seal  Purdue News
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November 7, 2003

Appointments and promotions

– Margie Berns, professor of English as a second language, has been appointed coordinating editor of the second edition of the "Encyclopedia of Language and Linguistics" and section editor for the Applied Linguistics section. She also has been appointed chief editor of New Practical English, a textbook series for higher education in China, written under the All China Committee on English Teaching Reform. (APN)

–Timothy J. Owens, associate professor of sociology, was appointed deputy editor of Social Psychology Quarterly and serves on the editorial board of Self and Identity. (APN)

– Gerald C. Hyner, professor of health in the Department of Health and Kinesiology, was elected to the board of directors of the International Health Evaluation & Promotion Association. (APN)

– Regina Galer-Unti, professor of health in the Department of Health and Kinesiology, was elected a trustee-at-large of the Society for Public Health Education. (APN)

Campus activities

– The Purdue chapter of Gamma Phi Beta Sorority raised $1,150 for Camp Fire USA during the organization's international campaign. The Purdue chapter was one of three college chapters recognized. Gamma Phi Beta International Sorority raised $28,510 for Camp Fire USA during the 2002-03 academic year through local and national efforts, surpassing the goal of $25,000. About 114 girls received camp scholarships this year. Chapters with the largest contributions were Bradley University, $2,400; University of California- Santa Barbara, $1,500; and Purdue University. RW

–The Black Cultural Center's creative writing ensemble, the Haraka Writers, will conduct a workshop on Saturday (11/8) for middle and high school students who are participating in the University of Chicago Office of Special Programs' creative writing workshop. The Haraka Writers, led by Zada Johnson, BCC artist-in-residence, will hold the workshop at Cobb Hall on the University of Chicago campus. Following the workshop, participants and Chicago area writers will share their original works at a public poetry reception. RW

Faculty and staff honors

– John F. Van Vleet, associate dean for academic affairs and professor in the Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, earned the 2003 Veterinary Medicine Alumni Faculty Award for Excellence. He was recognized for his dedication and achievements in research, professional and graduate education, and administrative leadership of the School of Veterinary Medicine. The Alumni Faculty Award for Excellence was established in 1982 to recognize academic excellence and scholarship by the school's faculty.

– The Mid America CropLife Association named Ron Turco Indiana's Water Guardian Award winner. Turco, director of Purdue's Water Quality Research Lab, was honored for his work with the lab and the Environmental Sciences and Engineering Institute at the Indiana Plant Food & Agricultural Chemicals Association's summer outing in Carmel, Ind. Nominations are based on promoting a positive image of agriculture; involvement as a community leader, youth group, government, or environmental action industry; promotion of compliance with federal, state and local regulations; relation to crop production; demonstration of pollution preventative measures; and promotion of water quality stewardship for the community and the crop protection industry. Turco was appointed to the association's board of directors for three years and has made numerous presentations to members on pesticides and water quality stewardship.

Alumni honors

– The School of Veterinary Medicine conferred its most distinguished award for alumni on two graduates this fall. Dennis B. DeNicola and Allen R. Lueking were recognized at the School's annual Fall Conference Banquet on Sept. 24. DeNicola was honored for his contributions to veterinary clinical pathology, veterinary professional and postgraduate education, and to his community. After receiving his DVM from Purdue, he remained here to obtain a doctorate in pathology in 1981, after which he joined the Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, becoming a full professor in 1996. DeNicola left Purdue in 2002 for IDEXX Laboratories in Portland, Maine and North Grafton, Mass., where he is currently a clinical pathologist and chief veterinary educator. Lueking was honored for his contributions to private practice, organized veterinary medicine, and his local community. Along with operating his mixed animal practice in Sullivan, Ind., he has served in numerous leadership positions and committees in the IVMA and has served on the Indiana Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners. The Distinguished Alumnus Award was established in 1978 by the class of 1967 in honor and remembrance of a deceased classmate, David Mullis, who was the first recipient.

–Banta Corp. of Menasha, Wis., appointed Purdue alumnus Geoffrey J. Hibner, as the company's chief financial officer. Hibner, 53, was most recently with Bridge Associates LLC, a New York City-based management consulting firm. Prior to joining Bridge, Hibner was with The Timberland Company, Stratham, N.H. He earned an MBA from Harvard University and a bachelor's degree in economics Purdue.