Sul Ross State University

News Release for April 23, 2008

ABEL GUEVARA, JACKIE MARTINEZ RECEIVE SUL ROSS STUDENT LIFE LEADER AWARDS

Abel Guevara, Del Rio, and Jackie Martinez, Alpine, were recognized as outstanding student leaders during the annual Sul Ross State University Student Life and Campus Activities awards ceremony.

Guevara was named Student Leader of the Year and Martinez was recognized as University Leader of the Year at the presentation, held April 15 in the University Center's Espino Conference Center. The theme for the awards ceremony was "Essential Pieces."

Dr. Louis Harveson, associate professor of Natural Resource Management, was named Student Organization Advisor of the Year. The Range and Wildlife Club was named the Student Organization of the Year and The Skyline student newspaper and Publications Services (Print Shop) received the Unsung Hero Award.

Thirteen students, five organization advisors and four campus clubs were nominated and voted on by faculty and staff members for their outstanding work on campus. Representatives from a number of campus organizations were in attendance.

Categories for the awards ceremony included: Student Leader of the Year, Student Organization of the Year, Student Organization Advisor of the Year, and University Leader of the Year. Several other students were recognized for their contributions to the QEP committee, Residential Living, Student Life, and Sully Productions.

ALPHA CHI INITIATION APRIL 30 AT SUL ROSS

Seventeen Sul Ross State University students will be initiated into the Texas Chi Chapter of Alpha Chi Wednesday, April 30.

Initiation ceremonies will be held at 7 p.m. at Kokernot Lodge.

Initiates, their hometowns and majors include:

ALPINE: Esther Cordova, art; Nora Franco, general studies; Odell Missildine, history; Virginia Sandoval, English

CROSBY: Jennifer Merryman, psychology.

EL PASO: Veronica Ruffier, education

FORT HANCOCK: Moises Morales, political science

HARLINGEN: Thomas Shiller, geology

HOUSTON: Ruth Love, communication;

KERMIT: Stephanie Marshall, mathematics.

KINGSVILLE: Mandy Yarbrough, equine science

MARFA: Christian Celis, business management

ODESSA: Jason Ross, biology; Jillian Ross, biology

PECOS: Amanda Nevarez, education

PRESIDIO: Adriana Galindo, psychology

SUGAR LAND: Benfard Hicks, Jr., education

Returning members are:Laura Canales, criminal justice; Sylvia Probasco, early childhood through fourth grade education and Talitha Raby, mathematics, all of Alpine; Daniel Brown, Cedar Creek, social studies; JoAnna Alvidrez, El Paso, history; Victoria B. Sanchez, Marfa, management; and Julie Kristel Hester, Snyder, interdisciplinary studies.

Alpha Chi, the Phi Beta Kappa of small universities, is an interdisciplinary honor society whose membership is limited to the top 10 percent of juniors and seniors. Sul Ross/ chapter, Texas Chi, chartered in 1926, is one of the oldest in the nation. There are over 300 Alpha Chi chapters nationwide, and Sul Ross was the 22nd chartered.

C-SPAN'S ELECTION 2008 BUS TO VISIT SUL ROSS MAY 1

Sul Ross State University will be one of the C-SPAN Campaign 2008 bus stops, with a visit scheduled Thursday, May 1.

C-SPAN's bus will be parked in front of Morelock Academic Building from 10 a.m.-noon May 1. The Sul Ross Student Government Association, College Republicans and University Democrats will conduct voter registration during the non-partisan event.

"With all eyes on the 2008 election, we are thrilled to be making a trip to Alpine with our newly renovated Campaign 2008 Bus," said Erin Patton, a C-SPAN marketing representative. "It will be a wonderful opportunity to talk with students - many of whom are first-time voters - about what issues are driving them to the polls."

The 45-foot mobile production studio is on the campaign trail to promote and enhance C-SPAN's comprehensive political coverage, touring state capitols and traveling to major political events such as the recent Pennsylvania primary. Since its January 2007 launch, the bus has been to 22 state capitals and 150 schools, where 200 elected officials, 2,500 teachers and 13,000 students have been on board.

The Alpine/Sul Ross visit, in partnership with Sul Ross, US Cable and the Alpine Chamber of Commerce, is part of the bus's inaugural "Road to the White House" tour, named after C-SPAN's renowned political program that marks its 20th year on the air in 2008.

