Faculty and Staff Notes

Of Note...

Bull Elected Board Chair for Animal Agriculture Group

Dr. Leonard Bull, animal science professor and associate director of the Animal and Poultry Waste Management Center at NC State, has been elected to chair the Board of Directors of the National Institute for Animal Agriculture (NIAA).

Bull was elected to lead the NIAA board during the organization's annual meeting in Indianapolis in early April. He will serve a two-year term. The NIAA is a non-profit organization that unites and advances animal agriculture.

Burton, Crossley Earn National Awards for Academic Advising

Donna Burton, assistant director for curriculum and an academic advisor in the First Year College, and Michelle Kay Crossley, an academic advisor and lecturer in the First Year College, have earned recognition for their advising work by the National Academic Advising Association (NACADA).

Burton was named an outstanding advising award winner, and Crossley was named an outstanding new advisor award. They will be honored and presented with their awards at an awards reception during NACADA's national conference on Wednesday, Oct. 1, in Chicago.

Chiang Named First Jordan Professor

Dr. Vincent Chiang, co-director of the Forest Biotechnology Group, and professor in the Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources and Department of Wood & Paper Science has been named the first Jordan Family Distinguished Professor for Natural Resource Innovation.

The four-year named professorship, worth more than $40,000, allows outstanding faculty from the College of Natural Resources the opportunity to develop pioneering programs in the natural resources field. Chiang's research will focus on using genomics, novel gene regulation and genetic transformation methods to create trees with high-performing wood for bioethanol production.

The Jordan family – Robert B. Jordan, III, Jack P. Jordan, Genie Jordan Ussery and Robert B. Jordan, IV, all College of Natural Resources alumni – created the professorship by establishing three linked endowments at NC State that are the first of their kind. Called the Jordan Family Endowment for Natural Resource Innovation, it creates the first funded program at the university that provides a named professor with graduate and undergraduate students recruited specifically to work with and enhance the professor's area of expertise.

Godfrey Named Inaugural Grayson Medal Recipient

Dr. A. Blanton Godfrey, dean of the College of Textiles, was one of four recipients of the inaugural C. Jackson Grayson Distinguished Quality Pioneer Medals by the American Productivity & Quality Center (APQC). The award recognizes the contributions of individuals who have demonstrated outstanding leadership in the application of quality philosophy, methods and tools in education, healthcare, public service and not-for-profit organizations. Joining Godfrey as Grayson medal winners were: Al Gore, former U.S. vice president and Nobel Prize winner; Dr. Jerry D. Weast, superintendent of Montgomery County Public Schools in Rockville, Md.; and Dr. Don M. Berwick, president and CEO of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement in Cambridge, Mass. Read More.

Marchant Named Associate Dean in College of Design

Hernán Marchant has been selected associate dean for undergraduate studies and academic support at the College of Design. His appointment becomes effective Aug. 1. Since 1999, Marchant has been an administrator from the faculty of architecture and urbanism at the Unversidad de Chile. He has 32 years of experience in professional practice in France and in Chile, 25 years of experience teaching and eight years of experience as an administrator. Read More.

Oblinger Appointed to N.C. Institute of Medicine

Gov. Mike Easley appointed Chancellor James Oblinger to serve as a member of the North Carolina Institute of Medicine (NC IOM) for a five-year term effective immediately. Chartered by the General Assembly in 1983, the NC IOM provides balanced, nonpartisan information on complex health issues facing the state. Membership includes individuals from government, education, business and industry, the health and legal professions, the hospital and health insurance industries, private philanthropy, the volunteer sector, faith-based organizations and the public at large. The mission of the NC IOM is to study and develop workable solutions to the major health issues facing the state, specifically the quality of care and access to health services for all North Carolinians.

Pantula Elected President of American Statistical Association

Dr. Sastry Pantula has been elected the 105th president of the American Statistical Association (ASA). Pantula, who is the head of the Department of Statistics and director of the Institute of Statistics, will serve as ASA president beginning Jan. 1, 2010. The ASA is a scientific and educational society founded in 1839, with 18,000 members serving in academia, government, and industry. Read More.

Puckett Awarded National Marine Fisheries Service Fellowship

Brandon Puckett, a Ph.D. student in Marine, Earth, and Atmospheric Sciences (MEAS) in the College of Physical and Mathematical Sciences (PAMS), based at the Center for Marine Sciences and Technology (CMAST) in Morehead City, has been awarded the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS)/Sea Grant Population Dynamics Graduate Fellowship for 2008.

The NMFS/Sea Grant Graduate Fellowship Program supports highly qualified Ph.D. students interested in careers related to population dynamics of living marine resources and the development and implementation of quantitative methods for assessing their status. Awarded annually for up to four researchers nationwide, the three-year award provides for the fellow's stipend, tuition and fees, health insurance, travel, and research expenses.

Oyster population dynamics is the subject of Puckett's dissertation research. His studies involve monitoring current oyster reserves, or protected areas, and optimizing future reserve designs, using Pamlico Sound in eastern North Carolina as the model system.

Dr. David Eggleston (MEAS) is advisor to Puckett along with co-advisor Dr. Kyle Shertzer of the NOAA Center for Coastal Fisheries and Habitat Research.

Townsend Completes WaterSense Certification Program

C. David Townsend, landscape irrigation manager with grounds management, has achieved certification for landscape irrigation auditing with an emphasis on water efficiency through a national certification program offered by WaterSense, a partnership program sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which encourages Americans to save water and protect the environment.

Certified partners can identify systems that are distributing water unequally or inefficiently and determine how to improve performance. As a WaterSense partner, Townsend has committed to supporting water-efficient landscape watering practices and staying up-to-date on the latest practices and technologies. Read More.

Zearing Named New Development Director for CHASS

Stacy Zearing has been named executive director of development for the College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHASS), effective June 12. He will manage the college's advancement program.

Zearing has more than six year of experience in development at NC State. Most recently, he was director of development for the Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering. He has also served as assistant director of development for the university's special projects office, where he was instrumental in developing gifts for the $16 million Arnold Palmer Golf Course, and where he initiated and closed more than $1.25 million in cash and in-kind gifts. He has also served as associate director of development in the College of Physical and Mathematical Sciences. Zearing holds a degree in public affairs from Indiana University.

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