NAU Highlights: April 2008

University News
NAU earns high praise from accrediting agency
Northern Arizona University received numerous accolades and a strong recommendation for continued accreditation in a report from the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. The final report released in early April was the result of the commission's October site visit to NAU as part of the university's accreditation renewal process, a standard practice that occurs every 10 years as a way of ensuring that degree-granting educational institutions are meeting the expectations outlined by the accrediting agency. The NCA has accredited NAU since 1930.

NAU's share of state budget cut: $2.2 million
The Arizona Board of Regents voted to trim Northern Arizona University's current budget by about $2.2 million, or 1.3 percent. The vote came after the state Legislature directed the board to trim $14.7 million from the university system as well as $875,000 from ABOR operating expenses. "Northern Arizona University has been diligent about conserving resources since it became clear that the state was experiencing revenue shortfalls," said NAU President John Haeger. "Every area on campus has participated by delaying new hires and forgoing travel and expenditures."

President introduces campus to plans that support higher ed
The NAU community heard a clarion call to support education in Arizona during a President's Forum, featuring a sobering message about America's flagging educational system and a bold plan to jump-start the state's economy. America is facing a quiet crisis in education, President John Haeger told about 275 people. It's a crisis in which American students are falling behind the rest of the world in virtually every educational category. NAU has partnered with the Arizona Board of Regents and the other state universities to launch an awareness campaign—called Solutions through Higher Education—to make the public aware of the critical role higher education plays in ensuring economic prosperity.

NAU's academic reputation lures incoming freshmen
NAU continues to catch the attention of students with similar backgrounds, expectations, experiences and beliefs year after year, but incoming freshmen have higher learning expectations and are more attracted to NAU's academic reputation. The findings were reported in a Cooperative Institutional Research Program survey of new incoming freshmen in the summer of 2007.

Eight employees win President's Achievement Awards
Eight Northern Arizona University employees have been selected for the 2008 President's Achievement Award, considered the highest staff recognition from the university. The recipients each received a $1,000 award and were honored at a luncheon.

University award celebrates years of service at NAU
More than 130 Northern Arizona University faculty and staff members were honored for multiple years of dedicated service to the university at the annual Service Pin Award ceremony on April 29. The award recognizes longtime employees who have worked for NAU at least 15 years. It is given out in five-year increments. Two recipients, Ernest Kurmes and Wayne Sjoberg, were honored for their 40 years at NAU.

Symposium highlights NAU's undergraduate experience
Undergraduates at NAU were part of a campuswide show and tell at the Undergraduate Student Symposium April 17 and 18, which featured highlights from each college as students shared their creative ideas, research and discoveries. From a student-designed, super-mileage car to an automated catheter and various poster presentations, art exhibits, musical performances and more, the symposium was an opportunity to find out how NAU is making involvement in research and inquiry a distinctive component of its undergraduate education.

Survey shows time not right for four-year campus in Lake Havasu City
A market study on the potential for a four-year campus in Lake Havasu City reveals there is not sufficient demand or funding currently available to establish a full-fledged, residential college campus. Northern Arizona University contracted with the Chicago-based marketing and communications firm Lipman Hearne to conduct the market demand survey. The study follows discussions between NAU and the city of Lake Havasu about NAU establishing a four-year campus in the Colorado River community.

NAU-Yuma leader announces resignation
Krista Rodin, associate vice president and campus executive officer at NAU-Yuma, announced her resignation as of the end of the semester to pursue teaching and other administrative opportunities as a tenured professor at Northern Arizona University.

New conference center opens doors
The High Country Conference Center at Flagstaff officially opened its doors last month for more than 400 attendees of a formal dinner and dance benefitting the Flagstaff Symphony Orchestra.

Athletics reaccreditation on the horizon
NAU's athletics department is readying itself for an important series of events in its efforts to become reaccredited by the NCAA, and a steering committee leading the process has been seeking participation from faculty, staff, students and the Flagstaff community. The committee crafted a "self-study" report that will become the basis for a comprehensive and focused site visit by an NCAA peer review team in October. The committee made the draft report available for review and feedback before it was finalized and submitted to the NCAA on May 1.

Skydome gets new football surface
For the fourth time since it was built in 1977, the J. Lawrence Walkup Skydome has received a new football playing surface. Installation of a removable RealGrass Matrix turf system was completed in April. It is the first removable RealGrass system to be installed in the United States.

