Faculty and Staff Notables

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Statue of Jesse Mercer on the Mercer campus.

College of Continuing and Professional Studies

Dr. Marna Burns, assistant professor of counseling and human sciences, served as special editor for the Fall 2011 edition of Human Services Today: “Technology in Human Services,” 8:1. http://hst.coehs.uwosh.edu/

Dr. Karen D. Rowland, assistant professor of counseling, coordinated and facilitated two workshops and four poster presentations at the Georgia School Counselors Association Annual Conference in Macon. The workshops and poster presentations were led by education specialists and Masters in School Counseling graduate students. The 10 student presenters’ topics were: “Finding Creative Ways to Assist in Monitoring and Improving Attendance”; “Bullying and Cyber Bullying Awareness: How Counselors Can Help Make a Difference”; “Preventing Bullying at School; Don’t Leave the Whole Child Behind: Incorporating Spiritual Wellness into the Comprehensive School Counseling Program”; “Reactive Attachment Disorder in Elementary School Students”; and “Advocating for Students with Substance Abuse Disorders.” 

Dr. Colleen Stapleton
, associate professor of science in the department of mathematics, science, and informatics, and Dr. John Payne, assistant professor in the Tift College of Education, presented a workshop at the National Science Teachers Association area conference on Oct. 29 in Hartford, Conn. The workshop participants were introduced to activities, which tied together concepts from science, math, engineering and technology using problem-solving challenges. The activities were designed to be used with pre-kindergarten and kindergarten students. These activities grew out of a recent AIM funded program to improve science and mathematics teaching in the early care environment.

Dr. Lynn Tankersley
, assistant professor of criminal justice in the Department of Leadership Studies, presented a paper, titled “Teaching Emotion Management vs. Anger Management Techniques in Correctional Settings,” at the 2011 annual meeting of the Criminal Justice Association of Georgia on Nov. 11-12 in Savannah. 

Dr. Sabrina L. Walthall,
assistant professor of science in the Department of Mathematics, Science and Informatics, was invited to be the opening plenary speaker at the 39th annual fall conference of the Georgia Association of Special Programs Personnel on Oct. 13 at the Anderson Conference Center in Macon. Dr. Walthall also volunteered as an abstract reviewer for the Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students. The conference was held on Nov. 9-12 in St. Louis, Mo. She also served as the keynote speaker for the Georgia Association of Special Programs Personnel Fall Conference on Oct. 13. The Georgia Association of Special Programs Personnel is the state association for TRIO programs, which include Ronald McNair programs, Upward Bound, Educational Talent Search, Educational Opportunity Center and Student Support Services. 

College of Liberal Arts

James Eric (Jay) Black
, assistant professor, presented “It’s About Time,” a review of Pogo: Through the Wild Blue Wonder. Whirled of Kelly on Nov. 20.

Dr. David A. Davis
, assistant professor of English, organized three panels, “Still Writing the Civil War,” “Southern Spaces at the Margin” and “Reconstructing Southern Space” presented at the South Atlantic Modern Language Association convention in Atlanta, Nov. 4-6. He also edited the Society for the Study of Southern Literature Newsletter (http://www.mercer.edu/sst/ssslnewsletter.html), and his essay “‘Make the Lie True’: The Tragic Family in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and King Lear” was reprinted in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof: Modern Critical Interpretations, edited by Harold Bloom.

Dr. Andy Digh, associate professor of computer science, served as the director of the Consortium for Computing Sciences Southeastern Programming Contest at Furman University in Greenville, S.C., on Nov. 12.

