August 21, 2006
The USC Upstate Faculty & Staff Newsletter • Register Archives • EBlast
Faculty & Staff Briefs

Dr. Rachelle C. Prioleau, Chair of the Department of Fine Arts & Communication Studies, has been selected as the 2006 SCAEA Outstanding Administration/Supervision Award for her efforts to create an undergraduate major in art education at USC Upstate. She will receive her award at the October SCAEA conference hosted by Hyatt Regency in Greenville.

Athletics

Chatham A's Retire Fincher's Jersey
USC Upstate head baseball coach Matt Fincher is renowned for his work ethic at trying to field the best possible baseball teams at USC Upstate.  His work has paid off as the program has turned the corner and has become a contender in the Peach Belt Conference, arguably the toughest baseball conference in NCAA Division II.
While he has worked tirelessly to build the program at USC Upstate, he has also spent the last 10 summers around the game as an assistant coach with the Chatham A's, a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League, a summer collegiate wooden bat league in Cape Cod, MA.  With USC Upstate's move to NCAA Division I status in 2007-08, Fincher will stop making the trip up the East Coast and will remain in Spartanburg during the summers. For the full story…

Employment Opportunities

APPLICATION PROCESS: Visit www.uscupstate.edu/jobs
for additional information and online application submission instructions.

STAFF/ADMINISTRATION POSITION:

Laboratory Manager
 (State Title:
Laboratory Specialist II)
Division of Natural Sciences & Engineering
Requisition No. 042384
Online application accepted through Monday, August 28, 2006.
Reminders

Updates Needed for International Faculty, Staff and Students
The chancellor’s reception for international faculty, staff and students will be coming up in September, so it is time to update the list of faculty and staff with international connections. Those faculty and staff who are from another country or who have spent at least three months abroad will be considered to have an international connection. If you have an international connection, please verify that your name is on the list and that the information is correct. If you are not on the list and you have an international connection, please e-mail Kathryn McLaughlin with that information.

 

Reading Group to Form: “When the Emperor Was Divine” is the Focus Professor Warren Carson announces the formation of a faculty-staff reading group for
those who are interested in reading and discussing the novel that our freshmen are reading this fall, When the Emperor was Divine, by Julie Otsuka. It is a coming of age novel about the Japanese Internment during World War II. The author will visit our campus in October and there are a number of other related activities that you may choose to participate in throughout
the semester.

We had three very successful faculty-staff reading groups last fall. If you are interested in participating this time around, please respond to Warren Carson and indicate whether you are available for a breakfast, lunch, or dinner meeting.

Card of Thanks
Robin Hollis (Records) writes, “Thanks to everyone for your prayers, cards, calls, etc. during the time of my surgery.  It is great to know that we have such caring people here at USC Upstate.”

Ask Me Buttons In an effort to create a warm and friendly environment on campus for our new students, the Center for Student Success is providing green “ASK ME!” buttons to any faculty and staff who would like one.  We encourage faculty and staff to wear these buttons during the first week or two of school in August or any time you feel it is appropriate. Our new students will feel more inclined to ask for help knowing that person is definitely willing to be approached. The buttons have both a pin as well as a magnetic option for wearing. If you’d like one of these buttons, please request one by e-mailing emillwood@uscupstate.edu. Please make sure to include your office mailing address. We appreciate your willingness to participate in this endeavor.

Updated Parking Info For Students
 Click here to obtain updated information about parking on campus, and to learn about some changes to University Police parking policies.

Need to find someone?
Look them up in the
USC Upstate Faculty/Staff Directory.


Welcome Back, Faculty & Staff! 2006-2007 University Day Highlights

Faculty and Staff were welcomed back to campus on Friday. Breakfast was served in the morning, followed by a speech from Chancellor Stockwell. In his speech, Dr. Stockwell took faculty and staff on a journey across the globe and through the years, outlining his early childhood optimism, his interest in travel and understanding other cultures and how these personal experiences translate into his vision for the University in the years ahead.


Forty New Faces Among USC Upstate Faculty

When classes begin on Thursday, August 24 at the USC Upstate, there will be 40 new faces among the faculty members. The new professors are spending the next few days getting acclimated to the Spartanburg campus and undergoing an orientation session much like freshman students are also doing. To find out who they are and learn how the addition of these new jobs will affect the university and the Upstate, read on …

New Homepage Design Goes Live Tomorrow
Unviersity Communications will be releasing our newly designed homepage on Tuesday of this week. While most of the layout and navigation will remain the same, there are a few navigational differences of which you need to be aware. The main links on the bottom left side of the older page have been moved around a bit, but are all still on the new homepage. We have also added an image menu as well as a quicklinks dropdown box with some of the most used URLs such as Blackboard, email and financial aid. We hope you enjoy the new page and invite you to view and practive with it before it goes live by clicking here.

