Fall 2007 - Vol. 4, Issue 2

Articles for the Fall 2007 edition of The Fount are now available.
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Dean's Message

A time for change

As many of you may have heard by now I am stepping back into the faculty as of June 30, 2008. I will have a fall semester sabbatical and then return as a full-time faculty member in January. I have continued to teach one class during my time as dean and must admit that it has frequently been the sanest part of my job. I am really excited about the change. Academics positions have many benefits and the options of returning to the faculty is one of them.

I thought I would explain the search for a new dean and tell you how that process will proceed. However, what are the duties of the dean? Actually the duties of the dean vary somewhat from school to school. Currently the School of Education and the School of Business Administration do not have separate departments. On the other hand both the School of Science and Mathematics and the School of Humanities and Social Sciences have five departments and the School of Engineering has two departments. These differences explain part of the differences in duties but the similarities are greater than the differences. All of the deans are in a 12-month administrative position and report directly to the Provost. According to the faculty manual each dean assumes responsibilities in the areas of program development and assessment, external fund raising, personnel actions, student recruitment, and budget/resource management. The dean ensures that the policies of the school are followed and represents the school within the College and in external matters. The dean also supervises the department heads in those schools with department heads.

One of the duties which is specific to the schools with department heads has been building a sense of "being a school." Each of the departments has had its own identity for years prior to the establishment of schools. As a result they did not think of themselves as a team or a school. I think this process of team building has been one of the most interesting parts of the job for me but also one that has required considerable attention. I think this has been more of an issue in SHSS than in other schools.

Now, how will a new dean be recruited? A search committee has been appointed by the Provost. Each department in the school submitted the name of someone to serve on the committee - three department heads are serving and two have a faculty member serving. The Provost appointed the Dean of the School of Science and Mathematics to serve as chair - mainly because of his interest in the core curriculum which our school shares with them. One member of the School of Humanities and Social Science Board was elected by the board, one member of the staff, and a secretary for the committee were appointed by the Provost. The following are members of the committee:

Chuck Groetsch (Chair), Dean of School of Science and Mathematics
Carla DeMille (Secretary)
Conway Saylor, Psychology
Gardel Feurtado, Political Science and Criminal Justice
Jim Leonard, English
Katherine Grenier, History
Mark Del Mastro, Modern Languages
Sylvia Nesmith, Register
Terry Ahearn, School of Humanities and Social Sciences Board Member

An advertisement was placed in the "Chronicle of Higher Education" which is the major publication for such advertisements. Having a doctorate in one of the areas as well as academic and administrative experiences are major requirements of the job. It is anticipated that the committee will interview candidates during the beginning of spring semester and that an offer can be extended in the early spring.

During the interview process the candidates will meet with the search committee, the deans, the provost, other members of the administration, the foundation, and various student groups. Ratings will be obtained from all groups and all the data will be used to reach a decision. The committee will make the recommendation to the Provost.

Let's all hope it goes well.

Spotlight On

Noted Southern author and humorist joins The Citadel faculty

So what's Southern about the South?

John Shelton Reed has the answer and will share his observations, research and sense of humor with Citadel cadets this fall. Reed has been named the Mark W. Clark Visiting Professor of History at The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina.



John Shelton Reed, the Mark W. Clark Visiting Professor of History

Reed is widely recognized as the leading authority on what constitutes modern Southern identity. He will be teaching courses on that subject at The Citadel and is the lead speaker in the this fall's Fulghum Lecture Series, which is housed with the college's recently established Southern Studies Program in the Department of History.

"John Shelton Reed is the most influential living scholar of the American South," said Bo Moore, chairman of The Citadel's History Department. "His insights are matched only by his wit; and we are most honored to have him with us this semester."

Reed is Kenan Professor Emeritus of Sociology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he directed the Howard W. Odum Institute for Research in Social Science, co-founded the Center for the Study of the American South, and was founding co-editor of the journal "Southern Cultures."