Dr. Kevin Drace,
assistant professor, took two research students to the 97th Annual Southeastern Branch of the American Society for Microbiology in Gainesville, Fla., Oct. 20-22. Junior Ashlie Rubrecht presented her poster, titled “Increased Antibiotic Resistance in Bacterial Strains Due to Mercury Contamination of Artisanal Gold Mining Camps in Mozambique,” and senior Richard Sarrell presented his poster, titled “The Effect of Mercury Contamination from Artisanal Gold Mining Camps in Mozambique on Bacterial Diversity.” Both won $50 travel awards. Dr. Drace also presented a poster at the meeting titled “Increasing Student Understanding of Microscope Optics by Building and Testing the Limits of Hand-Made Model van Leeuwenhoek Microscopes.”  Dr. Drace also took another research student, senior Fred Ojukwu, to the American Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students in St. Louis, Mo., Nov. 9-12. Ojukwu won two awards for travel. He declined the ABRCMS Student Travel Award but instead accepted the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology Minority Access to Research Careers Program award. This program hosted a pre-conference preparation workshop to provide award recipients with an opportunity to practice their presentations and obtain feedback from designated Workshop Mentors/Coaches. The travel award covered expenses up to $1,950. Ojukwu also won an award for Outstanding Poster in the division of Microbiology for his poster, “The Effect of Mercury Contamination from Artisanal Gold Mining Camps in Mozambique on Bacterial Diversity.” This award includes a certificate and a monetary prize of $250. Dr. Drace also received an award covering travel expenses to attend this meeting as a judge for student presentations. Lastly, Dr. Drace co-authored a paper, titled “The entomopathogenic bacterial endosymbionts Xenorhabdus and Photorhabdus: convergent lifestyles from divergent genomes”, which was published on Nov. 18 in the journal PLoS One.

Dr. John M. Dunaway,
professor of French and interdisciplinary studies, along with Dr. Bryan J. Whitfield, assistant professor of Christianity, organized a workshop for the College of Liberal Arts Faculty Mentoring Initiative on Nov. 11. Dr. Peter C. Brown, professor of philosophy, spoke on Mercer’s history of transformational interdisciplinary teaching and Dr. Kevin Bucholtz, associate professor of biology, spoke on opportunities and support for research. The Mentoring Initiative is supported by a grant from the Lilly Fellows Program.

Dr. Leona Kanter, associate professor of sociology and director of the Asian Studies Minor Project, attended the East-West Center China Symposium at the University of North Carolina at Asheville Nov. 6-11.

Dr. Eric Klingelhofer, professor of history, led a Mercer archaeological field school in search of clues at the spot on Roanoke Island, N.C., Oct. 10-17 where in 1974 an Elizabethan 1563 silver sixpence was discovered. Roanoke was the site of the first English colony in America, the so-called “Lost Colony” sent out by Sir Walter Raleigh, who had named the land “Virginia” for his queen. During the week, the four-student team also attended public lectures by First Colony Foundation archaeologists and historians, including Klingelhofer, who spoke on “Raleigh’s other Lost Colonies.” This year’s excavation found no other evidence of 16th Century activity at that location, so the coin must have been dropped there accidently.

Dr. Paul Lewis
, associate professor, delivered “Toward a Holistic Moral Rationality” at the Annual Meeting of the Polanyi Society in San Francisco, Calif., on Nov. 19.  The paper was part of a session devoted to the essay “Moral Rationality,” presented by Darcia Narvaez, an associate professor of psychology at the University of Notre Dame.

Dr. Rosalind Simson, associate professor of philosophy and interdisciplinary studies and adjunct professor of law, delivered an invited lecture at Hobart and William Smith Colleges on Oct. 12 titled, “The Title IX Athletic Regulations and the Ideal of a Gender-Free Society.”  The article on which the lecture was based will appear in the fall 2011 issue of the University of Denver Sports and Entertainment Law Journal.


College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences

Dr. Ajay K. Banga, professor, and Haripriya Kalluri, Ph.D. student, co-authored “Characterization of microchannels created by metal microneedles: formation and closure” in The American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientist Journal 2011; 13(3):473-481.

Dr. Carla L. Bonner, clinical assistant professor, was appointed 2011-2012 chair-elect/secretary of the Southeastern Pharmacy Experiential Education Consortium.

Dr. Vanthida Huang, associate professor, co-authored “Characterization of heterogeneous vancomycin-intermediate resistance, MIC and accessory gene regulator (agr) dysfunction among clinical bloodstream isolates of Staphylococcus aureus” in Biomedcentral Infectious Diseases 2011; 11(1):287 [Epub ahead of print]. Dr. Huang was also appointed to the 2011-2012 Society of Infectious Diseases Pharmacists’ Election Committee.

