LAKELAND, Fla. (August 21, 2008) — Florida Southern College faculty members pursue extracurricular academic activities year-round, giving presentations, publishing articles, and attending conferences. The following summarizes their recent activities and recognitions.

Dr. Lynn H. Clements, professor of accounting, was named to the Test Development Committee responsible for guiding the content and policies of the College Board’s College-Level Examination Program (CLEP) Financial Accounting exam. The committee creates and edits test questions; analyzes and reviews data, test taker performance and faculty surveys; and guides program policies and outreach.

Dr. James M. Denham, professor of history, participated in the Florida Historical Society conference in May, chairing a presentation on “Perceptions and Realities: Spanish Explorers and Colonists and the Settling of Florida.” He also presented a paper entitled, “Victoria Seward Varn Brandon Sherrill: South Florida Women as Community Builders.” Denham co-wrote an article on “Why Was Antebellum Florida Murderous? A Quantitative Analysis of Homicide in Florida, 1821-1861,” published in the Florida Historical Quarterly, Fall 2007. In addition, Denham was awarded a Mellon Research Fellowship from the Virginia Historical Society in Richmond and in July continued his research on his biographical study of Florida Gov. William P. DuVal.

Dr. Christopher J. Fenner, assistant professor of communication, presented a paper on "No, It Has Nothing to Do with CSI: Using Public Relations to Promote New Forensic Programs" at the National Forensic Development Conference hosted by Bradley University on August 1. In addition, Fenner has been appointed vice president of the Florida Interstate Forensic Association.

Mary M. Flekke, instructional services librarian, received the Society of Florida Archivists 2008 Award of Excellence, which recognizes outstanding contributions to the preservation of Florida’s documentary heritage. As a member of SFA, Flekke has served in numerous positions, including as director and president, and has made membership recruitment and retention a prime focus of her work.

Dr. Jose Manuel Garcia, associate professor of Spanish, presented a paper titled, “La literatura cubana en Norteamerica: genesis, desarrollo y herencia” at the 55th Annual Meeting of the Southeastern Council of Latin American Studies (Secolas) held at the Hillsborough Community College campus in Ybor City. Garcia also presented a paper titled, “Historia y ficción en The Agüero Sisters y Monkey Hunting de Cristina Garcia” at the XXVIII literature conference of Circulo De Cultura Panamericano Congreso Cultural De Verano, sponsored by the University of Miami. His paper examines historical and fictional elements in Cristina Garcia’s last two novels. In addition, Garcia has written a book review on “The New Man Cuba: Culture and Identity in the Revolution” by Ana Serra. Garcia’s review appears in volume 12 of the Arizona Journal of Hispanic Studies.

Dr. Carmen Gauthier, professor of chemistry, participated in the 20th Biennial Conference in Chemical Education at Indiana University July 27-31. At the conference, she organized a symposium on “Student-Centered Methodologies in First-Year Chemistry Using a Global Perspective,” where she presented a paper on “A Shared PBL Experience in General Chemistry: Collaboration Across the Boundaries.” She also presented “Incorporating Multi-Nuclear NMR Spectroscopy in the Inorganic Chemistry Course,” in the symposium on “Novel Ideas in Inorganic Chemistry.” In addition, Gauthier presented a workshop on “Forensic Chemistry” sponsored by the Center for Workshops in the Chemical Sciences, a project funded by the National Science Foundation.

Dr. Keith Huneycutt, professor of English and chair of the Humanities Division, and Dr. Claudia Slate, professor of English and co-director of African American Studies, have edited the book, “Florida Studies: Proceedings of the 2007 Annual Meeting of the Florida College English Association,” Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2008. The volume includes essays by scholars from across the state on various aspects of Florida literature and history, including the 19th century and the late 20th and early 21st centuries.

Dr. James M. Lynch, professor of athletic training, presented a paper on “Computer Games that Promote Physical Activity” at the 8th International Olympic Academy Session for Educators and Officials of Higher Institutes of Physical Education, held July 10-17 in Olympia, Greece.

Dr. Malcolm Manners, professor of citrus and horticultural science, has co-written a book chapter on “Propagation by Leaf Cuttings,” in “Plant Propagation Concepts and Laboratory Exercises,” edited by C.A. Beyl and R.N. Trigiano, CRC Press, 2008.

Dr. W. Alan Smith, professor of religion, gave a speech entitled, “Everyone but Rizzo: Using the Arts to Transform Communities,” at the Oxford Round Table held July 13-18 at the University of Oxford, England.

Dr. John Stancil, professor of accounting, has been named chair of the Accounting, Business Ethics & Law, Information Privacy & Security Track for the 2009 meeting of the Southeast Decision Sciences Institute, taking place February 18-20 in Charleston, S.C.