Cornel West to speak at Georgia Southern Jan. 22

Cornel West, one of America’s best-known scholars and public intellectuals, will speak at Georgia Southern University Tuesday, Jan. 22, as part of the University’s 2008 Martin Luther King, Jr. Observance Day Program. His presentation will take place at 7 p.m. at the Performing Arts Center, corner of Chandler Road and Plant Drive. Admission is free of charge.

West, who is the Class of 1943 University Professor in the Center for African American Studies at Princeton University, has been a champion for racial justice since childhood. His writing, speaking, and teaching weave together the traditions of the black Baptist Church, progressive politics, and jazz. The New York Times has praised his ‘ferocious moral vision.”

West burst onto the national scene in 1993 with his bestselling book, ‘Race Matters,” a searing analysis of racism in American democracy. ‘Race Matters” has become a contemporary classic, selling nearly a half-million copies to date. In addition, West has written 16 other books and edited 13 texts.

His most recent book, ‘Democracy Matters: Winning the Fight against Imperialism,” was published in 2004. The recipient of more than 20 honorary degrees and a National Book Award, West is a longtime member of the Democratic Socialists of America, for which he now serves as one of several honorary chairs.

West was an influential force in developing the storyline for the popular Matrix movie trilogy and has served as its official spokesperson. He played a recurring role in the final two films.

West’s appearance at Georgia Southern is sponsored by the Office of the Vice President of Student Affairs and Enrollment Management and the Multicultural Student Center. For more information, call 912-681-5409.

Last updated: 2/2/2018

Willingway Foundation and Georgia Southern University partner to create addiction recovery center

The Willingway Foundation and Georgia Southern University are teaming up to better the future of current and potential college students who are battling the diseases of alcoholism and drug addiction.

The Willingway Foundation, the non-profit affiliate of Willingway Hospital, has donated an initial gift of $25,000 per year for three years as start-up funding to develop The Center for Addiction Recovery on the Georgia Southern University campus. The new center, housed within The Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public Health (JPHCOPH), will primarily serve as the hub for a collegiate recovery community. This will provide students recovering from alcohol, drug, and related addictions the opportunity to take advantage of the full collegiate experience while minimizing the risk of relapse. Additionally, the center will work to develop student and faculty research and educational resources as well as community-wide outreach partnerships.

Willingway Hospital and Georgia Southern share similar histories. Both rooted in the same small Southern city, each has grown up to achieve nationally recognized excellence in their respective fields. Many Willingway employees were educated at Georgia Southern University, but, more importantly, the University plays a significant role in the long-term recovery of many of Willingway’s alumni.

‘Many of the patients treated at Willingway Hospital choose to remain in Statesboro, and many of those people end up pursuing higher education,” said Robert W. Mooney, M.D., medical director of the hospital and a board member of the Willingway Foundation. ‘With this gift, the Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public Health can take steps to develop a cutting-edge program that will support those in addiction recovery in the Georgia Southern community.”

Jimmy Mooney, C. E. O. of Willingway Hospital and a board member of Willingway Foundation has been pleasantly surprised at the support the Center for Addiction Recovery has received so far. ‘I’ve been amazed at the enthusiasm the faculty and administration at Georgia Southern have shown for this center,” he said. ‘To me, this demonstrates their commitment to provide a safe, nurturing environment for recovering students. It’s a great honor to be able to partner with Georgia Southern in a way that will have such a positive impact on both the students and the Statesboro  Bulloch County community.”

The Center for Addiction Recovery in the JPHCOPH will emulate a successful federally funded program currently in place at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas. Texas Tech has developed a program model that other colleges and universities can implement and design to fit their particular campus culture.

The Texas Tech curriculum, which can be implemented through academic programs, student services or student health services, will encourage the new center at Georgia Southern to serve as a hub for recovery in the Statesboro area and to partner with many different areas of learning on campus.

‘The Center for the Study of Addiction and Recovery at Texas Tech serves 70 students each semester,” said Charles Hardy, dean of the Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public Health. ‘Students in the center are more likely to graduate, they carry a higher GPA, and have an overall seven percent relapse rate. This is definitely a good program model to implement at Georgia Southern.”

– See more at: https://www.georgiasouthern.edu/news/pressrelease.php?id=936#sthash.iLV0SnNx.dpuf

Last updated: 2/2/2018

Georgia Southern University professor says: Time to start thinking about filing your 2007 taxes

As 2007 draws to a close, Americans will soon face their annual nemesis: filing their income tax return with the Internal Revenue Service.

‘It’s not too early to start thinking about the process,” says Jill Lockwood, professor of accounting at Georgia Southern University. ‘If you’ve got the documents you need and know what’s new this year, it’s easier to get started.”