Dr. Nicole L. Metzger, clinical assistant professor, co-authored “Evaluation of pneumococcal vaccination rates after vaccine protocol changes and nurse education in a tertiary care teaching hospital” in Journal of Managed Care Pharmacy 2011; 17(9):701-8. Dr. Metzger was appointed the 2011-2012 vice chair of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy’s Adult Medicine PRN Travel and Awards Committee.

Eugene W. Stetson School of Business and Economics

Jody Blanke, professor and director of undergraduate programs, presented a paper titled “The ‘Transformative’ Test and the Right of Publicity: No Doubt About It You’ve Got to Have Hart” at the Southeastern Academy of Legal Studies in Business on Nov. 19 in Atlanta.

Georgia Baptist College of Nursing 

Laura Kim Baraona, clinical instructor, completed her Doctor of Nursing Practice at Georgia Health Sciences University in October.

Dr. Dare Domico, associate dean for graduate programs and Dr. Linda A. Streit, dean and professor, presented “Developing and Sustaining Partnerships: The Key to Successful Healthcare Initiatives” at the Sigma Theta Tau International 41st Biennial Convention held in Grapevine, Texas.

Elaine Harris, associate professor, gave the keynote address at the Georgia Association of Nursing Students Convention held in Athens on Oct. 13.

Dr. Helen Hodges, professor, and Ann C. Keeley, associate professor, presented “Coaching Toward Career Persistence: A Global Collaborative Strategy to Build Capacity Worldwide” at the Sigma Theta Tau International 41st Biennial Convention held in Grapevine, Texas.

Ann C. Keeley, clinical associate professor and Lana Chase, clinical assistant professor, have had their manuscript, titled “The Effect of Mental Illness on the Family: Experiential Family Assessment to Promote Students’ Affective Learning,” accepted for publication in the Journal of Nursing Education.

Brenda Rowe, associate professor, was appointed by Gov. Nathan Deal to serve on the Georgia Board of Nursing. 

Dr. Linda A. Streit, dean and professor, Dr. Dare Domico, associate dean for graduate programs, and Elaine Harris, associate professor, presented “Community and Global Initiative: Faith-Based Palliative Care Initiative” at the Sigma Theta Tau International 41st Biennial Convention held in Grapevine, Texas.

Dr. Tanya Sudia-Robinson, professor, presented “Forging the Pathway to Collaborative Scholarship among Nursing PhD and DNP Students” on Oct. 31 at the Sigma Theta Tau International 41st Biennial Convention in Grapevine, Texas. She also presented “Anticipating and Managing Emerging Ethical Issues in Nursing Practice, Education and Research” on Nov. 1 at the convention.

McAfee School of Theology

Nancy L. deClaisse-Walford, professor, presented two papers at the November 2011 Society of Biblical Literature Conference in San Francisco, Calif. One paper was titled “The Canonical Approach to Scripture and The Editing of the Hebrew Psalter” and the other was titled “Translating the Psalms and Qoheleth.”

Mercer Engineering Research Center

Jim Hundley,
director of the electronic and software systems engineering, and Dave French, technical advisor, lead the Mercer Engineering Research Center’s Electronic and Software Systems Engineering Directorate which achieved the Carnegie Mellon Software Engineering Institute’s Capability Maturity Model Integration Level 3 Appraisal rating on Oct. 21. This rating from the Software Engineering Institute is the culmination of several years of effort and demonstrates the Mercer Engineering Research Center’s continued commitment to providing high quality software and electronics solutions/services to the military and commercial marketplace.  A Capability Maturity Model Integration rating has become an industry standard for measurement of quality software development organizations and enables the Mercer Engineering Research Center to compete with other world class companies.  It is especially noteworthy that the Mercer Engineering Research Center is one of only a few non-profit organizations worldwide to achieve a Capability Maturity Model Integration Level 3 rating.

Mercer University Press

Dr. Marc Jolley, director, spoke at the Chattahoochee Writers Conference in Columbus held Sept. 24-25, at the Crossroads Writers Conference in Macon held Sept. 30-Oct. 1 and at the Bartram Trail Conference in Macon held Oct. 21-22.

