[From left] James Tait, Dwight Smith, and Vincent Breslin are the co-directors of Southern's Center for Coastal and Marine Studies.

Southern’s Center for Coastal and Marine Studies received a $170,000 grant from the Werth Family Foundation, most of which will support student environmental research. The center focuses on faculty-directed student research designed to address issues of local and regional importance.

Pamela Werth, representing the Werth Family Foundation of Woodbridge, Conn., says the center’s potential for serving the community, addressing environmental issues, and bolstering education is a primary reason for the funding.

“We are very thankful to the Werth family for its contribution, which is going to help our students with hands-on science projects that we believe will benefit society,” says Dwight Smith, chairman of the Biology Department and co-director of the center. Vincent Breslin and James Tait, associate professors of science education and environmental studies, also serve as co-directors.

Southern students participated in significant research last summer, including a study of metal contamination of sediment taken from New Haven and Norwalk Harbors. In some instances, the level of copper contamination was 10 to 100 times higher than the standard levels considered safe. Two groups of students presented their findings during the recent Long Island Sound Biennial Research Conference at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy.

In another study, students looked at Monk parakeets, which generally make their homes near the coast and along Connecticut’s rivers. The green birds have nested on utility poles, which led the United Illuminating (UI) Co. to remove the nests and euthanize the birds. Intense public outcry ultimately led UI to cease killing the birds.

In one Southern study, students are mapping the location of the birds using Global Positioning System (GPS) and Geographic Information System (GIS) technology. Another study attempts to find alternative nesting sites for the birds using artificial nests.

A Southern student teacher engages preschoolers in creative play.

Supported by a $200,000 grant from the State Department of Education, Southern’s Early Childhood Education program will partner with Leila Day Nursery School in New Haven to create a statewide “model preschool.” Founded in 1878, Leila Day is the oldest childcare center in Connecticut and is recognized as a leader among preschools in the state.

Southern will coordinate the program, which includes several components. Southern faculty will provide workshops and professional development programs for the teachers at Leila Day. The university also will organize “observation days,” when teachers from other schools throughout Connecticut will be invited to watch how Leila Day operates. In addition, Southern will organize professional development programs for Connecticut preschool teachers.

Student teachers from Southern will work at the school, while field placements in which Southern students observe and assist Leila Day teachers as part of their class work will continue. Gladys Deutsch, Leila Day director, says she is excited about the partnership. “Southern has the expertise to help educate the educators and to help us turn an already strong school with excellent teachers into a model for the rest of the state,” Deutsch says.

The university will be building on its ongoing presence at the preschool; about half a dozen of the school’s approximately 20 teachers are Southern alumni. Deutsch and Judith Buzzell, a professor of education at Southern, and Beena Achhpal, an associate professor of education at the university, are involved in the program.

"Pulling Apart" cast member Mary McElya

Southern’s production of “Pulling Apart,” a drama by playwright Ellen Kaplan about her experiences emigrating to Israel, won the Moss Hart Memorial Award for Best Production from the New England Theatre Conference (NETC). The award is given to outstanding productions of plays that not only display high artistic merit, but also underscore the value of courage and dignity.

The award is one of many for the Theatre Department this academic year. Southern’s production of “Arsenic and Old Lace” by Joseph Kesselring was one of only six selected to be showcased in the regional Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival (KCACTF). The production was directed by Dr. William Elwood, chairman of the Theatre Department.

Southern earned individual honors as well: Michael Skinner received a second-consecutive, first-place award for sound design, while Cazimir Bzdyra earned second-place in the Technical Olympics competition. Assistant Theatre Professor Larry Nye was honored for best original choreography for “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.”

A number of past Southern productions have been showcased at the KCACTF, including “No, No, Nanette,” in 1990, “The Royal Family” in 1991, and “Hair” in 1998. Many students have been honored individually by the KCACTF as well, winning top awards at the regional and national levels. In February 2004, Heidi Voight, then a junior, won a regional Critics Institute Scholarship at the KCACTF and went on to be named first runner-up at the national competition. In 1998, Thomas Murphy, ’99, also a theater major, took first place in the competition at the national level.