He is a regular contributor to national media outlets as well as the author or editor of 12 highly influential books about the American South, including "1001 Things Everyone Should Know About the South." His numerous articles have appeared in professional and popular periodicals ranging from "Science" to the "Oxford American."

Among Reed's many academic honors are Guggenheim and Fulbright Fellowships, presidency of the Southern Sociological Association, and membership in the Fellowship of Southern Writers. He is a past member of the council of the National Endowment for the Humanities and has served as a consultant to the Turner South cable network, Quaker Grits, and "Southern Living."

Three noted authors and researchers of Southern history and culture kicked off the fall 2007 Fulghum Lecture Series at The Citadel.



The Fulghum Lecture Series is named after Colonel Leonard C. Fulghum, Jr. of Charleston, Citadel class of 1951. Colonel Fulghum is member emeritus of The Citadel Board of Visitors

The Fulghum Lecture Series was created by the Southern Studies Program within the Department of History to promote a better understanding of the American South and to help prepare students to be principled leaders in the region. The series is named after its benefactor, Colonel Leonard C. Fulghum, Jr. of Charleston, Citadel class of 1951. Colonel Fulghum is member emeritus of The Citadel Board of Visitors and president of Lenwall Enterprises, Inc. He served on The Citadel Board of Visitors from 1977 to 2002 and was board chairman from 2000 to 2002.

"Colonel Fulghum's generosity adds an exciting new dimension to the work of our Southern Studies Program," said Bo Moore, chairman of the History Department and series organizer. "This significantly expands the educational opportunities that The Citadel is able to offer to its students and to the residents of the South Carolina Lowcountry."

All of the lectures are free and open to the public. Each will begin at 6:30 p.m. in the Copeland Auditorium inside Grimsley Hall. Book signings are scheduled after each gathering.

Thursday, Sept. 13 - John Shelton Reed
Founder of the Center for the Study of the American South at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Reed will discuss "What's Southern about the South." Reed is Kenan Professor Emeritus of Sociology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he directed the Howard W. Odum Institute for Research in Social Science, co-founded the Center for the Study of the American South, and was founding co-editor of the journal "Southern Cultures." He is a regular contributor to national media outlets as well as the author or editor of 12 highly influential books about the American South, including "1001 Things Everyone Should Know about the South."

Tuesday, Oct. 9 - John T. Edge
Edge is director of the Southern Foodways Alliance at the Center for the Study of Southern Culture at the University of Mississippi. He will discuss "A Debt of Pleasure: Paying a Price for Fried Chicken." Edge is the author of the James Beard Award nominated cookbook, "A Gracious Plenty: Recipes and Recollections from the American South;" "Southern Belly: The Ultimate Food Lover's Companion to the South;" and a four-book "An American Story" series on iconic American food - fried chicken, apple pie, hamburgers and fries and donuts.

Tuesday, Oct. 30 - Josephine Humphreys
An award-winning novelist and Charleston resident Humphreys will discuss "Southern Fiction: Telling the Secrets." Humphreys is the author of "Dreams of Sleep," winner of the 1985 Ernest Hemingway Award for first fiction, "Rich in Love," which was made into a major motion picture, recipient of the 2001 Southern Book Award for fiction. Her work has also been honored with a Guggenheim Fellowship, the Lyndhurst Prize, and the American Academy of Arts and Letters Award in Literature. She lives in Charleston.

English Department

Colonel Robert A. White, Professor of English, plans to retire at the end of calendar year 2007, culminating more than three decades of outstanding accomplishment at The Citadel. After earning his B.A. from Davidson College in 1965, his M.A. from The University of Georgia in 1969, and his Ph.D. from The University of Kansas in 1975, Prof. White progressed through the ranks at The Citadel as assistant professor (1976-1981), then associate professor (1981-1987), and finally full professor (1987 to date)-functioning throughout as a role model for students and colleagues alike. Prof. White served for several years as the English Department's graduate program director, and in that capacity helped to negotiate the formation of the Joint M.A. in English with the College of Charleston. He became English Department Head in 1990 and rendered outstanding service in that capacity until 1998.

