Dr. Tim Wise, SAU’s 2008-2009 Honor Professor, will provide the commencement address. Wise has been at SAU since 1993, as an instructor of marketing and completed his doctoral work in 1995. Dr. Wise has taught both management and marketing courses at SAU. In 2007, he became the chair of the Department of Marketing, Management, and MIS and, in spring 2008, was promoted to full professor and awarded the title of honor professor.

In addition to teaching, his research, and his service on the Faculty Senate and a number of committees, Dr. Wise has written four science fiction and fantasy novels and is pursuing an additional degree from the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. He also owns a small publishing company and design firm.

Dr. Wise earned Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in education from Louisiana Tech University and taught for two years in the public school system before returning to Louisiana Tech for an MBA and DBA in business administration.

The Nursing department is holding a separate ceremony for their graduates at 4 p.m. in Harton Theatre.

Graduates, family and SAU faculty and staff are invited to an SAU Alumni Association sponsored reception from 4:30 to 6 p.m. in the Donald W. Reynolds Campus and Community Center Blue and Gold Room.

Festivities begin at 5 p.m. with the Magnolia Christmas Parade and continue at 6 p.m. with greetings and caroling and the RHA Celebration of Lights at Overstreet Hall. This segment of the evening will include a special lighting of 100 trees on the lawn of Overstreet Hall. Each section of trees will represent the different periods of SAU’s history including its history as the Third District Agricultural School from 1909-1925; Agricultural and Mechanical College from 1925-1951; Southern State College from 1951 to 1976 and Southern Arkansas University since 1976. Holiday cookies, hot apple cider and hot chocolate will be served to get everyone in the Christmas spirit.

At 6:20 p.m., a program including ringing of hand bells will be provided by Central Baptist Church and Christmas entertainment will be provided by Miss SAU Kristen Mosley will take place in the Donald W. Reynolds Campus and Community Center plaza. Christmas parade winners will be announced and the lighting of the Bell Tower will take place. Cheese and crackers, mixed nuts, English toffee cappuccino and hot cider will be served.

The entertaining night will continue with a special appearance from a visitor traveling all the way from the North Pole. Children are welcome to visit with Santa Claus, provide him with their Christmas wishes and have their photo made with him.

The evening concludes with a seasonal feast including pork loin and herbed rotisserie roasted chicken, wild rice and apple dressing, roasted garlic sweet potatoes, green bean almondine, fresh baked rolls, tea or coffee and assorted holiday desserts. The dinner will be served from 6:30 to 8 p.m. in the Grand Hall of the Reynolds Center. Piano music will be provided by Magnolia resident Walter Hale. SAU students will eat free as will children under six-years-old. Tickets for children six through 12-years-old are $3.75 and tickets for adults are $7 per person. Tickets may be purchased in advance at Farmers Bank and Trust, BancorpSouth, Peoples Bank and the SAU Communications Center. Tickets will also be sold at the door on the night of the event.

For more information, call (870) 235-4028

Activities relating to International Education Week will take place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Tuesday, November 18 in Grand Hall of the Donald W. Reynolds Campus and Community Center. At noon, Dr. Charles Keller, associate professor of history, will present a slide show and lecture about his experiences while visiting China. There will be a panel available for a question and answer session after the presentation.

Other highlights of the day will include exhibits from many different countries around the world to view, snacks from around the world to sample, and entertainment and international music to enjoy. In past years, countries such as Russia, Nepal and Sri Lanka have been focused on during International Education Week. Nationally, the week is a joint initiative of the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education and allows for the opportunity to celebrate the benefits of international education and exchange worldwide.

Also next week, Keller will have a poster exhibit in the Brinson Fine Arts Building. The goal of the exhibition is to pass on the reality of the atomic bombings on to as many people as possible and to raise awareness for peace. The cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the first cities to experience the horror of nuclear weapons, loan exhibit posters to various groups for educational and non-profit purposes. The exhibition is co-sponsored by the SAU Art Department, the Asian Studies Minor program, and the Chinese Club.

The public is invited to attend any and all events on campus next week. For more information, call Claudia “Penny” Lyons, director of International Student Services at (870) 235-4082.

Registered organizations at SAU may compete to see who has the best chili and the best decorated table. There will also be a People’s Choice award for the organization receiving the most overall votes. Winners will receive monetary prizes.
For more information, call (870) 235-4925.

