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FSC faculty pursue academic projects 

LAKELAND, Fla. (March 17, 2004) - Florida Southern College faculty continued their extracurricular academic pursuits by giving presentations, publishing books, attending conferences and volunteer teaching overseas. Following is a summary of their recent endeavors. 

Dr. Susan Conner, vice president and academic dean, has written a book, "The Age of Napoleon," part of the Greenwood Guide to Historic Events, 1500-1900. Written for a general audience and students studying at the survey level, the volume includes traditional military, political, and diplomatic history as well as cultural and social aspects of the era. The book is available through Greenwood Press (Westport, Conn.) at www.greenwood.com. 

Dr. James M. Denham, history professor, spoke at the South Florida Community College Honors Program Feb. 3. He presented "La Florida Encounter: Native American Meets European," a discussion of the first interactions between Europeans and Native Americans in 16th century Florida. In addition, Denham presided at the L.B. Brown Heritage Conference and Festival Feb.13-14, overseeing the scholarly portion of the weekend's events. 

Dr. Daniel D. Jelsovsky, mathematics professor, was appointed coordinator of student activities for the Florida Section of the Mathematical Association of America (MAA). He will promote student attendance at the Florida sectional conference and area regional conferences as well as develop student chapters of the MAA in Florida schools. 

Dr. Malcolm M. Manners, citrus and environmental horticulture professor, traveled to Turkmenistan to teach grafting, pruning and training techniques for young orchard trees to growers of apricot, peach, plum, quince, apple, pear, persimmon and pomegranate. The trip was part of a volunteer consulting mission with Winrock International, funded by US-AID. Winrock sponsors agricultural consultants to developing countries. 

Dr. Mary Pharr, English professor, presented "'Pretty complex Stuff': Form Over Theme in 'American Splendor'" at the Florida State University Conference on Literature and Film in January. She presented a formal analysis of the 2003 film "American Splendor" as it depicts the complexity of ordinary life. 

Dr. Claudia Slate, English professor, was interviewed by WNCU 90.7 FM radio at North Carolina Central University, Durham, N.C. as part of the "Run on Water" project, an examination of the natural and human history of the coastal Carolinas. Slate discussed the importance of author Harriet Jacobs and her slave narrative. 

Dr. John L. Stancil, accounting professor, received an award as one of 20 Experts of the Month from AllExperts.com, a free website service in which people may ask questions of experts in thousands of categories. Stancil was named for his work as a volunteer expert in the area of taxation. In addition, Stancil served as judge in the Institute of Management Accountants' National Student Case Competition, in which student teams from across the nation prepare a 15-minute video based on a management accounting case study. 

Dr. Bernice Sutton, accounting professor, served as guest speaker for a joint meeting with the Polk County chapters of the Florida Institute of Public Accountants and Institute of Management Accountants, held Feb. 5. Her presentation, "Assessment of Internal Controls of Information Systems," allowed attendees to earn one hour of continuing professional education. Sutton also attended a presentation at the University of Tampa on Jan. 31 with senior accounting majors Shannon Murray of North Fort Myers, Fla., and Melissa Wingard of Myakka, Fla. Guest speaker Robert Herz, chairman of the Financial Accounting Standards Board, discussed "Challenges and Opportunities Facing Financial Reporting." 


About Florida Southern College
Florida Southern is a four-year, private, co-educational liberal arts college affiliated with the United Methodist Church. The college offers more than 40 undergraduate majors and a master of business administration degree accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Located in Lakeland, Fla., the college is home to the largest, single-site collection of Frank Lloyd Wright architecture in the world. 

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