Fowler Center's black box experimental teaching theatre now recognizes a dedicated, longtime faculty couple. Following Board of Trustees action Friday, "The Simpson Theatre" honors the career contributions of Bob and Molly Simpson, who recently retired. Bob was involved in more than 170 stage productions during his 36-year career, and Molly directed more than 90 productions during her 28-year career, touching the lives of countless A-State students.

Chancellor Doug Whitlock gave his first report to the Board of Trustees during the quarterly meeting Friday. Although he has been on the job only two weeks, he had lots to report about the great work that faculty and staff have been doing. Two recent highlights, record enrollment and most prepared freshman class, are included in the video he presented. The meeting details are in a news release.

Dr. Gabriel Tait, assistant professor of multimedia journalism production, served on three panels and presented a paper during the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) conference. His paper, "I Am Not a Virus: A Comparative Analysis of Liberian Identity through the Photographs They Produce," was presented with two other scholars. The panels addressed topics in visual communications, photojournalism and student community engagement.

Dr. Ed Salo, assistant professor of history, and his oral history project with war veterans were featured Monday in a Jonesboro Sun article. Salo is working on "Voices from the Desert Oral History Project, Arkansas Veterans and Their Families: Desert Storm Through the War on Terror." He plans to share the results with the Veterans History Project of the Library of Congress American Folklife Center.

An article by Dr. Justin Castro, assistant professor of Latin American history, was published in the Journal of the Southwest. In "Modesto C. Rolland and the Development of Baja California," Castro documents how Rolland's work was critical in bringing the Baja California Peninsula into the Mexican nation-state during its revolutionary era. Rolland, who affected the region in many ways, became one of the most influential bajacalifornianos in the national government.