Best wishes to Al Stoverink, assistant vice chancellor for Facilities Management, who is retiring after more than 10 years of service at A-State. Among the many highlights of his tenure, members of the Facilities Management team earned the 2010 APPA Award for Excellence from their peer professional organization. Finance and Administration is hosting a public retirement party in his honor starting at 2 p.m. today (Sept. 9) in the Administration Building.

David Handwork, director of planning, design and construction in Facilities Management, will lead Facilities Management on an interim basis while a search process is conducted for Al Stoverink's permanent successor. Handwork, who joined the A-State staff 14 years ago, received the staff Distinguished Performance Award in his category in 2008. He has been closely involved with numerous major campus projects, including the Humanities and Social Sciences Building.

Dr. Fabricio Medina-Bolivar, associate professor of plant metabolic engineering, received notice of a successful patent application. "Stilbenoid Derivatives and their Uses" is a collaboration between Medina-Bolivar and colleagues at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. Stilbenoids are natural compounds produced by certain plants, such as peanut and grape, to counteract the attack of pathogens. This patent concerns the application of stilbenoid derivatives to neutralize the negative effects of reactive nitrogen species, which influence neurodegenerative and cardiovascular diseases and cancer.

The new president of the Association of Schools of Journalism and Mass Communication (ASJMC) is Dr. Brad Rawlins, dean of Media and Communication and interim dean of Humanities and Social Sciences. He was installed at the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) annual meeting in San Francisco. ASJMC helps foster high standards and practices, and supports the accreditation process of journalism and mass communication programs. 

National Geographic's web feature 'Beyond the Guidebook: Where the Locals Go' recently included the article, "The Roots of Johnny Cash." The article features restoration of the Johnny Cash Boyhood Home, an Arkansas Heritage Site, and it also includes comments about the project's historical value from Dr. Ruth Hawkins, director of Heritage Sites. Writer Katie Knorovsky said the "time capsule of the Depression era is anything but depressing."