James W. (Jim) Brown II of Dayton, Ohio, will join the A-State staff Monday, Oct. 23, as director of the Convocation Center. Seven years ago, Brown was promoted to executive director of the Ervin J. Nutter Center at Wright State University, one of the top-ranked university venues in the country. He joined the staff there in 1999, and is a Certified Facility Executive. More details are in a news release.

An article by Dr. Holly Hall, associate professor of strategic communication, was published in the journal First Amendment Studies.  In the article, "The New Voice of America: Countering Foreign Propaganda and Disinformation Act," she argues that the United States needs some kind of governmental entity devoted to creation of counter-propaganda, and then concludes there are deficiencies and vulnerabilities with the CFPDA, especially adequate administrative oversight.

Dr. Justin Castro, assistant professor of history, gave a presentation titled "Global Progressivism and the Mexican Revolution" at the Midwest World History Association conference last month in Edmond, Okla. The presentation stems from his research for a forthcoming book, Apostle of Progress: Modesto Rolland, Global Progressivism, and the Engineering of Revolutionary Mexico, to be published by the University of Nebraska Press next year.

Dr. David Beasley, retired engineering dean, received an award in recognition of his service with the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET). The professional group presented its 2017 ABET Fellow Award to Beasley because of his exceptional dedication and leadership of the Engineering Accreditation Commission and for significant contributions to accreditation criteria, including general engineering, biological engineering and master’s level programs.

Congratulations to Dr. Katie Hill, assistant professor of marketing and director of the R. M. (Bob) Wood Sales Leadership Center. One of her senior sales leadership majors, Alicia Sandage of Benton, was recognized as this summer's "Top Intern" with Arkansas Business Publishing Group, and was awarded a $1,000 cash prize. She also accepted an job offer with the company. The center is supported by the Wood family's endowment and AFLAC.