In the Spotlight: March 11, 2016

Kudos to these faculty, staff and students

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  • Viola Winner Aphasia Jane Armstrong, professor of English, and Christopher Taylor, School of Art educator, received a 2016 Viola Award for Excellence in Storytelling. Their winning work “Aphasia: Neurological Disorder in Text and Image” pairs Armstrong’s short essays about her experience suffering from the neurological disorder aphasia with Taylor’s paintings in response to Armstrong’s words. The multi-media exhibition is currently on display on the second floor of Riles through April 29.
  • Northern Arizona University’s School of Hotel and Restaurant Management was named among the top 50 Hospitality and Hotel Management Schools in the World by CEOWORLD. The rankings were based on a survey of 18,000 hospitality recruiters and senior managers of luxury hotels around the world.
  • Allen Z. Reich and Galen R. Collins of NAU’s School of Hotel and Restaurant Management co-authored an article with Agnes L. DeFranco of the University of Houston titled “Is the road to effective assessment of learning outcomes paved with good intentions? Understanding the roadblocks to improving hospitality education.” The article will appear in the upcoming issue of the Journal of Hospitality, Leisure, Sport & Tourism Education. It reviews the challenges to implementing an effective assessment of learning outcomes process and offers solutions that can help hospitality programs and faculty fulfill their responsibilities to students. The authors cite NAU’s assertive and well-organized efforts in this area.
  • Millipede
    Moss gardens in a New Mexico cave where a millipede was discovered. Photo courtesy of Jut Wynne.

    Jut Wynne, of NAU’s Merriam-Powell Center for Environmental Research, published an article in Zootaxa describing a new millipede species discovered in western New Mexico. The arthropod was named austrotyla awishoshola, a phrase of the Zuni language spoken by indigenous people of the region. The millipede, believed to be a relict of the Pleistocene era, was discovered in a moss-covered cave in El Malpais National Monument.

  • For the third consecutive year, Northern Arizona University has been recognized with a Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting for its 2015 comprehensive annual financial report. Awarded by the Government Finance Officers Association, the certificate recognizes reports that “go beyond the minimum requirements of generally accepted accounting principles to prepare comprehensive annual financial reports that evidence the spirit of transparency and full disclosure and then to recognize those that succeed in achieving that goal.” The program’s goal is to assess the financial health of participating governments and ensure that users of their financial statements have the information they need to do so themselves. Tammy Laird, Anton Ciochetti, Brent Helsel, Marty Glassburn and Francine Dalgai of the Comptroller’s Office all contributed to the report.
  • Partner university faculty and staffIn February, Eric Deschamps, director of Education Abroad, and Ron Gray, assistant professor at the Center for Science Teaching & Learning, hosted a delegation from the Korea National University of Education. While in Flagstaff, the group took classes on pedagogy and education at NAU and visited local schools including Sinagua Middle School and Coconino High School. NAU is currently in the process of finalizing a dual-degree program in biology education with KNUE, and is working toward expanding the program to other disciplines.
  • HofstetterRich Hofstetter, professor in the School of Forestry, competed this past weekend at the USA Masters Indoor Track and Field Championships in Albuquerque, N.M., placing sixth in the 60-meter and eighth in the 200-meter events.
  • Scott Shumaker, master’s student in the English Literature program, had an essay titled “The House of Mirth and the Desert of the Real: Edith Wharton and Hyperreality” published in the peer-reviewed scholarly journal, The Explicator.
  • AxecidentalsThe NAU Axecidentals, an all-female a cappella group, won first place in the Southwest Quarterfinal of the International Competition for Collegiate A Cappella held Feb. 27 in Tempe, Ariz. Unaccompanied, NAU’s seven-voice, co-ed ensemble, took second place in the competition. Both groups will advance to the ICCA Southwest semifinal April 3 at UCLA.