NIH Grant Supports COP Research / Education Programs

The College of Pharmacy has received a $10.3 million renewal grant from the National Institutes of Health in support of its Minority Health and Health Disparities Research and Education Program.
 
The grant represents an additional three-year commitment by NIH's National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities – $3.4 million per year – to the University’s Pharmacy Endowment for Minority Health, which was established earlier with previously awarded grants totaling $22.3 million.

 The endowment will provide earnings to be used to support the ongoing projects of the University’s Center for Minority Health and Health Disparities Research and Education (CMHDRE) which are designed to increase the research capability of the College of Pharmacy, promote health disparities research, and to increase the pool of minority biomedical and behavioral scientists.

“Minorities, particularly African Americans, die at a higher rate from many diseases than their white counterparts,” said Dr. Wayne Harris, dean of the XU College of Pharmacy.   more

Xavier Sweeps GCAC Cross Country Team Championships

The men’s and women’s cross country teams celebrated Xavier’s return to intercollegiate competition with a sweep of the team titles in the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Cross Country Championships.

The GCAC titles are the first ever for XU men and the second in five years for the women, who had previously won in 2002. The University did not field cross country teams in 2005 because of the effects of Hurricane Katrina.

"First of all, praise the Lord Jesus Christ," coach Joseph Moses said. "Our kids pulled together after a major disaster a year ago. They said before the season that winning this meet was a critical goal, and they went out and did it."

XU scored 26 points to win the women's title by 31 points over runner-up Spring Hill College. The XU men, despite a larger collective time than Spring Hill, outscored the Badgers 37-38 to win that title.

A school-record 10 XU runners – Ebony Harding, Lonique Moore, Mimi Mornay, Stacey Young, Ashley Broden and Amani Harlee on the women's side and Darren Wallace, Chris Butler, Bryan Khan and Joshua Miles on the men's — earned all-conference honors. It was the third time Miles and Harlee have been named All-GCAC and the second time for Broden and Moore.

Moses earned GCAC men's and women's Coach of the Year honors as a result of his teams' performances, which earned them spots in the NAIA Region XIII Championships on Nov. 4.

For the complete meet results, visit HERE.

Campus Leaders/Scholars Make Annual Who’s Who List

One hundred and three student scholars will appear in the 2007 edition of Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges, an annual chronicle of the nation’s outstanding campus leaders.

The students – chosen by XU department chairs and faculty and approved by the editors of the directory – were selected based on their academic achievement, service to the community, leadership in extracurricular activities and potential for continued success.
They join an elite group of students from more than 2,000 institutions of higher learning in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and several foreign nations. Outstanding students have been honored in the annual directory since it was first published in 1934.

The students included in this year's directory are listed below, grouped by their academic departments:

BIOLOGY -- Kaketa Entzminger, Lakeshia Entzminger, Cintasha Frazier, Thomas Fugate, Dorlyne Henry, Shakeilla Howell, Kim Hanh Nguyen, Uche Obih, Aton Osbourne, Kimberly Tran, Andrew Williams and Marcella Willis.

BUSINESS – Alexandra Ajanaku, Matthew Alemu, Crystal Dobbins, Winda Gibson, Christina Gilbert, Taryn Hicks, Candace Johnson, Crystal Moore, Kandy Rose, and Klas Sylvander.

CHEMISTRY – Mecca Abdullah, Raimant Agbe, Wonesta Collins, Randy Colvin, Tony Davis, Kirsten Gambrell, Alecia McCall, Therese Ndessoko, Nyote Oliver, Peter Tran, Vincent Vu and Michelle White.

EDUCATION – Ashley Bridges, Lakeisha Cooper, Viridiana Figuero, Samantha Flanders, Amani Harlee, Joel Hitchcock-Tilton, Charles James, Myesha Luster, Marion Milton, Tiffany Rickey and Sherisse Ross.

ENGLISH – Miranda Bradford, Sharonda Gaudin and Victor Jones.

