S O U T H E A S T E R N L O U I S I A N A U N I V E R S I T Y M A G A Z I N E

S P R I N G / S U M M E R 2 0 1 6

SOUTHEASTERNROTC ReturnsSoutheastern brings Army ROTC

back to campus, pg. 22

PANAMA

Southeastern’s partnerships in Panama continue

to grow, pg. 17

Southeastern’s CSIForensics classes teach the science

of solving mysteries, pg. 36

SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA UNIVERSITYS P R I N G / S U M M E R 2 0 1 6 M A G A Z I N E

Letters: Southeastern Magazine welcomes letters of 300 or fewer words. Letters may be used for publication unless the author states that it is not to be published. Letters may be edited for publication. Send submissions to Editor, Southeastern Magazine, Office of University Advancement, SLU 10293, Hammond, LA 70402 or mrivault@southeastern.edu.

Printing and distribution for the Southeastern Magazine provided by the Southeastern Foundation – southeasternfoundation.org.

COVER PHOTO:

Members of the latest class of Panamá Bilingüe donned native dress and demonstrated native dances as part of the entertainment.

PRESIDENT

Dr. John L. Crain

PROVOST & VICE PRESIDENT FOR ACADEMIC AFFAIRS

Dr. Tammy Bourg

VICE PRESIDENT FOR ADMINISTRATION & FINANCE

Sam Domiano

VICE PRESIDENT FOR UNIVERSITY ADVANCEMENT

Wendy Lauderdale, CFRE

VICE PRESIDENT FOR STUDENT AFFAIRS

Dr. Marvin Yates

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, PUBLIC & GOVERNMENTAL

AFFAIRS

Erin Moore CowserDIRECTOR, MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS

Mike RivaultDIRECTOR, PUBLIC INFORMATION

Rene AbadiePHOTOGRAPHY

Randy BergeronCONTRIBUTORS

Tonya Lowentritt, Kemmler ChappleKandace Formaggio

Camry Boudy

Busting Myths article, pg. 33

S P R I N G / S U M M E R 2 0 1 6 1

table of contents

10 TOP 5 RANKING

The Sport Management program has been ranked in the top 5 nationally.

14 GATES FOUNDATION GRANT

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation gives College of Education grant to aid in teacher preparation.

17 PANAMA

Southeastern’s partnerships in Panama continue to grow.

22 ROTC RETURNS TO SOUTHEASTERN

After decades of absence, Southeastern brings Army ROTC back to campus.

30 REAL-WORLD READY ACADEMICS

The Office of Experiential Learning takes hold of getting students real-world learning opportunities.

33 BUSTING MYTHS

Professor Rhett Allain has been a regular consultant on the hit TV show, Mythbusters.

36 SOUTHEASTERN’S CSI

Southeastern’s Forensics program and classes teach the science of solving mysteries.

52 F IRST GENERATION

STUDENTS SUCCEED

First Generation Scholarships are helping students build a strong future.

3322 36

2 S O U T H E A S T E R N M A G A Z I N E

In my three plus decades at Southeastern as a student, faculty

member and administrator, I have seen many changes to our

beloved institution. The overall story has been one of growth

and advancement, while always maintaining our primary goal

of remaining a student-centered institution with a small-college

friendliness and caring atmosphere. This has been made possible

due to effective support, strategy, leadership, and strong student

bodies through the years.

There are many areas I could point to regarding our growth as an

institution – increasing enrollment from a few thousand students

when I started here to 15,000 today; the expanding physical

footprint of our campus to fulfill the needs of our students and the

region; the introduction and expansion of academic programs for

these same reasons – and many others. One area of which I am

particularly proud is our international orientation.

When Southeastern started as a small regional junior college,

international involvement was not a primary focus of the

institution. However, as the world has changed and become more

interconnected with a more global economy, Southeastern has

evolved with it.

Through our international students, as well as some of our faculty

and staff, our campus is rich in cultural diversity. Thousands of our

students have studied abroad, gaining knowledge and a sense of

cultures that only can be understood through direct experience.

Southeastern has also engaged with other nations and their

universities and institutions to provide unique learning, exchange

and research opportunities for students.

As you will read in these pages, one of our strongest international

efforts focuses on South and Central America. This is a region

that in the coming decades will be a significant economic partner

with the United States and specifically the Gulf of Mexico states.

We hope to position Southeastern as an important participant

in those endeavors through programs, both large and small, that

provide our region and our students with ample resources to

participate in the global economy.

As I noted, it is amazing how far we have come. Please enjoy this

magazine and share it. As always, you are our greatest asset in

spreading the word about our University.

Alumni, Friends & Supporters,

president’s MESSAGE

John L. CrainPRESIDENT

S P R I N G / S U M M E R 2 0 1 6 3

Sophomore // Communication

How Southeastern changed me I don’t know that Southeastern necessarily changed me, but it provided the perfect place to become a better version of myself, to grow personally and academically, to make new friends and give me another home in my hometown.

Favorite spot on campus Strawberry Stadium holds a special place in my heart. Cheering on the Lions, win or lose, will always be an essential part of my college experience.

Dream job I’d love to work in PR on a political campaign.

What do you think of Southeastern’s faculty and staff ? SLU is often compared to a family, and the care and pride that our faculty and staff have in the students continues to prove that.

Current involvement on campus

Phi Mu Fraternity, Public Relations Student Society of America, the ExCel

Scholar Program, Auxiliary Services Student Advisory Board

In 15 words or less, what is great about

Southeastern? Simply put, I’m a person not a

number. I matter here. Everyone does.

OUT&ABOUT

MadisonCHAUVIN

Favorite thing about my major

I love the independence that comes with being a communication major. Our field is so broad that we have free reign over how to concentrate our education to personally benefit ourselves now and

in our future careers.

4 S O U T H E A S T E R N M A G A Z I N E

SOCIAL MEDIA

“Wishing you all the best of luck! I know you all

are going to kill it!” – Micque Bouza Voges

COMMENTING ON THE LION SPIRIT SQUADS’ PHOTO BEFORE COLLEGE DANCE

AND CHEER NATIONALS

“Defeating USM & Baylor today!#lionup”@peytonlaine

“Job Well Done! Lion Up! Lions Win!”

– Eric Brown // COMMENTING ON ATHLETICS POST BEFORE TULANE BASEBALL GAME

“LET’S GO LIONS! I’ve been looking for my pics in the Homecoming parade ‘85. #lionup”

@charleanmilton

POSTINGS & COMMENTS FROM YOU

"The sunset last night over #ThePat. 3 days people!!”

– Taylor Marceaux // ON SUNSET PIC OF BASEBALL FIELD

“ Southeastern is my future home and

I couldn’t be more excited and honored to

go there. #lionup.” @dylanMD16

“ #LIONUP for higher education. The wind ain’t got nothin on the H.E.A.T.”

@sugar_maddy

COMMENT ABOUT HIGHER EDUCATION DAY AT THE CAPITOL

“ There is power in

numbers!!”-Belinda Niswonger

FACEBOOK // ON “RESULTS OVER

RHETORIC” AT THE CAPITAL

S P R I N G / S U M M E R 2 0 1 6 5

“Loved attending SLU & living in Hammond Class of 79”

-Brenda Van Alphen

FACEBOOK

“Still in shock that this field is my future home

#LionUp.”– Camryn Kate

INCOMING FRESHMAN ON GETTING SIGNED TO THE SOFTBALL TEAM

“Watch out the next few years. Ladner knows what he is doing.”

– Duane Gougler

FACEBOOK

“Congrats Ashton Henderson that was an awesome play!”

- Nathan Ford

FACEBOOK

“Homecoming week at SLU with my BFF”

-Abby Brennan

“ A UNIVERSITY THAT CARES - I attended Southeastern as a starting point for my college career. After my freshman year I

quickly realized this was the location where I wanted to complete my education. Why? Because the faculty cared about my education, my growth and my career path. I am grateful for the opportunity that I

had professionally and personally at this university. Geaux Lions!!!”-Catherine McClemens LINKEDIN // REGIONAL VICE

PRESIDENT AT CARNEGIE LEARNING

“IT’S HOMECOMING Y’ALL!! #LIONUP #BROADWAY”

@SoutheasternOSE

“Congratulations to @slugreeks for raising $400 for the Southeastern Food Pantry! #SLUgreekweek16

#slugreeklife”

@slugreeks

"I am personally taking a few online courses

and have previously taken online courses.

I can easily say that I have learned a lot from

these classes and having the option of taking

them online really helped me a lot!"

– Jacob Michael

FACEBOOK // ON “RANKED #1 IN THE STATE

FOR ONLINE COURSE OFFERINGS” POST

6 S O U T H E A S T E R N M A G A Z I N E

NEWS in LEARNING

SOUTHEASTERN EXPERIENCED

INCREASES IN NEW FRESHMEN, NEW

TRANSFER STUDENTS, AS WELL AS

OVERALL ENROLLMENT THIS PAST FALL.

This year’s class of new freshmen increased

by 122 students. Transfer students also

increased by 15.3 percent.

“Our recent recruitment efforts emphasize

the exceptional academic programs

Southeastern offers,” said President John

L. Crain.

Overall enrollment of all types grew by

nearly one percent as well.

Computer science, information technology,

engineering technology, as well as strong

programs in communication, education,

nursing, accounting and new media and

animation, continue to attract new students,

he said.

In addition, Crain said, Southeastern’s

new initiative, Real-World Ready – which

emphasizes internships, service-learning

courses, research and other hands-on

experiences – demonstrates the university’s

commitment to fully prepare students for

the workforce and is having an impact on

attracting new students.

The Connect to Success program – a

partnership between Southeastern and

Northshore Technical Community College

—provides post-secondary educational

opportunities for students in the region who

are seeking admission to the university but

don’t yet meet admission criteria. NTCC

students participating in the program take

their courses on the Southeastern campus

and have access to its library, Student Union

and other facilities. The program showed

additional enrollment growth this fall,

reaching 569 students, the highest in the

program’s three-year history.

“We are continually seeking ways to meet

the needs of students in the region and

beyond by offering unique and purposeful

options to succeed,” Crain said.

New freshmen enrollment

Record Set

S P R I N G / S U M M E R 2 0 1 6 7

Foundation being laid

With the demolished remnants of a former dormitory and office

building in the background, Southeastern officials and other guests

broke ground Friday, November 20, to initiate construction of a new

science and technology building.

The 70,000 square foot building is being built on the southeast

corner of the campus at North Oak and Dakota streets. The $24.4

million facility is being funded through state Capital Outlay funds; no

university operating funds will be used in construction.

The building is being constructed on the site of Southeastern Hall, a

former dormitory and office building that was built in 1948, and an

adjacent parking lot.

“This is a transformational project for Southeastern for a number

of reasons, including workforce development, as we continue to

evolve the university to fulfill our mission of serving our region,”

said Southeastern President John L. Crain. “This is a well-planned

facility that will be staffed by highly specialized faculty teaching and

mentoring a growing number of students in these technical areas.”