Professor White has been an innovator in teaching-for instance, pioneering the use, among The Citadel's faculty, of various forms of computer-assisted instruction. Further, he has registered outstanding accomplishments as a scholar. He co-edited (with Prof. David Allen, of The Citadel's English Department) three scholarly books-Traditions and Innovations (1990), The Work of Dissimilitude (1992), and Subjects on the World's Stage (1995); and he was co-director for the Fifth Citadel Conference on Literature (1985), the Sixth Citadel Conference on Literature (1988), and the Seventh Citadel Conference on Literature (1991)-all three focusing on literature of the English Renaissance and Middle Ages. But perhaps Prof. White's greatest contributions have been in service to the college. In addition to serving on major faculty committees, including two search committees for Vice President of Academic Affairs and Provost, he was general editor of the 1993-1994 SACS Self-Study and ten years later (2002-2004) performed massive service as Director of The Citadel's SACS Reaffirmation Office. In his even-handed, thoroughly professional dealings with students, colleagues, and others, Robert White has, throughout his career, upheld the highest traditions of The Citadel.

History Department

The Southern Studies Program launched the Fulghum Lecture Series (financed by a generous gift from Colonel Leonard C. Fulghum, Jr. (Class of 1951). With featured talks by John Shelton Reed, Professor of Sociology Emeritus at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; John T. Edge, Director of the Southern Foodways Alliance; and Josephine Humphreys, author of Rich in Love. Much more information is available at our web site located at: this link.

Professor Keith Knapp participated in an Islam in Asia Workshop in Savannah, Georgia; presented guest lectures at the U.S. Air Force Special Operations School; and delivered a paper at the annual meeting of the Southeast Medieval Association. Dr. Christopher Wright and Dr. Kurt Boughan also presented papers at the latter meeting. Professor David Preston presented a paper on colonial Indian agents at the Western Frontier Symposium in Johnstown, New York. Professor Jennifer Speelman presented a paper at the University of South Carolina's World War I Symposium conference on the southern campaigns of the American Revolution sponsored by the South Carolina Historical Society. Professor Joelle Neulander chaired a session at the annual meeting of the Western Society for French History. Professors Michael Barrett and Kyle Sinisi delivered public lectures on Ira Eaker and Omar Bradley respectively in the "Friends of the Daniel Library" series on commanders of World War II.

The recently launched study abroad programs. This past May, thirteen students (twelve undergraduates and one graduate) traveled to China to attend a Maymester course, the History and Culture of Northern China, which was designed and taught by Professor Keith N. Knapp of the History Department. After touring Beijing for two days, the group traveled by train to Taiyuan, the capital of Shanxi province, which is in central China. For the following two weeks, in the mornings, students attended lectures that were provided by Professor Knapp and six members of the Shanxi University faculty. In the afternoons, they explored the city on their own, or visited sites within or near the city, including a vinegar factory, the exquisitely beautiful Jin Shrine, and the state of the art Shanxi Provincial Museum. During the weekends, day trips were made to many of Shanxi's wonderfully preserved historical sites. We visited Pingyao, a Ming dynasty (1368-1644) walled city, the Baoguo Temple, which includes a wooden hall that is over a thousand years old, and the Yungang Grottoes in the city of Datong. These fifth through tenth century grottoes enclose massive, stone Buddhist statuary. None of the students, though, seemed to be in a hurry to sample the local delicacy of hare brain. The students particularly enjoyed our three evening sessions with a retired professor who has an excellent command of English. He candidly talked about many of the problems that China now faces. After catching an overnight train to Beijing, the students went home, but with a much keener understanding and appreciation of its history and people than when they came.

In September, the Department sent fourteen cadets to England to study for the entire semester at Royal Holloway University located in the southern suburbs of London. The program was organized and directed by Professor Neulander who accompanied the cadets to England for a week of studying historic sites in London before the beginning of the regular English semester.

