HSU faculty, staff earn distinctions

ARKADELPHIA — Henderson State University recently recognized members of the faculty and staff to be featured in a variety of events.

John Graves, the Edgar and Marguerite Henley Professor of American History, spoke this winter at the annual fundraiser of the John Cain Foundation at the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center in Little Rock. The center is an agency of Arkansas Heritage and is the state’s first public museum celebrating the heritage and history of African-Americans in Arkansas.

Cain is an African-American community leader of long-standing in Little Rock and a manager of Little Rock radio station KABF. He and restaurateur Mark Abernathy launched the movement to save the historic Mosaic Templars building.

Cain and Graves are founding members of the Mosaic Templars Building Preservation Society and have served on the society’s board of directors since its beginning. Graves spoke on the history of the West Ninth Street business and entertainment district.

Graves presented a paper at a special conference sponsored by the Arkansas Archives and the Black History Commission of the Department of Arkansas Heritage. The conference is designed to provide an in-service activity for public school teachers in Arkansas.

The presentation was titled “John Gray Lucas: Pioneer

Champion of Civil Rights.” The theme of the conference was “The Black Experience in Arkansas.”

Graves was also recognized at a special “VIP” pre-broadcast screening of a new documentary film about the historic West Ninth Street African American business and commercial district in Little Rock. He participated as a panelist during a discussion at a pre-broadcast screening for the public. The documentary, in which Graves is interviewed, premiered on AETN April 6 and can be viewed on YouTube.

Haroon Khan, professor of political science at Henderson State University, received the 2017 Outstanding Scholarship Award from the Arkansas Political Science Association in March. Membership includes university and secondary political science educators, graduate and undergraduate students, practitioners and others interested in the scientific study of government and politics.

“This is a very prestigious honor and the equivalent of being a lifetime achievement award,” said Larry Monette, professor and chair of the Department of Social Sciences. “Recognition by one’s peers at this level is always personally gratifying.”

Randy Duncan, professor of communications at Henderson State University, will present the keynote address at the Fourth Annual International Conference on Comics this fall at Sao Paulo University in Brazil. Duncan is a comics scholar, co-author of “The Power of Comics: History, Form and Culture, and coedited “Critical Approaches to Comics and Graphic Novels: Theories and Methods, and Icons of the American Comic Book.”

Duncan is co-founder of the Comic Arts Conference, the first scientific event in the United States devoted entirely to comic book studies. He will be one of several prominent scholars to speak at the conference.

Malcolm Rigsby, associate professor of sociology and coordinator of criminal justice, was invited to join a panel discussion on juvenile gangs and gang exit at the fall meeting of the America Society of Criminology in Atlanta, Ga. Rigsby will have his latest chapter on religious transformation and criminal desistance appear in an upcoming book, “Religion in Prison.”

A book coedited by Angela Boswell, professor of history, was named the winner of the 25th Annual Liz Carpenter Award for Best Scholarly Book on the History of Women and Texas published in 2016. “Women in Civil War Texas: Diversity and Dissidence in the Trans-Mississippi”was coedited by Boswell and Deborah M. Liles. The book was published by University of North Texas Press.

The Liz Carpenter Award is presented annually at the Women’s History Lunch at the annual meeting of the Texas State Historical Association. The book was the first dedicated to the unique experiences of Texas women during the time period.

Chelsea Cinotto joined the Archeological Survey Research Station as archaeological assistant. The Archeological Survey’s Henderson office is tasked with researching the archaeology of west-central Arkansas, teaching anthropology courses at the university, engaging in community outreach and working with the public to preserve Arkansas heritage.

Victor Claar, professor of economics, was named director of Henderson’s Center for Economic Education.

The center is one of six university-based centers affiliated with Economics Arkansas and the Council for Economic Education. Henderson’s center is dedicated in honor of Dr. M.H. Russell, who provided outstanding leadership as the second president of the Arkansas State Council on Economic Education from 1964-66.

Margaret Ann Picking joined Henderson as the Ronald E. McNair Program’s scholar coordinator. She will work with low-income, first-generation college students to prepare eligible McNair participants for doctoral students through involvement in research and other scholarly activity.

Picking served as dean of student development and success and dean of women at Champion Christian College. She was vice president for student services at National Park College from 2001-15.

Lewis Kanyiba, assistant professor of health and physical education, presented his research at the Society of Health and Physical Educators Southern District Conference in Baton Rouge, La. Kanyiba’s research was entitled, “Embodiment of Athletes First, Winning Second Philosophy in High School Coaching: A Case Study Involving Springs Sports in Southern Arkansas Schools.”

Neil deGrasse Tyson, a wellknown astrophysicist, cosmologist, author, and science communicator, recently interviewed Henderson psychology professor Travis Langley for StarTalk on the National Geographic Channel. Langley, author of “Game of Thrones Psychology: The Mind is Dark and Full of Terrors,” discussed how the popular HBO series affects the minds of its audience.

Langley has also written books delving into the psychology of Batman, “Star Wars,” “The Walking Dead,” “Doctor Who,” “Star Trek” and Wonder Woman.