He added that the new structure, along with the park area being

developed across the street and a new parking lot, will create an

inviting and impressive new visual entrance to the university along a

highly traversed route from the interstate to campus.

“Occupational forecasts indicate there are thousands and thousands

of STEM-related jobs that need to be filled right here in Louisiana,”

said Rep. Chris Broadwater, who was instrumental in shepherding the

building project through the state’s Capital Outlay process.

“If we don’t have the capacity to train these workers to fill these jobs,

these students will leave the state.”

He added that the building will be important as well for Northshore

Community and Technical College. Through partnerships, NTCC

students will have access to the excellent programs and facilities

should they chose to transfer to Southeastern.

Randy Moffett, former president of Southeastern and the University

of Louisiana System, said the new building is the result of a long-term

vision developed by a lot of people over a number of years.

“It has the potential to be the cornerstone of Louisiana higher education on the Northshore,” he added.

The project has been in the development stages since 2007. Total

construction time is estimated at 17 months, making the facility

possibly ready for the fall 2017 semester. The three-story facility will

house components of several programs, including computer science,

information technology, engineering technology, industrial technology,

and the occupational, safety, health and environment program.

In addition to faculty offices and technology-rich classrooms, the

building will have specialty labs for computer science, engineering

and industrial technology, material testing, machine and

manufacturing, automation and robotics, industrial hygiene and fire

protection, and electronics and drafting.

Architects for the project are Holly and Smith Architects of

Hammond; general contractor is Percy Matherne Contractors, Inc.

of Baton Rouge.

UNDER WAYNew Science & Technology Building Construction

8 S O U T H E A S T E R N M A G A Z I N E

Southeastern has been recognized with a Student Actions Award by

the organization Purposeful Networks.

Purposeful Networks honors undergraduate schools for

demonstrated student leadership, momentum and engagement

in activities that positively impact communities and the planet.

Southeastern is the only public university in Louisiana among the 125

schools in the nation being recognized for excellence this semester.

“It is truly an honor to be listed alongside other top universities for

the actions of our students,” said President John Crain. “Service to

others and engagement with our communities are basic values we

try to instill in all of our students. The activities cultivate a sense of

partnership among the students and help strengthen their leadership

and organizational skills, which are vital to success in the workplace.”

Crain noted that student organizations are heavily involved in

fund-raising for non-profit organizations and in community service

events, such as “The Big Event” held every year, where hundreds

of students gather on a specific day to carry out service projects

throughout the region.

For their efforts, Southeastern also has earned a position on the

President’s Higher Education Honor Roll for Community Service for

the past four years.

Additionally, the university is expanding student-engagement

opportunities this year by increasing the number of experiential-

learning opportunities through its Real-World Ready initiative. This

plan involves merging classroom instruction with hands-on activities

to achieve a more intensive learning experience.

“The power of student leaders to build community and inspire action

for causes and programs they support is tremendous. We are proud

to spotlight the individual and collective impact of undergraduate

students across the country,” said Kristine Sturgeon, president of

Purposeful Networks. “From encouraging positive everyday activities

like donating blood or volunteering to organize campus-wide

events and fund-raising, our next generation of leaders is making a

measurable impact.”

For more information on the network, go online to

purposefulnetworks.com.

Southeastern recognized by national groups for student leadership, engagement & impact on communities

NEWS in LEARNING

S P R I N G / S U M M E R 2 0 1 6 9

Southeastern’s honor society Phi Kappa Phi was recently

recognized as a Chapter of Excellence, the highest commendation

a chapter can receive from the organization.

Phi Kappa Phi is the nation’s oldest and most selective collegiate

honor society for all academic disciplines. The award is given

to chapters that excel in recognizing and promoting academic

excellence in all of higher education and engaging the community of

scholars in service to others.

Southeastern was one of only 29 chapters nationwide to be

recognized as a Chapter of Excellence.

Chapter President Cindy Elliott, head of the Department of Teaching

and Learning, said the honor recognizes the chapter’s recruitment

efforts and programs designed to promote academic excellence.

The chapter presents scholarships to students, obtains national

grants from Phi Kappa Phi to support literacy efforts in area schools

and libraries and holds its annual Student-Faculty Quiz Bowl during

Homecoming Week.

She also recognized the efforts of last year’s president, Associate

Professor of Mathematics Danny Acosta.

Founded in 1897, Phi Kappa Phi has chapters on more than 300

select colleges and universities in North America.

Phi Kappa Phi Chapter

HONORED FOR EXCELLENCE

Above: Annual Faculty-Student Quiz Bowl held during Homecoming Week.

Below: New Phi Kapa Phi inductees.

10 S O U T H E A S T E R N M A G A Z I N E

The sport management program at Southeastern was named No. 5

among the 50 Most Affordable Urban Schools for the profession

in 2015.

SMG, an international sport marketing and venue management

corporation, created the listing based on a review of 158 U.S.

institutions that offer four-year bachelor’s degrees in sport and/or

fitness administration/management and located in an urban or

city setting.

Criteria for the selection included internship

opportunities, such as professional football,

basketball or baseball teams and other

opportunities, and net price for attending

the institution. Southeastern was cited for

its proximity to New Orleans and its robust

internship opportunities, as well as the

employment of its graduates in a variety of

sport and recreational settings.

“We are honored to receive this

recognition for offering a strong program that

provides a variety of real-world ready opportunities

for students in our growing sport management

academic program,” said Eddie Hebert, head of the

Department of Kinesiology and Health Studies.

Hebert said Southeastern in 2008 was the first university in

Louisiana to offer a program in sport management and currently has

100 students pursuing the degree. Southeastern is the only program

in Louisiana included in the SMG listing.

The degree, he said, combines foundational coursework in business

areas, such as accounting, marketing and management, with

kinesiology. “The focus is to apply business principles in the sport,

recreation and fitness industry,” he said.

“We are in a geographical location that’s

ideal for a student looking to go into the

field,” he said. “Located close to New

Orleans and Baton Rouge, Southeastern

has been able to develop partnerships with

organizations such as the New Orleans

Saints, the Pelicans and the New Orleans

Sports Foundation, all of which have given

our students opportunities to learn from

professionals in the field.”

Likewise, he said, Baton Rouge offers a

variety of recreational and sport businesses where students can gain

valuable experience, including the BR Recreation Department, youth

and adult soccer leagues, fitness centers and other opportunities.

Other partnerships have been developed with the Louisiana High

School Athletic Association, Louisiana Special Olympics, the

Mandeville Sports Complex, New Orleans Superdome and Smoothie

King Arena and the Sun Belt Conference Headquarters.

SOUTHEASTERN SPORT MANAGEMENT PROGRAM LISTED AS

No. 5 in nation

NEWS in LEARNING

S P R I N G / S U M M E R 2 0 1 6 11

Southeastern’s application for reaffirmation of accreditation by

the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on

Colleges (SACSCOC) was approved in December at the SACSCOC

annual meeting in Houston, university officials announced.

President John L. Crain said the SACS Board of Trustees voted to

reaffirm the university’s accreditation for another 10 years with no

stipulations. Southeastern has been accredited by SACSCOC since

1946.

“This is the capstone accreditation for the university,” Crain said, “and

I am proud of the strong efforts of our faculty and staff who worked

so hard to ensure a successful outcome.”

Crain said Southeastern has been preparing its application for the last

several years. The application demonstrates how Southeastern meets

high standards that cover every aspect of the university, including

its mission and governance, financial and physical resources,

institutional effectiveness, student services, faculty qualifications,

athletics, quality of educational programs and library resources.

Following a review by an off-site committee, an on-site Reaffirmation

Committee evaluated various documents, conducted inspections

and interviewed faculty, staff and students during a three-day visit

last spring.

“The university is held responsible for clearly demonstrating and

documenting that we meet all standards and have the highest

commitment to institutional integrity, accountability and quality

improvement,” Crain added.

The current review process requires completion of a self-study

compliance audit that addresses approximately 100 standards with

significant documentation that each standard is being met.

The review process also requires development of a quality

enhancement plan (QEP) that addresses an area designed to

enhance student learning at the university. Southeastern selected

a Real-World Ready campaign designed to enhance opportunities

for students to practice skills in a setting authentic to their intended

careers. Internships and partnerships with businesses and agencies,

service-learning courses, field experiences, undergraduate

research and other opportunities are all part of the experiential

learning process.

“These learning opportunities are current, pertinent, performance-

based, and practical applications of knowledge and skills experienced

within the curriculum,” Crain said. “The Real-World Ready campaign

represents an exciting opportunity to enhance student learning while

also helping increase the university’s retention and graduation rates,

key factors in how universities are now being evaluated.”

Two graduate students in Southeastern’s communication

sciences and disorders program have earned awards based on

their achievements.

Caprice Lee of Monroe was selected to be a participant in the

American Speech-Language-Hearing Association’s Minority Student

Leadership Program (MSLP), while Megan McMillin of Shorewood,

Ill., received a $1,500 graduate scholarship from SPALS, the Speech

Pathologists and Audiologists in Louisiana Schools. Both are

graduates of Southeastern’s bachelor’s program in communication

sciences and disorders.

Lee was one of only 40 students nationwide to be selected to

participate in leadership training at the 2015 Convention in Denver

in November. As an MSLP participant, she took part in leadership-

focused educational programs and activities at the convention

designed to help build and enhance leadership skills and gain an

understanding of how the association works.

McMillin is a former player for the Southeastern Lions volleyball

team, who was named a winner of the President’s Award for

Academic Excellence for the College of Nursing and Health Sciences

when she graduated last year. She also was named to the Southland

Conference’s All-Academic Team and received the conference’s F.L.

McDonald Postgraduate Scholarship. She intends to work in a school

setting after she earns her master’s degree.

Southeastern’s accreditation reaffirmed by

Southeastern students earn speech-language-hearing awards

Megan McMillin

Caprice Lee

12 S O U T H E A S T E R N M A G A Z I N E

Southeastern’s graduate program in biological sciences was ranked

sixth in the nation in the fall Biology Grad Rankings posted by the

website graduateprograms.com.

Southeastern was the only institution from Louisiana included in the

listing of the top 25 biology graduate programs in the country.

Among the 15 categories reviewed were academic competitiveness,

affordability of living, campus safety, career support, education

quality and faculty accessibility and support. Southeastern’s ranking

is above Yale and Harvard, putting it in good company with Duke,

Carnegie Mellon and Tufts University to round out the top tier of

rated schools.

“This is a testimony to the quality and commitment of our faculty,

many of whom are internationally celebrated biologists,” said Dean of

the College of Science and Technology Dan McCarthy. “The master’s

program in biology draws graduate students from throughout the

country, and when they graduate from here, they are typically placed

in some of the strongest doctoral programs for further study.”

The rankings were based on ratings and reviews from current or

recent graduate students with a requirement that a minimum

threshold of student surveys are completed. More than 75,000

students in 1,600 programs participated in the review process.

A sample of student comments from the Southeastern review

included:

“There are great people present in the program and staff members that sincerely want to see you succeed.”

“I believe SLU offers a great mix of diverse faculty and some excellent mentors who truly seek to help students succeed in what they do.”

