Dr. Warren J. Carson , CAS, has published a review of "Frank Yerby: A Victim's Guilt, A Transformational Novel" by Eugene A. Stovall in the July/August 2006 issue of Black Issues Book Review.

Dean Dowel l Co-Leads Effort to Develop a Unified Nursing Workforce Plan for South Carolina

Dr. Marsha Dowell, dean of the Mary Black School of Nursing at USC Upstate, recently co-led a special forum to develop a unified nursing workforce plan for the state of South Carolina. The forum, entitled One Voice One Plan, brought together nursing professionals, state legislators, educators, chief nursing officers as well as representatives from the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education, area hospitals, Blue Cross/Blue Shield of South Carolina, Board of Nursing, Department of Health and Environmental Control, and area health education centers to discuss legislative activity around the country, national and state nursing workforce data and a proposed plan for nursing workforce. “One Voice One Plan created a platform on which we could address the critical nurse faculty shortage and the fact that the nursing workforce needs to grow in numbers and in educational preparation in order to provide high quality health care for the citizens of South Carolina,” said Dowell. “The wide representation of attendees definitely shows the level of commitment to this very critical issue.” For the full story …

Retired Educators Find A Sustainable Lifestyle On The Farm

When Tom and Fran Davis retired a couple of years ago, he from USC Upstate and she from Spartanburg Day School, they decided to move from the city to the country to begin a sustainable lifestyle. Five acres of land situated on top of Windmill Hill between Inman and Gramling, the highest spot in Spartanburg County, is where they put down new stakes. Realizing that the existing farmhouse was in no condition to save without enormous expenditures, they began investigating how to build a small, energy efficient home that would be as environmentally friendly as possible. Soon they were intrigued by the idea of green or sustainable building methods which is the practice of creating healthier and more resource efficient models of construction, renovation, operation, maintenance, and demolition. Read more about their about venture into “green building,” organic farming and more …

Publication of Palmetto Review Serves Both Academic And Professional Worlds
Dr. Lilly M. Lancaster, the William S. Moore Palmetto Professor in Quality Studies in the School of Business Administration and Economics at USC Upstate, just released the 2006 publication of Palmetto Review. “Palmetto Review supports communication and applied research about business-related topics among professionals and academicians in South Carolina and the Southeast,” said Lancaster, editor of the publication. “It is targeted toward both academicians and business professionals. The academic audience is interested in applied business-related research to use as a tool to enhance teaching and classroom experiences for students. The professional/ practitioner audience is interested in sharing experiences about a broad range of business-related topics.” For the full story …

Spartanburg Garden Council Holds Annual Tea at USC Upstate
The USC Upstate Advancement Office recently hosted the Spartanburg Garden Council for their annual tea. It was supposed to be held in the Susan Jacobs Arboretum- but it was so hot the group ended up in the Smith Farm House. The council is comprised of the presidents of the area garden clubs. The council coordinates the House of Flowers at the Piedmont Interstate Fair, supports several projects in our community and they have been a strong voice for the arboretum.

New Respondus Site License
The university has renewed the site license for the Respondus testing software and users need the new installation password. Contact Dr. Tom Davis if you have not already obtained it or want to install this program.

Week In Pictures

Work continues on the sidewalk repairs around the Administration Building Quad … Photo courtesy of Mike Bruce

University Day
Friday, August 18 … 7:45 a.m. … CLC Ballroom
All faculty and staff are encouraged to attend University Day. Breakfast will begin at 7:45 a.m. with a fabulous breakfast and will be followed by the Chancellor’s address, which will conclude no later than 9:30 a.m.

Faculty and Staff Evening Social Event
Friday, August 18 … 5:00 p.m. … CLC Ballroom
The Division of Student and Diversity Affairs will host a faculty/staff social event for all USC Upstate employees. The event will serve as a prelude to this year’s freshman reading program – Preface. The theme for the night will be the 1940’s with decorations, memorabilia, and fun facts to set the stage for the Preface program. Casino games such as blackjack, poker, roulette and dice will be available as well as a chance to win valuable prizes at the end of the evening such as gas card certificates, free rental car days, sporting goods, etc. Music, food, soft drinks, wine and beer will add to the atmosphere. Come and enjoy the evening of fun with friends and colleagues. Please r.s.v.p. by August 16 to 503-5107.