C-SPAN's political coverage can be viewed on the C-SPAN networks, C-SPAN Radio,C-SPAN.org, or the one stop 2008 election web site: CampaignNetwork.org. In Alpine, C-SPAN can be seen on Channel 11.

A revamped version of the network's award-winning School Bus, the Campaign 2008 bus sports a new exterior design wrap in election themes along with interior modifications that include the latest television production equipment.

C-SPAN Classroom, www.c-spanclassroom.org, a free membership service for middle and high school teachers, offers a selection of free, downloadable video clips picked from the network's extensive political programming including "Road to the White House" that are updated weekly and "classroom-ready" allowing teachers to readily incorporate a study of presidential politics into their curriculum. C-SPAN, the political network of record, was created in 1979 by America's cable companies as a public service. C-SPAN is currently available in 91 million households, C-SPAN2 in 84 million households, and C-SPAN3 in more than 15 million households nationwide. For more information about C-SPAN, visit www.c-span.org or the MySpace page at www.myspace.com/campaignbus2008.

MAY 2 RETIREMENT RECEPTION FOR SUL ROSS PROFESSOR WAYNE SHEEHAN

For Dr. Wayne Sheehan, impending retirement means devoting more time to some of his favorite interests...

...granddaughters Madeleine and Natalie, and baseball research.

Sheehan, Sul Ross State University professor of History, leaves the classroom at the end of spring semester 2008, capping 32 years at Sul Ross and 40 in higher education.

A retirement reception will be hosted by the Sheehan family on Friday, May 2, 6 p.m. at Kokernot Lodge.

Sheehan will continue working through mid-July, mentoring three McNair Program Scholars, assisting them in developing and completing a research project. In addition, he is combining his own love of history and baseball to write a history of baseball in his hometown of Kankakee, Ill.

"It has been a good long run," he said of his Sul Ross tenure. "I've taught a few children of some of my first students, and in some cases, I may be getting close to teaching grandchildren....Just the other day, I heard from a former student at Albion (Mich.) College, where I started teaching in 1967."

His teaching has been recognized by former students and colleagues alike. He received Sul Ross' Outstanding Teaching Award in 2006 for an unprecedented second time since its inception in 1983. The popular history professor was previously honored in 1990. He won a similar award at Albion College in 1970.

In 1986, he was named a Piper Professor by the Minnie Stevens Piper Foundation for outstanding scholarly and academic achievement in Texas. He was also named an American Association for Higher Education faculty honoree that year.

"I think what I know is exciting," he said. "I like history and I think learning should be exciting.

"Teaching history at Sul Ross requires versatility," said Sheehan. "There is so much history to be taught and not many people to do it."

While at Sul Ross, Sheehan developed courses in the history of Nazi Germany and the Holocaust and new courses in American sports history.

In 2004, he received a fellowship to study at the U.S. Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C. In 1983, he started the Sul Ross European Study Program, and led subsequent trips to Europe in 1990 and 1992 (with now-retired faculty member Roy Dodson) and in 2005 (with Dr. Jim Case, dean of the School of Arts and Sciences).

Sheehan has been an active part of both the Sul Ross and Alpine community since he joined the faculty in 1976. In 2006, he stepped down as faculty athletics representative after serving since 1979, and has been the official scorer for baseball and men's and women's basketball games. In addition, he has served as the official timekeeper at Lobo football games, so he has probably witnessed well over 1,000 home athletics contests. He has served as faculty adviser for a number of student organizations and has received the Club Adviser of the Year award.

Named Alpine's Citizen of the Year in 2004, Sheehan has served as president of the Alpine PTA, and has been active in numerous groups. His volunteer efforts include the Alpine Kiwanis, Permian Basin Girl Scout Council, several terms with the Big Bend Little League and the Alpine Volunteer Fire Department. He continues to stay active with the Bechtel Foundation, which awards book scholarships to area students.

A native of Kankakee, he graduated from St. Patrick Central High School in 1958. He earned his bachelor's degree from Western Illinois University in 1962 and a master's degree (1965) and Ph.D. (1975) from the University of Maryland. He previously taught at Albion (Mich.) College from 1967-72 and was a research fellow at the Institute of Historical Research in London, England from 1972-74.