Patrolling in style: Drug seizure leads to Cadillac for NAUPD
The NAU Police Department has an additional patrol vehicle in service on the Flagstaff campus that is already attracting a lot of attention. A 9-year-old Cadillac Escalade that was seized from a drug dealer has been awarded to the university police department by the Northern Arizona METRO Narcotics task force, of which the NAUPD is a member.

KNAU exploring 'Poverty with a View'
NAU's public radio station, KNAU, is examining the Flagstaff area's gap between income and housing costs—a growing concern in mountain towns throughout the West—during a weeklong series called "Poverty with a View." The series discusses the notion that as more and more people are drawn to Flagstaff, housing prices have skyrocketed, and jobs and wages have failed to keep pace.

Research and Academic News
President and Provost name first Distinguished Teaching Fellows
Jeff Berglund, Geeta Chowdhry and Brandon Cruickshank have been appointed the inaugural President's Distinguished Teaching Fellows. The appointments recognize teaching scholars who have significantly impacted undergraduate learning. The Distinguished Teaching Fellows are appointed for three years and during that time, they will develop and teach their "dream course."

NSF funding puts NAU researchers at the head of the class
The National Science Foundation recently awarded a five-year, $2.9 million grant to the College of Engineering and Natural Sciences to support graduate students as they pursue innovative research and share their knowledge with younger students along the way. Grant recipients will receive support for their research and will spend 10 hours a week collaborating with teachers in local K-12 classrooms to improve the instruction of science, technology, engineering and math.

Scholarships advance NAU's budding scientists
The research work of seven NAU doctoral students is receiving recognition along with a financial boost. The students are getting Achievement Rewards for College Scientists scholarships of $7,000 each for the 2008-09 academic year. The funding will assist the students in completing fieldwork, lab work, updating equipment, purchasing reference material and traveling to scientific symposiums.

Tiny bug found in Grand Canyon region cave suggests big biodiversity
The discovery of a new genus of a tiny booklouse from a northern Arizona cave may lead to further protection for cave ecosystems. An NAU doctoral student was part of a duo who recently discovered a new genus of psocopteran (booklouse) from a cave on the western edge of the Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument. This is the third new genus of invertebrates found by the two scientists since 2006.

Engaging students through online technology
When online technology merges with education, it can help support learning objectives across a variety of disciplines. How to best use technology to engage students was the focus of the April 4 e-Learning Showcase at NAU.

Faculty honored at reception
Two faculty members were singled out to receive the President's Award for Faculty and Academic Professionals for their exemplary contributions to the NAU mission. President John Haeger presented President's Awards to Miguel Vasquez, professor of anthropology, and Heidi Wayment, chair of psychology.

New coordinator named for Faculty Ombuds Program
Phoebe Morgan, professor of criminology and criminal justice, has been named the new coordinator of the Faculty Ombuds Program, which provides informal and confidential conflict resolution options to members of NAU's faculty.

Events
NAU Opera presents 'Serse'
NAU Opera presented the Arizona premiere of Handel's comedic opera Serse (Xerxes) in the original Italian.

NAU Theater charms with 'You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown'
A beloved cast of comic strip characters came to life to share their hopes, dreams and their angst-ridden-but-optimistic view of the world in the family musical, You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown, at NAU's Studio Theater.

French comedy comes to campus in 'The Miser'
Molière's satire on materialism, The Miser, hit the stage at NAU's Clifford E. White Theater for one week in April.

Forum addresses campus and community safety
A campus safety discussion brought together faculty, staff, students and community organizations to share information about safety measures on campus and in the Flagstaff community. "Campus and Community Safety: It's Everybody's Business," featured a panel discussion, question-and-answer session and an information fair featuring a number of campus and community organizations.

Martin-Springer Institute rewards 'moral courage'
Katy Pederson, a 4th-grader at Gold Canyon Elementary in Apache Junction, Ariz., had the courage to stand up to classmates who were teasing a special needs student. Pederson was one of three individuals who received a Moral Courage Award from NAU's Martin-Springer Institute for taking a stand for social justice in Arizona schools and communities.

Dental and hearing clinics for kids
The annual NAU Dental Hygiene Kiddie Clinic provided dental exams and cleanings for children for a nominal fee. Free speech, language and hearing screenings for children also were available.

Regional honors conference at NAU
The NAU Honors Program hosted the 35th Western Regional Honors Council Conference at the new High Country Conference Center at Flagstaff in April. Aptly named Honors at its Peak, the conference—the first at the new facility—showcased the talents of nearly 300 participants from honors programs all over the West and Southwest.