“Our graduate students receive outstanding and individualized

training,” said Chris Beachy, head of the Department of Biological

Sciences. “Our graduate faculty have outstanding publishing success

in professional journals, they obtain external funding from nationally

competitive sources like the National Science Foundation, and they

are recognized and honored for their career work by various specialist

organizations.”

SOUTHEASTERN GRADUATE BIOLOGY PROGRAM

ranked 6th in nation

NEWS in LEARNING

Southeastern and Nunez Community College in Chalmette have

reached an agreement facilitating the transfer of Nunez business

administration students into Southeastern’s business bachelor’s

degree programs.

The agreement provides an easy transition for students graduating

with an Associate of General Studies in business administration

concentration from Nunez who intend to pursue a bachelor’s degree

program in business.

The agreement – known as a 2+2 articulation agreement – is a

cooperative endeavor between a two-year community college

program that offers associate degrees and a four-year institution

that provides students with an easy transition through the sharing of

application and admissions information, transcripts and other records.

The agreement was signed by Southeastern President John L. Crain

and Nunez Chancellor Thomas R. Warner.

“Our agreement with Nunez Community College opens the door for

qualified students with two-year degrees to further their education

in a seamless manner,” Crain said. “Southeastern collaborates with

institutions in the Louisiana Community and Technical College

System (LCTCS) as we work cooperatively to advance the success of

higher education students. Doing so addresses important workforce

development needs for the state and is in the best interest of

students.”

“Our partnership with Nunez provides more avenues for community college students to achieve their dreams of furthering their education. It also provides opportunities for students who may not have otherwise considered completing a bachelor’s degree,” said Antoinette Phillips, interim dean of the Southeastern College of Business.

She said students will take 60 credit hours at Nunez, which include

most of their general education coursework, including math, English,

science, social studies, humanities and basic business administration.

Their remaining 60 hours at Southeastern will focus primarily

on business coursework under one of the college’s departmental

programs. Southeastern offers business degrees in the departments

of accounting and finance, management and business administration,

and marketing and supply chain management.

Southeastern, Nunez sign agreement on business programs

S P R I N G / S U M M E R 2 0 1 6 13

a [ somewhat ] scientificYOU SAID IT

POLLING o f ALUMNI

67.5% YES 32.5% NO

Do you use it regularly?

41.5% YES, but only when it’s really cold

25.7% NO, too much trouble

22.8% YES, whenever it is even a little chilly

9.4% NO, I like it cold

0.6% YES, I’ll turn down the A/C to make it cold inside and light a fire

THE TYPE OF VEHICLE I DRIVE:

DO YOU HAVE A FIREPLACE in your house?

35.2% SUV

32.4% SEDAN

20% TRUCK

7% SPORTS CAR

4.9% VAN

0.4% MOTORCYCLE

34.4% SUV

21.9% SPORTS

20.8% TRUCK

17.5% SEDAN

3.3% VAN

2.1% MOTORCYCLE

66.4% GO TO A NICE RESTAURANT

33.6% MAKE A GOURMET MEAL AT HOME

57.7% LIVING/MAIN ROOM

16.7% BEDROOM

12.9% KITCHEN

10.5% FRONT PORCH

1.6% BATHROOM

0.7% DINING ROOM

42.2% YES

57.8% NO

THE TYPE OF VEHICLE I Wish I DROVE

DO YOU HAVE GRANDCHILDREN?

I WOULD RATHER:

FAVORITE ROOM of the house

14 S O U T H E A S T E R N M A G A Z I N E

COLLEGE OF EDUCATION RECEIVES GRANT FROM

Bill & Melinda GatesFoundation

S outheastern recently received a grant from the Bill & Melinda

Gates Foundation as part of being named to one of five Teacher

Preparation Transformation Centers. These centers are designed

to bring together higher education institutions, teacher-

preparation providers and K-12 school systems to share data,

knowledge and best practices with the intended outcome of

preparing highly qualified teachers.

S P R I N G / S U M M E R 2 0 1 6 15

Southeastern is the only teacher preparation program in Louisiana

invited to participate.

Funding for the projects amounts to a total of $34.7 million over

three years. Each center is expected to test different approaches in

various contexts to better understand teacher-preparation practices

that are most effective. The Transformation Centers will be

guided by a common set of indicators and outcomes while testing

different approaches.

Each center includes several universities. Southeastern’s College of

Education will be part of the University-School Partnerships for the

Renewal of Educator Preparation (U.S.PREP) National Center based

at Texas Tech University.

Southeastern will receive approximately $534,000 over the three-

year period, explained Shirley Jacob, interim dean of the College of

Education. Other universities participating in U.S.PREP are Jackson

State University, Southern Methodist University, the University of

Houston and the University of Memphis.

“We know through years of experience that one of the main impacts on students’ learning is the presence of a highly-effective, qualified teacher,” Jacob said. “This project is intended to help all teacher preparation programs better prepare our teacher candidates to be successful in the classroom.”

The overall goal of U.S.Prep is to produce exemplary new teachers for

their partner school districts who outperform new teachers prepared

in other teacher preparation programs. The districts partnering

with Southeastern are the St. Charles Parish School District and the

Ascension Parish Public School District.

“We have worked closely and very cooperatively with both these

districts for years now. They have served as sites for our teacher

candidates to practice their student teaching under the supervision

of one or more of their own highly competent teachers,” Jacobs

said. “They are fully committed to the goal of improving their own

instructors, as well as helping us develop a high quality generation of

new teachers.”

“We welcome the opportunity for our district to be engaged in

the development and implementation of a transformative teacher

preparation program,” said Patrice Pujol, former superintendent of

Ascension Public Schools. “We look forward to our district, school

and teacher leaders collaborating with university faculty to assure

that teacher education candidates are strategically placed with

strong mentors in the schools.”

Felecia Gomez-Walker, superintendent of St. Charles Parish Public

Schools, noted that the district and Southeastern have collaborated

over many years to develop an excellent student teaching experience

for future teachers. This has led to development of a one-year

apprenticeship model now in effect.

“District personnel will interact with university faculty to strategically

coordinate teacher education candidate field placements and

residencies in our school district,” she added. “This collaboration has

the potential to positively impact the work we are doing to prepare

teachers for the 21st Century classrooms.”

U.S.PREP and its coalition members are expected to achieve several

specific quality objectives, including preparing new teachers

who possess exceptional content knowledge and teaching skills;

developing a program culture focused on continuous improvement

using outcome and design-based research data; ensuring teacher

educator effectiveness is elevated through professional develop

programs based on solid research; enhancing the common school

and university vision of preparation of teacher candidates through

collaborative implementation; and developing an effective peer-to-

peer university model that helps jumpstart a revolution of improved

teacher preparation programs.

“We are looking forward to working cooperatively with Ascension

Public Schools and St. Charles Public School System next fall

on this project” Jacob added. “Their leaders are dedicated to

continuous quality improvement among their own teachers and in

assisting Southeastern create a new generation of highly skilled and

competent teachers.”

Southeastern maintains one of the largest teacher preparation

programs in Louisiana. Currently approximately 800 students are

enrolled in the teacher preparation program.

16 S O U T H E A S T E R N M A G A Z I N E

22 international institutions Southeastern partnerships for

cooperative exchanges, projects and research - hailing from

DID you KNOW?

NUMBERSA Global Institution

By the

44

50

15012

nations international students come from

nations alumni

currently reside in

average number of students

participating in study abroad per year

average number of study abroad programs per year

over

14 nations

S P R I N G / S U M M E R 2 0 1 6 17

feature STORY

PANAMASoutheastern grows relationship with

CENTRAL AND SOUTH AMERICAN TRADE GROWS

Central and South America have been strong trade and economic

partners with the United States for generations, but in the past

decade that relationship has become increasingly important – and

Southeastern has launched initiatives that help that relationship.

According to the American Association of Port Authorities, since

2005, the tonnage of trade between Central and South America

and the United States has almost tripled. The tonnage of trade

with Panamá alone has more than tripled. This growth is expected

to accelerate with the opening of the expanded Panamá Canal

this summer. The expansion will shorten significant trade routes

between Asia and the United States with ports along the Gulf Coast

standing to take in a significant portion of this trade.

Four of the top 10 ports in the United States are in South Louisiana.

The Port of South Louisiana, Port of New Orleans and Port of Baton

Rouge, numbers one, six and eight respectively, are all within a

one hour driving distance from Southeastern. Because of this, the

university is well positioned to serve as a resource.

by Tonya Lowentritt and Rene Abadie

18 S O U T H E A S T E R N M A G A Z I N E

SOUTHEASTERN PANAMÁ CONNECTION

When Southeastern began a working relationship with the

Republic of Panamá in the 1990s, the goal was to help Panamánian

businesses in the areas of management, marketing and the use of

technology. It was part of a long history of friendship with Latin

American nations instituted by the university’s Latin America

Business and Development Initiative. From this friendship,

Southeastern has developed multiple programs with Panamá.

For more than 10 years, Southeastern’s College of Business has

maintained a 10-day study abroad program, which allows U.S.

students the opportunity to visit the Latin American country and

to learn more about its culture and businesses. The program

receives strong support from the Universidad Latina de Panamá’s

Dr. José Barrios Ng, 2015 recipient of an honorary doctorate from

Southeastern. Through this program, present-day students have

reconnected with Panamánian graduates of Southeastern, such

as Juan Diego de Obaldia, commercial director for Del Monte of

Panamá, and Irma Zambrano, New Product Development and

Innovations, Cervecería Nacional.

The College of Business also began a 2+2 Cooperative Transfer

program with Universidad Latina de Panamá in 2010, in which

students can take their first two years’ of courses at Latina and

then enroll in Southeastern to complete the last two years of their

education.

One of the most innovative programs that has developed from

Southeastern’s relationship with Panamá is the current Panamá

Bilingue program, an outgrowth of a pilot program started in 2009.

PROGRAM GROWS FROM 2009 PILOT

“Southeastern is proud that the seeds for this program were

planted years earlier in the form of the English for Life pilot program

developed by the Latin America Business Initiative,” said Aristides

Baraya, director of the initiative, who has a long history of developing

educational relationships with Latin America. “Because of the

success of this pilot, Southeastern was one of the first universities

contacted in 2015 by the administration of President Juan Carlos

Varela to participate in the Panamá Bilingüe program,” said Baraya.

“The government of Panamá recognizes that their high school

graduates who are fluent in English have much greater employment

opportunities than citizens who are limited by only their native

language of Spanish,” Baraya explained.

GRADUATION DAY – Panamanian students who participated in Panamá Bilingüe at Southeastern pose for a group photo following their graduation.

BUILDING LANGUAGE SKILLS – Students use Southeastern’s language lab in order to build their skills in English.

FIELD TRIP – Students get the opportunity to participate in field trips in order to use their English language skills in everyday settings. Included among the field trips was a visit to a plantation in the area.

S P R I N G / S U M M E R 2 0 1 6 19

During his campaign for president, Varela promised to grow

Panamá into a fully bilingual country, said Tará Burnthorne Lopez,

Southeastern’s Dorcas and H.N. Capron Jr. Endowed Professor of

Marketing, who directs the program.

