Dr. Edward Salo, associate professor of history, presented a paper for the "Faces of War" international conference presented by the London Centre for Interdisciplinary Research. He examined how military special forces were portrayed in popular culture before the 9-11 terrorist attacks, and how these images were used by military, politicians and others to present conflicting political agendas. He also chaired a session on preserving wartime recollections.

Two faculty members received the Excellence in Diversity Award during the annual Convocation of Scholars recognition program. Dr. Patricia Robertson Johnston (left), interim associate dean of the Neil Griffin College of Business and chair of the Department of Economics and Finance, and Dr. Argelia Lorence (right), professor of metabolic engineering and holder of the James and Wanda Lee Vaughn Professorship, are the recipients. Details are online.

The Champion of Diversity Award was presented to two faculty members during the annual recognition program conducted online by the Division of Diversity and Community Engagement. The two are Dr. Timothy Crist (left), professor of music and former chair of the Lecture-Concert Committee and Dr. Zahid Hossain (right), co-director and associate professor of civil engineering. Details about these and other diversity award recognitions are online.

Dr. Cherisse Jones-Branch, dean of the Graduate School, and James and Wanda Lee Vaughn Professor of History, has been elected to the board of directors for the Arkansas PBS Foundation, which exists to support Arkansas PBS, the state’s only statewide public media network. Jones-Branch, who joined the faculty in 2003, is the author or co-editor of two books, with another forthcoming in June. Details are online.

Dr. Ruth A. Hawkins, retired executive director of Arkansas Heritage Sites and distinguished professor, was interviewed by KUAR radio regarding the Ken Burns three-part documentary, “Hemingway,” which aired last week on Arkansas PBS. Hawkins was contacted because of her work to acquire and preserve the Piggott properties where Hemingway spent time in the 1930s with wife Pauline Pfeiffer and her family. She also wrote about a book about their marriage.