Miss Southern Arkansas University is a scholarship pageant that takes place annually during the fall semester, and is a preliminary to the Miss Arkansas Pageant. There are four categories in which the contestants are judged: interview, talent, evening gown, and lifestyle & fitness. Each contestant must complete a critical issue statement which is intended to give each contestant a platform involving an issue that affects society in general or women in particular. Contestants will be interviewed about their chosen issue and will be asked a related question on stage during the evening gown competition. The Miss America Program requires each preliminary contestant to make a $100 donation to Children’s Miracle Network, Miss America’s national platform. Scholarship awards will be given to Miss SAU 2009, 1st Runner-Up, 2nd Runner-Up and Talent winner. The amounts are as listed:
Miss SAU 2009 – 2 Full Semesters Tuition
1st Runner-Up – 1 Full Semester Tuition
2nd Runner-Up – $400 Scholarship
Talent Winner – $400 Scholarship
For more information contact Anne Sharp, director of the Reynolds Center, at 235-5260.

The $2,500 grant proposal was written by Christensen and psychology major Keri Humphries, of Camden, during the summer.

“Keri was the logical choice to coordinate this grant as she contributed creative ideas for student service-learning options,” said Christensen. “We hope to teach students that one person can make a positive impact, especially related to our grant theme, hunger.”

One project incorporated into the grant is a campus wide food drive, “We Can Canned Food Drive,” open to all student organizations. The drive began October 1 and concludes on October 30. All donations will benefit the Stew Pot of Magnolia, a community organization which serves hot meals daily and is celebrating their 25th anniversary. Students involved in this project have been volunteering about five hours weekly throughout October.

Sixteen student organizations have signed-up to participate in the contest. Additionally, the psychology and criminal justice departments will contribute 1707 cans to the student organization can auction held on the “We Can” Facebook page from noon to 6 p.m. Monday, October 27.
The student organization that collects the most cans wins a $500 prize. Those who would like more information can join the Facebook group, “We Can Food Drive,” or contact Student Affairs at (870)235-4925. Student Affairs, as well as Brookshire’s, have played partnership roles in this project.

An education day will be held November 4 with students from development psychology presenting their research about the impact of hunger through a lifetime, explained Christensen. The students will use slam poetry, skits, public service announcements and other creative media. Also on November 4, Heifer International, a non-profit organization whose goal is to help end world hunger and poverty through self-reliance and sustainability, will provide the keynote for the event. The winner of the $500 cash prize for the most cans collected will be announced as well.

For more information about the project, contact Christensen at (870) 235-4934.

The groundbreaking will include brief comments from SAU President, Dr. David Rankin, Jasper Lewis, associate vice president for facilities, Dr. James Rasmussen, chair of the biology department and Kara J. Way, a senior pre-med biology student. Refreshments and light hors d’oeuvres will be served.

The University Science Center is planned to be completed within the next year, a timeframe that will coincide with the University’s Centennial Celebration.

“This is going to be a tremendous facility with state-of-the-art technology that will serve students who are beginning our next centennial of success at Southern Arkansas University,” said SAU President Dr. David Rankin.

The cost of the 64,000-square-foot project is estimated to be $16,747, 986, which includes the main building, district cooling system upgrade, parking, landscaping, furniture, audiovisual equipment and design fees. The general contractor for the project is CDI Contractors of Little Rock and the architects are WER and Associates of Little Rock.

The new facility will house the departments of biology, chemistry, and physics within the College of Science and Technology. Planning for the Center began in 2003 when the Arkansas General Assembly appropriated $240,000 to SAU to prepare a proposal for a science and technology building. During the next two bienniums, the University received additional funding, and in 2006, Governor Mike Huckabee awarded $601,747 to the project. Governor Mike Beebe followed with a $1 million award in 2007.
As a result of a special election and the passage of the Higher Education Technology and Facility Improvement Act, SAU will receive $1,432,980 for the project. The University has also issued bonds in the amount of $14 million.

“The Southern Arkansas University Science Center will be the type of facility that will ensure that students who use the facility will be exceptionally well prepared for work or further education when they receive their degrees,” Rankin said. “Classes are currently held in five different buildings, and this center will help centralize many of the programs.”

The SAU Foundation is continuing to seek gifts for the completion of this project. Naming opportunities are available for many of the classrooms and offices. Please contact the SAU Foundation at 870-235-4078 for more information.

The Fall Choral Concert will include a wide variety of choral music selections, including Renaissance, jazz, spirituals, Russian sacred music, Scotch folk songs, and selections from major works by Bach and Mendelssohn.

Admission is free and open to the public. For more information, call 870-235-4246.

