• Dr. Gloria Vaquera was awarded a fellowship to attend the National Summer Data Policy Institute sponsored by the Association for Institutional Research, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics and the National Science Foundation. Dr. Vaquera was among 56 selected international and national participants to receive training on various national databases associated with higher education. Out of this experience Dr. Vaquera hopes to gain further access to national data to continue her work on diversity issues in higher education. In July, a her joint authored article entitled "Factors Impacting Sense of Belonging at a Hispanic-Serving Institution" appeared in the Journal of Hispanic Higher Education.

• Dr. Harris was awarded the 2008 Educator of the Year Award from the Ohio Association of Gerontology and Education. It is given annually to an Ohioan who has significantly advanced gerontological education and therefore fostered greater understanding about aging and the issues and concerns of older adults.

• Dr. Wiedenhoft is currently the coordinator of the Environmental Studies Concentration and faculty advisor of the student environmental group, Generation Green. She is also involved in an on-going summer program on peace building and conflict transformation in Northern Ireland. As a member of the Peace, War and Conflict group of the American Sociological Association, Dr. Wiedenhoft presented a paper "K(no)w Surrender: Cultural Entrepreneurs and the Ulster-Scots Movement" in New York City in late August. She was also a co-presenter of a paper titled "Brewed in Scotland, Bottled in Ulster, Uncorked in the USA: The Ambivalence of Diasporic Identity” at a conference in Belfast, Northern Ireland at Queen's University, Belfast Northern Ireland in mid September. Dr. Wiedenhoft was awarded a Grauel fellowship for Fall 2007 to continue research on another paper, "Consuming Conflict: Touring the Troubles in West Belfast."

• Dr. Susan Long has a Grauel Fellowship this spring to analyze the data from a collaborative research project on elder care in Japan under the new public long term care insurance system. She will also be co-leading the Pop Culture in Japan Study Tour in May.

• Dr. Richard Clark was awarded the Curtis W. Miles Faculty Award for Community Service by the Faculty Forum Research, Service Faculty Development Committee during a ceremony at the annual Ignatian Day celebration in January preceding the start of spring semester. Dr. Clark's commitment to restorative justice, death penalty issues, and environmental issues demonstrate a long-term commitment to multiple quality of life issues.

• Dr. Ernest DeZolt was recently appointed to a new position as half-time Associate Dean of Student Services and Academic Advising. In addition to this new facet of responsibility, Dr. DeZolt continues in his role of Associate Professor and remains actively engaged in classroom teaching.