School of Engineering

Dr. Laura Moody,
associate professor of industrial engineering and industrial management, presented “A Studio-Based Approach to Teaching Ergonomics and Human Factors” at the55th Annual Meeting of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society in Las Vegas, Nev., on Sept. 20.

School of Medicine

Ashley Brickner, library assistant II in the Health Sciences Library at the School of Medicine on the Savannah campus, was recently awarded the Komen Coastal Georgia Outstanding Youth Award.

Dr. Steven Hobbs
, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences and director of the Ph.D. Program in Clinical Medical Psychology, served as a reviewer for submissions to the Annual Meeting of the Southeastern Psychological Association, scheduled for February 2012. Dr. Hobbs also was reappointed to the editorial board of the journal, Behavior Modification.

Dr. Harold P. Katner, chief of infectious diseases, received the 2011 Georgia Ryan White Champion for HIV Community Service Award on Nov. 9 for his work in HIV by the state Department of Health.

Dr. Mike U. Smith, director of AIDS education and research and professor of medical education, co-authored a paper presented Nov. 2-4 at the 2011 American Evaluation Association annual meeting in Anaheim, Calif., titled “Native STAND: The trials and tribulations of adapting and implementing a peer educator program for Native American youth in Indian country.” He also has been invited to serve on a Special Emphasis Panel for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to evaluate proposals to conduct “National HIV Behavioral Surveillance For Young Men Who Have Sex With Men.” Dr. Smith was the invited speaker for World AIDS Day at Spelman College in Atlanta on Nov. 10. His presentation was “HIV Infected and Affected Youth: Three Families I Have Known.” He also presented a summary of his recent work with the CDC and the U.S. Indian Health Service at the Mercer School of Medicine and the Medical College of Central Georgia Joint Research Conference held Sept. 8. The presentation was titled “Native STAND:  An Adolescent Peer Education Training Program for Native Americans.”

Dr. Qian Wang, assistant professor of anatomy, was the editor of a book, titled Bones, Genetics, and Behavior of Rhesus Macaques: Macaca mulatta of Cayo Santiago and Beyond, published by the Springer (Hardcover, ISBN 978-1-4614-1045-4. 2012, XXI, 308 p. 53 illus., 9 in color). The book emphasizes recent and current researches on growth, function, genetics, pathology, aging and behavior of rhesus macaques from Caribbean Primate Research Center in Puerto Rico. Dr. Wang’s paper titled “The role of the sutures in biomechanical dynamic simulation of a macaque cranial finite element model: Implications for the evolution of craniofacial form,” was accepted for publication in Anatomical Record. Dr. Craig Byron, assistant professor in biology, and Dr. Uriel Zapata, postdoctoral fellow in Dr. Wang’s Lab, were both co-authors.

Staff and Administration

April D. Cantrell,
registrar associate, was on a mission trip in Punta Gorda, Belize Oct. 1-8. A team of 18 men, women and children went on this trip from a local church, Christ Chapel Warner Robins, to serve at a ministry called Laugh Out Loud Ministry, an international organization that exists to love and nurture orphans, neglected and disadvantaged children and young adults. They went to the schools, villages and clinics and with the help of refraction equipment they brought with them, they were able to hand out hundreds of pair of glasses and sunglasses to the local children and adults. They also worked in the jungle pulling Cahune Palm leaves for a thatch roof for the orphanage.

Melissa M. Cruz, director of administrative services for the Office of the Senior Vice President – Atlanta, wrote a research paper on undocumented students in the U.S. that was accepted for presentation at the 11th Annual Southeastern Conference on Cross-Cultural Issues in Counseling and Education. The paper was also accepted for presentation at the 23rd Annual National Youth-at-Risk Conference. 

Warren S. Hutchings, director of student health, made a presentation on the potential shortage of physicians seeing Medicare patients if physician reimbursement is cut by 27.4 percent for 2012. He also discussed “Meaningful Use and financial incentives as motivators for physicians to implement electronic health records” at the 2nd Annual Health IT Leadership Summit on Nov. 8 in Atlanta.