Cecil E. Yates, Jr. will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award. While attending then-Southern State College from 1953-1954, Yates joined the Agri Club. He graduated from Ouachita Baptist University in 1959, with a B.S. in Chemistry and from George Washington University in 1972, with a M.S. in Forensic Science.
Upon graduation, Yates served in the U.S. Army, Europe, from July 1959 to Nov. 1962, as an armored reconnaissance officer and a classified custodian officer in Germany. He also trained as a chemical, biological, and radiological warfare officer.
In 1963, Yates joined the Federal Bureau of Investigation as a special agent to the fugitive squad where he was involved with the apprehension of 163 fugitives in the Baltimore, Maryland area. He continued to work with the FBI until his retirement in 1986.
During his years with the FBI, Yates was trained and used as an FBI and police firearms and defensive tactics instructor. He was also trained as a forensic chemist and eventually was assigned as unit chief to the laboratory’s Forensic Science Training Unit at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia, where he was instrumental in the planning, designing, constructing, and manning of The Forensic Science Research and Training Center—a training facility for local, state, federal, and foreign forensic laboratory personnel.
Cecil Yates served as adjunct professor with George Washington University’s Department of Continuing Education where he was an instructor in the newly established Forensic Science Program, which was the first of its kind. He later served as adjunct professor with the University of Virginia’s Department of Continuing Education where he was an instructor and also coordinated the University’s accredited courses at the FBI Academy.
After retiring from the FBI in 1986, Yates became the director of Corporate Security with FieldCrest Cannon, Inc.–a major textile industry in Eden, North Carolina. Here he was responsible for the security of corporate facilities, properties, and personnel; as well as providing special security for executive and employee travel.
During his career and after retirement, Yates taught classes and seminars to various schools, community colleges, churches, police and fire departments across the southern United States. His favorite public activity has been to work with youth for more than 45 continuous years in the development of recreational, professional, educational, and personal self defense skills, as well as teaching Sunday school classes for youth and weekly Bible studies at a local assisted living facility for the elderly. When he retired for the second time in 1997, Yates and his wife, Jerry moved to Holly Springs, N.C., to be near his son, Mark, daughter, Lisa, and five grandchildren.

Dr. William C. Lindsey will be recognized as a Distinguished Golden Rider.
Lindsey attended then-Southern State College from 1954-1956, where he was a member of the Engineers’ Club. He graduated from the University of Arkansas in 1958 with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering. He then earned both his M.S (1959) and Ph.D. (1962) in Electrical Engineering from Purdue University.
Upon graduation from Purdue University, Lindsey joined the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. He has served as Professor of Electrical Engineering at the University of Southern California since 1968.
Dr. Lindsey was Chairman of the Board and CEO of LinCom Corporation, a company he founded in 1974. He is also a frequent consultant to the U.S. government and various industrial organizations, has published more than 150 papers on diverse topics in communication and information theory, and holds numerous patents.
Authoring three landmark textbooks on digital communication and synchronization systems, editing two best-selling IEEE Press books on synchronization and the ubiquitous phase-locked loop, as well as numerous papers, lectures, and presentations have made Dr. Lindsey internationally known as a leading expert in synchronization and communications.
He serves on Commission C, Signals and Systems of the International Scientific Radio Union (URSI), was Vice President for Technical Affairs of the IEEE Communications Society, served as the second Vice Chairman of the Communications Society (1963), and is a former Editor of the Communications Society Journal. He currently serves as an editor for the Journal on Communications and Networks.
Dr. Lindsey is a Life Fellow of the IEEE and Fellow of the International Engineering Consortium (IEC), a member of the National Academy of Engineering (NAE), and serves on the advisory board for Caltech’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and several other startup companies. He is also a member of Tau Beta Pi, Eta Kappa Nu, Sigma Xi, and Pi Mu Epsilon.

Gaye Manning will be recognized as a Distinguished Alumni. She earned her B.B.A. from Southern Arkansas University and M.B.A. from Henderson State University.
Manning has 24 years of experience as a higher education administrator and is presently the Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration at SAU Tech in Camden. She is responsible for campus operational and capital budgets, accounting operations, payroll and benefits, financial aspects of construction projects, as well as the Campus post office, bookstore, and food service. Manning is also chief fiscal officer of the Arkansas Fire Academy, the Arkansas Environmental Academy, and the SAU Tech Career Academy.
Just a few of the many volunteer activities Manning is involved with include: various offices held with the Arkansas Association of College and University Business Officers (1992-1995), Southern Association of College and University Business Officers (1996-2007), National Association of College and University Business Officers (1997-2008), the Southern Arkansas University Alumni Board (2000 -2006), SAU Tech Foundation Board, the Arkansas Children’s Hospital, and the American Cancer Society.
Manning was awarded the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development Award in 1998; both the Outstanding Administrator Award for Southern Arkansas University Tech and the Arkansas Association of Two Year Colleges, Outstanding Staff Award in 2000; and the Arkansas State Employees Association Top Five Finalist (State Employee of the Year) in 2008.
Prior to SAU Tech, Manning was the Assistant Credit Manager for Talbot’s Department Store and an accountant for a local accounting firm. She and her husband, Gerald enjoy gardening, camping, and attending Arkansas Razorback Football games. Her son, Zachary Hooper, is a senior at the University of Arkansas.