Lockwood, who teaches tax law at the undergraduate and graduate levels in the University’s College of Business Administration, offers several tips to help make filing easier:

• You’ll be receiving important tax documents such as W-2 forms, dividend and interest statements, and mortgage interest statements in January. Keep a box close to the place where you open your mail, and put each tax document there as you receive it. When you start your tax forms, the information you need will be in one place.
• The personal exemption for 2007 is $3,400 per dependent.
• The standard deductions for 2007 are:
• Single:? $5,350
• Married filing joint return:? $10,700
• Married filing separate return:? $5,350
• Head of household: $7,850
• Surviving spouse $10,700
• You may be entitled to a $4,000 tuition deduction for tuition paid for post-secondary education that was not covered by HOPE or other scholarship money.
• The 2007 mileage rate for the business use of a car is 48.5 cents per mile.
• All contributions, no matter how small, must be substantiated by a cancelled check or a receipt from the charity.
• All single contributions of $250 or more must be substantiated by a letter from the charity. Your cancelled check will not be enough.
• If you own stock and asked the company to use your dividends to purchase more stock, the cash would have received still must be reported as dividend income.
• If you changed jobs and want to move your 401(k) to an IRA, ask the bank or brokerage firm holding the IRA to send a form to your former employer requesting a ‘trustee to trustee” transfer. If you do, the transfer will not be taxed to you as a taxable distribution.
• If you sold stocks or bonds this year, you will need to know what you paid for the stocks or bonds that were sold. Don’t wait until the last minute to look for this information.

‘Prepare in advance, get your information together,” says Lockwood. ‘Then relax and enjoy the new year.”

Last updated: 2/2/2018

Music professor strengthens Georgia Southern’s international links

Professor Michael Braz has provided a vital part of Georgia Southern University’s music curriculum for 20 years. For year 21 he decided to try a change of scenery, and so far, he reports, it’s been great. He spent the fall semester teaching a variety of music classes at one of Georgia Southern University’s partner schools, St. Benedict’s Catholic School and Performing Arts College in Derby, England.

‘I met students from St. Benedict’s when they came to the U.S. last summer, and I was very impressed, so it was an easy decision to choose the school for the first part of my sabbatical year,” said Braz.

‘Braz spent three months at St. Benedict’s, a school that emphasizes the performing arts across the curriculum, but especially in the sixth form, which is similar to America’s high school. In addition work in the classroom and occasional recital and concert performances, Braz worked with Marion Chester, musical director for St. Benedict’s, to produce the school’s annual show, ‘Dracula Spectacula,” a musical take-off on the legend of the infamous vampire.

‘The show had music written just for piano, but we wanted to use an orchestra,” said Braz. ‘So I wrote the orchestral parts and played piano for the show, which involved 150 students.”

While he was there, two students from Georgia Southern University visited St. Benedict’s as part of the College Education’s International Studies opportunity. Braz served as the Georgia Southern supervisor and mentor for student teachers Megan McMahon and Katie Jones. Through its College of Education, Georgia Southern is part of the International Learning Community and has developed a partnership with St. Benedict’s School.

‘The people at St. Benedict’s made sure my time was filled,” said Braz. He visited Scotland, London, and many sites near Derby. He even took part in an evening of music at a local pub, joining a local group named ‘Please Yourself” for a half-dozen tunes.

‘The people at St. Benedict’s in Derby couldn’t have been nicer to me,” said Braz, who will continue his sabbatical by traveling to Nepal, where he will spend the next six weeks months teaching piano to young people there.

To hear a BBC Radio Derby interview with Dr. Braz, go to http://www.georgiasouthern.edu/strategic/index.php?s=73

Last updated: 2/2/2018

University offices will close for holidays

Georgia Southern University’s administrative and business offices will be closed for the holidays from Monday, Dec. 24, through Friday, Dec. 28.

The offices will re-open on Monday, Dec. 31, and then close again for New Year’s Day on Tuesday, Jan. 1.

The offices will resume their regular schedules on Wednesday, Jan. 2.

Georgia Southern University, a Carnegie Doctoral/Research University, offers more than 120 degree programs serving nearly 17,000 students. Through eight colleges, the University offers bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs built on more than a century of academic achievement. The University, one of Georgia’s largest, is a top choice of Georgia’s HOPE scholars and is recognized for its student-centered approach to education. Visit: www.georgiasouthern.edu .

Last updated: 2/2/2018

Tax Research class attends U.S. Supreme Court hearing

Georgia Southern University� students in the College of Business Administration’s tax research class recently attended oral arguments for a tax case at the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C. Cheryl Metrejean, assistant professor of accounting, and Jill Lockwood, professor of accounting, accompanied the group and provided instruction.

Students who participated”all accounting majors”included Marqukia Barnes of Sandersville, Diane Roberts of Statesboro, and Warren (Trae) Marchant of Tifton.

The group heard arguments in Knight v. Commissioner, a case that involved how trusts should deduct investment advice fees. The taxpayer argued these expenses should be fully deductible, while the Internal Revenue Service argued they are only partially deductible. A decision is expected sometime in the spring 2008.

In addition to exploring the Supreme Court Building, a member of Sen. Johnny Isakson’s staff gave the group to a guided tour of the Capitol. They also visited the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, the World War II Memorial, and Arlington National Cemetery.