He and his wife, Mary Louise, are the parents of two daughters, Kathryn (1967-1985) and Patricia. Patricia, her husband Tom Dickinson and daughters Madeleine and Natalie are also Alpine residents.

STUDENT, FACULTY RECITALS APRIL 24-25 AT SUL ROSS

A student recital will be held Thursday, April 24 and faculty recital Friday, April 25 in Marshall Auditorium on the Sul Ross State University campus.

Thursday's student recital begins at 7:30 p.m. On Friday at 6:30 p.m., Sul Ross music faculty members Dr. Donald Callen Freed (tenor) and Dr. Justin Badgerow (piano) will perform as part of the "Evening of the Arts."

There is no admission charge to either recital. and the public is invited.

For more information, contact Badgerow, (432) 837-8222 or jbadgerow@sulross.edu.

CHICANO ADAPTATION OF IBSEN CLASSIC "A DOLL'S HOUSE" APRIL 25-MAY 3 AT SUL ROSS

A Chicano adaptation of Henrik Ibsen's classic, "A Doll's House," will be the final production of the 2007-2008 Sul Ross State University theatre season. Performances will be held April 25-May 3 in the Studio Theatre, Francois Fine Arts Building.

Liz Castillo, director and playwright, has written a modern, Chicano adaptation of Ibsen's revolutionary 1879 play, "Casa de Muñeca." It is said that Ibsen felt that, rather than merely live together, husband and wife should live as equals, free to become their own human beings, and consequently, Ibsen's critics attacked him for failing to respect the institution of marriage.

Castillo's Spanish-English update follows the same theme and how it still remains an issue of conflict in many households today. Castillo's version takes the main idea of Ibsen's play, moves it to a modern, border-town family. In Castillo's play, as in Ibsen's, Nora, a devoted wife and mother, finally realizes that her husband's pride will never allow her to become an equal. Will Nora be able to accept her role as her husband's "muñeca (doll)" and never an equal?

Castillo has set her adaptation in a small college/Texas border town and has included both English and Spanish in the script as another step towards establishing bilingual theatre in the Big Bend region.

For more information, contact the Fine Arts and Communication Department , (432) 837-8218.

MUSEUM OF BIG BEND DIRECTOR FRANCELL TO RECEIVE HISTORIC PRESERVATION AWARD

Larry Francell, director of the Museum of the Big Bend at Sul Ross State University, has been awarded the Truett Latimer Award for the State of Texas for 2008.

The award is named for Texas' first State Historic Preservation Officer and executive director of the Texas Historical Commission (THC). This award goes to working professionals who demonstrate a significant commitment and sustained involvement to preservation as part of their job responsibilities. Only one award is given in this category each year.

Francell will receive the award May 2 at the annual Historic Preservation Conference, scheduled May 1-3 in Corpus Christi. He was nominated by the Brewster County Historical Commission for the preservation of the building which houses the current Museum of the Big Bend and his work towards preserving the history and culture of the Big Bend area.

Francell will also receive the John L. Nau, III Award of Excellence in Museums at the conference. The Nau Award recognizes significant achievement in the areas of historical interpretation, museum education, conservation of collections and/or community involvement. He was nominated by the Texas Mountain Trail Board of Directors.

"In 1936 the Texas Centennial Commission sponsored several museums for the state," said Francell. "We are pleased that the Museum of the Big Bend, the most recent to undergo a full renovation, has been recognized by Preservation Texas." "Our Museum is a showcase of historic preservation and accuracy.," added Sul Ross President R. Vic Morgan. "Larry's work and devotion to a dream brought it to reality and we are honored and justifiably proud of the recognition he is receiving. There is no higher honor than to be judged by one's peers for quality and excellence."

For more information, contact Francell, (432) 837-8145 or francell@sulross.edu.

PIONEER DAY CELEBRATION APRIL 26 IN DOWNTOWN ALPINE

The 2008 Pioneer Day celebration, sponsored by Historic Alpine, will be held Saturday, April 26, 11:30 a.m.-from 11:30 to 1:30 p.m. Saturday (April 26) in the depot parking lot, downtown Alpine.

The program, beginning at 12:15 p.m., will feature a Wall of Pioneer project progress report, followed by a number of family biographies presented by pioneer descendants. A brisket plate lunch, benefitting the final phase of Wall construction, will be served during the celebration.