“To fulfill his promise, he offered a multi-faceted plan and branded

Panamá Bilingüe, which included making English classes more

accessible to school-aged children, English training for workforce

development, and finally teacher training,” she added.

Southeastern hosts Panamánian teachers for the teacher training

portion of the program. When the Panamánian teachers come

to Southeastern, they switch roles and become students for one

semester, taking classes and participating in everyday life at the

university, Lopez said. The experience provides the Panamá visitors

with a valuable opportunity to become immersed in the language

and culture of the United States.

“President Varela’s plan for teacher training involves training

1,000 teachers per year for the next five years in English-speaking

countries,” said Lopez. “The first 500 teachers began classes at

universities across the United States and in England in January of

2015. This program is a top priority of the Varela administration.”

Over 100 Panamánian teachers have completed the program

on Southeastern’s campus since it began in January of 2015. A

Hammond-based campaign by area clubs and organizations

collected more than 50 used bicycles that the students – who

reside in a nearby apartment complex – use to traverse the campus

and Hammond.

“The primary goal of the Panamá Bilingue program at Southeastern

is to improve participants’ English language skills in the areas of

speaking, listening, pronunciation, conversation, vocabulary and

reading,” said Lopez.

“The program is rich in opportunities for participants to immerse themselves in the English language, both inside and outside of the classroom,” she added. “Classroom instruction offers targeted and intensive English training, while extra-curricular activities and excursions allow for more informal practice in native settings.”

feature STORY

Ongoing Panama Canal expansion.

20 S O U T H E A S T E R N M A G A Z I N E

Because the participants in the program are certified teachers,

Lopez added, the program also offers content in the area of teaching.

Classroom visits to area schools allow the teachers to observe

best practices in education, teaching methodology, and classroom

management. Instruction addresses topics such as classroom

management, writing lesson plans, setting course objectives,

assessment, and leadership/mentoring, all while continuing to

expose the students to the English language.

Monthly excursions and weekly cultural seminars give students the

opportunity to explore the American culture in a relaxed and open

atmosphere, Lopez said. The students have enjoyed excursions to

locations such as the Baton Rouge State Capitol, Gonzales shopping

outlets, Rosedown Plantation, New Orleans, Pass Christian, Miss.,

and Southeastern’s Turtle Cove Environmental Research Station.

On their own, the students developed a Spanish language tutoring

service and designed a flyer to promote it to all Southeastern

students. The students have also hosted events in which

they perform traditional dances and serve traditional food for

Southeastern students.

Beyond the classroom, she said, the Panamánian teachers have

participated in a variety of activities. They participate in school

observation field trips at area elementary schools, such as

Southeastern Lab School, Tucker Elementary, Holy Ghost,

Hammond High and Hammond Westside Elementary Montessori.

They have also had opportunities to participate in classes and

workshops with the College of Education and Communication and

Languages Department.

JOINING THE FUN – Members of the latest class of Panamá Bilingüe donned native dress and participated in Southeastern’s annual Fais Do Do crawfish boil this spring. The group also demonstrated native dances as part of the entertainment.

S P R I N G / S U M M E R 2 0 1 6 21

LONG HISTORY WITH LATIN AMERICA

Southeastern has a long-time relationship with nations such as

Panamá, as well as other Latin American countries.

The university was the first U.S. institution to enter an agreement

with the Free Trade Zone of Colon, Panamá, making Southeastern

the zone’s educational partner. The agreement was signed by the

College of Business and Luis G. Gomez, president of the Free Trade

Association of Colon, and will provide opportunities for executive

and professional development for the zone’s more than 3,000

international companies, their executives and 33,000 workers.

Other opportunities include exchange programs, international

internships and trade missions with the second largest free trade

zone in the world.

The agreement opens the door for greater opportunities for

Southeastern students and faculty, especially those interested in

international business, said Baraya, who serves as the international

adviser and a member of the board of directors of SME Observatory

of Costa Rica. The Observatory is a joint effort of four Costa Rican

public universities and is intended to generate competition and

economic development of small and medium businesses through

information collection and policy development.

Because of its role in international educational initiatives,

Southeastern was the first U.S. public university to receive the

prestigious Ibero-American Council for Excellence in Education

Award. The award was presented by a consortium of 18 agencies

in Latin America for excellence in educational programs and

relationships with Latin American nations.

feature STORY

22 S O U T H E A S T E R N M A G A Z I N E

After an absence of more than 20 years, Southeastern has reinstituted

its on-campus U.S. Army Reserve Officer Training Program (ROTC).

The program, originally started at Southeastern in 1969 during the

Vietnam War, was closed in 1995 due in large part to declining

numbers and retrenchment by the military as a result of budget

constraints. More than a thousand students are estimated to have

gone through the program during those years.

After the Southeastern ROTC classes were no longer offered on

campus, the program became affiliated with the Army ROTC

program at Southern University in Baton Rouge in order to provide

some option for students still wishing to pursue ROTC.

“We are pleased to re-introduce our students to ROTC military

science classes on the Southeastern campus. Increasingly, students

are looking for options that include military service, either for several

years or as a career,” said President John L. Crain. “Southeastern’s

previous experience with ROTC was successful in helping to prepare

future military leaders. We wanted to make this an easier option for

those students seeking to become officers.”

During the break in operations, Crain said Southeastern students

were still able to participate in ROTC, but had to take their military

courses through Southern University’s Army program or LSU’s

Army and Air Force programs. Participating Southeastern students,

however, had to travel to Baton Rouge in order to participate. This

move brings the Army program back to Southeastern’s campus.

Southern Professor of Military Science Lt. Col. Brian Bissonnette is

filling the same role at Southeastern and leads the overall program as

RETURNS

Sergeant First Class Rob Dunn leading physical training

S P R I N G / S U M M E R 2 0 1 6 23

it gets established. Currently 12 students at Southeastern – both male

and female – are taking military science classes at Southeastern.

“A lot of our students are in the National Guard, and they want

to work on getting commissioned as an officer,” said Bissonnette.

“They met the criteria that we look for: good quality candidates who

see military service as an option, either for a career or to gain the

knowledge and leadership skills.”

Bissonnette has served in the Army for 25 years, mostly in military

intelligence. Prior to joining the Southern University ROTC program in

2003, he completed the Army’s Command and General Staff College

and served in various capacities in two tours in South Korea, as well

as serving in Iraq and at the NATO Headquarters in Lisbon, Portugal.

He has a great deal of experience to offer as he leads the program.

Any student can take the military science classes as an elective, but

students seeking scholarship funds from the military must make

an additional commitment. Enrollment in the program at this level

carries with it an eight-year commitment – four years of active

service and four in the Ready Reserve – with varying degrees of

scholarship support depending upon options selected. First Class

Sergeant Rob Dunn explained, “There is a great deal of support

for those students wishing to make the active duty commitment.

Scholarships can be a significant benefit for most students.”

Gary Sandifer of Hammond, who entered the ROTC program in

1971 and is a founding member of Southeastern’s ROTC Alumni

Chapter has been working with other members of the chapter to

help Southeastern put the pieces of the puzzle together to bring

Southeastern ROTC cadets prepare for inspection in this 1976 photo.

24 S O U T H E A S T E R N M A G A Z I N E

back ROTC. Sandifer said he was excited to learn the university was

adding the program to its curriculum.

“Dr. Crain deserves a lot of credit for this; when he was convinced of

the value of ROTC, he put this project on the fast track,” Sandifer said.

ROTC Alumni Chapter President Steve Worth of Hammond also

expressed his happiness about the reinstatement decision.

“It was a great experience, and I’m glad to see Southeastern students

will have this option once again,” said Worth, who served 13 years

in the Army as a Black Hawk test pilot. “ROTC taught me a lot in the

areas of leadership and how to work with people.”

The chapter has approximately 35 members and raises funds to

provide scholarships for ROTC participants.

The original concept of obtaining an ROTC unit at Southeastern

dates back to 1939, according to a history prepared by retired Lt. Col.

Preston C. Rodrigue, a member of the Southeastern class of 1973.

The first official application was filed in 1941, and subsequent re-

applications were made over the years. With strong political support

from the late Sen. Allen Ellender and other Louisiana congressmen,

Southeastern was approved in 1969 to receive an ROTC unit to

address troop and military leadership demands for the Vietnam War.

Interest in Southeastern’s ROTC program was steady with about 100

students enrolled per year. The ROTC building, now Range Hall, was

completed in 1970 and dedicated by Gen. William Westmoreland,

who commanded U.S. forces in Vietnam from 1964 to 1968.

Southeastern has been named a “Military Friendly School” by

Victory Media four times in the last several years for demonstrating

its commitment to assisting active and reserve military service

members in a wide range of areas. In addition, Southeastern was

included in the first listing of the Louisiana Governor’s Military

and Veteran Friendly Campuses. With the addition of ROTC,

Southeastern intends to play a leading role in supporting the needs of

both veterans and future military leaders.

TOP: Southeastern ROTC graduates have served in the armed forces

throughout the world. Showing their Lion pride while standing in front of

one of Sadam Hussein’s many palaces in Baghdad, Iraq, are, from left, Lt. Col.

Vincent Tallo (’90), Ralph Dykes (’91) and former Southeastern student Lt.

Col. David Dancer.

BOTTOM: First Lt. Roger P. Williams, a member of the military faculty

at Southeastern, teaches a class in military science on campus to a group

of SLU cadets who are part of the newly instituted ROTC program.

S P R I N G / S U M M E R 2 0 1 6 25

ABOVE: ROTC cadets pose for a group photo in 1980 in front of the rappelling

tower that was used on campus as part of their

training.

RIGHT: Gary Sandifer of Hammond (’76), center, one

of the original founders of the Southeastern Alumni

Association’s ROTC Chapter, talks with other

graduates of the program at the Association’s annual

Awards Banquet. Shown are Lt. Col. Scott Adams

(‘90), left, and Col. Ralph Harris (‘83), who are both

now retired.

26 S O U T H E A S T E R N M A G A Z I N E

BreakwaterIt is not recovery: No way to lure coastlineback into place, recall siltalready gone to Gulf.

More like conception,as helicopterslift piles of christmas trees

into air, drop themin bundles along the marsh line.Reeds will grow

in soil trapped here. Shrimp will hideas these ponds fill in,

Ducks will land in flocks to feed. All new giftsagainst the water’s need.

ost writers work with a “sense of space,” basing their work naturally on

what they know. For Southeastern English Professor Jack Bedell – author of

several volumes of poetry – that “space” is the southeast Acadiana region,

specifically the city of Houma and its surrounding rural area. His latest work,

Elliptic, again taps into his knowledge of the geography, culture, and people

of that unique part of Louisiana.

“Many of the poems in this new collection deal with coastal erosion and wetlands loss

along the Gulf Coast, particularly on the coast of southeast Louisiana where I was born

and raised,” said Bedell, a three-time nominee for the position of Louisiana’s

poet laureate.