Amy Warren, Southern's undergraduate Zilger Fellow

Three Southern psychology majors — graduate students Anika Knox and Galit Sharma and undergraduate Amy Warren — have been named Zigler Fellows at the Edward Zigler Center in Child Development and Social Policy. The center, which was founded in 1978, is part of the Child Study Center at Yale School of Medicine. Its mission is to bring the results of research on child development into the policy arena to improve the lives of America’s children and families.

“Having three of our students accepted into this program is quite an honor,” says Katherine Marsland, assistant professor of psychology and faculty adviser. Each year, the program invites about 50 pre- and post-doctoral students and researchers to conduct research and learn about public policy and issues affecting children and families.

[Center] Michelle Jones, the lead presenter for a team of Southern students in the You Belong in CT business plan competition, recieves a glass trophy from John Kreitler, a judge and member of Shipman & Goodwin, LLP. [From left] Ken Laird, faculty advisor; Novlette Henry, student; Puja Nigam, student: Jones; Kreitler; Steve Higgins, a judge and business editor at the New Haven Register; and John Warburg, a judge and member of Warbros Venture Partners.

It began as a class assignment for a fall business course, “Seminar in Business Planning.” Noting the lack of wedding planning companies in the greater New Haven area that focus exclusively on the needs of racial, ethnic, and religious minorities, a group of Southern students proposed and developed a business plan for “Cultural Weddings, LLC.” The plan was a winner, capturing a top prize in the 10th annual “You Belong in Connecticut Business Plan Competition,” sponsored by the Connecticut Venture Group and the state Department of Economic and Community Development. The students earned first place in the category of Graduate Level - New Personal Business.

Kenneth Laird, professor of management and management information systems, says the students may decide to develop this business in the future. The next step would involve attracting seed money. As a full-service wedding planning company, Cultural Weddings would organize weddings and their accompanying ceremonies. The students believe their company would prosper by entering a virtually untapped market. It would begin by focusing on four markets — Asian, African-American, Native American, and Hispanic.

Each winning team earned a $1,000 unrestricted grant and the opportunity to exhibit at a Connecticut Venture Group (CVG) meeting. A non-profit professional association of venture capitalists, CVG has connected members with high-growth, emerging companies in Connecticut for more than 30 years.

The grass may be a bit greener on the Southern campus, thanks to the environmentally friendly West Campus Residence Complex. The U.S. Green Building Council has granted the facility “green building certification,” under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program. Opened in fall 2004, the five-story, 113,000-square-foot West Campus Residence Complex houses 350 students.

“We have made significant efforts during the last 15 years to improve energy efficiency on campus, and this is another major accomplishment,” says Robert Sheeley, Southern’s associate vice president for capital budgeting and facilities operations. “This project minimizes air pollution, results in better indoor air quality, and saves the university a considerable amount of money. That savings allows us to spend more of our limited resources on educational programs for our students.”

The perennial quandary of what would happen if the irresistible force met the immovable object played itself out on the basketball court in March during the NCAA Division II Women’s Basketball Championship. Florida Gulf Coast, which boasted the nation’s top-ranked offense, collided with Southern, which prided itself on having one of the stingiest defenses in the country. Something had to give.

And on March 24 in Kearney, Neb., something did — the immovable object (call it Southern) held its ground against the explosive Florida Gulf Coast attack to win 61-45 and capture the national title.

“We played excellent defense,” said Joe Frager, Southern’s head coach during the championship season. “We knew our opponents preferred a fast pace and that they liked to throw a lot of three pointers, so we contested every three-point shot and slowed the game down.”The result was the Lady Owls’ first national championship, the ultimate cap to a 34-2 season, the best in the team’s history. The team also notched both a Northeast-10 (NE-10) Conference crown and an NE-10 Tournament triumph en route, marking the second straight year in which it garnered both league titles. Southern earned a berth in the Elite Eight after winning the Division II regional finals, the same point that foiled the Lady Owls’ hopes for a spot in the Elite Eight a year ago.