When complete, the Wall will feature several hundred individual plaques identifying pioneer families and brief histories of Brewster County and Alpine. To date, the project has been supported through the sale of personalized bricks which are embedded in the sidewalk along the street side of the Wall. The purchase of personalized bricks, at a cost of $50 each, can be made at the event.

In April 2007, the City of Alpine and Brewster County proclaimed the last week in April as "Pioneer Week" to honor those hardy families that settled in Brewster County at or before the turn of the century. Pioneer Week begins with "Pioneer Day" on the last Saturday of April and ends with a weekend celebration of Cinco de Mayo.

For more inforamtion, contact Dennie Miller, (432) 837-8813 or dmiller@sulross.edu.

SUL ROSS, UNIVERSIDAD AUTONOMA DE CHIHUAHUA RENEW MBA AGREEMENT

Sul Ross State University and the Universidad Autonoma de Chihuahua celebrated 10 years of a shared Master of Business Administration program by officially renewing the agreement.

Representatives of both universties, including Dr. R. Vic Morgan, Sul Ross President; Dr. David Cockrum, Provost and Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs; and Universidad Autonoma Rector (President) Dr. Raul A. Chavez Espinoza signed the documents during a reception in Chihuahua City Friday evening (April 18).

Also present were Sul Ross Business Administration faculty; department chair Dr. Pamela Marett, Dr. Rafael Azauje, Dr. Bill Green and Rob Matthews, and several Sul Ross graduate students, along with their Universidad de Autonoma counterparts.

Both Chavez and Morgan praised the continuation of the program and the cooperation between the two universities.

"We are delighted to be renewing the agreement," Morgan said. "Ten years is not a very long time in the history of things, but it is a considerable period for the students who have participated.

"We are pleased to continue what has been a very successful program. Perhaps there will be some other areas of cooperation between the two universities that can also be explored," he said.

Retired Sul Ross Professor Dr. Edward Marcin was honored for his role in the program's initial years, and present faculty from both universities were also honored.

Since its inception, more than 85 Universidad de Autnonoma students have completed their MBA degrees through Sul Ross.

SUL ROSS EMPLOYEES TO BE HONORED FOR YEARS OF SERVICE APRIL 28

Thirteen Sul Ross State University employees will receive longevity awards during a presentation Monday, April 28, 2 p.m. in the University Center's second floor foyer.

The reception honors employees who have attained 20, 25, 30 and 40 years of service as of September 2007. Employees and their years of service include:

40 Years: Dr. Avinash Rangra, Earth and Physical Sciences

30 Years: Robert Matthews, Business Administration

25 Years: Manuel Carrillo, Physical Plant; Salvador Hernandez, Physical Plant; Linda McAnally, Business Administration; Dr. James Whitford-Stark, Earth and Physical Sciences; Juan Yniquez, Physical Plant

20 Years: Dr. Roger Grant, Physical Education; Dr. Raymond Kessler, Criminal Justice; Dr. Jimmy LaBaume, Natural Resource Management; Aurora Ramos, Physical Plant; Jesus Spencer, Controller; Sue Zukowski, Human Resources

SUL ROSS MUSIC PROFESSOR FREED PUBLISHES REVIEWS IN CHORAL JOURNAL

Two book reviews by Dr. Donald Freed, Sul Ross State University associate professor of Music, have been published in Choral Journal.

Freed reviewed "The Versatile Vocalist: Singing Authentically in Contrasting Styles and Idioms," by Rachel Lebon; and "Music in the Western World: A History in Documents (second edition)," selected and annotated by Piero Weiss and Richard Taruskin. The reviews were published in the April issue.

For more information, contact Freed, (432) 837-8216 or dfreed@sulross.edu.

SUL ROSS ART STUDENTS, FACULTY ATTEND SAN ANGELO CERAMICS SYMPOSIUM

Sul Ross State University Art Club students and advanced ceramics class students joined with art faculty and Alpine ceramicists to attend the 23rd Annual Ceramics Symposium in San Angelo.

The three-day event was held at the Old Chicken Ranch Art Center, The San Angelo Museum of Art and Angelo State University. Friday hosted a symposium lecture at Angelo State followed by a gallery night event in downtown San Angelo. Notable was the members exhibit of the Texas Clay Arts Association and the opening reception of the 17th National Ceramics Exhibition at the San Angelo museum of Fine Arts.