Metrejean expressed gratitude for the generous support of the trip’s sponsors, who are members of the School of Accountancy Advisory Council: Phil Moore, with Porter Keadle Moore LLP; Billy Hickman with Dabbs, Hickman, Hill & Cannon LLC; Jim Creamer with Draffin & Tucker LLP; Charles Martin with Moore Stephens Tiller, LLC; John Lucht with Smith and Howard; and Greg Morgan with Mauldin & Jenkins LLC. – See more at:

Last updated: 2/2/2018

Annual Southern Conference on Children set for Jan. 26

Trends and techniques for working with young children will be focus of the 21st annual Southern Conference on Children at Georgia Southern University on Saturday, Jan. 26.

Child care center directors and personnel, teachers, paraprofessionals, and child care providers will receive inspiration and practical advice at the popular conference, which regularly attracts close to 700 participants from 32 Georgia counties.

Thomas Moore and Shirley Garrett will present the keynote addresses. Moore is nationally recognized as an early childhood consultant, author, workshop leader and children’s recording artist. The topic of his address will be ‘Celebrating What We Learn from the Children We Teach.”

Garrett is a former physical education teacher who is the founder and director of Camp Garrett, the Great American Kid’s Camp. Now a full-time professional speaker and author, ‘Dr. Shirl” will give present ‘Teach from the Top of Your Lungs and the Bottom of Your Heart.”

In addition, Pat Minish, the executive director of the Georgia Association on Young Children, will speak on ‘Creating Your Professional Development Plan of Action.”

Also, the conference will feature a presentation by representatives of Bright From the Start, Georgia’s official child care certification organization. They will discuss the department’s strategic initiatives and answer questions about how these initiatives benefit the state’s children and the community of early child care providers and educators.

The conference is sponsored by Georgia Southern’s Department of Hospitality, Tourism and Family and Consumer Sciences in the College of Health and Human Sciences, and the University’s Continuing Education Center.

The fee for the conference is $50 per person through Saturday, Jan. 12. After that date, the fee will increase to $55 per person through Friday, Jan. 25. The fee on the day of the conference will be $60 per person.

The fee includes all conference sessions and materials, a box lunch, refreshments, a certificate, and an opportunity to win door prizes.

For more information or to register for the conference, visit http://ceps.georgiasouthern.edu/conted/scoc.html or call (912) 681-5551.

Georgia Southern University, a Carnegie Doctoral/Research University, offers more than 120 degree programs serving nearly 17,000 students. Through eight colleges, the University offers bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs built on more than a century of academic achievement. The University, one of Georgia’s largest, is a top choice of Georgia’s HOPE scholars and is recognized for its student-centered approach to education. Visit: www.georgiasouthern.edu

Last updated: 2/2/2018

Noted Journalist Lisa Ling to speak at Georgia Southern University

Lisa Ling, special correspondent for the ‘Oprah” show and contributor to the National Geographic channel and the Oxygen Network, will speak at Georgia Southern University as part of the Leadership & Civic Engagement Week. Ling will speak on Tuesday, Jan. 29 at the Georgia Southern University Performing Arts Center at 7 p.m.

The Office of Student Leadership and Civic Engagement is sponsoring Ling’s presentation as one part of Leadership and Civic Engagement Week that is schedule to run from Monday, Jan. 28 through Friday, Feb. 1. The week is designed to help students learn how their goals and passions can lead them to opportunities that will make a difference.

Ling’s presentation titled, ‘Opening Minds and Hearts to the Issues Surrounding Us,” is built around a career in television that began at the age of 16. She went on to become one of the youngest reporters for Channel One News, a network that appears in middle and high school classrooms across the country. Beginning in 1999 she shared her opinions with millions of Americans as a co-host on the daytime talk show ‘The View.” In 2002 she became the first woman to host ‘Explorer” on the National Geographic channel where she compiled stories ranging from the complex issues surrounding China’s one-child policy to female suicide bombers.

During her career Ling has reported from more than 24 countries, including Iraq and Afghanistan. She also serves as a contributing editor for USA Weekend and co-authored the book ‘Mother, Daughter, Sister, Bride: Rituals of Womanhood.”

‘One of our main goals is to focus on service as part of Leadership and Civic Engagement Week this year. Lisa Ling is someone who not only has demonstrated strong leadership skills, but is making an impact on the area of social change both in the United States and in the world,” said Jodi Middleton, leadership coordinator in the Office of Student Leadership and Civic Engagement.

Ling’s presentation is free and open to the public. The Performing Arts Center is located on the Georgia Southern campus at the corner of Chandler Road and Plant Drive.

For more information, contact Jodi Middleton at 912-871-1435.

Georgia Southern University, a Carnegie Doctoral/Research University, offers more than 120 degree programs serving nearly 17,000 students. Through eight colleges, the University offers bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs built on more than a century of academic achievement. The University, one of Georgia’s largest, is a top choice of Georgia’s HOPE scholars and is recognized for its student-centered approach to education.

Visit: www.georgiasouthern.edu.

Last updated: 2/2/2018