Dr. Warren J. Carson , Arts & Sciences, moderated a panel, "The Confluence of Art, Music, and Literature in the Harlem Renaissance," at the Upstairs Gallery in Tryon, N.C. on February 23. Dr. Gregg Akkerman, FACS, was a member of the panel that concluded a series of lectures and presentations on black cultural expression of the 1920's.

Mark Packer, adjunct professor of philosophy and art history, delivered a lecture on March 8 entitled, “Paradox, Death and the Transcendence of Tragedy: Reflections on the Trial of Socrates,” at the Colgate University Classics Department Austin-Murray Memorial Lecture.  

Thomas McConnell, English, was invited to make a presentation at the 52nd Annual German Fulbright Commission Conference in Berlin on March 6. McConnell's presentation was "Is It Possible to Teach Creative Writing--in a Foreign Language?"

Biology professor Dr. Jack Turner and Andrea Franco (a biology student) attended the South Carolina Academy of Sciences on Friday, March 10 in Columbia. Andrea presented her senior research paper entitled “Determining the settlement rate of Eschericha coli in a water column.” This research is being done under the mentorship of Dr. Turner.

The USC Upstate Athletics Department will hold its third annual athletics benefit auction, Rhinestones & Boots, with a country and western theme. The event will be held Saturday, April 29 at 6:00 p.m. in the Hodge Center. All proceeds for the auction go directly into the athletic budgets of our 11 athletic programs and the athletic administration. In addition to spectacular auction items, food and drink will be provided. Tickets to the event are $30 in advance and $40 at the door. For more information on auction items, menu and more, giddy-up over here.

If you could meet one person in the world, who would it be?
Gene Simmons from KISS. He is intelligent and very confident in what he does.

Thank you

Spring Into Softball!

It is spring time and that means softball! Campus Recreation softball starts this week and we would love to have a team that represents the faculty and staff of our University. This is a great way for students to get to know faculty and staff outside the normal everyday business we conduct. The league will be co-ed and games will be played Monday through Thursday. Every effort will be made to schedule the faculty/staff games as early as possible. If you are interested, please e-mail David Lancaster or call the campus recreation office at ext. 5174 to get on the team.

Faculty and Staff: Say “Cheese!”
Mike Bruce will take photos of faculty and staff for inclusion in the 2006-2007 Student Handbook and for use on the Web on Monday, March 20 through Thursday, March 23 from 9:30 – 11:30 a.m. and from 2:00 – 3:30 p.m.in Admin. 105. Other times will be by appointment only. Contact Mike at ext. 5905 for further information.

Technology Training Workshops
The following technology training workshops are being offered in Media 124. Contact Tom Davis at ext. 5502 or via e-mail to sign up. Please let him know if you are interested, but unable to attend a particular session so he can arrange to assist you individually.

Introduction to Blackboard
Learn the basics of this web-based course management system that allows you to create or supplement a course using the Internet. In this introductory session, you will learn how to post announcements, grades and other course material and how to e-mail students. Tuesday, March 21 from 1:15 – 2:30 p.m.

Plagiarism Detection and other Blackboard Tools
The Safe Assignment tool lets you or your students submit electronic copies of assignments to be checked for plagiarism against a variety of Internet sources. It is available through Blackboard, but you do not have to be using Blackboard for your class to submit papers. We will also look at other Blackboard tools as interest and time allow. Possibilities include the discussion and chat feature, the digital dropbox, the gradebook and testing functions. Wednesday, March 22 from 2:00 – 3:00 p.m.

Outlook E-mail – Beyond the Basics
Learn to do more than just send and receive e-mail. Find out how to create your own mailing lists or groups, create and manage folders, archive or save messages permanently, create and manage your contacts in the address book, and use the calendar to schedule your appointments and set up meetings. Monday, March 27 from 10:00 -11:00 a.m.

Intermediate Blackboard
Learn how to use the various tools and features of Blackboard in more detail and depth, including the Safe Assignment plagiarism tool. Tuesday, March 28 from 1:15 – 2:30 p.m.

PowerPoint
Learn how to use this presentation software to create a basic presentation with text and graphics. Learn how to enhance a presentation appropriately with slide animations and transitions and to incorporate Web site links, as well as sounds and videos. See how Breeze Presentation lets you add narration for online delivery. Wednesday, March 29 from 2:00 – 3:00 p.m.

Respondus Testing Software
This program lets you more easily create various kinds of tests and surveys to upload into a Blackboard or WebCT course. You can even import tests you have already created in a word processing program if they are in the right format. Thursday, March 30 from 1:15 – 2:30 p.m.