Dr. Heather L. Ricks-Scott, Douglas Regional Academic Center coordinator and College for Kids/Mercer Youth University coordinator and adjunct instructor in the College of Continuing and Professional Studies, presented “Ascension Patterns and Experiences of Female Trustee Board Chairpersons” at the 36th annual meeting of the Georgia Educational Research Association on Oct. 21 in Savannah.

Dr. Mary Alice Morgan, senior vice provost for service learning and professor, gave the keynote address, titled “Strengthening Shared Goals: Community-University Partnerships” at the Alabama Poverty Project’s Higher Education Conference on Sept. 30.

Tift College of Education

Dr. Jacquelyn Culpepper, associate professor, presented Nov. 10-11 at the National Middle School Association’s Annual Conference in Louisville, Ky. She co-presented with Erin C. Barrow, “Leading 21st Century Learners Through Integrating Web 2.0 Tools for All Learners” and co-presented with Dr. William Lacefield, professor, and Dr. Geri Collins, assistant professor, “Engaging Ways to Use Literature Across the Content Areas.”

Dr. Geri Collins, assistant professor, Dr. Margaret Morris, professor, and Dr. William Lacefield, professor, presented “Creative Ways to Enliven Teacher-Directed Instruction in Teacher Preparation Programs” at the annual conference of the Southeastern Regional Association of Teacher Educators, held in October in Savannah.

Dr. William Lacefield, professor, presented “Standards for Mathematical Practice:  Characteristics of Effective Problem Solvers” at the conference of the British Society for Research into Learning Mathematics, held in November at Oxford University in Oxford, England. While in England, Dr. Lacefield also visited the British Recording Industry Trust School in London, a school specializing in performing arts and technology. Dr. Lacefield is serving as a consultant to the school’s teachers, who are developing a collaborative partnership with the nearby Crescent Primary School. Through this partnership, high school students serve as mathematics mentors to primary school children. Dr. Lacefield also led a workshop with the high school students, focusing on how young children best learn mathematics. Following this workshop, Dr. Lacefield and several British Recording Industry Trust School teachers visited and toured the Crescent Primary School. Dr. Lacefield’s involvement in the partnership will continue through online blogs and video communication.

Dr. Dana H. Lilly, professor of early childhood education, and Dr. Catherine M. Gardner, professor of education and chair of the Henry/Douglas/Newnan/Forsyth Regional Academic Centers, gave a presentation, titled “Using The Theories of Adult Learning and Constructivism to Design A Hybrid Learning Environment in Early Childhood Teacher Education,” at the National Association for the Education of Young Children in Orlando, Fla., in November.

Dr. John Payne, assistant professor, Dr. Jane Metty, assistant professor, and Brent Daigle, assistant professor, presented sessions at the National Science Teacher’s Association area conference in New Orleans, La., on Nov. 10-12. Dr. Payne and Dr. Metty presented a session on ”Focusing on STEM in Early Childhood Graduate Teacher Programs.” Dr. Daigle and Dr. Payne presented a session on “Differentiation Strategies in Science for Early Childhood Settings.” Dr. Payne and Colleen Stapleton, associate professor and science subject coordinator for the College of Continuing and Professional Studies, presented a workshop at the National Science Teacher’s Association area conference in Hartford, Conn. on Oct. 29. The workshop participants were introduced to activities that tied together concepts from science, math, engineering and technology using problem-solving challenges. The activities were designed to be used with pre-kindergarten and kindergarten students. These activities grew out of a recent AIM funded program to improve science and mathematics teaching in the early care environment.

Dr. Karen Weller Swanson, associate professor and director of doctoral studies, Dr. Emilie Paille, associate professor, Hannah McAnespie, a Ph.D. student in the Curriculum and Instruction Program and a Mercer On Mission student in 2009, and Catie Easel, an Master of Arts in Teaching student and a Mercer On Mission 2011 student, presented at the International Society of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in Milwaukee, Wis., Oct. 19-21. They presented “Zones of proximal development through photo data analysis,” which is based on the Mercer On Mission Liberia project with pre-service teachers. Swanson, Jane West; associate professor, Jeannette Anderson; clinical assistant professor and director of clinical education, and Patricia Kelly co-presented their work at International Society of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in Milwaukee, Wis. They presented “Un-Centered Collaboration: Building interdisciplinary community.” These faculty are currently writing a book about teaching and learning in graduate programs. Swanson also co-presented along with David Virtue from the University of South Caroline at the Association of Middle Level Education conference Nov. 9-12 in Louisville, Ky., on “Writing for Publication Demystified.” Both Swanson and Virtue are editors for Association of Middle Level Education publications. Swanson, along with her colleagues, Micki Caskey from the University of Portland, David Cook from Columbia University, Penny Bishop from the University of Vermont and David Strahan from Western Carolina University presented three research sessions for the Association of Middle Level Education, titled “Pathways to Publication,” “Spotlight on Research” and “Research and resources in support of This We Believe: Connecting research and practice.”

