THIS MONTH AT XAVIER

In this Issue

Pharmacy professor confirms toxic leaks

Co-ed receives award at MLK Week ceremony

44% of new graduates seek more education

Priority application
deadline approaches

Construction begins
on new XU greenhouse

Xavier helps launch
Gert Town websites

XavierWrites

XavierWrites

Alumni

Dr. Charles E. Allen III ‘95, program manager of the Center for Bioenvironmental Research, was one of 10 Tulane University staff members presented a Staff Excellence Award for 2004.

Dr. Heidi Lovett Daniels ‘92, an associate professor of education at Dillard University, has been elected to the Orleans Parish School Board as District 1 representative.

Ralph Dominick ’81, is serving as executive director of the Medical Center of Louisiana. He also holds the rank of sergeant in the New Orleans Police Department.

Dr. Kimberly Frazier ’98, is serving on the faculty of the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs teaching counselor education to master’s level students.

Edwin Hampton ’52, director of bands at St. Augustine High School in New Orleans, was presented the “Golden Flambeau” award by the City of Kenner at its Twilight at Twelfth Night Ball. Earlier his “Marching 100” performed in the 2004 Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade in New York.

Akintunde Hardy ‘99, is a pharmaceutical sales representative for Johnson and Johnson – Ortho McNeil Neurology in Tulsa, Okla.

Emily London-Jones ’80, director of financial aid at the University of New Orleans, has been named Woman of the Year by the Louisiana Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators.

Tracy Madison ’88, has been promoted to assistant secretary for the Board of Liquidation, City Debt.

Terence Mathious ’96, has earned a master of education degree in science education from State University of West Georgia.

Dr. Trevonne Thompson ’97, has been awarded a fellowship in medical toxicology at Cook County Hospital/University of Illinois-Chicago.

Dr. Shuana Tucker ’90, has joined the Hartford Public School system as facilitator of strategic alliances, where she will be responsible for evaluating and coordinating partnerships between the Connecticut city’s schools and the business community.

Natasha Williams ’04, has been accepted into Columbia College-Chicago with a concentration in music business.

Faculty/Staff

Marion Bracy (director, facilities planning) was featured in an article, “A Day in the Life,” in the December issue of Buildings magazine.

Dr. Ronald Dorris ’72 (African American Studies/English) had an article, “Sacred Relics in Cane and Home to Harlem,” and two short stories, “Dead Trees” and “Queen Etouffee,” published in Network 2000: The Spirit of the Harlem Renaissance. He had another article, “Jean Toomer’s America: Commentary on Profiteering,” published in Langston Hughes Colloquy.

Dr. Valera Francis (sponsored programs) has earned a Ph.D. in higher education administration from the University of New Orleans. She also made a presentation, “On Opposite Sides of the Tracks: The Urban University in Black and White in New Orleans,” at the History of Education Society meeting, held in Kansas City, Mo.

Dr. David Lanoue (English) was selected by Nintendo to judge their internet “Metroid Prime 2” haiku (poetry) contest.

Dr. Rosalind Pijeaux Hale ’69 (education) was presented the 2004 Region I Post Secondary Teacher of the Year Award from the Louisiana Association of Computer Users in Education for her use of computer-based technology in an innovative educational process.

Katheryn Krotzer Laborde (English) was interviewed about her work as a writer of fiction and creative non-fiction on the WRBH radio program, “Writer’s Forum.”

Dr. Ross Louis (communications) presented a paper, "Communicating Common Ground as Critical Pedagogy"
at the National Communication Association annual convention, held in Chicago, Ill. He also collaborated with two students – Nichole Guillory, a sophomore biology pre-med major from Church Point, La. (Church Point High), and Mallory Turner, a freshman biology major from New Orleans (Ben Franklin) – to give a workshop, "Service-Learning, Community Partners, and Students: Approaching the Service-Learning Course as Dialogue," at the HBCU Service-Learning Consortium's Fall Institute.

Dr. Bonnie Noonan (English) has been selected as a Reader for the Advanced Placement (AP) English Language and Composition Examination, sponsored by the Educational Testing Service and The College Board.

Kyshun Webster ‘99 (community programs) had an article, “No Parent Left Behind: Evaluating Programs and Policies to Increase Parental Involvement,” published in the Harvard Journal of African American Public Policy.