“The effects of the rapid loss of wetlands, aided in part by the hurricanes we’ve suffered

in recent years, and disasters like the Deep Water Horizon oil spill, played a large role in

the composition of this book,” he added.

Elliptic is the second installment of the Louisiana Series of Cajun and Creole Poetry (La

Série de Louisiane de Poésie des Acadiens et Créoles) by publisher Yellow Flag Press of

Lafayette. The series was initiated to highlight the work done by exceptional poets of

Franco-American descent.

A graduate of Northwestern State University, Bedell earned his master of fine arts

degree in creative writing from the University of Arkansas, then took a job teaching at

the University of Missouri. He later earned a doctorate at the University of Louisiana-

Lafayette.

The discomfort of living in what was to him a foreign environment led Bedell to return to

Louisiana and to Southeastern, where he now serves as coordinator of creative writing

and editor-in-chief of the university’s literary journal, Louisiana Literature, or La Lit as

it is generally known. He is a 1997 recipient of Southeastern’s President’s Award for

Excellence in Artistic Activity and in 2007 received a Louisiana Governor’s Art Award.

North Carolina poet Heather Ross Miller said of Bedell’s work: “Jack Bedell is an artist

who means business. He does not live in an ivory tower, but in Louisiana, a real place. His

words bring the history, beauty and power of his native place to life. He seeks to reflect

Louisiana and the existence of its people, tragic, funny, heartbreaking, crazy

and magnificent.”

Elliptic is available through the publisher. Bedell is the author of several other volumes of

poetry, including At the Bonehouse, What Passes for Love, and Come Rain, Come Shine, all

published by Texas Review Press and available through Amazon.

Bedell RELEASES NEW POETRY COLLECTIONby Tonya Lowentritt

Jack Bedell

media SHELF

M

S P R I N G / S U M M E R 2 0 1 6 27

ecently-retired Southeastern English Professor

Norman German likes to observe people that many

would call “misfits.” And it permeates much of

his writing.

Dead Dog Lying, a series of his short stories, was

published recently by the University of Louisiana at Lafayette Press.

Placed along the I-10 corridor from New Orleans to Texas, Dead

Dog Lying shines a light on society’s misfits and is largely based

on events and characters the author has experienced, dreamed

or witnessed over his life. Many of the characters in the stories

take their names from towns

along the corridor, such as

Elton, Jennings, Iota, Cecilia and

Henderson.

Norman said he dreamed about

a boy with antlers and made him

the protagonist of “Deerboy,”

whose title character gains

the gift of athletic prowess.

The story “Controlled Burn”

uses a prescribed ecological

fire as the metaphor for a

female game warden’s barely

controllable rage at her abusive

father, on whom she exacts

revenge in a unique way at the

story’s end. “The Girl and the

Green Gas Can” is based on a

relative’s childhood predilection

for sniffing gasoline until she

passed out.

The tale “Ditchboy” is based on

the real-life English girl Hayley

Okines, who died of progeria,

the disease that prematurely

ages its victims eight years for

each year they live. “She was

17 – or in ‘progeria years’ and

thanks to new life-extending

drugs – 136 years old when she

died,” he said.

“Norman German’s stories are filled with clever wordplay and

witty turns of plot. His expert use of description and metaphor

demonstrates his longtime experience as writer and teacher,” said

Tim Gautreaux, Southeastern writer-in-residence and author of The

Missing and several other novels.

“In Norman German’s mesmerizing stories of south Louisiana, the

ordinary is the fantastic, and the fantastic becomes the everyday,”

adds Gerald Duff, author of Dirty Rice and Blue Sabine. “Horror and

wonder live side by side in these powerful tales of haunted states

of mind. Dead Dog Lying takes hold and will not let go.”

A native of Lake Charles who

earned his doctorate from the

University of Southwestern

Louisiana (now ULL), German

is the author of several

other works, including A

Savage Wisdom,

an imaginative

reconstruction of the

life of Toni Jo Henry,

the only woman

executed in Louisiana’s

electric chair; and the

baseball novel Switch-

Pitchers, copies of which

reside by special request

in the Major League

Baseball Hall of Fame in

Cooperstown, N.Y.

Dead Dog Lying is available

through the publisher,

Amazon and other outlets.

short story collectionby Rene Abadie

GERMAN AUTHORS

Norman German

R

28 S O U T H E A S T E R N M A G A Z I N E

LOOK AT us NOW

S P R I N G / S U M M E R 2 0 1 6 29

Diamondat alumni field

Pat Kenelly

30 S O U T H E A S T E R N M A G A Z I N E

Real-World

“What should I be when I grow up?” It’s a common question most

college students ask themselves. Choosing a career path and finding

a good fit can be a daunting task. However, Southeastern’s Real-

World Ready initiative is helping students answer this question well

before they walk across the graduation stage.

Every 10 years, Southeastern creates a Quality Enhancement Plan

(QEP) to use as its platform while undergoing reaccreditation.

Southeastern’s newest QEP, the Real-World Ready (RWR) initiative,

is helping students prepare for “real world” employment after

graduation.

RWR emerged and developed from a multi-year conversation

(2011-2014) with students, faculty, administrators, staff, alumni, and

community partners on how to improve student learning. The groups

recognized the need to expand the classroom beyond its four walls

and help students connect what they are learning in the classroom to

actual career-specific experiences.

“Our goal is to create new course-driven experiential learning

opportunities, as well as coordinate and expand existing

experiences,” says Dr. Jayetta Slawson, Director of the Office of

Experiential Learning.

The university currently offers experiential learning activities,

including service-learning, civic engagement, internships, study

abroad, research, and creative activity, in many of its degree

programs. One of the program’s ultimate goals is for every

undergraduate degree program to offer experiential learning courses

by Summer 2019.

Slawson says feedback from current RWR courses has been

positive. These experiences have re-energized students, increased

participation and discussion in the classroom, and are allowing

students to see in action what they are learning in books and the

classroom.

RWR is being implemented and supported in a number of different

ways, she noted. The Experiential Learning (EL) Team, which consists

of various faculty and staff members, promotes Real-World Ready

activities, mentors faculty and students, and presents training

workshops.

Professor of Social Work Dr. Lolita Boykin serves on the EL Team as

the liaison for the Department of Health and Human Sciences.

“The EL Team helps train faculty in ways to incorporate a RWR

component in their courses; we also help them with the process of

applying for RWR grants,” says Boykin.

Getting Ready for the

by Kandace Formaggio

S P R I N G / S U M M E R 2 0 1 6 31

Faculty members are encouraged to apply for grants to add or

enhance a RWR component in their courses. There are 36 official

RWR courses currently being offered. Twenty-five of those were

available to students this spring. As more RWR courses become

available, more students will have the option to choose courses with

these experiential learning components.

Marketing Instructor April Kemp teaches Social Media and Digital

Marketing, one of the newest RWR courses being offered. In this

course, students work in groups and develop marketing plans for

partner businesses. Students are getting a chance to take what

they learn in the classroom and then present professional marketing

proposals in front of executives at companies such as Copeland’s,

Eddie’s Frozen Custard, and the Louisiana Children’s

Discovery Center.

Of the students in Kemp’s class, English major and recent graduate

Kirsten Mixon believes experiences in Real-World Ready courses are

invaluable in helping students succeed post-graduation. Business

administration major Reginald Huff feels a student can only learn so

much in a classroom. Real experiences with real situations, he said,

give students a competitive advantage when looking for a job.

“Students’ creativity and confidence levels are soaring the more

and more they work with their clients. They are learning industry

knowledge through interaction and collaboration with each other

and their clients,” says Kemp. “The RWR initiative is more than

just a class. It is offering students a robust, hands-on opportunity

to take what they are learning in the classroom into an authentic,

professional setting while reflecting back on what they are learning.”

“Critical thinking and self-reflection are two elements that are helping

better prepare students for careers in education,” says teaching and

learning Instructor Stacy Jemison. The College of Education has

always been at the forefront with RWR, utilizing field experiences

and student teaching as specific forms of experiential learning,

building foundational skills in students step-by-step. Students begin

by observing in the classroom, then they move to organizing lessons,

teaching in short time blocks under a supervisory teacher, and finally

spending an entire semester as a teacher candidate, logging 280

hours of face-to-face instruction in a classroom under a mentoring,

experienced instructor.

“In the real world, teachers have to go through an evaluation process

to determine what their students are thinking and how they are

learning,” says Jemison. “The RWR component in our classes has

added a more reflective element to field experience. Now not only do

students question how they did something, but they reflect on why.

This allows students to develop into better practitioners by reflecting

on their own effectiveness as teachers.”

Students are also getting behind the RWR initiative. Five student

ambassadors, one from each academic college, serve on the RWR

Advisory Council and promote the importance of experiential

learning among their peers.

32 S O U T H E A S T E R N M A G A Z I N E

“Our role is to encourage students to go beyond the requirement of their courses and become involved in their future careers through professional and student organizations, service learning, professional development and workshops, and networking, “ said Caroline Pixberg, RWR student ambassador for the College of Education.

Nursing and Health Sciences student ambassador and athletic

training major Anthony “Tony” Miller promotes the initiative

among his peers, presents the program to first-year students, and

encourages instructors to apply for grants to make their courses

“Real-World Ready certified.” “RWR is a great program with great

potential just waiting to be tapped,” Miller said.

The RWR initiative is not replacing theories or concepts students

learn in the traditional classroom; instead, through experiential

learning students will be able to put those theories and concepts to

work. They are given opportunities to gain career-specific knowledge,

to develop into professionals by improving communication skills and

cultivating professional behaviors, and to reflect and think critically

about their work identifying strengths and weaknesses that will help

them make better decisions in their future careers.

Soon, students in every major will have the opportunity to not just

learn about the work they will be doing after graduation, but to

actually do the work.

“Our RWR team is working hard to improve the culture and

environment of learning. We have chosen to adopt proven learning

strategies to get our students workforce-ready,” Slawson said. “The

Real-World Ready initiative is here to promote student growth and

development and help them gain meaningful experiences which will

help them flourish in the real world.”

S P R I N G / S U M M E R 2 0 1 6 33

W

after OFFICE HOURS

Southeastern's Mythbuster

hen the popular TV show Mythbusters completed its final season

this year, one Southeastern professor certainly misses the

questioning curiosity and exciting experiments the hosts have

broadcast over the past 14 years.

Physics Professor Rhett Allain is a strong advocate of sharing

scientific views with the general public and breaking the science

down to a more easily understandable form by lay people. So the

Discovery Channel’s Mythbusters was a natural draw for him.

In 2011, the hosts of Mythbusters – special effects specialists

Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman – tried to include the scientific

explanation for one of their episodes on auto collisions. Some errors

in that episode caught Allain’s attention.

“My first rule for science advising says that you don’t have to be

100 percent correct, but you can be 100 percent wrong,” said Allain,

who has been writing a physics blog, “Dot Physics,” since 2008.

Southeastern Associate Professor of Physics Rhett Allain assists elementary education major Christina Klein of Ponchatoula in a class.

by Rene Abadie

34 S O U T H E A S T E R N M A G A Z I N E

Allain criticized the segment in a blog post; the producers and

hosts read the blog, then got in touch with him about serving as

a physics adviser.

