News from the College of Arts and Sciences...

January 21, 2010

College of Arts and Sciences Achievements and Awards of Note

• School Psychology
  The Ph.D. program in School Psychology has been reaccredited by the American Psychological Association (APA) in 2009 for a full seven-year cycle.
• American Association for the Advancement of Science Fellows
  Since December 2008, ten (10) Arts and Sciences faculty have been named as American Association for the Advancement of Science Fellows. In 2008, four were named: Mark Becker (Statistics); Timothy Mousseau (Biological Sciences); Cathy Murphy (Chemistry and Biochemistry); Thomas Vogt (Chemistry and Biochemistry). In 2009, six were named: Ron Benner (Biological Sciences); Will Graf (Geography); Austin Hughes (Biological Sciences); James Morris (Biological Sciences); Robert Thunell (Earth and Ocean Sciences); and Hans-Conrad zur Loye (Chemistry and Biochemistry).
• Emmy Award
  Kwame Dawes, distinguished poet-in-residence at the University of South Carolina and a faculty member in the Department of English, won a 2009 News & Documentary Emmy Award for his Web-based project, “Hope: Living & Loving with HIV in Jamaica.”
• Governor’s Professor of the Year
  Susan Anderson (Theatre and Dance) was named the Governor’s Professor of the Year in Fall 2009. Earlier in 2009, she was named the recipient of the Michael J. Mungo Distinguished Professor Award, the University’s highest award for teaching.
• National Science Foundation Ranking
  The Department of Psychology was ranked 19th nationally for R & D expenditures in psychology (FY 2007).
• National Science Foundation Ranking
  In FY 2007, the University was ranked 21st nationally in environmental sciences for R & D expenditures. The new School of the Earth, Ocean, and Environment (Department of Earth and Ocean Sciences, Marine Science program, Baruch Institute, and School of the Environment) will highlight our extraordinary level of activity in environmental sciences.
• Parenting and Family Research Center
  Ron Prinz (Psychology) has received a $1 M grant from Triple P International to establish the center. The center will conduct grant-funded research to support the well-being of children and families, with emphasis on preventative strategies.
• Social Psychology in Department of Sociology Ranking
  In April 2009, Sociology's graduate training in social psychology was ranked among America's top elite programs in U.S. News & World Report's latest edition of America's Best Graduate Schools. The #4 ranking (up from #12 in 2005) also makes it the fastest-rising social psychology program in the nation.
• Rule of Law and Human Rights Initiative
  This major new initiative of the University focuses on development of rule of law in transitional and post-conflict societies. Topics of special interest include conflict prevent and resolution, post-conflict reconciliation strategies, law reform and legal institution-building, and the diffusion of internationally recognized norms of human rights and rule of law. The Walker Institute for International and Areas Studies is the lead unit in this initiative.
• Department of History
  History faculty, both as individuals and as members of project teams, have been awarded $12.3 M in grants between 2000 and 2009, an average of $1.35 million per year, including 14 fellowships from the National Endowment for the Humanities and half a dozen Fulbright fellowships.