SHU and Chinese Institute Collaborate on Business Degree Partnership

Siena Heights University and the Shijiazhuang Vocational Technology Institute of China recently announced a business administration bachelor ’ s degree articulation agreement in August 2016 . SVTI marketing and planning majors will have the opportunity to attend Siena Heights during their final year of study . Under the agreement , SVTI students will complete the first three years of coursework in the marketing and planning major at Shijiazhuang , then can attend SHU and take courses in SHU ’ s business administration program to complete their major . Students will also take English language courses and live on campus during their time in the U . S .

Environmental Science Students Conduct Research in Florida

In April 2016 , Siena Heights Environmental Science majors / minors traveled to Florida ’ s Ponce Inlet and the Indian River Lagoon , the most bio-diverse estuary in North America covering two climate zones and 156 miles from Ponce Inlet to Jupiter Inlet . Students researched current environmental issues impacting a particular local habitat or species . They then toured or caught these species ( live catch and release ). Subsequent research involved tours of local conservation / preservation sites developed to protect these same habitats or species .

Reuss-McCann on Panel at BGSU

Professor of Sport Management Dr . Peggy Reuss-McCann was a panelist at the Social Justice through Sport and Exercise Psychology symposium April 1-2 at Bowling Green St . University . She participated in a discussion on community engagement and social justice .

Siena Heights Hosts Inclusion Event May 20

Siena Heights hosted the American College Personnel Association ’ s Equity and Inclusion Summit May 20 . SHU Director of Diversity and Inclusion Sharese Mathis co-chaired the event , which had a theme of “ Practicing Authenticity , Integrity and Self-Care as Students and Educators .” The objective was to bring graduate students , student affairs practitioners and faculty together to discuss the challenges in student affairs , equity and inclusion and social justice work .

Scholarship Symposium Again Highlights Top Student Scholarship

SHU presented its second annual Scholarship Symposium April 20 . The event kicked off with a keynote address by Wayne St . University Associate Professor of History Dr . Danielle McGuire . Her talk , entitled “ The Power of the Past : History and the Art of Storytelling ,” illuminated why history matters to our contemporary society . There were also a series of breakout sessions throughout the remainder of the day . More than 180 students participated in the symposium .

Warner Works with Girls from South Dakota Reservation

In July , SHU Assistant Professor of Theater and Creative Stages Director Joni Warner worked with girls from the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota . Through this unique program of cultural immersion and academics , she learned about the Lakota traditions as well as offered workshops in dramatic arts . “ Wincincola Wiyannan Wounspe ” math camp in conjunction with the “ Tapa Wankaye Woecun ” ceremony were conducted on the sacred ground of Pe ’ Sla in the Black Hills July 24-29 . This is the first time in more than 100 years that the ceremony has returned to Pe ’ Sla . The hope is that returning to Pe ’ Sla and learning will empower these young girls , many who are at high risk for suicide .

Wassmer Publishes Research Articles

SHU Assistant Professor of Biology Thomas Wassmer recently teamed up with Professor Roberto Refinetti , one of the leading researchers on biological rhythms , and published two research articles :

• “ Daily Activity and Nest Occupation Patterns of Fox Squirrels ( Sciurus niger ) throughout the Year ” was published in the open-access journal PLoS ONE .

• “ Variability of Behavioral Chronotypes of 16 Mammalian Species under Controlled Conditions ” was published in : Physiology & Behavior 161:53-59 .

• Also , Olivia Smith , whose senior project Wassmer supervised , developed an ethogram of behaviors of the critically endangered Bridled White-Eye ( Zosterops conspicillatus ). The two cooperated in writing a paper on this topic that was accepted for publication in The Wilson Journal of Ornithology .

• Finally , last summer , Wassmer contributed to the work of an international group of ecologists , organized by Jorge Ari Noriega of the Department of Biogeography and Global Change at the Museum of Natural Science in Madrid , Spain . Noriega will study the dynamics of dung removal in many countries worldwide .

Porath , Detwiler Present at National Advising Conference

SHU ’ s Director of Advising Wiona Porath and Student Support Services Director Robert Detwiler , along with colleagues from Calvin and MacMurry colleges , presented at the 2016 NACADA annual conference Oct . 5-8 in Atlanta . Their presentation “ It ’ s HOTlanta : Don ’ t Burn Out ,” was selected by the Small Colleges & Universities Commission to be one of its sponsored sessions . Each NACADA commission can select a maximum of three proposals for this honor . Commission-sponsored status is awarded to sessions that reflected information particularly representative of that com-

mission ’ s interests . Sponsored status will be reflected in the program everyone receives at the conference , facilitating attendance by participants interested in this commission ’ s focus .

Meyers Named New Director of Nursing at SHU

Stacey Meyers , RN , MSN , APRN-BC , PMHNP , was named the next director of Nursing . Her first day at Siena Heights was June 30 . Meyers previously served as a nurse practitioner at the Veterans Affairs Hospital in Ann Arbor . She also worked in nursing in Georgia and Pennsylvania . She earned bachelor ’ s degrees in nursing and psychology from The Ohio State University , her MSN from the University of Pennsylvania and is a doctoral candidate at Mercer University in Atlanta . She was the assistant director of undergraduate nursing at Columbus St . ( Ga .) University from 2014-15 and also an instructor there for four years .

Ross Presents at Education Summer Conference

In July , SHU Assistant Professor of Education / Special Education Julie Ross presented at the North Carolina Career and Technical Education Summer Conference in Greensboro , N . C . Her presentations , “ What ’ s Up with the Teenage Brain ,” and “ Teamwork Makes the Dream Work !” stem from her years of interest and passion for the educational application and implications of brain research .

Moody Publishes Research in Journal of Urban Health

Siena Heights Associate Professor of Environmental Science Heather Moody had her manuscript “ The Relationship of Neighborhood Socioeconomic Differences and Racial Residential Segregation to Childhood Blood Lead Levels in Metropolitan Detroit ” accepted by the Journal of Urban Health .

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