XU toxicologist Dr. Marcus Iszard addresses the news media and area residents during a press conference called by a Gert Town civic group to draw public attention to alarming levels of toxic chemicals recently discovered and confirmed outside the now defunct Thompson-Hayward chemical plant. [Photo by Irving Johnson III]

Pharmacy professor confirms toxic leaks

Alarming levels of toxic chemicals – including banned and restricted pesticides – were recently discovered and confirmed by XU toxicology professor Dr. Marcus Iszard outside the now defunct Thompson-Hayward chemical plant in neighboring Gert Town.

Iszard’s confirmation of contaminates in the area’s soil and water – verified by an outside firm and documented by a court certified videographer – served as the catalyst for a news conference staged by the Gert Town Revitalization Initiative and other concerned community groups.

The old pesticide-mixing site was cleaned and most toxic materials removed in the early 1990s, but some of the more deadly contaminates were sealed under asphalt and the plant cordoned off by a chain-link fence. Izsard’s report shows that the containment has since been breached.

Residents have called on the U.S. Department of Environmental Quality and the city to speed up removal of the remaining contaminates due to the health risks they pose to the neighborhood.

Co-ed receives award at MLK Week ceremony

Greer Smith was presented a student community service award during the 19th annual Martin Luther King, Jr., Week for Peace Celebration.

Smith, a senior biology/pre-med major from Laurel, Miss. (Watkins High), was cited for “exemplifying the principles, standards and ideology” of the late civil rights leader. As the co-chair of Mobilization at Xavier (MAX), she is responsible for assisting with the recruitment/retention of more than 500 student volunteers and with coordinating community service activities. Smith also serves as project coordinator for the Hunger Coalition, and has been a volunteer for the Home for Homework and Big Brothers/Big Sisters programs.

She was one of four students from each of the MLK sponsoring universities (XU, Dillard, Tulane and Loyola) receiving community service awards.

44% of new graduates seek more education

A review of the Class of 2004 by the Office of Institutional Research indicates that at least 44 percent of last year’s Arts and Science graduates are enrolled in graduate or professional schools.

The report, based on a variety of sources, indicates that 192 of the 336 former undergrads who were tracked are presently pursuing postsecondary work in graduate or professional schools. There were 440 A&S graduates last May.

Spearheading that group are 57 alums in medical or dental school, as well as another 42 in other health-related programs.

Priority application deadline approaches

Freshman applications for the fall of 2005 could again reach record numbers and prospective students who have not yet completed their applications are urged to observe the upcoming March 1 priority deadline.

According to Winston D. Brown, Dean of Admissions, freshman applications for the fall are running five percent ahead of last year's record pace. He estimates that more than 4,500 applications will be received for the anticipated 900 available spots in the new freshman class. Brown said applications continue to reflect a growing regional and national interest in the University. To date, 84 percent of this year's freshman applicants are from outside the greater New Orleans area.

For more information, call Admissions at (504) 520-7388 (or toll-free at 1-877-XAVIERU) or visit the website (www.xula.edu). Students can use the website to apply on-line, request an application packet or download forms.

Greenhouse project gets underway
		All that activity on top the NCF Academic Science complex isn’t roofing repairs, it’s the first section of the new University greenhouse starting to take shape. Once completed, the facility is expected to be a boon to undergraduate science education and research. Photo by Irving Johnson III

Construction begins on new XU greenhouse

Construction of the University’s much-anticipated new greenhouse is underway.

The 2,500-square foot, pre-engineered greenhouse, located on the second floor patio area of the Norman C. Francis Science Building, will provide the core infrastructure needed to fully implement a new plant science program as well as enhance other undergraduate science education and research opportunities.

The facility is being funded via a $500,000 grant from the W.M. Keck Foundation of Los Angeles, Calif. It is expected to be completed this spring.

Xavier helps launch Gert Town websites

The University recently sponsored the creation of websites for two Gert Town community organizations through a unique combination of expertise of students, staff, and faculty.

Students in Dr. Dave Park's Writing for Public Relations class (Communications) created the pages following lengthy interviews with representatives of The Velocity Foundation and the Gert Town Revival Initiative in support of Xavier’s Mission.

ITC staff members facilitated the creation of the sites through Kim Robinson's Training Lab with advice from P.J. Christie, the University Web Developer. Once the organizations approved the effort, the Center for Student Leadership and Service secured web hosting for one year.

The Velocity site can be found at www.thevelocityfoundation.org.