LANGUAGES – Heather Brightharp, Erica Gibson and Jamie Moody.

PHARMACY – Danielle Ardoin, Lisa Bertucci, Cherlyn Boutan, Terrence Brown, Kendrea Bryant, Jeffrey Bullock, Jeanine Cambrice, Jami Cannon, Carnecia Cole, Lori Crawford, Delveatra DeVance, Dawn Edwards, Kerry Fine, Farrell Fort, Emma Goodman, Catherine Gould, Crystal Graham, Francesca Gransberry, Lovie Lewis, Michael McKendall, Brandon Morning, Chantelle Parker, Karl Sandy, Angela Smith, Natalie Smith, Katura Thomas, Sharmia Thomas, Meng Tsai, Michelle Turner, Michael Varnado, Christina Victor, Lesleigh Wallace, Shanese Williams and Asheia Wynne.

POLITICAL SCIENCE – Cassie Ford, Jeanise Galloway, Ronicka Harrison, Ryn Jordan, Terry Richards, Jessica Varner and Nicole Washington.

PSYCHOLOGY – Symielle Gaston, Porshia Haymon, Ashley Johnson, Kourtney Keener, Erin Sanders and Stephanie Warfield.

SOCIOLOGY – Sika Koudou and Victoria Lee.

University Honors 51 Long-Time Faculty/Staff Members

Fifty-one long-time University faculty and staff members were honored as part of its annual Founder’s Day celebration. 

Topping the list of honorees celebrating anniversaries of their employment at XU were Sister Maureen Hurley, S.B.S., with 40 years of service in the biology department and Dr. Harold Vincent with 40 years in physics and as dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.

Other employees honored were:

35 years – Dr. Thomas Bonner, English; Christine Lee, Sedexho; and Gloria Wright, credit union.

30 years – Dr. Ann Barbre, pharmacy; Sherida Montague, chemistry; and Dr. Warren Ray, chemistry.

25 years – Jacqueline Ballansaw-Ward, registrar’ office; Willie Caffey, biology; Eloise Dixon, counseling; Dr. David Lanoue, English and CAT; Lonnie Lewis, pharmacy; Gwendolyn Martin, Sedexho; Dr. Raquel Mesa, mathematics; Pamela Rogers, Family Life Center; and Sister Mary Ann Stachow, S.B.S., theology.

20 years – Dr. Charles Gramlich, psychology; Mildred Higgins, financial aid; Jacqueline Claiborne, Sedexho; and Karen Williams, admissions.

15 years – Dr. Gurdial Arora, mathematics; LaJuana Chenier, institutional-advancement; Solomon Foster, university police; Adrienne Hunter, physics/engineering; Irving Johnson III, university and media relations; Gilda Knight, registrar’s office; Father Phillip Linden, Jr., S.S.J, S.T.D., theology; Sister Patricia Lynch, S.B.S., university historian; Lisa Lewis-McClain, campus ministry; Dr. Tarun Mandel, pharmacy; Dr. Peter Martinat, biology; Gwen Morris, registrar’s office; Sharon Porter, fiscal; Dr. Yashoda Pramar, pharmacy; Dr. Jonathan Rotondo-McCord, history; Louise Smith, library; Anita Williams, communications; and Cynthia Watson-McElveen, physical plant.

10 years – William Bostick, internal auditor; Kelvin Bush, ITC; Katrina Crawford, financial aid; Dwight Fitch, campus ministry; Ultra Fredericks, fiscal; Mary George, library; Jacqulin Joe, pharmacy; Dr. Kathleen McCloud, physics/engineering; Palani Ponnapakkam, ITC; Pamela Ridder, MIE; Tyrone Thornton, fiscal; and Terina Walker, graduate placement.