“They have had science advisers in the past, but not one

specifically focused on physics,” explained Allain, who has worked

on approximately 20 episodes. “My job is to take something

complicated and make it short and easy to understand. They

generally accepted my explanations, and I also helped select some of

the myths to be featured.”

Allain generally works with the producers, but has met the hosts via

Skype. Among his favorite episodes are the floating lead balloon, the

train tanker collapse, and the analysis of the classic question “will a

bullet fired from a gun hit the ground at the same time as one that

is dropped?”

“Neither host is a scientist; they both come from a movie special

effects background,” he said. “That’s what makes the show appealing.

These are just normal guys, not scientists, who are willing to tackle

various questions. Basically they do science fair projects, but on a

much larger scale. There’s value there because it does get people

excited about science.”

Allain makes his own efforts to get people thinking about science. In

addition to his blog, he writes a regular column for Wired Magazine

and for their online website. He is also the author of several books,

including Just Enough Physics, which goes over the basic science in

a first semester college or high school physics course; Geek Physics

– Surprising Answers to the Planet’s Most Interesting Questions, which

draws questions from movies, TV shows and viral videos; and the

National Geographic book Angry Birds Furious Forces: The Physics at

Play in the World’s Most Popular Game.

Photo courtesy of Discovery Channel Professor Allain consulted on the tanker episode.

TANKER CRUSHED -- It worked. But only after Jamie and Adam dropped a concrete block on it to dent it.

S P R I N G / S U M M E R 2 0 1 6 35

Photo courtesy of Discovery Channel.

For Superbowl 50 earlier this year, he wrote an article for Sports

Illustrated that examined the physics behind the building of a “better”

football. While the game itself has undergone changes over the

years, he said, the football itself has changed little.

In his article, Allain explains the physics involved in changing the

shape of the football: could it be thrown further or with greater

velocity, and what impact would it have on the game?

The online piece was turned into a video by Sports Illustrated for use

on its website. Filming was conducted at Southeastern using several

SLU players, including one of Allain’s own students. The article and

accompanying video can be found at wired.com/2015/10/how-to-

use-physics-to-build-a-better-football/.

Is Allain concerned he will ever run out of questions?

“My ideas just come from being alive. I see stuff all the time that can

relate to physics in some way,” he said. “Sometimes this will come

from a movie I’ve seen or a cool YouTube video. Other times, I find

stuff just in everyday life, like looking at the differing prices of LEGO

pieces or wondering why different batteries cost different amounts.

I take lots of pictures of stuff – you never know when you’re going to

need them; and I keep a list of blog ideas which come faster than I

can write about them. So I have a huge list of ideas that I can

always do.”

Allain didn’t always want to be a teacher. “I wanted to be a super-

cool physicist. But once I ended up teaching labs in graduate school,

I was hooked. Teaching and learning physics attracted me in a way

that made it more interesting than playing video games.” Above: Applying physics to football Allain observes as a Sports Illustrated cameraman films Lion running back Rasheed Harrell for a video on the magazine’s website. Allain reviewed the impact that changing the shape of the football could have on the game.Bottom Left: IN ANOTHER GREAT MYTHBUSTERS MOMENT, Adam

and Jamie managed to lift a car with a vacuum cleaner.

36 S O U T H E A S T E R N M A G A Z I N E

Student Skylar Erickson prepares a carcass with clothing to be placed for long term decomposition observation.

by Rene Abadie

S P R I N G / S U M M E R 2 0 1 6 37

On a cool fall day, Erin Watson-Horzelski sifts through the leaf litter surrounding a decomposing

beaver and comes up with a handful of wriggling bugs feasting on the carcass.

“This is what you are looking for at a crime scene,” said the Southeastern forensic

entomologist to a group of officers and deputies associated with the Hammond Police

Department and the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office. “You have to think like an insect; the

bugs are hiding in the leaf litter and surrounding area.”

Watson-Horzelski is the state’s only doctoral-level forensic entomologist and one of only

about 20 in the nation; as such she is frequently called upon to testify in homicide cases

regarding the time and other factors associated with the death of a victim. And, since police

are frequently gathering data at crime scenes, proper collection of specimens are important

clues that enable officials to piece the details together. She works to ensure the officers collect

information in a way that will stand up in a court of law.

Her forensics teaching in the Department of Biological Sciences, in tandem with courses in

chemistry and biochemistry, are providing students with the opportunity to apply scientific

principles to crime scenes. The university also offers a degree in Criminal Justice that can

supplement the scientific knowledge and prepare students for work in law enforcement.

Forensics is a growing field in crime detection, aided largely by advances in biology,

microbiology and biochemistry. Television shows such as CSI have popularized forensics as an

exciting potential career, and students are increasingly attracted to it, Watson-Horzelski said.

“Students are definitely highly motivated to investigate the field because of TV shows such

as CSI,” adds Chemistry Instructor Tino Ladogana, who teaches forensics in chemistry. “That

gives the field an initial interest by students, who soon learn, for the most part, this is basic

chemistry only applied to a crime scene or investigation.”

Watson-Horzelski has the experience of having testified in a wide range of cases in Louisiana

and other states. She knows first-hand what prosecutors and defense attorneys will be asking

as they explore crime scene investigation and reliability of the data collected.

38 S O U T H E A S T E R N M A G A Z I N E

She holds these programs for law enforcement officials periodically,

teaching the participants about the life stages of flies, beetles

and their cannibalistic predictors that surround a decomposing

carcass and how to collect live and preserved samples. The crime

investigators learn the impact of weather conditions, such as

ambient temperature, humidity, ground conditions and other factors.

“You have to be flexible in the field,” she explains. “If you’re trying

to preserve live specimens, such as maggots, you need to feed

them.” She recommends carrying small frozen meatballs to keep the

bugs alive, and she recalls how one investigator ran to a fast food

restaurant to pick up a raw burger patty in an emergency.

The majority of students interested in forensics take Watson-

Horzelski’s course and are also benefiting from her real-world

experience and knowledge. In the field, she emphasizes the

importance of collecting data and samples at least daily,

photographing the specimen, and measuring ambient temperature

and the temperature of the maggot mass at the site.

And for live specimens, she emphasizes, “These are your babies. Take

care of them. The first arrivals are very important.”

Senior Leslie Halstead of Prairieville took Watson-Horzelski’s

forensics class last year along with Amanda Bergeron. Now both

are completing undergraduate independent research for the spring

and summer semesters to further their learning by conducting

independent entomology research using a large adult pig carcass.

Watson-Horzelski has mentored more than 30 undergraduate

students in forensics research.

“This research experience is critical to our students’ readiness for the

real world,” she added.

Halstead noted there is much to learn if you’re willing to put in

the work.

“I had always been interested in forensics; I mean who wouldn’t be with all the cool crime scene shows on TV these days,” Halstead said. “After taking this class, I realized that there is a lot more to forensics. I never thought I would like the entomology side of forensics, but the bugs are starting to grow on me, so to speak. It’s something I could see myself doing for the rest of my life and being happy while doing it.”

Casey Schibler, left, and Heather McGettigan place samples to be tested in a centrifuge in one of Southeastern’s chemistry labs. Students have access to modern equipment that can be found in most professional forensics labs.

S P R I N G / S U M M E R 2 0 1 6 39

DeAnn Lemus of Belle Chasse is looking to combine her

undergraduate degree in criminal justice with a graduate degree

in biological sciences that will include doing research work under

Watson-Horzelski.

“This class is a basis of what I aspire to do in the future,” said Lemus,

who worked with a team of three other students in her class to plant

their own crime scene. Each team was responsible for placing a

carcass – a large bird, armadillo, rabbit, and nutria – complete with

clothing to simulate a real crime scene. The students surrounded

their “decomposition islands” with wire fencing to keep them

undisturbed by humans or animals.

“I always wanted a criminal investigation career,” Lemus added. “To

work in forensics in criminal investigation, a hard science background

is necessary. Everything we’ve learned in this class is going to come

to good use in my career in the future. And having Dr. Watson as my

guide the next couple of years, I couldn’t have it better. She’s got one

heck of a resume.”

“This class has been a real eye-opener for me,” said Skylar Erickson

of Slidell as she dressed her armadillo carcass for her group project.

“Dr. Watson provides us with amazing examples from her personal

experiences and cases, and you truly get a feel for what you could be

doing in the forensics field. You get ample opportunity to get hands-

on, real-time projects to understand this field of science.”

40 S O U T H E A S T E R N M A G A Z I N E

S P R I N G / S U M M E R 2 0 1 6 41

Ladogana said Southeastern offers a forensics concentration in

chemistry, and more than 25 students have been drawn to the field.

The concentration is supplemented with several courses in criminal

justice so students can learn the applications of science to

law enforcement.

In recent years, employment in forensics has expanded considerably,

he explained. Whereas the local medical examiners office and FBI

have traditionally had opportunities for graduates, that field now

includes agencies such as Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, Wildlife

and Fisheries and Homeland Security.

“Our forensics course and other chemistry courses provide a very

general overview for the student, including details on what they may

encounter at a crime scene,” he explained. “We teach them some

field experiences, such as collecting blood samples and DNA.”

He emphasized the importance of learning how to preserve evidence

through backup and redundancy.

“We stress the importance of trying to get whatever specimens or

data at the scene as possible,” he said. “If you have to go back to the

scene, you may have to get a warrant, which is time consuming.”

He said students at Southeastern are learning on the same chemical

analysis machines and using the same processes in the university

labs that they would be using in a forensics laboratory.

“Chemistry is good for this,” he added. “It’s fairly easy now to screen

for drugs, alcohol and DNA. But costs are nearly always a factor,

especially at the state and local levels, so it’s important the students

learn to be cost-effective. You can’t send everything to the lab to

be analyzed.

“Unlike the TV shows, though, you’re not going to have access to

the very high tech equipment that is portrayed, simply because the

shows tend to exaggerate what can actually be done,” Ladogana said.

“For example, photo enhancement software is not nearly as accurate

an identification tool as it is portrayed in the television shows.”

Both scientists agree that much of the collection work is not done

by forensics experts in the field. That frequently is left up to the

chemists, biologists and technicians working in the lab.

“Forensics is the application of basic scientific principles for a

specific purpose,” Watson-Horzelski said. “Here we are applying

scientific information to the biological and ecological characteristics

of the deceased or the crime scene. It’s a lot of fun, but by the end of

the day, it’s still science.”

42 S O U T H E A S T E R N M A G A Z I N E

SOUTHEASTERN IS THE PROUD HOME OF

SOMETHING UNIQUE TO THE REGION, ITS

OWN STUDENT-FOCUSED BROADCAST

What started as a radio club run by students

evolved into a broadcast station, launching in 1974.

From its humble beginnings to today, the station

serves as a training ground for communication

students who can receive a hands-on education

and learn radio from the inside out. The station

has gone from operating only a few hours a day

from funds dedicated by the Student Government

Association and self-assessed from the student

body, to a 24-hour, publically funded radio station.

