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FSC faculty pursue academic projects 

LAKELAND, Fla. (Nov. 15, 2004) - Florida Southern College faculty pursue extracurricular academic activities year-round, giving presentations, publishing articles, and attending conferences. Following is a summary of their recent activities and special recognition. 

Lawrence Burke, music professor, will present a weekly jazz program on WLKF 1430 AM radio airing on Fridays from 8:10 - 8:30 a.m. beginning Nov. 12. The programs will include discussions of jazz styles, periods, and performers, examples of music, and occasional phone interviews with significant jazz figures.

Lisa Erdman, art professor, participated in the International Dancing Poetry Festival held in San Francisco Oct. 2. Her poem, "Café con Leche: The First Cup," received a third-place award in the festival. The poem addresses Erdman's bicultural experiences as one whose heritage is both North American and Dominican.

Dr. Catherine Eskin, English professor, gave a presentation at McKeel Academy Oct. 21. She spoke to sophomore honors English students about the funeral orations in Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar." 

Dr. Carmen Gauthier, chemistry professor, presented a paper at the V International Congress of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, held in Havana on Oct. 18-22. She spoke on "Design and Synthesis of Metal-Organic Networks Containing Copper (II), Dicarboxylic Acids, and Amine Derivatives." 

Dr. Cindy Hardin, business professor and assistant dean for academic affairs, was named chair of the CLEP (College Level Examination Program) Business Law Committee. The committee writes and reviews the CLEP Business Law test for the Educational Testing Service. Hardin will serve on the committee for three years. 

Keith L. Huneycutt, English professor and chair of the department, presented a paper at the annual conference of the Florida College English Association Oct. 21. Huneycutt discussed "The Brown Sisters Contemplate Territorial Florida, 1835-1850: An Introduction to the Writings of Corinna and Ellen Brown." The Brown sisters moved from New England to Florida in 1835 and recorded their experiences in correspondence. 

Drs. Kathleen Milburn and David Wood, education professors, and Nancy DeGraw, director of the preschool lab, presented a paper at the 58th Annual Florida Council for Exceptional Children Conference Oct. 13-15. They discussed "Service Learning in Teacher Education: Preservice Teachers Hone Their Skills in the Real World." The Council for Exceptional Children is devoted to raising awareness of and improving education for students with disabilities. 

Dr. Christopher H. Ramey, psychology professor, has published an article on "The 'poetical activity' of Emily Dickinson: A further test of the hypothesis that affective disorder enhances creativity" in the Creativity Research Journal 16. In addition, Ramey attended the Academy of Aphasia 42nd Annual Meeting in October. He received a citation for his poster on "Confounds in the Distinction Between High and Low Imageability Words: Phonological, Etymological, and Morphological Differences."

Dr. Rebecca Saulsbury, English professor, attended the 2004 Phi Kappa Phi National Triennial Convention in Albuquerque, N.M. Aug. 5-7. Saulsbury is a member of the University of Puget Sound chapter of Phi Kappa Phi and was inducted into the society in 1988. 

Dr. Peter Schreffler, English professor, presented a paper at the annual conference of the Florida College English Association Oct. 22. Schreffler's paper, "What Can One Book Do? A Discussion of a Common Reading Assignment Among Freshmen at Florida Southern College," explained this year's inaugural effort to have all incoming freshmen read the same book, write analytically about it, and participate in a formal discussion of it. This year's book was "Life of Pi," by Yann Martel. 

Dr. John Stancil, accounting professor, addressed the Polk County Chapter of the Florida Institute of CPAs on the topic of "Corporate Taxes - Foibles, Fixes, and Futures."


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.

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