STUDENTS

Two fourth-year pharmacy students – Emma Goodman of Chicago, Ill. (Kenwood High) and Christina Victor of Lafayette, La. (Northside High) – were awarded $500 scholarships at the annual meeting of the Louisiana Pharmacists Association (PSA). Goodman, currently P4 class president, is the past president of the PSA, while Victor, who served as PSA vice president last school term, currently reigns as Miss College of Pharmacy. Both are members of Phi Lambda Sigma Pharmacy Leadership Society.

ALUMNI

Youshea A. Berry ‘98, a principal in the Law Office of Youshea Berry in Washington, D.C., has been selected as a diversity fellow by the American Bar Association’s General Practice, Solo and Small Firm Division – which represents more than 32,000 members throughout the U.S., most of whom are in the private practice of law. She also serves as assistant editor of an ABA newsletter and as vice chair of the Law Practice Management Section of the Young Lawyers’ Division.

Danyale Ellis '97, director of development at Lawndale Christian Health Center, was selected 2006 Alumnus of the Year by the UNCF Chicago Inner-Alumni Council.

Dr. Michele Lagarde-May ’98,
has successfully completed her Family Medicine Residency and has accepted a position with Ochsner Hospital Westbank Clinic in New Orleans. 

Celeste Parker ’03, has received a master’s degree in speech-language pathology from the University of Northern Iowa.

Jason Robinson ’02, is completing his Ph.D. in photonics at Oklahoma State University – his research includes photocatalytic destruction of explosives and chemical weapon sensing. He is the owner of Mystic Monarch, LLC, a motor sports event planning, management and marketing company specializing in freestyle motorcycle stunt exhibitions. He has been featured on Speed Channel's SuperBikes show and has articles in Super Streetbike and Cycle Dreams magazines.

Candice Stewart ’06, has accepted a position with Yuma, Arizona School District as a Speech Pathologist. She will be assisting elementary school student with speech therapy.  

Letitia Sweat ’94, has been named coordinator of the Ronald E. McNair Fellows Program at Columbia University in New York. She previously served as an educational/vocational specialist at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey.

Dr. Najaz Woods-Bishop ’98, is serving as chief resident in the Department of Pediatrics at the Morehouse College School of Medicine.

FACULTY/STAFF

Dr. Thomas Bonner, Jr. (English) has been selected for membership on the advisory board of the Kate Chopin International Society. He has also been a consultant to the Louisiana State University Press.

Dr. Nicole Greene (English), editor of the annual Journal of College Writing, has published Volume 8.

College of Pharmacy Names Scholarship Winners

On a night dedicated to honoring top-performing students with scholarships, one student was singled out for special recognition as the College of Pharmacy held its annual Scholarship and Awards program.

Danielle Nwigwe, a P4 student from Slidell, La. (Slidell High) was presented the U.S. Public Health Service’s Excellence in Pharmacy Practice award – an award periodically given as a means of encouraging pharmacy students and other pharmacists to become more involved in public health – in recognition of her efforts in assisting in pharmacy service delivery in post-Katrina New Orleans.

Thirty-seven other pharmacy majors were awarded scholarships at the annual event, including:

• National Association of Chain Drug Stores Education Foundation Scholarship – Jami Cannon and Meng Tsai.
• Walgreen Company Scholarship – Jeanine Cambrice, Lori Crawford, Emma Goodman, Lovie Lewis and Shanese Williams.
• Henry Cade Memorial Scholarship Award – Delisha Borne and Landen Connor.
• Rite-Aid Corporation Scholarship – Delvetrea DeVance, Kerry Fine, Phuong Nguyen, Jonas Terry and Michael Varnado.
• Albertson’s Pharmacy Scholarship Award – Kirk LeBouef and Shenika Turner. 
• Wal-Mart Pharmacy Scholarship – Carnecia Cole.
• CVS Scholarship – Heidi Becnel, Azunna Maidoh, Melanie Rachal, Erin Searles and Christina Victor.
• Kroger Company Scholarship Fund – Itohan Agbonlahor.
• Merck Endowed Scholarship – Erica Chavis.
• K-Mart Scholarship – Jun Lei Lee.
• Warren Welters Scholarship – Folasade Duro-Emmanuel.
• Marcellus Grace Scholarship – Nathaniel Thomas and Thaddeus Wallace.
• Dr. Hazel M. Merritt Memorial Scholarship – Heather Olivier.
• Lucille Dejoie Tureaud Memorial Scholarship – Crystal Calloway.
• Faculty & Staff Recognition Scholarship Award – Crystal Graham.
• James Holt, Jr. Endowment Scholarship – Sam Young. 
• General Peay Scholarship – Asheisa Wynne.
• The Castellon Endowed Scholarship Fund – Katurah Thomas.
• Academic Achievement Scholarship Awards – Lisa Bertucci, Jaime Crawley and Grace Thacker.