Tutorials and Handouts
Tutorials and handouts for these and many of the other campus applications can be found on the network “S” or shared drive in a folder entitled “Faculty and Staff ITS Info.” In addition, online training continues to be offered for the most popular campus applications through a contract with Element K. This system is very convenient and easy to use. Lessons are offered in short segments which you can complete in ten to twenty minutes each. To enroll visit the web site (https://csd.sc.edu/ars/training/online.shtml) to read the participation guidelines and verify your employment to get a user ID and password.

Women and Human Rights: Case Studies from Around the World
The College of Arts and Sciences, the Center for Women’s Studies & Programs, and Student Affairs are co-sponsoring an evening discussion forum on the challenge of hearing women’s stories concerning human rights on Tuesday, March 21 from 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. at Rampey Center. Four situations will be discussed: Jewish women in Nazi Germany (led by Dr. Alice Henderson, history); East-European German women in the context of World War II (led by Dr. Brigitte Neary, sociology, and Ms. Holle Schneider-Ricks, library); the women of Darfur, Sudan (led by Dr. Albert Jabs, adjunct professor at Allen University in Columbia); and African women “house slaves” in the United States (led by Dr. Regis Robe, Center for International Studies). Refreshments will be served.

Brown Bag Lunch Series
The Brown Bag Lunch Series presentation Disability Communication Savvy is scheduled for Tuesday, March 21 at 12:30 p.m. in CLC 309. Contact Jim Gorske for further information.

Don’t Make A Major Mistake!
The Center for Student Success and Counseling Services are co-sponsoring the Third Annual College Majors Fair on Tuesday, March 21 from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on the lower Quad between the HPAC and Smith buildings. Each academic unit/professional school is welcome to attend and showcase majors, programs, opportunities, etc. available to students. This annual event kicks off the spring advisement period which begins on Wednesday, March 22. Interested faculty should contact your department chair or dean. The event is always a big success with free food and prizes (including an iPod giveaway). Please encourage students to attend the event and to find out more about the majors and academic opportunities available to them at USC Upstate. For more information, contact Louise Ericson at ext. 5070 or Frances Jarratt-Hortis at ext. 5195.

Campus Interviews: Michelin
Representatives from the Spartanburg Michelin plant will be on campus on Wednesday, March 22 to gather resumes for part time and full time work in their production line. A table will be set up in the Campus Life Center lobby from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Jobs require heavy lifting and pay is $11.00 per hour. Position requires weekend work every other week and the ability to occasionally lift up to 80 pounds. Students can also go to the security department at the Michelin plant and ask for a student employment application. Contact Betty Guzzo or call her at ext. 5118 for further information.

Bloodmobile
The bloodmobile will be on campus on Wednesday, March 22 from 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. in the area near the old tennis courts, by where the old health services building/police department used to be. Contact Tammy Chadwick with Health Services (ext. 5191) to schedule an appointment. Drop-ins are welcome as well.

The Holocaust: A Reflection and Remembrance
Dr. Catherine Canino, assistant professor of English, and Dr. Robert McCormick, assistant professor of history, have partnered with Rabbi Yossi Liebowitz D.D. of Congregation B’nai Israel to offer a national speaker and a film series to enlighten participants on the persecution and murder of approximately six million Jews by the Nazi regime and its collaborators. The films “The Revolt of Job,” “Anne Frank Remembered,” and “Conspiracy,” will be shown on March 21, 23 and 25 respectively, and Dr. Karl A. Schleunes, a leading Holocaust scholar, will deliver the keynote address on March 28. For the full story…

George Roberts to Perform “Blessed”
“Blessed: An Expression of Faith” chronicles the life of St. Paul – his persecution of the early church, his miraculous conversion on the road to Damascus, his missionary journeys and ministry for Christ, and his ultimate martyrdom in Rome. This one-man dramatization performed by George Roberts, assistant professor of theatre, invites modern audiences to encounter afresh the mysterious, courageous, and always human apostle who was the single most important influence in spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ throughout the first-century world. The show will be presented at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 25 at St. John’s Lutheran Church, 415 South Pine Street in Spartanburg. Contact George Roberts for more information.

Train the Trainer
The Office of Student Development is sponsoring a program to recruit peer educators to attend a violence prevention “train the trainer” event. It will be held on Saturday, March 25 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon in CLC 309. If you have students who may be interested in attending, please have them call David Calvin at ext. 5195.

