Dr. Ringgenberg retires as dean of Regional Programs Dr. Verlene Ringgenberg, dean of Arkansas State University’s Center for Regional Programs since 2003, retired from that position as of Feb. 13. Dr. Michael Bowman, ASU’s director of Distance Learning, will serve as interim dean. Dr. Ringgenberg has been at ASU since 1994, first serving as the coordinator of off-campus credit programs in the Center for Regional Programs before becoming dean. Prior to her work at Arkansas State, she served as an administrator at Barton County Community College in Fort Riley, Kan., for 10 years. Dr. Ringgenberg has extensive experience in distance learning technologies and teaching methodologies, as well as adult education and continuing education expertise. She received her doctoral degree in Educational Leadership from ASU in 2006 after working on a doctoral degree in Adult and Occupational Education at Kansas State. She received her Master of Science inEducation degree in 1969 from Pittsburg State in Kansas after earning a Bachelor of Science in Education from the same university. Dr. Bowman has worked at ASU since 1996 when he came on board as distance learning technical coordinator. He advanced to the director of Distance Learning in 1998.He is a member of numerous professional organizations involving Arkansas distance learning, including serving as president of the Arkansas Distance Learning Association in 2004. He was also vice president of that organization in 2002 and 2003. Bowman was president of the Arkansas Video Network Association (VNET) in 2002 and was the VNET vice president in 2001. Millie Ward to speak March 15-16 in journalism series Millie Ward, a Wynne native, will be the third speaker in the spring Journalism Alumni Speakers Series at Arkansas State University. Ward, a 1975 graduate of ASU, is co-founder and president of Stone Ward advertising agency with offices in Little Rock and Chicago. She will address students and faculty Monday-Tuesday, March 15-16, in ASU’s College of Communications. Ward served as editor of The Herald and the yearbook and was also a campus leader. In 1994, she was awarded the Distinguished Alumni Award from ASU. Ward began her professional career after graduating from ASU by becoming a copy writer for a small agency in Jonesboro. She then worked for the Arkansas Industrial Development Commission and in 1979, became a copywriter for Combs Resneck Stone in Little Rock. She was promoted to partner with Resneck Stone and in 1985 the agency took on Ward’s name, becoming Stone and Ward in 1991. She has been named one of AdWeek’s “Women to Watch”, one of the “Top 100 Women” by Arkansas Business, and Arkansas Woman Business Owner of the Year in 1993 by the National Association of Women Business Owners. For details, see the NewsPage release. ASU Choirs to present pre-tour concert tonight The Department of Music at ASU will present the ASU Concert Choir and University/Community Choir in a performance featuring pieces the choir will perform on its tour to Rome, Florence, and Siena, Italy. The concert will take place on Monday, March 15, at 7:30 p.m. in Riceland Hall, Fowler Center. The chorus is made up of 33 ASU Concert Choir members and the 56-voice University/Community Choir. The choir will be directed by Dr. Dale Miller, director of choral activities, and graduate assistant Janet Tullos. Repertoire for the Jonesboro concert will come from selections by 16th century Italian and 20th-21st century American composers, featuring African American spirituals--audience favorite in both Europe and America. Although all the selections will be performed without accompaniment, rehearsal accompanists are Brian Henkelmann of Jonesboro for the Concert Choir, and Yuta Nishimura of Japan for the University/Community Choir. The concert is free of charge and the public is cordially invited to attend. The tour group will depart on Thursday, March 18th and perform in Florence at the Church of Santa Maria de Ricci, in Siena at the Duomo, and in Rome’s Church of Santa Maria Sopra Minerva and St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican, the world’s largest Christian church before returning home on Friday, March 26. For a complete concert program and personnel, see the NewsPage release. Fulbright Scholar Dr. Faisal Al-Rhouf to lecture March 16 Arkansas State University-Jonesboro’s Middle East Studies Committee will sponsor a free lecture by Dr. Faisal Al-Rfouh, Fulbright Scholar and former Jordanian Minister of Culture on Tuesday, March 16, at 7 p.m. at the Delta Center for Economic Development. Dr. Al-Rfouh will speak on “The Importance of Solving the Arab-Israeli Conflict." Dr. Al-Rfouh will be on campus Monday-Wednesday, March 15-17. Dr. Al-Rfouh was awarded his PhD in International Relations in 1986 from Meerut University, Meerut, India. He earned both his Mphil (Master of Philosophy) in 1983 and his MA in Political Science in 1982 from Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi, India. He earned his BA in Political Science in 1979 from Baghdad University, Baghdad, Iraq. He is currently pursuing post-doctoral research in International Relations at Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti, Mich., where he is a Fulbright Scholar. For details, contact Dr. Gil Fowler at ext. 2308, or see the NewsPage release. Lisa Perry to lecture in CoHSS spring seminar series Lisa Perry, a graduate student in Heritage Studies, will give the fourth of a series of research presentations by faculty members in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences in the college's spring seminar series. Perry will speak on Tuesday, March 16, from 4-5 p.m. in Wilson Hall 217C (the Konold Room). Perry  will present “Wheelwright, Kentucky: Building an Appalachian Camelot,” the result of an almost three-year study. In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, central Appalachia experienced rapid growth as coal companies began constructing towns to support the mining industry. These captive towns were solely owned by the coal companies--the homes, stores, mines, hospitals, and often the churches and schools. The towns varied widely, as did the care companies invested in worker quality of life, and these paternalistic practices were integral to the development of community identity. In Wheelwright, Kentucky, former residents recall the period when the town was owned by Inland Steel Company as a time like Camelot, particularly those who grew up there in the period from 1945 to 1960. Faculty, staff, and students from throughout the university are welcome to attend. For details, contact series coordinator, Dr. Veena Kulkarni, ext. 3331, or see the NewsPage release. 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