Faculty & Staff Legal Issues Forum
Friday, August 18 … 11:00 a.m. …HPAC Theater and CLC Dining Hall
A legal issues forum will be provided for faculty and staff on Friday, August 18, 2006. This event is being sponsored by Academic Affairs and the Division of Student and Diversity Affairs. The forum is for those who are interested in learning more about current legal trends affecting higher education. Scott Lewis, Director of Judicial Affairs at USC Columbia and attorney at law, will offer a legal update; discuss classroom management and answer a number of questions at this event. Attorney Lewis will share his remarks in two sessions. A schedule is outlined below.

Helping Hand Day
Sunday, August 20 … 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Help our freshmen get off on the right foot by volunteering for Helping Hand Day! You don’t have to be strong to give our new students a lift…Just be willing to show your support by assisting students and their families with the move in process. This could mean lifting boxes, staffing the refreshment stand, or simply talking to parents. Please make plans to show your pride in USC Upstate and join your colleagues in lending the freshmen a “Helping Hand”! Please contact the Office of Housing & Residential Life (Ext. 5422) with the time you would like to participate.

Stadium Party to F eature Comedian Josh Blue
Tuesday, August 22 … 6:30 p.m. … University Readiness Center
The winner of  NBC’s reality television series Last Comic Standing, Josh Blue, will entertain USC Upstate students at the Stadium Party, an annual event held to welcome students back for the fall semester.

“We booked Josh Blue before he made it to the final four of Last Comic Standing,” said, Laura Puckett Boler, dean of students at USC Upstate. “Needless to say, demand and cost for his performance has skyrocketed. This will be a real treat for our students.”

Blue is a gifted stand-up comedian and talented U.S. Paralympic soccer player who refuses to bow to any of the challenges that come from living with cerebral palsy.  He has been making audiences laugh in top comedy clubs, theatres, college campuses and corporate events all over the country. "I realize that people are going to stare so I want to give them something to stare at," said Blue, who uses his self-deprecating sense of humor to defy stereotypes and encourage others to overcome their pre-conceived notions about disabled people. To learn more about Josh Blue, visit http://www.joshblue.com/index_lo.html. For more information about the Stadium Party, contact Steve Hopkins, director of student life at USC Upstate, at ext 5125.

New Faculty and Staff Technology Orientation Training Sessions
Contact Dr. Tom Davis to register for any of the Blackboard training. You can attend any of the others without prior registration. With the Blackboard training series, you can attend all or just the ones you want.

Campus Technology Orientation
Friday, August 18 … 10:30 - 11:30 a.m. (or 15 minutes after University Day activities conclude) … Media 124
This session will introduce new employees to the campus network and email system, VIP, Blackboard, WebCT, and the university’s online technology training program.

Introduction to Blackboard
Friday, August 18 … 1:30 – 3:00 p.m. … Media 124
Learn the basics of this course management system which can be used to supplement or deliver a course online. This session will give a general overview of Blackboard and show you how to do simple things like posting documents, sending messages to the class and posting grades.

“Smart” Classroom Equipment Demonstrations
These sessions will show you how to use the most common technology equipped classrooms on campus. Multiple sessions will be held at different times in different buildings as follows:

Tuesday, August 22
10 - 10:30 a.m. in Library 236
10:30 – 11 a.m. in Library 236
2 - 2:30 p.m. in Smith 210
2:30 - 3 p.m. in Smith 210

Wednesday, August 23
10 - 10:30 a.m. in HPAC 121
10:30 - 11 a.m. in HPAC 121
2 - 2:30 p.m. in Nursing 101
2:30 - 3 p.m. in Nursing 101

Introduction to Blackboard
Monday, August 14 … 10 - 11:30 a.m. … Media 124
Learn the basics of using this course management system to support or deliver a course online. This session will give a general overview of Blackboard and show you how to do simple things like posting documents, sending messages to the class and posting grades.

Managing Content
Tuesday, August 15 … 10 - 11:30 a.m. … Media 124
Files of various types and formats can be posted on Blackboard and there is a new Content Management System which lets users upload entire folders of material at one time and then share them among courses and with other instructors. There will also be a demonstration of the Breeze for PowerPoint program that lets you add narration to a PowerPoint presentation and convert it into a Flash file that plays easily over the Internet.

Using the Communication Tools
Wednesday, August 16 … 10 - 11:30 a.m. … Media 124
Blackboard offers a variety of tools for communication, to include email, messages, chat, discussion boards and journals. This session will give you a chance to experience each and consider how they might be used in your course.

Assignments and Assessment Tools
Thursday, August 17 … 10 - 11:30 a.m. … Media 124
You can use the gradebook to post course grades even if you do not use Blackboard to administer tests. You can also use the testing features for surveys, practice tests and actual assessments. There are several options for managing student assignments, including the Safe Assignment feature which checks written work for plagiarism.