A new student club, the Middle Eastern Studies Student Association (MESSA) was organized by Professor Christopher Wright. The club sponsored talks by experts on the Islamic religion and on the War in Iraq. Both drew large audiences.

Modern Languages Department

The Department of Modern Languages will become the Department of Modern Languages, Literatures and Cultures effective July 1, 2008. This change in name will serve to represent better our department's current programs.

On Monday, October 22 during evening mess, the inaugural language tables were held in Coward Hall (1700-1930) for students interested in speaking exclusively in French, German and Spanish during dinner. The language tables will continue to be offered weekly, Mondays and Thursdays, for those wishing to practice their French, German or Spanish speaking skills.

The Citadel's new Office of Fellowships, under the direction of Dr. Al Gurganus, launch of its new website. Dedicated to identifying and preparing students for national and international fellowships, this new office streamlines the application process for students.

Citadel's Tau Iota Chapter of Sigma Delta Pi, the National Collegiate Hispanic Honor Society, is proud to announce the three finalists for its third annual South Carolina Spanish Teacher of the Year award: Brenda Barron of Socastee High School in Myrtle Beach, Maelda Chalk of Hilton Preparatory School and Renee Love of Gaffney High School. The winner will be announced during a special ceremony to be held the evening of November 15 at The Citadel. Dr. Mark P. Del Mastro is Founder and Director of this awards program.

The Department is pleased to announce the founding of a new student group: the Modern Languages Student Council. Currently overseen by Dr. Cathy Jellenik, this council includes current student officers of Modern Languages' clubs and honor societies with the goal of supporting and enhancing many of our department's activities.

Sunday, September 30, 2007, Cadets Tara Woodside and Michael Kourkounakis and Dr. Jack Porter of the Department of Political Science and Criminal Justice were inducted into Delta Phi Alpha, the National German Honor Society. The ceremony was followed by the German Section's annual fall "Grillfest."

Matthew Lange (B.A., German, 1994) is the proud author of the book Antisemitic Elements in the Critique of Capitalism in German Culture, 1850-1933 published in 2007 with Peter Lang Publishing Group. Dr. Lange is currently an Assistant Professor of German at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater

Cadet Jonathan Rodriguez (Spanish major) has been awarded the 2007 Hispanoamerican Society scholarship.

On August 4, 2007, The Citadel's Tau Iota Chapter of Sigma Delta Pi was one of only 13 chapters nationwide to be selected as an "Honor Chapter" by the National Executive Committee. This is the 15th consecutive year that The Citadel's group has earned this distinction; there are 546 total chapters in the U.S. Tau Iota was also one of only 8 chapters to receive the prestigious Octavio Paz Award for maintaining Honor Chapter status for a complete triennium (2004-07). Cadets Brian Corbett, Jared Newman and Andrew Green served as the chapter's President, Vice-President and Secretary respectively during the 2006-07 academic year. Cadets Valentin Boza, Jonathan Rodriguez and James Chamberlain were elected to serve as the new President, Vice-President and Secretary respectively for the 2007-08 academic year. Dr. Del Mastro founded Tau Iota in January 1993, and he still serves as Chapter Adviser along with Dr. Zane U. Segle.

Dr. Zane U. Segle presented his study "Frolicking Through the Grenadine Imagination: Pérez de Hita's Rhetoric of Festivity and the Renegotiation of the Westernized Moor in the Guerras Civiles de Granada" at the 33rd Annual Hispanic Literatures Conference at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, 19-20 October 2007.

Dr. Eloy Urroz has accepted an invitation from the University of North Carolina-Wilmington to address students and faculty on his recent novels. Professor Urroz is scheduled to speak in early April.

Dr. Cathy Jellenik's article "Soudain une vallée: de l'homme bourreau à l'homme sauveur dans L'Evénement et L'Usage de la parole" will be published in the fall of 2008 by the Université York in Canada.

