Podcast from the 2013 ADP/TDC National Meeting
Audio from the 2013 American Democracy Project National Meeting in Denver, Colo. is now available to stream or download. Listen here

Blogger Reflects on George Mehaffy’s NAFSA Speech
Inside Higher Ed blogger reflects on the speech George Mehaffy, AASCU’s vice president for academic leadership and change, delivered at the NAFSA meeting relative to MOOCs and enhancing student learning. Read blog

Nominate an Outstanding Graduate for AASCU’s Distinguished Alumnus Award!
The Award is presented to an individual who has achieved acclaim in his or her field and who has made a significant contribution to the public, intellectual or cultural life of the nation. Nomination deadline for the 2015 award is July 11, 2013. For information and criteria visit the DAA website

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Arkansas State University

• Beginning this fall, Arkansas State University freshmen will use iPads to enhance their learning experience as faculty implement a dynamic, multimedia curriculum. Every freshman will take “Making Connections,” a course designed to help with transition into college. Read more
• Arkansas State University is exploring public-private partnerships to establish an osteopathic medical school that would help expand primary health care availability throughout the Mid-South. Read more

Black Hills State University (S.D.)
A new master’s degree in sustainability at Black Hills State University is is offered entirely online.. The BHSU Master of Science in Sustainability is the only degree of its kind in a multi-state region and one of only a handful across the nation. Read more

Millersville University of Pennsylvania
One Book, One Campus program has all incoming students complete a common reading over the summer, before beginning classes in the fall. The goal of the program is to have students arrive with a shared intellectual insight and to encourage them to engage in discourse aiding in the transition into University life. Read more

Northern Arizona University
With the launch of Personalized Learning, what students already know will count for something, and what they learn on the way to a college degree will come at a lower cost in time and money. Northern Arizona University’s pioneering online program is now accepting students, after receiving approval from the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. Read more

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville takes its first step in the educational agreement between SIU and the University of Havana (UH) in Cuba during June. SIUE College of Arts and Sciences colleagues Larry LaFond, a faculty member with expertise in linguistics, and Wendy Shaw, a faculty member who focuses on social geography, will lead a group of four students to Havana. In addition to those students, 17 students will take a tandem course online. Read more

San Diego State University
Mucus may be slimy and gross, but a San Diego State University research team, led by Jeremy Barr, a biology post-doctoral fellow, has discovered that it is also home to a powerful immune system that could change the way doctors treat a number of diseases. In this previously undocumented immune system, researchers uncovered bacteria-infecting viruses known as bacteriophage, which shield the body from invading infection. Read more

Troy University (Ala.)
A group from Troy University will spend part of the summer in Israel working with a team of scholars and students excavating the ancient seaport city of Ashkelon. Five Troy students, under the direction of anthropology professor Bill Grantham, will work and learn alongside top scholars in the fields of Near Eastern and biblical archaeology. Located on a 150-acre site alongside the Mediterranean in southern Israel, the Ashkelon area is home to at least 20 ancient cities dating from at 3500 B.C. to 1500 A.D. Read more

Black Hills State University (S.D.)
Black Hills State University is partnering with three South Dakota K-12 schools to help improve science and mathematics instruction. BHSU received three of the six Title II grants totaling about $150,000 from the U.S. Department of Education which pairs university science, math and education faculty with teachers and administrations from high-need school systems to develop relevant professional development activities. Read more

California State University, Dominguez Hills
Terry McGlynn, associate professor of biology at CSU Dominguez Hills, has been awarded a $243,922 National Science Foundation grant through its International Research Experience for Students to send three cohorts of four students to Australia in 2014, 2015 and 2016 for seven months each to conduct research on climate change in collaboration with scientists at the CSIRO Tropical Ecosystems Research Centre in the Northern Territory. Read more

California State University, San Bernardino
The Inland Empire Small Business Development Center, which provides guidance and technical assistance to help existing and startup businesses, has received a three-year grant for $150,000 from the Union Bank Foundation. The IESBDC is housed in Cal State San Bernardino’s Inland Empire Center for Entrepreneurship, which provides a number of programs and services on campus and in the community. Read more

Cleveland State University (Ohio)
Cleveland State University's Partnership for Urban Health has been selected to participate in the Urban Universities for HEALTH (Health Equity through Alignment, Leadership, and Transformation of the Healthcare Workforce) Learning Collaborative, a national academic initiative that aims to investigate approaches to improve the health of urban communities by developing their health care workforce. A grant totaling more than $400,000 over a four-year period was awarded jointly to CSU and NEOMED in support of their partnership by the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and administered through a collective effort between the Coalition of Urban Serving Universities and the Association of American Medical Colleges. Read more

