The newly appointed dean's ambassador in the College of Liberal Arts and Communication is Nancy Young, instructor in English. She will foster increased outreach from the college in the area. With today being the 50th anniversary of Arkansas State fulfilling its quest for university status, it is worth noting that Young is one of the few individuals teaching in 1967 who are still on faculty today. Details are online.

Another faculty member in 1967 who is still teaching is Dr. Jerry Crawford, professor of economics. Crawford, a 1957 alumnus, taught at Tennessee Tech and Arkansas before coming here in the fall of 1966. He also directed the MBA program and economic education workshops, along with serving as department chair. He has observed lots of change in the institution and the campus climate during his half century at A-State.

Jeanne d'Arc Gomis will become director of study abroad in the Office of Global Initiatives on Feb. 1. Most recently she was regional director of international member relations for International Student Exchange Programs (ISEP) in Arlington, Va.  She is a multilingual professional with more than 13 years of experience in international education, U.S. and international member relations management, and study abroad advising. Details are in a news release.

Collin Pillow, instructor in creative media production, is faculty adviser to a group of students who recently handled the television production of the Sun Belt Conference volleyball tournament for ESPN3. Pillow and the students travelled to Arlington, Texas, with their mobile production trailer to cover all seven matches. Student participants credited Pillow and other faculty members with making the educational, hands-on experience possible. Details are online.

Congratulations to Dr. C. William Roe, associate dean and director of graduate business programs, for the online Master of Business Administration program's ranking by U.S. News & World Report as 10th in the country. This is the second consecutive year for A-State to make the top 10. The program faculty ranks first in the sub-category of credentials and training. Details are in the online news release.