Stephen Weaver will be recognized as the Young Alumni award recipient.
Weaver attended SAU from 1990-1993– playing football for the Muleriders in 1990, and then graduating with a B.S.E in 1993. Several members of his family also graduated from SAU including his wife, Susan; mother, Tommye Miller Weaver; and in-laws, Ken and Carol Sibley.
Weaver is presently General Manager at CMC Steel Arkansas/Southern Post. Not only is he the youngest General Manager at Commercial Metals Company, he is the only general manager who was born in Magnolia and has spent his entire life here from grade school to graduation from SAU. He credits Dr. Hugh Johnson of the SAU biology department with having a lasting influence on his life: “He took the time to really get to know each and every one of his students. I had great respect for him as a teacher and a person.”
As a leader of a local company, Weaver tries to promote SAU by targeting SAU graduates for management training positions and encouraging employees “to further their education at SAU while maintaining their current position.” CMC Steel also sponsors scholarships to SAU for all employees and immediate families each semester and is in the process of increasing the amount of the scholarship.
In addition to attending sporting events and the annual foundation banquet at SAU, Weaver also appropriates funds to the SAU Foundation and supports most other University fundraisers annually.
Weaver serves on several boards in Magnolia and Columbia County including the United Way of Columbia County, serving as president in 2006 and 2007; Magnolia Boys and Girls Club, serving as vice president; Chamber of Commerce; and the Rotary Club. He is the co-holder of a U.S. Patent through CMC–helping lead the plant to being the safest steel mill in North America in 2007.
Stephen Weaver lives in Magnolia with his wife, Susan, daughter, Anna, and son, Coleman.

The observance of Hispanic Heritage Month was initiated by Congresss in 1968 with the purpose of celebrating the diverse culture, tradition, and invaluable contributions of Hispanic and Latino people in the United States.

Movies, arts, food, round-table discussions, literary readings, and music are some of the activities planned at Southern Arkansas University through October 15 to celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month.

“We are very excited to continue to celebrate the Hispanic Heritage month on our campus,” said Dr. Elba D. Birmingham-Pokorny, professor of Spanish and organizer and coordinator of the Hispanic Heritage Month Celebrations at SAU. “We have a lot of wonderful activities planned throughout the month that we think the students and community will enjoy. We are hoping that this program will give people from the community as well as high school students the opportunity to come to the SAU campus and be introduced to the Hispanic culture.”

The celebration kicked-off on Thursday, September 25, with a panel discussion. The topic of the dicussion was “The Hispanic Presence in Arkansas: Challenges and Benefits.” The program was held at Wilson 327 and Dr. Birmingham-Pokorny served as the moderator. Panelists included: Dr. Val Cantú, Vicepresident of Academic Affairs and Student Services at South Arkansas Community College; Janet Derrickson, Spanish teacher at Emerson and Taylor High Schools; Dr. Roger Guevara, Director of Urban Renewal Zone at SAU; Cynthia Reyna, Executive Director, Foundation at South Arkansas Community College; Susana Peláez, retired nurse and Sandra Cotton, Preacher in Camden.

Other events include a Literary Reading from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, October 9 in Wilson 327 in which students from various levels: elementary, intermediate, and advanced Spanish will participate. A “Sampling of Spanish, Latin American, and Caribbean Cuisines” will be held for Spanish majors only from noon to 2 p.m. on Friday, October 3 in Wilson 327. Students will be introduced to the diversity of the Spanish culture vis-à-vis the tasting of a variety of dishes from Spain, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Ecuador, and Panamá.

On Sunday, October 12, a group of students will be attending a field trip to Centennary College’s Musuem, to view Emilio Amero’s Exhibit and attend a lecture given by Ariel Zuñiga over “The Works of Emilio Amero”.

For more information about Hispanic Heritage Month celebrations at SAU, contact Dr. Birmingham-Pokorny at (870) 235-4206.

Elcia Olivo provided this report.