LAKELAND, Fla. (April 27, 2006) — Florida Southern College announces the recipients of sabbaticals and summer professional development awards for the 2006-2007 academic year and the summer of 2006. The awards allow professors to pursue their research, give presentations, attend conferences and participate in workshops.

Sabbaticals (leaves of absence for professional research) for 2006-2007:
Alexander M. Bruce, associate professor of English, to write his book “Companion to Disney’s Princesses,” to complete a second manuscript on the folklore of FSC, and to shape a 200- or 300-level folklore studies class for the college’s English or honors curriculum in the spring. 

Carmen Valdez Gauthier, associate professor of chemistry, to research chemistry education and inorganic chemistry at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champagne in the fall. In the spring, she will research the synthesis of metal-organic frameworks with colleagues at the University of South Florida and Brown University, and learn about single x-ray and powder x-ray spectroscopy.

Summer Stipends (funding for summer workshops, travel, etc.), Summer 2006
Paul D. Bawek, assistant professor of theatre arts, to attend a summer workshop on instruction in Chekhovian acting techniques at the University of Maine.

Stacey E. Boyette, associate professor of chemistry, to participate in workshops in environmental chemistry and flavors, topics of her current research, at Hampton University.

Brian S. Brink, associate professor of music, to attend the Alessi Seminar for professional trombonists in Fossano, Italy.

Alexander M. Bruce, associate professor of English, to present his paper “Eye of the Storm: Legends of Katrina” at a meeting of the International Society for Contemporary Legend Research in Copenhagen, Denmark.

James M. Denham, professor of history, to continue his work entering historic Florida crime data with the Criminal Justice Research Center at Ohio State University.

Lisa Erdman, assistant professor of art, to support her artist-in-residency at the Red Gate Gallery in Beijing, China where she is developing a multimedia exposition on the aesthetic structure of the Mandarin Chinese language.

Bernard W. Quetchenbach, associate professor of English, to present a workshop on student collaborative research at the Nature and Environmental Writers College and University Educators Conference in Boothbay Harbor, Maine.

Christopher H. Ramey, assistant professor of psychology, to present his paper “Conflict Resolution, War and Peace in an International Children’s Program: Metaphors in Henson’s ‘Fraggle Rock’” at the Oxford Round Table on the Psychology of the Child.

Risdon N. Slate, professor of criminology, to present his paper “Law Enforcement/Mental Health: Partnerships and Initiatives for Change” at the National Sheriff’s Association Conference in Orlando.

National Humanities Center, Summer 2006
Mary Ferguson Pharr, professor of English, and Christopher H. Ramey, assistant professor of psychology, will participate in the Jessie Ball DuPont funded Summer Seminars at the National Humanities Center in Research Triangle, N.C.

About Florida Southern College
Founded in 1885, Florida Southern College is a private, comprehensive, United Methodist college with a liberal arts core. The college maintains its commitment to academic excellence through 38 undergraduate majors and distinctive graduate programs in business administration, education, and nursing. Florida Southern has a 14:1 student/faculty ratio, provides strong student/faculty mentorship programs, boasts 25 NCAA Division II national championships, and is ranked by U. S. News and World Report as one of the top ten Southern Comprehensive Colleges-Bachelors and by the Princeton Review as a “Best Southeastern College.” Located on scenic Lake Hollingsworth, Florida Southern is the home of the world’s largest single-site collection of Frank Lloyd Wright architecture.