The first ceremony begins at 11 a.m. for the School of Graduate Studies, with a 1 p.m. ceremony following for graduates from the College of Business, the College of Education, the College of Liberal and Performing Arts and the College of Science and Technology.

The speaker for this year’s graduation will be Arkansas State Representative Bruce Maloch of Emerson. Since 1986, Maloch has been with Farmers Bank & Trust and currently serves as regional president and chief operating officer and is a member of the bank’s board of directors.

Maloch received a B.B.A. in business agriculture from Southern Arkansas University in 1980 and a Juris Doctor degree with honors from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock School of Law. While at SAU, Bruce served as president of the Student Government Association and later served as president of the SAU Alumni Association.

Community and governmental affairs have long been a part of Maloch’s interests. He served 10 years on the Columbia County Quorum Court, has served as president of the Magnolia-Columbia County Chamber of Commerce, Columbia County Bar Association and the Group 4 Arkansas Bankers Association for Southwest Arkansas. He is a member of the Magnolia Economic Development Corporation and serves on the Magnolia Airport Commission. Maloch is current chairman of the Arkansas FFA Foundation and has long been active in Arkansas Farm Bureau and Arkansas Cattlemen’s Association activities. He is an auctioneer and donates his services for charitable events throughout the area. In 1997, Maloch received the Outstanding Young Alumni award for Southern Arkansas University.

Maloch and his wife, Martha, live on a farm south of Magnolia where they raise registered Brangus cattle. Martha is a retired educator from the Emerson-Taylor School District. They have three children, Ryan, Lauren, and Victoria; a son-in-law, Scotty Covington and daughter-in-law, Amy; and granddaughters Reese Covington and Marley Kate Maloch. The Maloch’s are members of First Baptist Church of Magnolia where Bruce is an adult Sunday school teacher.

The SAU Office of Alumni Relations will sponsor a reception for all graduates from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Blue and Gold room. For more information regarding commencement exercises at SAU, call the Office of the Registrar at 870-235-4031.

The MPA program is designed to prepare individuals for positions of leadership in public service organizations and these two specialized tracks will make it easier for students to prepare for how they want to expand their careers, said Director of the Master of Public and Administration Program Dr. Patrick Edgar.
Edgar said there is high demand for those with a criminal justice background in sectors such as Homeland Security. He adds that those who want to move up in the world of law enforcement will have to know about public administration. But the director of the program also expects there to be a growing interest in the social justice element of the program when people realize what all is entailed in the program.

“The possibilities for using this social justice degree run the gamut,” Edgar said. “We are talking about learning how to work on programs that focus on solving problems such as hunger and poverty. These are programs where people can not only earn a living but also feel like they are making a difference in the world.”

Classes for the two tracks of the program will be offered both on the campus of Southern Arkansas University and at the Landmark Building in downtown Texarkana on two weekends a semester. It is possible for students to complete the program by either pursuing only the Magnolia and Texarkana courses or by a combination of attending classes in both cities. Because the program is graduate level, all of the students generally work full-time jobs while completing their course work, Edgar said.

For more information about either track of the program, call Edgar at 870-235-5209.

Students participating in the ceremony are required to line up at 6 p.m. in Harton Theatre. Graduates of the Colleges of Business and Education are asked to line up on the left side of the theater, while those graduating from the Colleges of Liberal and Performing Arts and Science and Technology are to line up on the right.

In the event of inclement weather, the W.T. Watson Athletic Center will serve as an alternate site for the commencement exercises. If this is the case, two separate ceremonies will take place. The College of Business and the College of Education will have their ceremony at 7 p.m., and the ceremony for the College of Liberal and Performing Arts and the College of Science and Technology will take place at 8:30 p.m.

Bob L. Burns, chairman and CEO of Farmer’s Bank & Trust in Magnolia since 1983, will serve as the guest speaker at the ceremony.

Regardless of the weather, the Nursing Department ceremony will be at 4 p.m. in the Reynolds Center Grand Hall. Participants are asked to line up at 3:30 p.m. in Foundation Hall. In addition, the School of Graduate Studies will hold its ceremony at 5:30 p.m. in the Grand Hall as well. Students, faculty and platform guests are to line up in Foundation Hall at 5 p.m.
The Office of Alumni Relations will sponsor a reception for graduates, family and faculty from 4:30 to 6:45 p.m. in the Blue and Gold Room of the Donald W. Reynolds Campus and Community Center.

For more information regarding graduation at SAU, call the Office of the Registrar at 870-235-4031.

The teacher fair will be held in the Grand Hall of the Reynolds Center on the SAU campus. Representatives from public schools and graduate schools in Ark., La., and Texas will be available to provide career information. Current students of all classifications and alumni are encouraged to bring multiple copies of their resume.

For more information, contact Wilma Williams at 235-4097.

For her grueling effort, which created multiple campus icons such as the University bell tower out of pumpkin flesh, Bennett received a $75 gift card to Wal-Mart. Bennett, of Malvern, Ark., said she entered the contest this past year, but was particularly glad to win this year because she knows exactly what to do with the money.