Saturday began with ceramics workshops and gallery openings at the old Chicken Farm Art Center, which included work by Sul Ross associate professor Jim Bob Salazar.

For more information, contact Carol Fairlie, (432) 837-8258 or fairlie@sulross.edu.

SUL ROSS FACULTY MEMBER PLATT PRESENTS PAPERS AT S.C. CONFERENCE

Dr. Steven G. Platt, Sul Ross State University assistant professor of Biology, presented two papers at the

annual conference of the Association of Southeastern Biologists , held April 17-18 in Spartanburg, S.C.

Platt, C.G. Brantley and T.R. Rainwater presented the tpapers on cane (Arundinaria spp.) Cane is the common name applied to three species of bamboo native to the Southeast. Presented were "Native American Ethnobotany of Cane (Arundinaria spp.) in the Southeastern United States: a Review" and "Historic Descriptions of Pre-settlement Canebrakes in the Southeastern United States."

At one time two of these species formed dense monotypic stands known as "canebrakes" that covered hundreds of thousands of hectares in the southeastern United States. Canebrakes disappeared rapidly following settlement due to a combination of overgrazing by livestock, altered burning regimes, and large-scale clearance for agriculture, particularly cotton.

Today, cane persists as an understory plant in many areas, but the large canebrakes described in historic accounts are virtually non-existent. Canebrakes are now regarded as "critically endangered ecosystems" because this ecosystem has been reduced to less than one percent of its former extent. Canebrakes were important habitat for at least 50 species of wildlife, including some species that were obligate canebrake inhabitants such as Bachman's warbler.

Platt, Brantley and Rainwater, have a long-standing interest in canebrakes and have published several other papers on cane and canebrakes dating back to 1997.

For more information, contact Platt, (432) 837-8084 or splatt@sulross.edu.

MISS TEXAS MEETS SUL ROSS STATE STUDENTS AT W.O.W. BANQUET

by Jason Hennington, News Writer

Referring to Sul Ross State University as "Harvard on the hill," Miss Texas 2007 Molly Hazlett urged students to take advantage of their educational opportunities.

Hazlett, Centerville, spoke to freshmen at the annual W.O.W. (We're on Our Way) awards banquet held April 16 in the University Center.

Hazlett, a mass communications major at Sam Houston State University, is the recipient of various scholarships and is a member of the National Honor Society. During her reign, she has made 345 appearances around the state, talking to over 100,000 students about drug and alcohol awareness. She also emphasized the importance of education during her Sul Ross stop. "There are two things that no one can take away from you," Hazlett said. "That's you health and your education. Seize every opportunity that you have."

She explained how the first year of college is the most difficult because of the changes students go through.

"In high school you had someone telling you what time to get up, what time to go to class," she said. "Freshman year is the hardest. It was tough for me, but if you can get through it then you've got it made."

Hazlett also recommended acquiring scholarships.

"Take every opportunity to get scholarships," she said., adding that she has applied for and received over $40,000 in scholarships during her academic tenure.

After a briefly explaining how she travels and speaks about drug and alcohol awareness, Hazlett talked about the beauty of the Alpine area and Sul Ross.

"It was quite a drive out here," she laughed. "Sul Ross has fabulous students and everybody is very nice and friendly. I will speak about Sul Ross after I leave here."

Hazlett ended her speech encouraging students to get involved and make the best of their educational experience.

"Take your education seriously. Make something out of yourself," she said. "You have one shot at life; make the best out of it."

At the conclusion of the W.O.W. banquet she posed for pictures and signed photos.

PETROGLYPH LECTURE APRIL 29 AT SUL ROSS

Dr. Leticia Gonzalez Arratia will lecture on "The Making of Petroglyphs and Ritual Time Among Hunter Gatherers of the Chihuahuan Desert" on Tuesday, April 29 at Sul Ross State University.

Gonzalez will speak at 3:30 p.m. in Room 201, Warnock Science Building. Refreshments will be served and the public is invited.

Gonzalez is a research associate of the Center for Big Bend Studies and is visiting from the Instituto Nacional de Anthropologia e Historia in Mexico.

For more information, contact Susan Chisholm, Center for Big Bend Studies, (432) 837-8179 or schisholm@sulross.edu.