Indiana University of Pennsylvania

• A grant from the Bork Family Fund has helped to purchase two simulation manikins in the obstetrics simulation lab. IUP's simulation laboratory is funded through a $299,890 federal grant and focuses on preparing students for the special challenges of home health care. The new simulation laboratory also provides hands-on training for students in the use of electronic medical records. Read more
• Representatives of XTO Energy, a subsidiary of ExxonMobil, were on campus May 14, 2013, to present IUP with a matching gift of more than $25,000. Thanks to the generosity of three IUP alumni who are ExxonMobil employees, the company provided the funds as part of its matching gift program. Read more

SUNY Oneonta
SUNY Oneonta has received a $612,515 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) for “Critical MaSS: Math and Science Scholars,” a scholarship program aimed at enabling students who would otherwise face significant barriers to graduate and enter careers or advanced degree programs in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines. The five-year grant will support 24 SUNY Oneonta students with scholarships of up to $5,400 per year. Read more

University of Central Florida
Mollie Jewett, an infectious disease specialist at the UCF College of Medicine’s Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences, has received a RO1 $1.2 million grant from the National Institutes of Health for her work in the prevention and treatment of Lyme disease. Read more

University of Houston-Downtown
For students who are the first in their families to attend college or who lack a support network as freshmen, the challenges of college can be overwhelming. Thanks to a new two-year, $300,000 grant from the Fondren Foundation, twice as many incoming freshmen at the University of Houston-Downtown (UHD) will have the opportunity to attend a three-day Freshman Summer Success Program that prepares them for rigorous collegiate studies. Read more

University of Northern Iowa
The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded a three-year, $1.2 million grant to the University of Northern Iowa to support the project "Iowa STEM Education Evaluation (I-SEE): Navigating the Iowa STEM Roadmap." Iowa is the first state to be given an award of this kind. Read more

University of West Alabama

• The UWA Campus School (pre-k) was awarded two $2,000 foundation grants. The Dollar General Summer Literacy grant will fund an Around the World interactive reading and geography program, while the Whole Kids Foundation grant will fund a Four Seasons Garden built and sustained by the students. Read more
• Assistant Professor Balakrishna Gokaraju received a grant valued at $800,000 from Oak Ridge National Laboratory for him and four students to use the Titan super computer for a period of five years for research.
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California State University, Fresno
Fresno Mayor Ashley Swearengin honored retiring California State University, Fresno President John D. Welty with the Key to the City during the annual State of the City luncheon. She commended Dr. Welty for his 22 years of service to Central California and recognized Fresno State as an economic engine that drives regional growth.
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Black Hills State University (S.D.)
Priscilla Romkema, dean of the College of Business and Natural Sciences, was recently awarded the National Business Education Association (NBEA) Distinguished Service Award. The award recognizes outstanding contributions to business education by an administrator or supervisor of business education. Read more

California State University, Fresno
The American Institute for Roman Culture has named Fresno State’s Division of Continuing and Global Education as the exclusive provider of academic credit for its educational travel study programs. Read more

Frostburg State University (Md.)

• Frostburg State University has achieved a STARS Silver Rating in recognition of its sustainability efforts from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE). The University’s Learning Green, Living Green sustainability initiative committee and a faculty-led Sustainability Studies Committee have spearheaded a number of campus projects. FSU is also home to a wind-solar-energy system, the completely off-grid Sustainable Energy Research Facility, and a LEED Gold-certified student union. Read more
• Frostburg State University assistant professor of English Andy Duncan has won a prestigious Nebula Award for his 2012 novelette “Close Encounters.” Duncan has been nominated for the Nebula Award, which are voted on and hosted by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, seven times. He has also been nominated for the Hugo Awards and has won two World Fantasy Awards and the Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award. Read more

Indiana University of Pennsylvania
The New Pittsburgh Courier has named Debra Valentine-Gray, IUP’s Pittsburgh regional advancement officer, a 2013 Woman of Excellence. Women of Excellence are nominated because they have excelled in positions not traditionally held by African-Americans and women. Read more

Saginaw Valley State University (Mich.)
Brooks Byam, professor of mechanical engineering and adviser to SVSU’s formula racing team, received the 2013 Carroll Smith Mentor’s Cup during the Formula Society of Automotive Engineers Collegiate Design Series at Michigan International Speedway in May. Read more

