In the Spotlight: May 31, 2019

Kudos to these faculty, staff and programs

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  • Northern Arizona University’s Campus Health Services achieved national accreditation in May. This achievement from the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC) lasts for three years and recognizes NAU’s high quality of care for students, faculty and staff. The accreditation process required NAU to undergo an extensive self-assessment and onsite survey by AAAHC surveyors.
  • Kathleen Schmand, the development director at Cline Library, won an award from the American Library Association for a calendar she created that highlights images from the Special Collections and Archives. She was selected from more than 440 entries in print and electronic formats from more than 100 institutions.
  • MPH Online ranked NAU’s master’s of public health degree program first in the state and No. 22 on its list of best programs. NAU is the only Arizona school on the list and was selected based on reputation, salary potential for graduates and tuition costs.
  • RNCareers.org has Northern Arizona University as among the best nursing schools in the nation and the third best in the state with a grade of 89.03 percent. The ranking was based on NCLEX-RN passing rates for the last three years.
  • BestColleges listed Northern Arizona University as one of the best online colleges of 2019. NAU was one of 50 schools selected out of more than 2,100 accredited nonprofit colleges and universities that offer online degrees. Universities were selected based on academics and learner support, affordability and online programming.
  • Northern Arizona University ranked in three best for veterans categories, according to College Factual’s latest rankings. NAU is No. 1 in Arizona and No. 52 nationwide for best teacher education subject specific programs, the second year in a row for this recognition; No. 20 on the best liberal arts general studies colleges, up five spots from last year; and No. 80 for best general biology programs, up two spots from last year. The rankings are based on affordability, veteran population, policies, resources and satisfaction and overall college quality.
  • Timothy Behrens, chair of the Department of Health Sciences, and doctoral student Whitney Holeva-Eklund authored a paper published this week in the Journal of School Health. “An Evaluation of an Unstructured and Structured Approach to Increasing Recess Physical Activity” looked at various factors in getting elementary school children active during school recess.
  • Professor Nicole Walker’s latest book, “Sustainability: A Love Story,” won a Nautilus Award in Lyric Prose and an Independent Press Distinguished favorite in the Environmental category. The Nautilus Awards represent Better Books for a Better World;  the program seeks out, recognizes, honors, celebrates and promotes print books that inspire and connect our lives as individuals, communities and global citizens. The Independent Press Awards provide acclaim and exposure to books published by independent publishers.
  • Matt A. Casado, professor emeritus in The W.A. Franke College of Business, has had the book “El Sudeste Hispano: Historia de Florida y Luisiana” published. Written in Spanish, “El Sudeste Hispano” describes the historical events that took place in Florida and Louisiana from the discovery of the territory by Ponce de Leon in 1503 to its annexation by the United States in 1821.
  • Kelly Roberts, Darold Joseph and Arden Day, researchers at the Institute for Human Development, presented “Evaluators as Story Tellers: Examples of Navigating the Complexities of Program Evaluation with Indigenous Populations” at the 5th International Conference for Culturally Responsive Evaluation and Assessment earlier this year. Their panel discussion, which IHD research director Ronda Jenson moderated, focused on the importance of cultural responsiveness to ensure effective collaboration with American Indians, Alaska Natives and Pacific Islanders.
  • Former head athletic trainer Michael Nesbitt was selected for the 2019 Arizona Sports Hall of Fame Induction Class, the first Lumberjack to receive the honor. He worked at NAU for 36 years and remains an active part of NAU Athletics, including volunteering during football season. He was inducted into the NAU Athletics Hall of Fame in 1992.
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