German School Holds Open House
The German School Spartanburg (Die Deutsche Schule Spartanburg) is a Saturday school for children and adults, who wish to learn the German language and the cultural heritage of German speaking countries. A spring 2006 open house will be held on Saturday, March 25 from 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon in the Mary Black School of Nursing for prospective students ages four through adult. Classes meet on Saturday mornings during the school year. Many classes are available from beginner level to native speakers. New students are accepted at any time during the year. Die Deutsche Schule Spartanburg will celebrate its 10 th anniversary this year. It is the only German school in South Carolina approved and supported by the German government. For more information, contact Gislinde Schoenborn at (864) 442-1463.

Regional Science Fair Attracts Aspiring Young Scientists
USC Upstate will welcome aspiring young scientists to its campus when it hosts the annual Regional Science Fair March 28-April 1. The Spartanburg Rotary Club raises funds to support the fair, which attracts more than 800 students, their teachers, and parents to the University each year. Participants are inspired to entertain new scientific ideas, create original technologies and bring a fresh perspective to the challenges facing our world.

The Piedmont Region III Regional Science Fair is a state-level fair that includes contestants from Cherokee, Chester, Lancaster, Spartanburg, Union, and York. The judging pool includes top local scientists from colleges and universities, from local research laboratories, and from industry. Dr. Lyle Campbell, professor of geology at USC Upstate, is the director of District III Regional Science Fair. Full story …

Poetry Reading
Dr. Ryan van Cleave, Professor of English at Clemson and widely published poet and critic, will read from his latest work on Tuesday, March 28 at 2:00 p.m. in CLC 319.  This would be an excellent cultural event and good for our upper division English classes as well. Please support Arthur McMaster’s initiative in bringing this poet to campus. Call Dr. Richard Predmore for more information at ext. 5650.

PMBA Preview
The University of South Carolina Professional Master of Business Administration Program will host an information session, the PMBA Preview, on Tuesday, March 28 on the USC Upstate campus. This preview session is designed to give prospective students an overview of the program, including information about the admission process, curriculum and logistics.  Speakers will include the director of the program, Dr. Tom Madden, and a current student or a graduate of the program. This event is free and open to prospective students. Check-in begins at 5:00 p.m. and the session will begin promptly at 6:00 p.m. in the University Readiness Center Great Room. For more information, contact Libby H. Shropshier, Professional MBA Program, Moore School of Business, University of South Carolina, at 803-777-6845 or e-mail her at Shropshier@sc.edu. For the full story…

Teleconference: “Cultivating Campus Cultures that Value Student Success”
On Thursday, March 30 from 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. in the Rampey Center, join a teleconference sponsored by the National Resource Center for the First Year Experience and Students in Transition at USC titled “Cultivating Campus Cultures that Value Student Success.”  The conference features Catherine Anderson, from Gallaudet University, John Gardner, from the Policy Center on the First Year of College (spoke at our First Year Student Convocation last September), and George Kuh, from Indiana University. Don’t miss this wonderful opportunity to hear first-hand these eminent scholars in the area of student success … and with no travel involved! There is no cost to participate. E-mail Cindy Jennings by noon on Monday, March 27 if you would like to attend. 

Retirement Party for Becky Querim
Please join the records office in wishing Becky Querim a happy retirement. Please come by the Administrative lobby on Friday, March 31 between 12:30 – 2:30 p.m. for a slice of cake and well wishes.

“Women in … Sports” Brownbag Lunch Series Continues
The roles of women in sports will be the featured discussion topic at the sixth installment of the Women’s Center lunch series. USC Upstate’s own Athletic Department Coordinator, Traci Farrington, will lead the group which will meet in Hodge 155 at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, March 31. Full story …

Make it a Goal to Attend the International Soccer Tournament!
The seventh annual International Soccer Tournament will take place on Saturday, April 8 (rain date Sunday, April 9), starting at 12:00 p.m. at the Youth County Soccer Field on campus. In the past, participating teams included Germany, Mexico, Switzerland, France, El Salvador, Romania, Vietnam and Ukraine. The tournament is jointly sponsored by the Center for International Studies and the German American Club of the Carolinas, and is free to the public. Anyone interested in forming a team should e-mail Kathryn McLaughlin in the Center for International Studies or call her at (864) 503-5675.

Microsoft Outlook Class
Planning and Organizational Development is offering a class in Intermediate Microsoft Outlook. The course provides instruction on: tracking work activities using the journal, working with the calendar, setting message options, sharing folder information, managing tasks, customizing Outlook and locating items. The class will be held at the John M. Rampey Center on Friday, April 21, 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. (with 1 hour lunch break). Seating is limited to eight (8) people. Please contact Jeanette Reeves to reserve your seat.