“Our goal at the start of the season was to qualify for the tournament,” Frager said. “I thought it would be more difficult to make it to the regional finals this year than last year. After all, we lost two starting guards, and it’s not easy to replace your backcourt.

”But Frager said the turning point for this year’s team came, ironically, with the two losses during the regular season — first to St. Rose and shortly thereafter to Pace University. “We had been undefeated at that point, but I think those two losses got our players’ attention. They came back and worked even harder. I also believe the two losses took the pressure off of us going into the postseason.” Conversely, Florida Gulf Coast came into the championship undefeated.Frager admitted the team had the jitters at the start of its first two games in the Elite Eight, although it eventually settled down and handily defeated Drury in a quarterfinal match-up and the University of California-San Diego in its semifinal.

2006-2007 NCAA Division II Women's Basketball National Champions: [Back row from left] Kaylie Schiavetta, Kate Lynch, Jacqueline Johannes, Shamika Jackson, Rochelle Johnson, Sarah Houseknecht, Babette Noah, Melissa Harrigan, Heather Coombs, and Allyson Smith. [Front row from left] Michelle Martinkik, Alexis Allen, Assistant Coach Maria Conlon, Head Coach Joe Frager, Assistant Coach Laura Scinto, Stephanie Hiriak, and LaShauna Jones.

“Our kids were actually more relaxed in the championship game,” he said.A championship rally was held when the team returned to campus. Three days later, a victory parade — from the Moore Fieldhouse to the Michael J. Adanti Student Center — honored the victors. The events drew hundreds of fans, friends and well wishers.

“This has been a great, great journey,” said Babette Noah, the team’s lone senior, at the parade. “We learned how to be effective, both on and off the court.”

And an emphasis on the journey, rather than the destination, is what the Owls hope will make defending the NE-10 laurels and the Division II championship a bit more manageable next season.

In April, Frager resigned to become head coach of the women’s basketball team at Fairfield University, a Division I school. He was joined by the Owls’ former assistant coach Laura Scinto, who also has joined Fairfield’s coaching staff.

A national search for a coach for the championship Owls was underway as the magazine went to press. While the Owls will be playing under a new head coach, four of the team’s five starters will return from the junior-laden squad. The Owls have already started their off-season weight training with conditioning coach Dan Dunaj.

The Owls earned numerous other accomplishments on their way to the national championship. Frager was named the Molten Coach of the Year (Division II), as well as being selected as the NE-10 Conference Coach of the Year for the third consecutive year.

Kate Lynch, Southern’s standout junior forward, was selected to the All-America first team (Division II) and the All-Northeast Region (Division II) first team, and was also chosen as the NE-10 Player of the Year and the NE-10 Tournament Most Valuable Player.

Shamika Jackson, a junior guard for the Lady Owls, was named to the All-America honorable mention team, as well as the All-Northeast Region second team and was named the Northeast Regional Tournament Most Outstanding Player.

Athletic Director Patricia Nicol said the team’s extraordinary success is the culmination of several factors — the coaching philosophy of Frager and his staff, the philosophy of the department and the leadership of President Cheryl Norton.

“When you get to the level that this team did, it’s not just a matter of basketball skill,” Nicol said. “It also entails being able to maintain your focus and deal with the emotional roller coaster that comes with pressure-filled situations. Our students handled those things extremely well.

”She said that accomplishment is a testament to the type of student athletes who attend the university. “We are as proud of the fact that the team has a collective grade point average of 3.0 as we are of the national championship that it has won.”

• Southern is the 2nd most popular choice for college-bound Connecticut freshmen, according to a study conducted by the state Department of Higher Education.
  
  
• The university has the second-highest enrollment of any university in Connecticut. Southern’s fall enrollment of 12,326 was the largest since 1992.Southern offers a wide range of academic choices, including 64 undergraduate and 53 graduate degree programs.
  
  
• Southern prides itself on its diverse campus. Approximately 20% of Southern’s students and more than 14% of faculty members belong to an ethnic or racial minority.
  
  
• An impressive 91% of Southern’s full-time faculty hold doctoral or other terminal degrees.