San Diego State University
The Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) has recognized San Diego State University for its exceptional development program. SDSU is one of two schools to win the 2013 Educational Fundraising Award for overall performance for public research and doctoral institutions with endowments under $250 million.
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Southeastern Oklahoma State University
Blythe Duell, professor of psychology at Southeastern, was named one of the top 20 Women Professors in Oklahoma. Read more

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Alcorn State University (Miss.)
A spectacular line-up of dignitaries, civil rights veterans and award winning entertainers will participate in the Medgar Wiley Evers Memorial dedication and the Medgar Evers Torch of Justice Awards luncheon at Alcorn State University. These national ceremonies will commemorate the 50th anniversary of the assassination of civil rights icon Medgar Wiley Evers, an alumnus of Alcorn State. The Medgar Evers Memorial dedication will unveil the largest bronze statue of the civil rights leader in the world. Read more

Armstrong Atlantic State University (Ga.)

• In partnership with the City of Hinesville, Ga., Armstrong Atlantic State University announces a new initiative for Armstrong-Liberty Center, the university's Hinesville campus. Armstrong will build an expanded new facility in downtown Hinesville to accommodate more students, classroom and laboratory space, and programs that will serve all students in the region, from traditional freshman to returning military and working professionals. Read more
• Armstrong Atlantic State University's athletic department has captured the Peach Belt Conference (PBC) Commissioner’s Cup, presented annually to the best overall athletic department in the league as determined by regular season standings, and the PBC President's Academic Award, which recognizes excellence in academics concerning all of an institution’s student-athletes. Read more

Black Hills State University (S.D.)

• The Jacket Journal, Black Hills State University’s student newspaper, recently earned a first place award in the 2013 American Scholastic Press Association’s (ASPA) annual newspaper competition. The BHSU student-run newspaper has been recognized in the past with a first place in 2009 and 2010, a first place with special merit in 2011 and a second place in 2012. Read more
• The Black Hills State University concert choir recently returned from a 12-day tour of Italy where they performed in many of the country’s most historic and majestic churches. The choir performed three formal concerts at The Church of Sant’ Agnese in Rome, The Church of San Leonardo in Cerretto Guidi and at San Moise’ Church in Venice. They also performed additional pieces during a mass in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican and for a mass at San Marco’s in Venice. Read more

California State University, Los Angeles
Performing at an astounding rate against North American top university competitors, Cal State L.A.’s EcoCAR 2 team earned 2nd place overall in year two of the EcoCAR 2: Plugging In to the Future collegiate engineering competition. The prestigious three-year engineering competition consists of 15 North American universities working to modify a 2013 Chevrolet Malibu into a functioning hybrid vehicle. Read more

Harris-Stowe State University (Mo.)
Harris-Stowe State University Humanities Professor Reynaldo Anderson recently signed a book publishing deal with Lexington Books to produce an original manuscript on the lives of three remarkable women. The book, entitled “Black Atlantic Heretics of Empire: The Caribbean Radicalism of Amy Jacques, Elma Francios and Claudia Jones,” represents several years of scholarship and research. Read more

Millersville University of Pennsylvania
Oliver Dreon of Millersville University's instructional technology class provided students in the local Penn Manor School District with a "Flipped Classroom" experience equipped with video instructions that they would watch in home, and then with the help of their teachers apply the information they learned in the classroom. Read more

San Diego State University
SDSU’s National Center for Urban School Transformation selected and honored the four top high-performing urban schools in the country: Granger Junior High School in National City, Synergy Charter School in South Central Los Angeles, MacArthur High School in the Aldine Independent School District in Houston, Texas and Dayton Business Technology High, an alternative school in Dayton, Ohio. The SDSU center, under the leadership of Joe Johnson, Ph.D., identifies, celebrates, and studies urban schools that achieve excellent academic results. Read more

Troy University (Ala.)
17-year-old Heath Harding of Montgomery, Ala., recently graduated from Troy University with a master's degree in computer science, making him likely Troy’s youngest graduate in the institution’s history. Read more

University of Central Florida
UCF’s many partnerships and emphasis on expanding students’ access to a high-quality education make the university a national model, a report released by the New America Foundation concludes. Read more

University of Central Oklahoma
The University of Central Oklahoma Broncho Softball Team won their first national championship May 27, defeating Kutztown 5-2 to take the NCAA Division II national title. The university is a member of the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association conference and holds 18 national titles among its athletic teams. Read more

West Chester University (Pa.)
The West Chester University Incomparable Golden Rams Marching Band’s “Ritual Fire” program was chosen as one of the 10 field shows – and the only one from a Division II school – to be featured at this spring’s College Band Directors National Association (CBDNA) Bi-Annual Conference. Read more

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