Dr. Guy Toubiana's encyclopedic entries on Barras, Fouquier-Tinville, Theroigne de Mericourt and Tallien were published in the fall 2007 by Greenwood Press in the two-volume Encyclopedia of the Age of Political Revolutions and New Ideologies 1760-1815 directed by Gregory Fremont-Barnes.

Professor Urroz's book Êthos, forma, deseo entre España y México was published in September 2007 by the University of the Americas Puebla.

Dr. Katya Skow's article "Die Zuckerbäckerin, Die Glasbläserin, Die Totenwäscherin: Nineteenth-Century Women in Contemporary German Historical Fiction" has been published in the spring 2007 issue of the South Carolina Modern Languages Review.

Professor Cathy Jellenik's book Rewriting, Rewriting: Marguerite Duras, Annie Ernaux, and Marie Redonnet was released in August 2007 by Peter Lang Publishing.

Mrs. Yan Cao has joined the department to teach Elementary Chinese I and II (101 and 102) in the fall semester and the newly adopted, Intermediate Chinese I and II (201 and 202) in the spring 2008 term. Day students may now take Chinese at The Citadel to satisfy their core curriculum foreign language requirements.

Dr. Del Mastro conducted the annual Sigma Delta Pi Executive Committee Meeting in San Diego, CA on August 2-4, 2007 and Sigma Delta Pi's national Triennial Convention on August 4 where he was appointed Executive Secretary-Treasurer for a 5th consecutive term (2007-10).

Political Science & Criminal Justice Department

The Department of Political Science and Criminal Justice is currently well along in planning for the Sixteenth Citadel Symposium on Southern Politics to be held on campus in March. Begun in 1978 and held every two years since, the Symposium marks its thirtieth anniversary with the 2008 event. Nationally recognized as the nation's leading conference on regional politics, the Symposium regularly attracts 70-90 leading scholars who present and discuss their research on southern politics. Panels have dealt with a wide range of topics including race and southern politics, electoral patterns in the South, southern party development, and southern political culture, to mention a few.

In celebration of its thirtieth anniversary, the 2008 Symposium will feature a roundtable presentation by Earl and Merle Black (endowed professors of political science at Rice University and Emory University respectively), widely regarded as among the top southern politics scholars in the nation. Additionally, Harold Stanley, a preeminent scholar from Southern Methodist University, will present the luncheon address. According to Symposium co-directors DuBose Kapeluck, Laurence W. Moreland, and Robert P. Steed (all professors of political science at The Citadel), the 2008 program will also include approximately 15 other panels of scholarly presentation, all of which are open to students and the public at no charge.

Psychology Department

Steve Nida, Professor of Psychology, attended the annual meeting of the Association of Heads of Departments of Psychology in Atlanta in November. There he delivered a presentation dealing with "what he had learned during his first five years heading The Citadel's Psychology Department."

The Clinical Counseling Masters Program in Psychology hosted its fall Field Placement Site Expo in October. Representatives from six sites where our graduate students receive clinical training were available to answer questions, and approximately 20 students attended.

Graduate students Hallie Clark and Faraday Davies accompanied Dr. Johnson, Clinical Counseling Program Director and Professor of Psychology, to the annual meeting of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies in Philadelphia in mid-November. This meeting was the most extensive presentation of empirically-supported psychotherapies in the world. Dr. Johnson attend a workshop on treating combat-related stress in soldiers deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The South Carolina Psychological Association and The Citadel Chapter of PSI CHI (The National Honor Society in Psychology) co-sponsored the SCPA "Academic Day" at The Citadel Mark Clark Buyer Auditorium on October 9, 2007. The event brought nearly 200 students and faculty from 12 SC colleges and universities to The Citadel campus for workshops, speakers, graduate school displays, a Psychology trivia bowl, and keynote speaker Russell Barkley, an internationally acclaimed ADHD researcher. Our cadet Psychology Bowl team members distinguished themselves and the Psychology program by taking second place in the 10-team competition. SHSS support of this event was acknowledged and greatly appreciated.

