Clint Bryant, athletics, was invited to serve on the National Association of Black Sports Professionals National Advisory Board. The board is strategically designed to include some of the nation’s most prominent African-American leaders in the sports industry.

Tom Deering, educational leadership, counseling, and special education, co-edited a book, Challenges to Academic Freedom Past and Present, and contributed two articles to it.

Josh Gregory, athletics, finished third in the 2008 Palmetto Amateur golf tournament in Aiken.

Doug Joiner and Karen Gordon, communications and professional writing, received awards from the Greater Augusta Arts Council at the 2008 Arts Awards ceremony on June 25 in recognizing outstanding commitment to the arts. Mr. Joiner was honored as an arts professional, and Ms. Gordon, a student, was honored with the President’s Award. They will be among the winners featured in the August issue of Augusta Magazine.

Wayne Lord, educational leadership, counseling, and special education, is serving as a reviewer for the 2008 Jacob K. Javits Gifted and Talented Students Education Program with the U.S. Department of Education. The major emphasis of the grant program is on serving students traditionally underrepresented in gifted and talented programs, particularly economically disadvantaged, limited English proficient (LEP), and disabled students, to help reduce the serious gap in achievement among certain groups of students at the highest levels of achievement.

During June, Ruth McClelland-Nugent, history, anthropology, and philosophy, and ASU students presented a program of displays and demonstrations about the World War II experience in Britain and its empire.

Chris Murphy will serve as the acting chair of the Department of History, Anthropology, and Philosophy until Aug. 1.

Jennifer Onofrio, art, had her artwork exhibited by Sherry Leedy Contemporary Art in Kansas City at the International Art Exposition, Art Chicago.

Gaye Ortiz, communications and professional writing, presented the keynote speech at a conference at the University of Reykjavik highlighting the most recent scholarship on religion, theology, and film. Dr. Ortiz is co-author of Theology and Film: Challenging the Sacred/Secular Divide, which was released earlier this year. She is shown with the director of the Yorkshire Film Archive, Sue Howard, at York St. John University, where she previously taught and is an Honorary Fellow.

Yadira Payne, Reese Library, earned her MLIS degree online at Drexel University and was featured in an article about the university in the June issue of Hired! Employment, Education, and Opportunities (page 5). Also, her photo entry in the 2nd annual American Library Association’s Documents to the People (DttP) cover contest is featured on the organization’s Government Documents Round Table’s (GODORT), wiki at http://wikis.ala.org/godort/index.php/DttP_Cover_Photos.

Michael Searles, history, anthropology, and philosophy, served as a panelist discussing Researching and Writing about the Military Frontier on June 12 at the 2008 Western Writers of America Convention in Scottsdale, Ariz.

Mark Thompson, Hull College of Business, was a guest panelist discussing Fact, Fiction, and Reality in Real Estate Economics at the Greater Augusta Chamber of Commerce’s June Economic Club luncheon meeting.

The convocation will introduce new faculty and department chairs as well as the administrators who have assumed new roles this year. The event also kicks off the campus campaign of the A Day for Augusta State University annual fund drive.

For more information, contact ASU’s Office of Public Relations and Publications at 706-737-1444.