Zack Awarded Fulbright Scholarship To Jordan
Dr. Lizabeth Zack, an assistant professor of sociology at USC Upstate, has been awarded a prestigious Fulbright Scholarship that will enable her to do a combination of teaching and research around the theme of political protest and social movements at the University of Jordan in Amman. She will be at the University of Jordan from September 1 to May 31, 2007. “This opportunity will significantly expand my teaching experience,” said Zack, who has taught at USC Upstate for the past three years. “I am used to teaching American students about other parts of the world but now I will be teaching Jordanian students about American society. I will also share the information and experience I gain in Jordan with the university and the wider community when I return. This will enlarge and enhance the discussions and debates that will take place in USC Upstate classrooms.” For the full story …

Support Facility Supports Troops Overseas
 Recently staff members from Printing Services, Postal Services and Purchasing put together a care package for a unit of fifteen female Marines stationed near Fallujah, Iraq. The female Marines were in need of a taste of home. They were sent healthy snacks and beauty aids such as shampoo, conditioner, and lotion especially those from Bed, Bath and Beyond.

Four Productions Scheduled by Shoestring Players
The USC Upstate Shoestring Players have a busy line-up this year. They will be performing Amadeus, Picnic, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and Man of La Mancha. Details about each of these plays, performance dates and more can be found in their 2006-2007 Schedule. The first round of auditions will be for Amadeus on August 28 from 7:00 – 9:00 p.m.

Fall Semester Chinese Classes Set to Begin
Chinese classes will be offered once again on the USC Upstate campus this fall. Ms. Huaiying Kang, the instructor of the class, plans to start teaching the week of September 4, in the evenings in Room 103 in the Administration Building. No previous experience with Chinese is required, and the class is open to the public. The fee will be $10 per class if there are ten or more students; $12 per class if there are less than ten students signed up. Contact Ms. Kang for more details.

Family Fund
By today you should have received the 2006-2007 Family Fund brochure in your campus mailbox. This year we have divided the campus community into eleven teams; make sure you are on the winning team. Our goal is 75/75….that is $75,000 and 75% participation.  Obviously, we would love to have 100% participation and hope to achieve that goal soon.  Your gift can be designated to the fund of your choice.  Advancement fundraising priorities for the year include the Health Education Complex Campaign as well as scholarships and faculty development funds. Thank you in advance for your generosity and help.

 

Smart Classroom Equipment Demonstrations
These sessions will show you how to use the most common technology equipped classrooms on campus. Contact Dr. Tom Davis if you need assistance but cannot attend one of these sessions. Multiple sessions will be held at different times in different buildings as follows:

Tuesday, August 22
10 - 10:30 AM in Library 236
10:30 - 11 AM in Library 236
2 - 2:30 PM in Smith 210
2:30 - 3 PM in Smith 210

Wednesday, August 23
10 - 10:30 AM in HPAC 121
10:30 - 11 AM in HPAC 121
2 - 2:30 PM in Nursing 101
2:30 - 3 PM in Nursing 101

Stadium Party to Feature 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.

CAS Chair & Director Meetings
Mark your calendars for the College of Arts & Sciences (CAS) Monthly Chair & Director Meetings which are scheduled for the fourth Monday of each month from 2:00 - 3:30 p.m. 

  • August 28, 2006 in Rampey, Shewhart 1 & 2
  • September 25, 2006 in HPPA Conference Room, Library 252
  • October 23, 2006 in Rampey, Shewhart 1 & 2
  • November 27, 2006 in Rampey, Shewhart 1 & 2
  • No December meeting planned to date.
  • January 22, 2007 in Rampey, Shewhart 1 & 2
  • February 26, 2007 in Rampey, Shewhart 1 & 2
  • March 26, 2007 in Rampey, Shewhart 1 & 2
  • April 23, 2007 in Rampey, Shewhart 1 & 2 ( Reserved: 1:45 - 3:45 p.m.)
  • May 28, 2007 in Rampey, Shewhart 1 & 2
Items for publication should be submitted to Claire Sachse in the Office of University Communications, Admin. 222, by 2:00 p.m. on or before Thursday of each week.