One hundred and forty undergraduate nursing students will work with volunteer families in the Binghamton area this fall in the Well Family Project as part of a course designed to introduce students to family and community health nursing concepts. Students will assess families' wellness behaviors with an emphasis on health promotion strategies. Areas addressed will include family structure, health history, communication patterns, family roles, health practices and beliefs. In return, families will be provided related health information. Information generated by the project will be held in professional confidence.

Students will make four visits, lasting no longer than one hour, to each enrolled family. "On their visits, students will follow an interview format to collect various kinds of information: who does the food shopping, who pays the bills, what kind of neighborhood the family lives in, who's the disciplinarian, whether people share roles," said Clinical Instructor Judy Quaranta, who coordinates the program and teaches the course. "The goal for students is to help them to understand families and how you promote healthy behavior within a family."

As part of the program, students also fill in a family genogram -- a family tree that includes who died from what at what age. "If it turns out that both sets of grandparents died of diabetes, for example, the student can identify that family as being at risk for developing diabetes, and can inform them about behaviors that would reduce that risk," said Quaranta. "Or if a family has low exercise patterns and hyerptension runs in the family, the student can present them with information about community organizations that promote exercise. The focus is on preventive measures."

If you live in the area and you're interested in participating, the school will send you a letter with additional information and the name of the student assigned to you. Upon completion of the project, each family will receive a questionnaire requesting feedback about the project. For more information, contact Judy Quaranta at 777-6170 or via e-mail. TOP

The Provost's Office announced the following winners of awards in excellence:

• Theodore Rector, associate dean, Chancellor's and University Award for Excellence in Professional Service

• Gladys Jimenez-Munoz, associate professor, Division Of Human Development, Chancellor's and University Award for Excellence in Teaching

Awards in teaching are jointly presented by the University and the chancellor's offices. Included this year for the first time are awards in international education. The winners will be honored at a dinner in the fall.

Students participate in the Mississippi Service Learning Project

By Gail Glover

Even when Binghamton University wasn't in session, one of its service learning programs continued through the summer months with much success, according to Monica Miller Marsh, assistant professor in the School of Education and Human Development.

The most recent project was "Reading, Writing and Singing Me," conducted in the Mississippi Delta, one of the poorest regions of the United States. Faculty members Linda Irwin-DeVitis and Miller Marsh accompanied 14 Binghamton University students on a four-week learning and teaching experience.

An integral part of the "Service Learning in Mississippi" course, the experience offered students the opportunity to learn firsthand the educational realities, cultural traditions and historical context of the Mississippi Delta.

The University contingent worked with teachers at the James C. Rosser Elementary School in Moorehead, Miss., in running a summer school for more than 86 kindergarten through eighth-grade children. Irwin-DeVitis, Miller Marsh and their students staffed eight classrooms, planning and providing the materials, with assistance from Binghamton area schools, Binghamton Free Read and Scholastic, Inc.

Students also worked on parent and family involvement by making and bringing home book bags each day, designed to encourage the children to read at home. The bags included a stuffed animal to read to in case parents or family members were not able to participate. In addition to at-home reading, class time offered guided reading lessons, independent reading, cross-age "buddy" reading and guest readers.

The summer session curriculum also included science logs, art projects, poetry, songs, oral history, interviewing, dramatic play and reading.

The Binghamton University students and faculty facilitated a lunch program when they found out the county was no longer furnishing lunch to the Rosser students. By soliciting donations, augmented by funds from their own pockets, students were able to provide a substantial snack each day for the children.

Although they were kept very busy teaching and coordinating programs in the Rosser School summer school, Binghamton University faculty and students also had the opportunity to immerse themselves in the culture of the Delta.

"The Mississippi Service Learning Project is a teaching and learning experience," said Irwin-DeVitis. "And while it is multifaceted, a key component is examining the role of education and its complex ties to culture. Thus, while we were teaching the children to read, they and their community in turn educated us about their lives and their history. The result is that the course material took on a vibrancy that could not be matched in a classroom."

Binghamton students and faculty met with local teachers and visited area churches, businesses, restaurants, farms and historic sites. They even delved into the influence of blues as a music form. Students and faculty also met with civil rights activists and important sites associated with the civil rights movement.

"Unlike formal courses, our discussions frequently extended far into the night and resumed the next day," said Miller Marsh. "Examining issues of social justice in Mississippi forced us to reexamine our own views of classrooms and communities in New York. The experience also added to the complexity of our views of Mississippi, culturally relevant education, and educational policy both in Mississippi and throughout the country."

This is the second year that the Mississippi Delta service learning course was offered to Binghamton University students. Back on campus, participants plan to share their experiences through presentations for various student organizations and local church groups.

"One of the most important benefits of the experience is that it provides opportunities for those of us immersed in the teaching world and those interested in the political, economic, social and philosophical aspects of education to share perspectives and test our own beliefs," said Miller Marsh.

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Watson professor named Excellence Award winner

The Provost's Office announced Richard Culver, professor of Mechanical Engineering, winner of a Chancellor's and University Award for Excellence in Teaching. Awards in teaching are jointly awarded by the University and the chancellor's offices. Included this year for the first time are awards in international education. The winners will be honored at a dinner in the fall.

[Photo: http://www.me.binghamton.edu/me_culver.html]

School of Management News

Dhillon Named Dean

Upinder S. Dhillon, a professor in School of Management since 1987 and a recognized expert on financial management, has been named its new dean, effective immediately. He succeeds Glenn Pitman, who resigned earlier this year.

In making the announcement, Provost Mary Ann Swain said she was very pleased that Dhillon had accepted the position. "Professor Dhillon is a consummate teacher and scholar," she said. "He fully understands the School of Management and has excellent ideas for advancing all of its programs."

Dhillon received his BS from Panjab University in India and his MS, MBA and PhD from Louisiana State University. He was a visiting assistant professor at Louisiana State University before coming to Binghamton as a finance professor. He received a University and Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Teaching in 1996.

SOM professors named Excellence Award winners

The Provost's Office announced the following winners of awards in excellence:

• Professor Francis Yammarino, University Award for Excellence in Research

• Professor Bruce Avolio, University Award for Excellence in International Education

Included this year for the first time are awards in international education. The winners will be honored at a dinner in the fall.