“My brother, Specialist Donovan Witham, was killed in action in Iraq on August 21, 2007,” Bennett said. “Next Wednesday is his birthday so I’m going to buy some really nice flowers to put on his grave,” she said, adding her brother, a member of the U.S. Army Military police paratroopers, would have been 21.

Bennett is pursuing her master’s degree in school counseling and already has a bachelor’s of science in agriculture education from SAU.

The second prize pumpkin, netting a $50 Wal-Mart gift card was awarded to Inna Eltchaninova, a senior finance major of Ocean City, Russia. Third place in the contest and winner of a $25 Wal-Mart gift card was Sara Caller, a sophomore majoring in print journalism from Taylor, Ark. In all, thirteen students participated in this year’s contest.

While other MPA programs emphasize urban, national and international administration, the program at SAU develops public administration professionals for rural communities, counties and nonprofit organizations.

Dr. Patrick Edgar, program director, said he doesn’t know of another MPA program in the country which has a rural emphasis. Edgar, whose background is in public consulting as well as education, said students who choose this program will be better equipped to handle the type of multi-tasking required to be successful in rural government.

“The small city or county does not have the luxury of employing specialists in each area of the administration,” Edgar said. “Instead, the professional in rural governments and nonprofits must be prepared to serve as finance officer, human resource manager, project manager, and emergency services planner or any assortment of functions.”

Edgar said this program is designed to create leaders in public service who approach business with a hope to actually impact the individuals they work with rather than someone who is only concerned with completing the proper forms and hoping for the best.

“Essentially through the MPA program we are giving bureaucrats the opportunity to think before they act. The emphasis of the program is critical thinking,” Edgar said.

Examples of the kind of backgrounds people have coming into the program are virtually endless, meaning students in the program also get the benefit of being surrounded by people who all see things from a different perspective, Edgar said.

Registration is taking place for the program through August 21. A fee will be added to register past this date and the final date to register is August 29. Classes are to be offered in Magnolia and two Saturdays a semester in Texarkana at the Landmark Building. Go to www.saumag.edu for more information or call Edgar at 870-235-5209 or send him an email to pbedgar@saumag.edu.

“It is a privilege and an honor to be selected dean of the School of Graduate Studies and to serve Southern Arkansas University,” said Bloss. “I look forward to being a part of the School of Graduate Studies expansion efforts and to providing our students with the best possible graduate experience.”

Bloss joined the faculty in the summer of 1997 and has served as an associate professor of counselor education and chair of the Department of Curriculum and Instruction.

“Dr. Bloss has a distinguished academic background and a great deal of experience as a member of our graduate faculty,” said Dr. David Rankin, president of SAU. “She is both talented and energetic, and I believe she will be an outstanding leader for our School of Graduate Studies.”

She received her Ph.D. in counselor education and counseling from the University of North Carolina in Greensboro and her master’s and bachelor’s degrees from Northern Arizona University.

One of the goals Bloss has is for the entire University to understand what graduate studies is.

“I want to strengthen the culture of graduate studies across the campus,” she said. “It is our mission to prepare life-long learners as leaders in building strong schools and communities for tomorrow.”

She will oversee the implementation of three new graduate degree programs in the fall. The School of Graduate Studies at SAU will offer a master of public administration degree through the College of Liberal and Performing Arts; an online master of education in elementary or secondary education with a curriculum and instruction focus offered through the College of Education; and a master of science in computer and information science through the College of Science and Technology.

“I feel that my background will enable me to lead the School in a new direction,” she said. “I will continue to develop and implement new programs.”

Bloss also has plans for graduate assistants.

“I want graduate assistants to become more involved with research,” she said.

Her favorite thing about working at SAU is the students.

“I have had wonderful experiences with the students in counselor education,” she said. “I am impressed with students and how they connect with each other. People are really friendly.”

For more information regarding any of the programs offered by the School of Graduate Studies, call 870-235-4150.

Beginning in the fall, a new master of public administration degree will by offered by the Department of History, Geography, and Political Science through the College of Liberal and Performing.

The University was recently notified by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association that the degree has been accredited.

“Congratulations to everyone who worked so hard to see this process completed,” said Dr. David Rankin, president. “The MPA degree will be a valuable addition to our graduate offerings at Southern Arkansas University.”

Two areas of emphasis – a local government track and a non-profit track – will provide internships in a corresponding setting. The curriculum is designed to enhance students’ values, knowledge, and skills in public policy, the organizational environment, the management of public service organizations, and the application of quantitative and qualitative analysis to decision making.

It is primarily for students with a bachelor’s degree in the behavioral or social sciences, though exceptions will be made on a case-by-case basis for candidates with an undergraduate major in other fields.

Dr. Patrick B. Edgar of Missoula, Mont., will serve as program coordinator.

For more information call the School of Graduate Studies at 870-235-4150.