Mar. 28
Do you know a SPSU staff member who always goes the extra mile?  Someone who makes your day brighter because of his positive attitude?  Someone who sets an example for the campus community with her strong work ethic?  Here’s your chance to nominate a staff employee whom you feel deserves an Outstanding Staff Award.  Any staff member, faculty member, or administrative supervisor can nominate any staff person who has been working at SPSU for at least two years.  The award recipient(s) will be recognized at the Employee Service Awards Ceremony, Apr. 21.  More information and nomination forms can be found on the Staff Council webpage at www.spsu.edu/staffcouncil.  

Architecture department prepares for national accreditation review
From Mar. 22-26, the National Architecture Accreditation Board (NAAB) will be visiting SPSU. NAAB is the only agency authorized to accredit professional degree programs in architecture within the United States. They will be looking closely at the professional quality of the architecture school, including things like: student/teacher ratios, faculty and student growth, admission standards, courses being taught, design studio ratios, and the kinds of technology and equipment being used in the department. The accreditation team will be conducting interviews with both architecture faculty and students. There will be an exit meeting on Mar. 26 in Building M, Room 100 for all interested students, faculty and staff. For more information about NAAB, please visit their site: http://www.naab.org/.

Architecture symposium scheduled for Mar. 22
On Mar. 22 there will be an Architecture Symposium from 2-7 p.m. in the Student Center. Everyone is invited to attend. There will be four renowned guest speakers: Lance Hosey, Trey Trahan, Merrill Elam, and Neil Denari. Each speaker will be covering topics related to architectural design, theory, sustainability and technology. A coffee break is scheduled for 4 p.m. and a panel discussion at 6:30 p.m. Professor Liz Martin will be moderating the panel discussion. The symposium is free to professionals, and 12 AIA credits will be offered to licensed architects who attend.

SPSU marquee postings
If your departments would like to have a message posted on the SPSU marquee, you have two options. For the main marquee off of South Marietta Parkway contact Lawanda Coleman in the Office of Advancement at lcoleman@spsu.edu. The main marquee is for messages appropriate for the general public such as announcements of new programs, promotion of ongoing degree programs and events. The marquee near the library is appropriate for student organization messages and items of note for the campus community. The contact for that marquee is Bobby Burk in the Student Center at ext.4100.

Congraulations Professor Thomas Nisley
Dr. Thomas Nisley, assistant professor of Social & International Studies, recently had his manuscript, “The Pugnacious and the Pacific: Why Some Democracies Fight Wars,” published in the journal International Politics. An accepted tenet in international relations is that democratic countries do not fight wars with other democratic countries. Nevertheless, this does not mean that democracies do not fight wars. To explain the variation in the external behavior of some democracies, scholars have focused on differences in the internal characteristics of democratic states. As an alternative explanation Dr. Nisley explores the empirical uniformities on war identified through quantitative, data-based research as increasing the probability of the onset of war. The general conclusion is that there are some factors that will cause any state to fight. Moreover, we should not expect a world populated only with democratic countries to be a world of perpetual peace. An abstract of his article can be found at http://www.palgravejournals.com/ip/journal/v45/n2/abs/8800225a.html

News to share
If your department has an upcoming event or news to share with the campus community. Please send an e-mail with all the pertinent information to pr@spsu.edu for it to appear in a future issue of Polytechnic Gazette.

Volume 1, Issue 4
March 19, 2008