ALUMNI NEWS Fall 2012 - Southeastern Louisiana University

FACULTY/STAFF NEWS
COWSER CITED BY CITYBUSINESS
AS ONE OF WOMEN OF THE YEAR
Erin Cowser, Southeastern
executive director of
public and governmental
affairs, was named one of
New Orleans CityBusiness’
Women of the Year.
Cowser is a recipient of
the Hammond Chamber of Commerce’s
2011 Chairman’s Award and the 2009 Community
Service Award. Named a member of
the “Northshore’s Finest,” she is a recipient
of the Edwin Crawford National Award for
Leadership in State Relations and Institutional
Advocacy.
ENNIS ELECTED PRESIDENT
OF REGIONAL EDUCATION GROUP
aspects of the history and cultures of the
Gulf South and the Caribbean Basin. GSHA
is a consortium of universities and historical
organizations and agencies in the Gulf South
and Latin America.
CHEMISTRY PROFESSOR RECEIVES
PHI KAPPA PHI LITERACY GRANT
Linda Munchausen, professor
of chemistry, has been
awarded a Phi Kappa Phi
Literacy Grant.
One of 14 recipients
nationwide to receive the
award, Munchausen is
president of the Southeastern chapter of Phi
Kappa Phi.
As part of the grant, the Phi Kappa Phi
chapter at Southeastern has partnered with
the Kiwanis Club of Hammond and the Zeta
Kappa chapter of Kappa Delta Pi, an education
honor society, to provide “Blessings in
a Backpack” to students at Woodland Park
Elementary Magnet School.
The “Blessings in a Backpack” program is a
national movement that provides snacks and
reading material to low-income children.
“Poverty affects a child’s physical, social
and academic well-being,” said Munchausen.
“When children, especially young children,
experience poverty, they are at great
risk for difficulties throughout life.”
Currently, the Southeastern collaboration
of “Blessings in a Backpack” provides 80
at-risk students at Woodland Park Elementary
Magnet School with backpacks filled with
healthy snacks and meals each weekend.
Willie Ennis III, associate
professor of educational
technology leadership, has
been elected president
of the Southern Regional
Council on Educational
Administration.
Ennis is a specialist in educational technology
and mass communication. His research
interests include technology integration,
multimedia production and design and
computer lab development and design.
Michael D. Richardson,
professor and head of the
Department of Educational
Leadership and Technology,
was recognized at the
same meeting for service
to the organization. He
received the Jack Greer Lifetime Achievement
Award for his long time contributions
to SRCEA, including serving as president and
conference program director.
HYDE ELECTED PRESIDENT
OF HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION
Professor of History Samuel
C. Hyde has been elected
president of the Gulf South
Historical Association.
Southeastern’s Leon Ford
Endowed Chair in Regional
Studies and director of the
university’s Center for Southeast Louisiana
Studies, Hyde was elected at the recent Gulf
South History and Humanities Conference
held in Pensacola, Fla.
The conference is an annual event
sponsored by the GSHA and explores all
Southeastern Channel honored with Emmy
Manager Rick Settoon, right, and Operations Manager Steve Zaffuto display
the regional Emmy Award won by the Southeastern Channel.
Southeastern’s educational
access television station has
been recognized with another
regional Emmy Award.
A promotional spot for the
Southeastern Channel-produced
“Strength, Endurance, Tradition”
image campaign won the
prestigious award in the “Commercial”
category. Channel Operations
Manager Steve Zaffuto
produced, directed, videotaped
and edited the commercial.
The National Academy of
Television Arts and Sciences
made the award after reviewing
nominations from entries submitted
by television stations and production companies in the Suncoast Region, which includes
Louisiana, Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi and Puerto Rico.
The Southeastern Channel has now won eight Emmys and received 31 Emmy nominations for
both professional and student productions in its 10-year history and is the only college television
station in Louisiana to have won the award.
“The Emmy is the most prestigious and sought-after award in television; it means your're producing
at the highest level,” said Rick Settoon, general manager. “It's a terrific honor to again
receive such unique acclaim for a university television station among large commercial and
public stations and production companies.”
The spot promotes academic areas, such as physics, education, communication, nursing, digital
arts and theater. Elements of the commercial include faculty and student interviews, along
with footage used in the recruiting video “Strength, Endurance, Tradition.”
“Some spots, such as the one promoting the nursing program, utilize footage from actual
hands-on classroom situations,” Zaffuto said. “When promoting artistic achievements, I thought
it important to show material actually produced by the students themselves.”
The Southeastern Channel has won more than 150 national and international awards in the
last 10 years. It’s been named “Best College Television Station in the South,” and its student
programs have been selected as among the top three in the nation.
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