Valdosta State University News Now

Statewide teacher workshop planned July 24-25

Valdosta State University will host a workshop July 24-25 for 35 Georgia teachers who will be part of the Teacher Apprenticeship Program. This program is part of the Youth Apprenticeship Program and is designed to give high school students a look at education as a career choice. Students take an Introduction to Education class during the junior year of high school and have a paid apprenticeship in an educational setting during the senior year. The teacher workshop runs from noon July 24 until 4 p.m. July 25 in Room 114 of S. Walter Martin Hall on Patterson Street. For more information, call 229-333-5925.



Foreign scholars visit VSU

This fall, Valdosta State University will host two foreign scholars through the Junior Faculty Development Program (JFDP). Olena Bliznyukova from Kirovograd, Ukraine, and Mikhail Ochoukov from Petrozavodsk, Russia, are being sponsored for one academic year to develop curricula, audit courses, conduct research and share their expertise with an American audience.

Bliznyukova will join the Psychology and Counseling Department to study counseling techniques designed for teenagers. Ochoukov will join the English Department and focus on the teaching of American and British Literature.

The JFDP is sponsored by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State and the American Councils for International Education. The exchange experience is coordinated through VSU's Office of International Programs.



Scientists gather for Georgia Academy of Science meeting

This spring, Valdosta State University hosted the 77th Annual Meeting of the Georgia Academy of Science, attended by more than 250 scientists, who presented a record 153 papers and posters.

Meeting concurrently was the Genetics Society of Georgia, an affiliated society. Preceding those meetings was a joint meeting of the Academic Advisory Committees on Biological Sciences, on Chemistry, on Health Professions, and on Physics and Astronomy, attended by deans, department heads, and their representatives from the 34 institutions of the University System.

Twelve VSU students and 22 faculty members made 22 scientific presentations.



University Relations launches re-designed Web site for VSU news

Valdosta State University's Office of University Relations has launched a re-designed Web site offering information on VSU news and events. The site, located at www.valdosta.edu/news, features regular updates on university happenings. The campus calendar-TimeTracker-and audio and video clips of VSU outreach efforts are also featured. Links to regional news outlets are included.

For additional information, call 229-333-5980.



SBDC offers services for area businesses

The area Small Business Development Center (SBDC), a service of VSU and its College of Business Administration, continues to assist area businesses.

The SBDC offers a range of services, all free or at a nominal charge, to businesses within a nine-county area. Scott Manley, SBDC assistant director and business consultant, is available to help write business and marketing plans, address personnel issues and give advice on sound financial management.

The SBDC offers a range of professional seminars covering topics like advertising and sales promotion, taxes, mass merchandising secrets and visual merchandising basics.

VSU's Small Business Development Center serves Lowndes, Brooks, Echols, Lanier, Clinch, Cook, Atkinson, Berrien and Thomas counties. The program operates in partnership with the University of Georgia Business Outreach Services and the U.S. Small Business Administration.

For more information on the VSU SBDC, call Manley at 229-245-3738.