Townsend School of Music

Dr. Douglas M. Hill, professor and director of undergraduate study, hosted the first annual Townsend School of Music High School Instrumental Workshop “All State Boot Camp” on Nov. 12. More than 160 high school students from all over the state of Georgia attended the all day event designed to assist the students in their preparations for the Georgia Music Educators Association All-State Band auditions in December. Dr. Hill was joined by Townsend School of Music faculty, Kelly Via, adjunct instructor, Adrian Gnam, adjunct instructor, Dr. Monty Cole, associate professor, Dr. Katie Holland, adjunct instructor, guest artist Matt Miller, Jay Hanselman, adjunct instructor, Jonathan Swygert, adjunct instructor, Dr. Tom Gibson, Eric Bubacz, adjunct instructor, and Dr. Marcus Reddick, associate professor. Dr. Hill and Dr. Stanley Roberts, associate dean and professor and A. L. Rich Professorship, hosted the Griffin High School Band and Choir on Nov. 16. During the day the students toured the campus, attended an informational session on application procedures to universities especially the preparations needed to audition for a music scholarship. The Griffin Choir attended the Mercer Singers rehearsal as the Griffin Band participated in a sight-reading clinic presented by Dr. Hill. The Mercer Faculty Brass Quintet performed on the program of the “Christmas At the Grand” on Nov. 29 at the Grand Opera House. Dr. Hill also performed in the Chamber Orchestra at Mt. Zion Baptist Christmas program on Dec. 11 in Macon. Dr. Hill and the Colony IV Brass Quintet performed at Liberty United Methodist Church in Macon on Dec. 18 as part of their Christmas Cantata service.

Amy Schwartz Moretti, director of the Robert McDuffie Center for Strings, and Caroline Paul King, chair of violin in the Townsend School of Music, performed the Arensky Piano Trio No. 1 in d minor, Op. 32, as members of the Georgian Chamber Players at Trinity Presbyterian Church, in Atlanta, Oct. 23. Also with the Georgian Chamber Players, Moretti performed movements from Beethoven’s Kreutzer Sonata and Brahms’ Piano Quintet for a house concert soiree in Atlanta, Oct. 9. Moretti recorded string tracks at Star Motel Studios in Macon for Hip Hop artist Floco Torres’ new three song EP “10,000 Hours,” released Nov. 15, and, along with Robert McDuffie and the students from the McDuffie Center for Strings, she performed the song “A Little More Soul” with Chuck Leavell, Peter Stroud, Tony Reyes, Sonny Spoon, and Steve Moretti for the Rock and Reel celebration at the Grand Opera House in downtown Macon, Nov. 15.

University Libraries

Susan G. Broome,
associate professor and associate director for Technical Services, spoke on “The Story of the Chalice” with Archbishop Malkhaz Songulashvili at a service in Newton Chapel on Nov. 3 when possession of the chalice was transferred from Mercer to the church of its origin, the Evangelical Baptist Church, Republic of Georgia. She also spoke about the chalice at the annual meeting of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of Georgia and participated in a Georgian Eucharist service on Nov. 6.

Theresa Rhodes, associate professor and associate director for public services and collections, presented “BIP 4 CD=LW” at the 31st Annual Charleston Conference held in Charleston, S.C. on Nov. 5.  Her presentation outlined how the Jack Tarver Library uses the Books in Print database to streamline collection development workflow, resulting in less work.