FM radio station - KSLU 90.9 FM

OUT there

by Camry Boudy

S P R I N G / S U M M E R 2 0 1 6 43

When it initially launched,

the station operated on

only 10 watts of power and

could be heard by the local

Southeastern community

area only. With multiple

investments by the university,

the wattage has grown and,

with it, the audience. The

station now operates at over

3,000 watts and can be heard

in Denham Springs, Covington,

and Kentwood. As growth

continued, so did innovation.

In 1988, the station ushered in

computer-based broadcasting

by installing a digital touch

screen operating system, the

first of its kind in the South.

The transformative moments

at the station continued when

KSLU became an early adopter

of web broadcasting and

became a global entity via the

Internet in 1996.

KSLU has given hundreds of

students the exposure and

experience needed to flourish

in the broadcast industry.

Many alumni are currently

working in the broadcast field.

One of the best known is Good Morning America host Robin Roberts,

who took her turn as a station announcer while a student.

General manager Todd Delaney is committed to giving students the

most comprehensive and advanced experience possible. From script

writing, to digital production work, to broadcasting live on the air,

each student receives the training necessary to broadcast on the

radio and land a job in the field from day one. “We know that our

students can jump right in the control room seat after graduation.

They are job-ready,” said Delaney.

The station broadcasts a wide array of content to satisfy audiences

both at Southeastern and throughout the region. KSLU is the only

local station that serves as a testing ground for new and regional

artists. There are also specialty programs, such as “Rock School,”

which takes on specific topics regarding rock; “Café Italia,” which

gives a nod to the region’s Italian American heritage by featuring

music of that culture; “Local Static,” which features music of the

nearby region; “Rincon Hispano,” that features music from around

the Hispanic world, and other topical talk programs and specialty

music programs.

“It’s important for us to focus on creating unique programs that

attract the university audience and the population at large as well.

We hope to be a resource for both populations,” added Delaney. The

station also produces newscasts that serve the community.

With a recently launched new website – kslu.org – streaming is even

easier, and the station now has audiences in well over 60 different

nations. It truly has a global reach, as it is now in its fifth decade.

KSLU has been recognized repeatedly for its work and quality. It is

now home to many awards including the Marcom Gold Award, many

Communicator of Excellence awards, and the Collegiate Broadcasters

Award. It was also recently named as the No. 2 college radio station

in the south by the Southeast Journalism Conference

What’s next for KSLU? With the station’s effort to increase its

levels of public financial support, new doors can open to allow it

to maintain the newest technologies and innovations. In the future

KSLU would like to begin archiving all programs online and launch

innovative projects with new digital platforms.

KSLU has served Southeastern students in information, music and

hands-on experience and the community with unique programming

for over 40 years. Delaney is confident that its best days are still

ahead.

44 S O U T H E A S T E R N M A G A Z I N E

International

Student-Athletes

Thrive at SoutheasternBy Kemmler Chapple

STAR ON THE COURT & CLASSROOM: Senior captain of the Southeastern tennis team Renee Villarreal has been named to the All-Southland Conference team every season. She has also maintained a 4.0 GPA as a finance major and at graduation earned the President’s Medal for Academic Excellence. She is a native of Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico

S P R I N G / S U M M E R 2 0 1 6 45

Sathletics

ince Southeastern joined the Southland

Conference prior to the 1997-98 season, the

Lions and Lady Lions have won 28 conference

championships. The Southeastern soccer and

tennis teams have combined for 15 of those

league titles.

While other sports may have a greater following

in the United States, tennis and soccer are two

of the most played games around the world.

Southeastern head tennis coach Jason Hayes

and head soccer coach Blake Hornbuckle have

capitalized on their respective sports’ worldwide

popularity by bringing in international student-

athletes to build championship foundations in

their respective sports.

Hayes’ teams have been almost exclusively

comprised of international players. From 2005-

08, the Lions tennis teams won 48 consecutive

Southland Conference matches, three Southland

Conference Tournament championships,

three Southland Conference regular season

championships and made three trips to the

NCAA Tournament.

46 S O U T H E A S T E R N M A G A Z I N E

Hands full of Southland Conference championship rings and

unprecedented success were not all that the players on those teams

had in common. All of those championship players were from

outside of the United States. The top player on that team was Emilija

Arnaudovska, who was named the Southland Conference Player of

the Year in each of her final two seasons. The Skopje, Macedonia,

native was inducted into the Southeastern Athletics Hall of Fame

in 2014.

To Hayes, both the university and the student-athletes benefit

from the international student-athletes’ membership in the tennis

program.

“As an American, it’s sometimes hard for us to look objectively at

our own country,” Hayes commented. “Our international student-

athletes view playing sports and studying in the United States as

a privilege and an opportunity to enhance their lives. A lot of them

come over here and never leave, while the ones that do go back to

their home countries with a degree from Southeastern benefit greatly

in their chosen professions.

“Our international student-athletes are given an opportunity to thrive

here,” Hayes continued. “As a tennis program, we don’t just benefit

from their successes on the court. Our student-athletes from outside

the United States come here and excel in the classroom, while

becoming immersed in the Southeastern community.”

Hayes continues to provide international student-athletes with

opportunities to this day. This year’s Lions’ roster features players

from Mexico, Ecuador, Germany, Switzerland, Uruguay and Russia.

In addition to having a winning record on the court, all eight have a

cumulative grade point average of 3.50 or above with three carrying

a 4.0 GPA.

“Sometimes people will ask me if our players speak English,” Hayes

said. “I always laugh and tell them that not only do they speak

English, but most of them speak three or four languages fluently. For

our student-athletes to come here and be so successful academically

is remarkable.”

Southeastern’s tennis team is made up entirely of international student-athletes. Pictured from left are Natalie Duran, sophomore, Cancun Mexico; Dany Raygadas, sophomore, Queretaro, Mexico; Lucia Bustamente, sophomore, Guayaquil, Ecuador; Dalina Dahlmans, sophomore, Selfkant Hil-lensberg, Germany; Renee Villarreal, senior, Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico; Ceci Mercier, sophomore, Montevideo, Uruguay; Madina Vorotnikova, sophomore, Moscow, Russia; and Margaux Kaltenbacher, junior, Lausanne Switzerland.

S P R I N G / S U M M E R 2 0 1 6 47

athletics

TOP RIGHT: International players

on Southeastern’s soccer team include freshman

Sophia Olsson of Lysekil, Sweden, and

senior Gisenia Utreras of Brompton, Ontario

Canada.

RIGHT: Southeastern junior goalkeeper Hope

Sabadash of Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, has twice been named the

Southland Conference Tournament Most

Valuable Player.

48 S O U T H E A S T E R N M A G A Z I N E

“Our Canadians

have been a big

part of their

program and have

proved

that they come here

and thrive in any

situation.”

S P R I N G / S U M M E R 2 0 1 6 49

The current standout of the group is senior Renee Villarreal, a native

of Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico. Villarreal has taken full advantage

of the athletic and academic opportunities she’s been given as a

Lion. On court, she has been named All-Southland Conference every

season and ranks fourth in school history in career singles victories.

The president of the Southeastern Student-Athlete Advisory

Committee (SAAC), Villarreal has maintained a 4.0 GPA as a

finance major and has multiple Academic All-District and Southland

Conference All-Academic honors to her credit.

“Renee is the ideal student-athlete, international or otherwise,”

Hayes commented. “There is no one single superlative that I can

use to accurately describe her, because she excels at everything she

does. She’s the captain of our team, our best player, the president of

SAAC, a 4.0 student and involved in the community.

“I guess the best word to describe her is complete,” Hayes added.

“Because there’s nothing she does that she does not dedicate herself

to completely. She’s the type of person, athlete and student that

you’re fortunate to coach maybe once or twice in a lifetime.”

While Hayes’ teams have featured student-athletes from all

continents with the exception of Antarctica, Hornbuckle has taken a

more focused approach to bringing in student-athletes from outside

the country.

In total, the Southeastern soccer program has had over 30 student-

athletes from Canada under Hornbuckle’s tutelage. Among those are

Southeastern Athletics Hall of Famers Kim McNally and Courtney

Coutu Martin.

“The Canadian student-athletes have been great for our program,”

Hornbuckle commented. “What sets them apart is their work rate

in everything they do, whether it be on the field or in the classroom.

Our Canadians have been a big part of the program and have proved

that they come here and thrive in any situation.”

Like Hayes, Hornbuckle has a current once-in-a-lifetime student-

athlete from outside of the United States on his current roster. As a

junior in 2015, goalkeeper Hope Sabadash became the first All-

American in program history. In her three seasons in Hammond,

the Mississauga, Ontario, Canada native has twice been named

Southland Conference Tournament Most Valuable Player and led the

Lady Lions to a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances.

“Hope elevates the level of the team,” Hornbuckle said. “She’s very

organized and provides a calmness that benefits the whole team. At

the same time, she displays a competitive drive and will to win that

her teammates are motivated to match.”

Sabadash and Villarreal are shining examples of the opportunities

afforded to international student-athletes as members of the

Southeastern athletics family. Villarreal has been named the

Southeastern Female Athlete of the Year each of the past two

seasons. In 2013-14, she could not claim it by herself, however.

She shared the honor with her fellow international student-

athlete Sabadash.

Tennis Coach Jason HayesSoccer Coach Blake Hornbuckle

athletics

50 S O U T H E A S T E R N M A G A Z I N E

CLASS notes

’52 | A.J. BODKER of Ponchatoula, former teacher and principal of Ponchatoula High School for 35 years

and supervisor of Southeastern’s student teachers from 1988 to 2003, recently retired from the Board of

Commissioners of North Oaks Health System, where he has served for 12 years.

’67 | CARROLL NOX DEVANE of New Orleans has published a memoir of her world travels over several

years. Sleeping between the Rails: A Woman’s Odyssey chronicles her five-and-a half years of travels that started

shortly after her graduation by hopping a Spanish freighter to Barcelona and working her way through 32

countries. The book traces two parallel journeys: the external and physically challenging one of world-wide travel

and the spiritually challenging one of self-discovery. The book is available on Amazon.

’71 | COL. JOHN D. KENNEDY of Houston was reappointed to the Port Commission of the Port of

Houston Authority. Originally appointed to the Port Commission in 2012, he previously served as City Manager

of the City of Nassau Bay, Texas. He retired from the U.S. Army after 27 years of military service.

’76, 13 | PATRICE PUJOL of Gonzales retired this year as superintendent of Ascension Parish Public School

System to assume the position of president of the National Institute for Excellence in Teaching (NIET). A teacher

and administrator for 39 years and last year’s College of Education Alumna of the Year, Pujol will work with the

institute to provide educator effectiveness solutions in teacher leadership.

’83 | ROBIN ROBERTS , co-anchor of ABC’s Good Morning America, was one of three individuals honored in

May by the V Foundation for Cancer Research, one of the nation’s leading cancer research funding organizations.

She was recognized for bravely sharing her personal battle with the rare blood disorder myelodysplastic

syndrome shortly after defeating breast cancer. She is a member of the V Foundation’s Board of Directors.