'Wunderkammer': An art exhibit that gets curiouser and curiouser
The NAU Art Museum and the College of Arts and Letters are taking the university down the rabbit hole with its new exhibit "Wunderkammer: The University as Cabinet of Curiosities." The special exhibition features items from departments across the university that are used for teaching, research and other applications.

Young authors celebrated at festival
Budding young writers interacted with area authors of children's books to celebrate the art of writing at the College of Education's annual Young Authors Festival. Students from local elementary schools met with authors and illustrators of children's books, and student-teachers from the College of Education conducted a book-making workshop.

Student highlights
Seniors win Gold Axe Awards, President's Prizes
Six graduating seniors have been awarded the prestigious President's Prize for their exemplary leadership, academic excellence and service to the NAU community. The awards were announced at the Gold Axe Awards Banquet on April 15, where the six were among 39 students receiving the coveted Gold Axe Award for their achievements.

Undergraduate researcher welcomes Goldwater scholarship
Brad Douglas Felicetti once lacked career direction, but now the NAU student has received an award for his steadfast stride on a path to help cure cancer. Felicetti, a sophomore in the College of Engineering and Natural Sciences, received a $7,500 annual scholarship for two years, from the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Program. The funding will help keep Felicetti on track to earn a doctorate in biological chemistry and eventually a medical degree, both with a focus on researching cancer cures.

Golfer Sophia Choi earns Big Sky honors
Lumberjack golfer Sophia Choi has won the Big Sky Conference Player of the Year Award, becoming the first player in league history to win the honor three times.

Scholarships help put local youth on NAU path
Seventy-four NAU students are each receiving $1,500 scholarships from the Raymond Educational Foundation of Flagstaff. Out of the 74 scholarships, 58 scholarships will go to Coconino County high school seniors who plan on attending NAU. The foundation also awarded 16 scholarships to NAU freshmen who will become sophomores in the fall.

NAU undergraduate researchers to get financial boost
Northern Arizona University recently learned it is one of 15 universities nationwide designated to receive 2008 Beckman Scholars Program undergraduate awards from the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation. This is the third time NAU has received Beckman Scholars Program designation.

Students unite in fight against cancer
For one night at least, cancer didn't stand a chance—not in the eyes of nearly 800 NAU students who raised more than $45,000 toward efforts they hope will one day eliminate the disease. The students were participating in the American Cancer Society's annual Relay for Life, an all-night gathering where participants come together to raise money to support cancer research, education and advocacy, while celebrating cancer survivors and remembering those who have lost their lives to the disease. Throughout the evening of April 18 and well into the next morning, 84 campus teams took turns continuously walking or running laps at the NAU Fieldhouse.

Writing prize goes to three undergraduates
Three students won this year's Louis Agassiz Prize for Writing Excellence. Michael Collins, a biology major, won first prize of $1,500. Abraham Feinberg, a physiology major won second prize, $1,000, and environmental science major Ben Williams won third prize, $500. The three were selected from more than 40 essays submitted from across campus. The Louis Agassiz Prize is awarded annually to the winner of an essay competition for undergraduates. This year's topic was "The Limits of Scientific Knowledge," and essays were judged on originality of ideas, persuasiveness, clarity and elegance of language.

Student art shows display emerging talent
During her time at NAU, ceramics major Julie Ogier learned many artistic media. Last month she used all of her skills to create an installation of the humpback chub, an endangered fish of the Colorado River. The exhibit was the culmination of Ogier's artistic studies, which was on display along with other graduating fine-arts majors, at the College of Arts and Letters student art exhibits. "This piece is definitely the most significant thing I've ever done before," Ogier said. "I'm taking what I've learned and what I like from so many professors."

Students earn funding for campus sustainability projects
Four students and two student teams each received up to $2,500 for projects they designed to support sustainability goals on campus and across northern Arizona as part of the Center for Sustainable Environments' Henry Hooper Student Fund Sustainability Award. The projects align with the university's Campus Sustainability Plan, which models living and working sustainably both on and off campus.

Golden Eagle Awards honor outstanding student-athletes
A record 178 student-athletes were recognized for their scholastic and athletic accomplishments at the 30th annual Golden Eagle Awards Luncheon. The awards program recognizes student-athletes for their contributions to NAU Athletics while maintaining a minimum 3.0 grade point average.

Rock 'em, sock 'em games test student skills
Several engineering students showcased their unique class projects—six team-designed games and robots to play them. The interactive creations consisted of a variety of fast-paced games, including boxing robots, robotic tanks, board games and more. The robots and games were created as part of a class project for an engineering design class where students from all engineering disciplines learn how to design a technical product from start to finish in a team setting.