LAKELAND, Fla. (March 18, 2005) - Florida Southern College faculty members pursue extracurricular academic activities year-round, giving presentations, publishing articles, attending conferences, and assisting students with presentations. The following is a summary of their recent activities and recognitions. 

Dr. Florence A. Babcock, professor of early childhood education, received the Florida Forestry Association's 2004 Project Learning Tree Educator of the Year award in January. Project Learning Tree (PLT) is an award-winning, internationally recognized environmental education program. Babcock conducts PLT workshops for her students, who in turn adapt a PLT activity to teach Pre-K children. 

Nancy DeGraw, director of the preschool lab, and three FSC senior education majors attended the Eastern Educational Research Association's 28th Annual Conference in Sarasota, Fla., held March 2-5. DeGraw presented a paper on "Evaluation of the Implementation of Action Research Pedagogy into a Pre-service Teacher Program." The students presented posters at the conference, as follows: "Homeless students: What do they bring?" presented by Itamara Baez, daughter of Rafael and Ruth Baez of Kissimmee, Fla.; "Knowing what to look for: Characteristics and behaviors of the physically and sexually abused child," presented by Rachel Byrd, daughter of Terriel and Toni Byrd of Lake Worth, Fla.; "Prevention of bully victimization in schools through the identification of bully and victim characteristics," presented by Kelly Davis, daughter of Gary and Micki Davis of Seminole, Fla.; and "Assessment in education: Information for the pre-service teacher," presented by Rachael McGowen, daughter of Alfred and Vicki McGowen of Hernando, Fla.

Mary M. Flekke, instructional services librarian, presented a paper on Jan. 8 on "Pre-History of Florida Southern College, or How to Do the Genealogy of an Organization," at the Imperial Polk County Genealogical Society monthly meeting. On Feb. 26, she presented a program for Thrivent Financial for Lutherans to the County Congregational Coordinators entitled, "The Role of the Coordinator." 

Dr. Jose Manuel Garcia, assistant professor of Spanish and Latin American literature and chair of the modern languages department, attended and presented papers at three conferences. In February, he presented "Historia y Literatura: Recobrando la herencia cultural cubana en norteamerica" at the conference of the National Association of Hispanic and Latino Studies in Houston. His papers dealt with Cuban American history and culture. He was also selected to present papers on "Autobiografia, immigración e historia en Our House in The Last World de Oscar Hijuelos" at the IV International Symposium of Hispanic Literature in the Dominican Republic on March 3. On April 7-9 he will attend the SECOLAS Conference in Nashville, Tenn., where he will present another paper on Transnationalism: Intersections of the Global and Local entitled "Identidad y transculturacion en The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love." Garcia's research papers concern the identity, immigration and cultural experience of Cubans in the United States.

Sue Stanley-Green, director of the athletic training education program, and Dr. James M. Lynch, associate professor of athletic training, accompanied 19 FSC athletic training students to the 20th Annual Southeast Athletic Trainer's Association Student Workshop in Atlanta, Ga., on Feb. 11-12. presented five lectures during the workshop, attended by 450 undergraduate students from around the country. Stanley-Green and Lynch also accompanied 8 athletic training students to a conference on "The Team Approach to Occupational Athletic Training" at the Kennedy Space Center March 10, hosted by RehabWorks as part of National Athletic Training Month. 


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 24 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. Located on scenic Lake Hollingsworth, Florida Southern is the home of the world's largest single-site collection of Frank Lloyd Wright architecture.