’84 | LISA FAUCHEUX BACALA has been named the new director of secondary education for Ascension

Public Schools. She began her career in education in Ascension Parish in 1986 and most recently served as

supervisor of secondary education, where she worked in all four high schools and the system’s alternative

school.

’89 | NANETTE MCANN of Baton Rouge was recognized by Baton Rouge Business Report as one of the

2015 Influential Women in Business. She serves as principal of both Baton Rouge Magnet High School and Lee

High School.

‘93 | PAM CALI BANKSTON was recognized in February by Holy Ghost Catholic School in Hammond as

the school’s Distinguished Graduate. She is a registered nurse and the author of the recently published children’s

book Frizzy Frieda’s Gymtastrophe and the Sicilian American cookbook La Famiglia.

‘94 | HART BORDELON of Hammond has been named market president for Gulf Coast Bank and Trust Co.

He has nearly 15 years of experience in the financial industry.

KEEPING in touchCLASS notes

S P R I N G / S U M M E R 2 0 1 6 51

’94 | RUSTY ROBBINS of New Orleans, a business development manager at industrial contractor Topcor,

was one of several single parents cooking with chef Jeff Henderson on the television show, Flip My Food. He

competed in the “$10 Dinner” episode.

’95 | SHERMAN MACK of Albany, state representative of District 95, has been named chairman of the

Administration of Criminal Justice Committee in the Louisiana Legislature. The committee addresses all criminal

legislation dealing with crimes, sentencing, probation and parole, drug enforcement and other areas.

’96, 99 | LAVANTA WILLIAMS has been named Elementary School Principal of the Year for the Fort Bend

Independent School District in Houston. After teaching several years in Baton Rouge, he moved to Houston,

where he has held administrative positions at several schools.

‘98 | BRANDON FRIMAN has been appointed by Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry to serve as the

criminal division director for the Louisiana Department of Justice. He previously served as an assistant U.S.

attorney for the Middle District of Louisiana, where he prosecuted drug trafficking, crimes of violence and

immigration matters.

’12 | KAITLYNN JONES (also known as Kaitlynn Aisling) of Baton Rouge is currently working in information

technology at the FMOL Health System. She recently completed her third novel, Die by Night. She also writes a

regular blog, “Pure Dream.”

‘08 | LESLIE BALLARD has been named program director of North Oaks Medical System’s new dietetic

internship program. She has worked at North Oaks as a community health educator.

‘12 | DANIEL HUGGETT of Baton Rouge has been appointed to a position as a NASA Pathways Engineering

Student at the Kennedy Space Center. He has worked with both the John C. Stennis Space Center and the

Marshall Space Flight Center and is currently a doctoral candidate in mechanical engineering at LSU.

‘13 | REBECCA LORINO POND of Ponchatoula in 2013 released her book, Theron Destiny, the first novel in

a series. She has published 10 other books since then in the science fiction / romance genre.

‘11 | MATTHEW SAUCIER , director of property management with Gulf States Real Estate Services in

Covington, was listed as “One to Watch in Real Estate” in New Orleans CityBusiness. He currently manages over

650,000 square feet of office and retail properties.

52 S O U T H E A S T E R N M A G A Z I N E

Access = Successgiving BACK

S P R I N G / S U M M E R 2 0 1 6 53

Access = SuccessSoutheastern’s First Generation Scholarships Create Success

Southeastern was conceived by Linus Sims over 90 years ago in

order to provide residents of a growing region access to education

beyond high school. He foresaw that in order for the Northshore

region to continue to develop, grow and prosper, its population

must be educated. From those earliest days, Southeastern has been

passionate about providing an increasing number of individuals

with the opportunity to attain a college degree. In addition to its

educational contributions, in many ways it has become a central

cultural and economic feature of the region, too. It helped create a

middle class in the area.

That mission continues to this day.

Today, access, or lack thereof, is about more than geographical

location. As the costs of obtaining a college degree have increased

significantly, many have found access more and more difficult. As

well, families that do not yet have college graduates among their

members do not always have the ingrained support mechanisms

that automatically focus their younger generations on college.

In order to help alleviate some financial strain and continue its

missionary path to provide access, Southeastern has launched

several first generation scholarships with the help of very

committed and generous donors.

The current first generation scholarships include the AT&T First-

Generation Endowed Scholarship, the Cameron and Marcia Barr

First-Generation Endowed Scholarship, the Clausen Family First-

Generation Endowed Scholarship, the Hammond Jaycees First-

Generation Endowed Scholarship, the James Ernest, May Hemby,

and Holman Hemby Morgan First-Generation Endowment, the Myra

LaRue First-Generation Scholarship and the Steve Cosse/Murphy

Oil First-Generation Scholarship.

These scholarships are created to blend access and success. They

are to aid in the financing of a degree for those who will represent

the first generation in their family to complete a college degree.

With this help, their success will inspire future generations who also

desire to obtain university degrees.

by Mike Rivault

54 S O U T H E A S T E R N M A G A Z I N E

WHAT ARE YOUR CAREER GOALS?My immediate career goal is to work overseas with athletes and travel to

different countries doing what I love. My long-term career goal is to one day

own a sports medicine clinic back home in Sugar Land, Texas, to become

closer with my community.

HAS THE SCHOLARSHIP HELPED YOU?This scholarship has helped me and my family tremendously. It has motivated

me to work diligently in school. My family is not only proud that I’m attending

college, but they are proud that I am motivated and focused on completing

my degree.

WHAT WOULD YOU TELL THE DONORS OF THE SCHOLARSHIP?I greatly appreciate the opportunity and the financial support to better my

education. Being blessed with this scholarship has opened many doors and

many opportunities that may have not been there otherwise. I am thankful

to the former president of Murphy Oil Corporation, Steve Cosse, who started

the scholarship, and Murphy Oil as well. It’s a phenomenal and a unique thing

to see others still being active in the community and giving back to students

who want an education.

WILL THIS INSPIRE YOU TO HELP OTHERS IN THE FUTURE?Receiving this scholarship inspires me to help and support students like

myself who have the motivation and the determination to work hard in

college but aren’t financially able to attend. Just because you’re not financially

capable of funding your college career shouldn’t mean that dream should be

dead. Everyone who works hard enough for it deserves the chance.

HOW WOULD YOU DO THAT?If I can help others in any way possible, I would give back to my school,

communities in New Orleans and here at Southeastern. Giving back money

and giving your time are valuable and remembered by the ones you support.

I hope to be involved with schools and students to share the importance of

positivity and leadership that enable success.

HAS THIS SCHOLARSHIP MADE YOUR ENJOYMENT OF AND SUCCESS AT SOUTHEASTERN BETTER?Attending Southeastern has been a great opportunity and stepping stone to

start a new chapter in my life. I was involved in high school but being involved

in college is a completely different atmosphere. I have had the chance to meet

many different people. Most importantly, I’ve started evolving into a strong

person and confident leader.

Freshman // Kinesiology - Athletic Training

Currently considering a double major in Sport Management.

Steve Cosse/Murphy Oil First-Generation Scholarship

Tia Ja’NeecHARRIS

giving BACK

S P R I N G / S U M M E R 2 0 1 6 55

WHAT ARE YOUR CAREER GOALS?After graduation, my goal is to become a pediatric nurse. I have always loved working with children and have a passion for the medical field; a career in pediatric nursing is a perfect combination of the two. I am very excited about

the future and cannot wait to begin my career.

HAS THE SCHOLARSHIP HELPED YOU?The scholarship I received has helped me tremendously. Nursing school takes up a substantial portion of my time and can be very overwhelming. The scholarship has allowed me to take a semester off from work so I am able to focus more on my studies, while still having money to cover tuition and other things I need for school. Without it, I am not sure what I would have done this past year.

WHAT WOULD YOU TELL THE DONORS OF THE SCHOLARSHIP?I will always be grateful for the significant help. This scholarship came to me at a perfect time- it could not have worked out better for me and my

current situation.

WILL THIS INSPIRE YOU TO HELP OTHERS IN THE FUTURE?If I am able to, I would love to pay it forward by helping others in the future.

HAS THIS SCHOLARSHIP MADE YOUR ENJOYMENT OF AND SUCCESS AT SOUTHEASTERN BETTER?This scholarship has increased my enjoyment and ensured my success. I am not sure how I would have made it through this last year of school without it. I know that my grades may have suffered if I would have had to take a

semester off of work.

HAS YOUR ATTENDANCE AT SOUTHEASTERN INSPIRED OTHER MEMBERS OF YOUR FAMILY TO ATTEND COLLEGE?My little sister is graduating this year and has every intention of going to college. She has told me multiple times that she wants to follow in my footsteps. She understands the importance of a college education and I fully support her in getting one.

WHAT ARE YOUR CAREER GOALS?I love children and would like to become an elementary school teacher. I hope

to teach first or second grade students.

HAS THE SCHOLARSHIP HELPED YOU?Yes! Going to college is expensive, so I am grateful for receiving the Clausen

Family Scholarship. The funds enabled me to be sure I could complete

my degree.

WHAT WOULD YOU TELL THE DONORS OF THE SCHOLARSHIP?Thank you for your generous donation! Because of it, I can continue to use the

talents that God has given me and continue on the path where he leads me to

seek and pursue a rewarding career in teaching.

WILL THIS INSPIRE YOU TO HELP OTHERS IN THE FUTURE?Yes, I would like to one day help others in the same situation as I am and

donate to college scholarship programs.

HAS THIS SCHOLARSHIP MADE YOUR ENJOYMENT OF AND SUCCESS AT SOUTHEASTERN BETTER?Yes! This scholarship has taken some financial burden off of me, which by

itself has increased my overall enjoyment of my time here at Southeastern.

HAS YOUR ATTENDANCE AT SOUTHEASTERN INSPIRED OTHER MEMBERS OF YOUR FAMILY TO ATTEND COLLEGE? My presence at Southeastern has inspired my two younger cousins to attend.

I took them on a walk around campus, and they loved the atmosphere of

Southeastern. They look forward to continuing their education here after they

graduate from high school.

KayliePINKERTONJunior // Nursing

James Ernest, May Hemby & Holman Hemby Morgan

First Generation Endowment

PaigeIMBRAGUGLIOSenior // Early Childhood Education

Clausen Family First Generation Scholarship

56 S O U T H E A S T E R N M A G A Z I N E

India

Republic of Korea

NepalHonduras

Over 80% of Southeastern’s international students come from 20 nations represented

by their home nation flag.

An International

Reach

30%

5%

4%

S P R I N G / S U M M E R 2 0 1 6 57

ChinaCanada

Germany

The Bahamas

Mexico

Colombia

United Kingdom

Moldova

Ukraine

France Italy

Jamaica

Vietnam

El Salvador

Philippines

Nigeria

2%

1%

3%

Office of Advancement, SLU 10293

Hammond, LA 70402

southeasternfoundation.org

NON PROFIT ORG.U.S. POSTAGE

PAIDPERMIT NO. 51

HAMMOND, LA

SUCCESS:

Southeastern was recently named by U.S. News and World Report as top in Louisiana for students graduating with the least amount of debt.