St . Edwards University — representing the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities ( NAICU ). Overall , 17 college and university presidents and chancellors , six ex officio members and two American Council on Education staff members served on the commission representing public and private higher educational institutions nationwide . author of the award-winning book , “ Prince Among Slaves ,” was the guest of honor at a reception and film screening hosted by the Alson H . Smith Jr . Library and the College of Arts & Sciences to showcase the resources in the Muslim Journeys Bookshelf collection . Alford ’ s book tells the story of an African royal enslaved in the antebellum South and was the basis s e m e s t e r h i g h l i g h t s
The Shenandoah Conservatory Jazz Ensemble , directed by Craig Fraedrich M . M ., recently returned from a performance tour in Ireland . The 21-member group traveled to Dublin , Cork , Galway , Kinsale and Clifden . They visited Diamond Hill and the Cliffs of Moher and garnered a standing ovation at the National Concert Hall in Dublin .
This year marks the 25th anniversary of the James R . and Mary B . Wilkins Appreciation Award . This prestigious award is presented annually to members of the faculty and staff selected by the executive committee of the board of trustees from at least five nominations submitted by the president . To date , 219 Shenandoah faculty and staff have received a Wilkins Award based on nominations from their peers . This year ’ s award recipients are Student Accounts Administrative Assistant Donna Aclin ; Associate Professor of Chemistry Diep Ca , Ph . D .; Assistant Professor of Athletic Training John Hunt , D . P . T .; Assistant Professor of Viola and Chamber Music Doris Lederer , A . D .; Assistant Football Coach Brock McCullough ; Bulk Mail Center Manager Karen Myers ; Manager of Landscape and Grounds Steven Nick ; and Professor of Nursing Maureen Quinn , Ph . D ., RN .
Shenandoah ’ s student improvisational group , The Loaf , was a finalist at the Liberty Bell Regional in Philadelphia , Pa . The group finished in second place and qualified to move on to the next round of competition in the series . The following Loaf members attended the competition : Allison Petrillo , Caleb Forsythe , Brandon Spann , Tom Cannan , Kacey Willis , Deirdre Dillon , Allen Law , Zane Rerek , Eric Nauman , Desiree Dabney , Michael Pellegrino , Spencer Streno and Patrick Rosé .
The Alson H . Smith , Jr . Library is now home to the Muslim Journeys Bookshelf , a collection of books and materials designed to familiarize the American public with Islam and the cultural heritage of Islamic civilizations around the world . Acquired through a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities ( NEH ) in collaboration with the American Library Association ( ALA ), the collection is the first in a planned series of “ Bridging Cultures Bookshelves .” Dr . Terry Alford ,
Staff members Steven Nick , Karen Myers and Donna Aclin received Wilkins Awards for their efforts on behalf of the university .
for the documentary film by the same name . The book and film , “ Prince Among Slaves ,” are among the resources featured in the Muslim Journeys Bookshelf . Alford , a professor of history at the Annandale Campus of Northern Virginia Community College ( NOVA ), teaches survey courses in U . S . history . He is a nationally recognized scholar on John Wilkes Booth and the Lincoln assassination and has appeared on “ 20 / 20 ,” ABC News , the History Channel , the Discovery Network and PBS .
Assistant Director of Auxiliary Services Pam Smulovitz participated in a monthlong trip to Argentina as part of Rotary International ’ s Group Study Exchange ( GSE ) program . Since 1965 , the GSE program has provided inspiring vocational , educational and cultural experiences for more than 70,000 men and women . Through the program , Smulovitz and four other team members represented Rotary District 7570 . They experienced a vocational exchange to learn how their jobs are performed in a different culture . You can read more about the trip at the team ’ s blog at http :// argentinad7570 . blogspot . com /.
Four Shenandoah undergraduate student presentations were accepted at the Virginia Academy of Science ( VAS ) 2013 annual meeting at Virginia Tech . Senior environmental studies major Daniel Cooper presented “ Assessing the Floristic Quality of the Abrams Creek Wetlands .” Senior biology major Angela Felicio presented “ Growth Dynamics in a White Cedar Forest .” Junior environmental studies major Jessica Miller presented “ Plants as Indicators of Wetland Disturbance ,” and senior environmental studies and biology major Joshua Walker presented “ Hibernation Site Selection by Wood Turtles , a Threatened Species .” Presentations by Cooper and Walker were co-authored by faculty research adviser and Professor of Environmental Studies and Biology Woodward Bousquet , Ph . D . Felicio ’ s presentation was co-authored by faculty research adviser and Associate Professor of Environmental Studies and Geography Joshua Kincaid , Ph . D ., and fellow undergraduate student Cory Miller . Miller ’ s presentation was co-authored by Dr . Bousquet and Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute scientist
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