Dr. Timothy Hanchon, Assistant Professor of Psychology, presented research at the American Psychological Association's 2007 National Convention in San Francisco in August. The title of his paper was "The Relations among Perfectionism, Achievement Motivation, and Psychological Adjustment."

The Psychology Department continued its active involvement in community service this fall. The Halloween Buddy Dance on October 29th was the largest on record, bringing more than 200 adults with disabilities to the Alumni Center for an energetic evening of dancing and refreshments. Nearly 100 cadets and graduate student volunteers insured that our visitors would have a safe and happy night. The next morning a dozen cadet and graduate student volunteers again combined their energies to prepare and serve lunch at the Crisis Ministries shelter for homeless men, women, and children. The next service event will be the collection of hats, gloves, socks, and toiletries for Crisis Ministries. Donations can be placed under the department Christmas tree between November 28th and December 10th.

On November 29, Dr. Kipling Williams, Professor of Psychology at Purdue University, presented the Psychology Department's annual Leverett Lecture, titled "Ostracism." This event honors the late Dr. Pat Leverett, who was a faculty member in the department from 1995 until his death in 2005.

The other assisting cadets were John Mallory, Wilma Harp, Rose Ulch, Jonathan Shegog and Colette Baumle. Professors and graduate students presenting research were Dr. DeRoma, Dr. Nida, Cynthia Gerard, Cathy Goyeneche, Danielle Saia, Sara Stouffer, Michelle Turner, Allison Tebbe, and Safiyyah Wright.

Their research mentor, Dr. Conway Saylor, was particularly gratified to see these students recognized as they have been exceptionally committed to the research process for the last year. Both spent their spring break last year interviewing public school students for a "Heroes and Bullies" research study that was the first step of their research journey. They have completely taken responsibility for their own studies and have even assisted/mentored other cadets who were beginning the research process.

Many thanks to The Citadel Foundation and the Dean of Humanities and Social Sciences, who made this research and travel possible. In addition, we recognize the role that the Arland D. Williams endowed professorship in Heroism played in Caleb and I both exploring an interesting and fruitful area of heroism research.

This year a record number of students presented research at the annual South Carolina Psychological Association (SCPA) in Myrtle Beach. Graduate students presenting original research include Whitney Bryant, Natalie Bushkar, Kate Bushnell, Natalia Davila, Graham Elmore, Joey McGuinness, Cristin Uricchio, and Shanti Whitsell. Undergraduate students include Billy Calvo, Caleb Dispenza, Brandon Jordon, Nick Mengis, Ana Miranda, Catie Park, Ben Pettis, and Stephen Spencer.

The following students won awards at the South Carolina Psychological Association Convention in Myrtle Beach at the end of March.

Graduate student Michael Flash (sponsors, Drs. Maya Khanna and Michael Politano) won first place for his poster entitled "Contextual Information Processing and Children: Which Factors Best Predict Their Ability to Use Context in Elementary School?"
Graduate student Graham Elmore, (sponsored by Dr. Conway Saylor), won second place for his poster entitled "Physically Active Recreation in Youth with Disabilities and Their Peers".

Undergraduate student Ben Pettis (sponsored by Dr. Conway Saylor) won first place for his poster entitled "Bullying in the Internet Generation: Exploration of 'Cyberbullying' in Middle School Students".

The South Carolina Psychological Association presented to Dr. Conway Saylor the 2007 "Outstanding Lifetime Contribution to Psychology" award.

Also, Dr. Lloyd (Chip) Taylor was installed as the 2007 - 2008 President of the S. C. Psychological Association.

Another group of Psychology students are presenting research at the annual National Association of School Psychologist (NASP) Convention in NYC on March 27 - 31. The professors and graduate students presenting research at this event are Dr. Allen, Dr. Politano, Taylor Davis, Audrey Dooley, Danielle Saia and Meg Williams.