Purdue Notebook

April 29, 2005

Appointments and promotions

– Tom Recker has been appointed director of development for the College of Liberal Arts. He recently served as director of development for the School of Industrial Engineering.

–Doug Mayo has been named director of advancement and corporate relations for the College of Agriculture. He previously was director of development, corporate relations, for the College of Agriculture.

–Lila White has been promoted to the position of administrative assistant for corporate relations, where she previously served as a secretary.

– Cathleen (Ruloff) Walters has been named Purdue's regional director of development for Chicago. She previously worked on Phase I of the Visual and Performing Arts fund-raising campaign.

– Lora Adams has been appointed director of development for the College of Consumer and Family Sciences. She previously served as a development officer for the Krannert School of Management, working on the Business Opportunity Program and scholarship endowments.

Faculty and staff honors

– The U.S. consul general has selected Antonio Tillis, assistant professor of African American studies and foreign languages and literatures, to speak in May at the State University of Rio de Janeiro, Faculdades Saberers in Vitoria, and at the consulate. Tillis specializes in literature by Africa-descended authors in South America, including Afro-Colombian writer Manuel Zapata Olivella.

– Judson Jeffries, associate professor of political science, was selected to participate in the Institute on Weapons of Mass Destruction and Nonproliferation this summer at Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Va. The institute is designed to help instructors prepare or update course material related to weapons of mass destruction and nonproliferation.

– Mark Balschweid, associate professor of 4-H youth and agricultural education, has been awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to further his studies and research in the area of life science education. The Fulbright program, created by the U.S. Congress in 1946, is designed to increase the mutual understanding among the people of the United States and other countries through the exchange of people, knowledge and skills. Balschweid's award will provide him the opportunity to work with colleagues in Jamaica during the fall of 2005 and spring of 2006.

– Dana Werner, director of recruitment services for the Graduate School, was given an award for promotional excellence from the National Association of Graduate Admissions Professionals. The recognition was for an extensive e-mail marketing campaign to undergraduate juniors and seniors who are prospective graduate students. Werner and her staff received $1,000 to use for future marketing efforts and will be given the opportunity to make a presentation about the campaign at next year's conference. The award was announced in April at the group's 18th annual conference in Chicago. NAGAP is a professional organization devoted to the concerns of individuals working in graduate admissions and recruitment.

— Miroslaw J. Skibniewski, a professor of civil engineering, received the title of honorary professor from the Rector of Warsaw University of Technology for his long-term contributions to international collaboration and scholarly exchanges in the fields of construction engineering and management.

Student honors

– Sybil Sharvelle, a School of Civil Engineering doctoral candidate, has been awarded the American Association of University Women Dissertation Fellowship. The award recognizes those who have excelled in scholarly excellence, teaching experience and helping women and girls through service in their communities, professions or fields of research.

– Joshua Alexander has been named the outstanding senior in hospitality and tourism management. Alexander has been a member of HTM Society and assisted with the Boilermaker Black Tie Dinner for two years, has served as a College of Consumer and Family Sciences Ambassador for three years, and served on the college's student council for two years. He is a resident assistant at Wiley Hall and participated as an attendee of the Emily Mauzy Vogel Sophomore Leadership Development Conference in 2002 and was a conference leader in 2003. He won the Tip of the Cap Award in 2004, given by Mortar Board to the "unsung heroes" in the student body. Alexander also has served as a student representative on the Hospitality and Tourism Management Curriculum Committee and assisted in recruiting new students to the department.

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

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