‘REBUILD, RESTORE, RENEW’ AT XU HOMECOMING NOV. 16-19

Xavier alumni will get a first hand look at how their campus is recovering when they return this month for the annual Alumni Homecoming Reunion, Nov. 16-19.

With the theme “Rebuild Restore Renew” two sets of reunion classes will be honored – this year’s five-year anniversary celebrants and the reunion classes who were unable to unable to celebrate Homecoming 2005 due to Hurricane Katrina.

LaKeysha Arthur, Interim Director of Alumni Relations, said advance tickets for the popular Homecoming Gala (scheduled for Nov. 18) are on sale now. All tickets must be bought in advance – and the deadline (Friday, Nov. 3) is fast approaching. Seating is limited.

Other events are free. One of the weekend’s highlights will be the Rebuild, Restore, Renew Celebration on Friday at noon, during which alumni and students will have the opportunity to come together to celebrate the spirit of Xavier. There are several other activities scheduled for the returning alumni including a jazz concert, receptions for business and pharmacy alumni, an art exhibit (featuring printmaker Kimberly Dummons ’95 series of prints focusing on the City of New Orleans), an alumni mixer and a vesper service (click HERE for a complete schedule)

New Alumni officers will be installed at the annual Board of Governors meeting and alumni are invited the Mass on Sunday. 

Xavier Named to CNCS Honor Roll for Distinguished Community Service

Xavier was named to the Corporation for National and Community Service’s President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll for distinguished community service in recognition of extraordinary volunteer efforts by the school and its students to serve area neighborhoods and Gulf Coast communities devastated by Hurricane Katrina.

XU was one of 141 institutions of higher education out of 500 applicants recognized for distinguished service at the Campus Compact 20th Anniversary celebration. Schools receiving distinguished service recognition provided exceptional community service over the past year, contributing their time, resources, energy, skills – and intellect – to serve America.

“Xavier has set a strong example for college-level civic engagement,” said Stephen Goldsmith, Chief Executive officer of the CNCS, the federal agency that works to foster a culture of volunteering and service in America. “Many people and communities have been improved because Xavier and its students identified some of society’s most pressing needs and got involved.”

The President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll is co-sponsored by the Corporation, the Department of Education, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, USA Freedom Corps, and the President's Council on Service and Civic Participation. The recognition is presented in cooperation with Campus Compact, a national coalition of nearly 1,000 college and university presidents, and supported by all the major national higher education associations.

Film Co-produced by XU Students Screened at N.O. Film Festival

An independent film co-sponsored by Tulane University featuring several XU students as cast members, crew members and contributors to the story and screenplay – made its debut at the annual New Orleans Film Festival last month.

The film, entitled NOLA, is part of collaboration between the two schools. The film's director, Harold Sylvester, a New Orleans native, Tulane alumnus and veteran actor and writer, came to XU in the fall of '04 to offer students a chance to participate in his production.

XU professors Dr. Lawrence Strout (mass communications) and James Shade (English) – the latter of whom was also a contributor to the story and screenplay – supervised the XU students were selected for this program. The students – some of them now graduates – included: Ashli Duke '06, Jai Hayes (English), Katie Spillman '06, Leslie Spillman '06 and Diarra McCormick '05. Hayes has a substantial acting role in the film, while the others contributed to the story and worked on the crew, under the direction of seasoned Hollywood technicians.