Walter F. George School of Law

Jim Fleissner, professor, made a presentation on Nov. 4 analyzing criminal procedure decisions of the U.S. Supreme Court from October Term 2010 and criminal procedure issues on the Court’s docket during the current term. The program was sponsored by the Mercer Law School, the Macon Bar Association and the Institute of Continuing Legal Education. During the last six months, Fleissner has been working on the design and launch of the Law School’s new Master of Laws degree in federal criminal practice and procedure, which was approved by the University Board of Trustees at its November meeting. The new one-year degree program will enroll students beginning in the Fall 2012 semester.

Daisy Hurst Floyd, University Professor of Law and Ethical Formation, and Timothy W. Floyd, professor and director of law and public service program, presented the keynote addresses for two conferences in November. They presented their findings from an empirical study of bar discipline in Georgia and other states in three separate presentations for the conference themes of “What Do We Know About How Bar Discipline Really Works?” “What Should Law Schools Teach About Bar Discipline?” and “How Can Law Schools and Disciplinary Authorities Collaborate in Innovative Ways?” The presentations were made at the fall 2011 Workshop of the National Institute for Teaching Ethics and Professionalism on Nov. 12-13 and the 2011 Burge Conference on Law and Ethics on Nov. 14. Daisy Floyd presented “An Overview of American Legal Education” on Nov. 2 to the Brazilian Judges Educational Conference, a group of Brazilian judges who were hosted by the Mercer Law School as part of an educational trip to Georgia. Her piece, “Foreword: Empirical Professional Ethics Symposium” is forthcoming in the University of St. Thomas Law Journal. Timothy Floyd also spoke at University Worship on Oct. 26 on “Justice, Punishment, and the Death Penalty.” In addition, he has been appointed by the president of the State Bar of Georgia to serve as chair of the State Bar of Georgia’s Access to Justice Committee and Daisy Floyd has been appointed to the Macon Advisory Committee of the Georgia Justice Project. 

Stephen Johnson, professor and associate dean for academic affairs, had an article, “Disclosing the President’s Role in Rulemaking: A Critique of the Reform Proposals,” published in 60 Catholic University Law Review 1 (2011).  His article, “In Defense of the Short Cut,” will be published in the Kansas Law Review.


Adam Lamparello
, visiting associate professor, recently had several publications accepted for publication, “Neuroscience, Brain Damage, and the Criminal Defendant: Who does It Help and Where in the Criminal Proceeding is it Most Relevant,” Rutgers Law Record  (Spring 2012); “Taking the ‘Substance’ Out of Substantive Due process and Returning Lawmaking Power to the Federal and State Legislatures,”  South Carolina Law Review  (spring  2011); and “Suicide: A Legal, Constitutional and Human Right,” 72 Louisiana Law Review 1 (Spring 2012).

Harold S. Lewis Jr., professor, wrote an employment discrimination chapter for the fifth edition of Workers’ Compensation and Employee Protection Laws (5th West/Thomson Reuters 2011) that was published in August 2011. He also presented his paper ”Georgia Conflict of Laws In Tort Cases: Making The Simple Complex,” at an Institute of Continuing Legal Education in Georgia Torts Seminar in Macon on Sept. 23.
 

David Ritchie, associate professor, was recently granted a secondary academic appointment in the philosophy department. He will be teaching classes in the College of Liberal Arts, as well as classes that are cross-listed between the College of Liberal Arts and the Law School. Ritchie also hosted an intercultural exchange program for 17 Brazilian judges. The judges attended classes at Mercer Law School, visited the Federal District Court in Macon, the Georgia Supreme Court and Fulton County Circuit Courts in Atlanta and the Fulton County Jail. From Nov. 9-13, Ritchie attended a workshop by the Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs in New York. During the workshop participants discussed and developed programs to be sponsored by the Carnegie Council. One such program will be a class offered in CLA’s Philosophy Department next fall on “Civil Rights as Human Rights,” which will also be offered in tandem with a professor from the University of Copenhagen.

Scott C. Titshaw, associate professor, wrote an article, titled “Is Your Test-Tube Baby a U.S. Citizen?” that was published as the cover story of the November/December issue of VOICE, the magazine of the American Immigration Lawyers Association.