Originally conceived as a special topics course through the English and Mass Communication departments, it is being offered again this semester and a new group of XU students is working on another film with Sylvester and Tulane on a project to be completed in 2007.

XU Receives Special Recognition at Technology Council eWARDS
 
Overcoming technological obstacles caused by Hurricane Katrina earned special recognition for Xavier University of Louisiana  at the Third Annual Technology eWards Gala.

Catherine Lewis, Xavier’s  Vice President, Office of Technology Administration (OTA), accepted one of the three special recognition awards at the gala. The eWARDS were presented by the Louisiana Technology Council and Greater New Orleans Inc. [see photo]

Lewis was a relative newcomer to Xavier when Katrina struck, having lead the Office of Technology Administration since March of 2005. Lewis and her OTA team faced many challenges following Katrina's widespread damage to the campus, but were successful in restoring telecommunications and information technology including bringing up other
critical applications such as Blackboard Learning System and Raiser’s Edge, and also restoring selected file shares, all in about three months.

However, one of the biggest challenges that Lewis and her team faced was restoring the switch room, located on the first floor of the Administration building, which took on about four feet of water. Additionally, she had to contain the costs to funds reimbursable by FEMA and the University’s insurance companies.

“The switch room is the heartbeat of voice and data communications across the campus,” said Lewis. “This room also housed network equipment enabling cross-campus and Internet communication.”

Lewis's team developed a creative solution, by raising the floor of the Switch Room three feet.  In the end, this decision saved slightly more than a million dollars and had the switch room ready a few weeks ahead of time.  The cost of moving the switch room would have been about $1.5-million while the cost of renovating the existing switch room was about $500,000.

This accomplishment is notable not only because of its pivotal role in the campus reopening, but because of the complexity of the task.  In addition to having a new Siemens phone switch installed and all associated wiring replaced, Lewis’s team had to replace BellSouth telephone and Internet equipment and all wiring, which included redundant fiber link to the opposite end of campus.  Closed circuit TV equipment used for surveillance on campus was also replaced in that room.

The LTC eWARDS recognize the achievements of organizations and individuals who have helped the technological development of the region, and includes companies, educators, government and business leaders across a ten- parish area.  

A FIRST-HAND LOOK

Wilma and Sam McNabb, the parents of NFL Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb, received a private tour of the Xavier campus with President Norman Francis the weekend of the Saints-Eagles football game. The McNabb Foundation was one of the earliest contributors to the University's Hurricane Relief Fund.

photo by Irving Johnson III

According to 2005 Centers for Disease Control (CDC) data, the prevalence rate for diabetes in Louisiana is 9.2% for the entire population while the prevalence rate among African Americans is 10.7%. While the state prevalence is the sixth highest in the nation, Louisiana has historically had the highest death rate due to diabetes. Likewise, according to Dr. Kathleen Kennedy, associate dean and director of the CMHDRE, African Americans suffer a disproportionately higher incidence of some cancers. Data from the CDC in 2002 report that African American men had lower five-year cancer survival rates for lung, prostate, and pancreatic cancer than non-Hispanic white men.

As a result of these statistics, projects supported by the CMHDRE will be focused on the pharmacist’s role in helping patients control and prevent chronic diseases such as diabetes, and educating them about preventive measures to decrease the incidence and mortality of others like cancer.

The first objective of the CMHDRE is to provide an environment to support and strengthen the research interest and activities of current and new faculty members related to health disparities with a specific focus on diabetes and cancer. The second objective is to develop programs to support student research and promote post graduate education.  This will include providing scholarships to students working with faculty members in health disparities-related research, developing and expanding fellowship programs, and supporting a new dual degree program with the University of Tennessee. Thirdly, the CMHDRE will integrate health promotion and education and disease prevention into primary care services including community education, pharmaceutical care services, and increased clinical and health outcomes research.