A total of 31 individuals who have retired or will do so before the end of the 2021-22 academic year will be recognized Monday, May 23, during the annual Distinguished Performance Awards and Service Recognition Ceremony. They have given 657 total years of service. Gina Bowman, University Communications, has the longest period of employment, with 46 years. Other retirees and their years of service are Bettye McKinney, First National Bank Arena, 35; Paulette Bradley, Financial Aid, 34; Hope Phillips, ABI, 34; Barbara Doyle, Concurrent Enrollment, 33; Betty Dotter, Facilities Management (FM), 29; Randall West, FM, 27; Teresa Patterson, Information Technology Services, 26; Deborah Davis, Testing Center, 24; Samantha Young, Environmental Health and Safety, 24; Dave Atherton, FM, 24; Jo Lunbeck, Auditor, 23;

Others are Philip Hestand, Counseling Center, 22; Randy Knowles, Athletics, 21; Virginia Yates, Military Science, 18; Steven Brown, FM, 18; David Harmon, FM, 18; John Sifford, Library, 16; Marti Allen, Museum, 15; Clarisa Ratliff, Childhood Services, 15; Bebe Walton, Childhood Services, 15; Randy Ryan, FM, 15; Jerry Todd, FM, 14; Leeann Castleberry, Financial Aid, 14; Sharon Groves, Legal Counsel, 14; Susan Harper, Childhood Services, 13; Terry Finney, Financial Aid, 13; Teresa Dunton, Admissions, 13; Judy Dudley, Motor Pool, 12; Steven Franks, Printing Services, 12; William McCoy, FM, 10; Yvonne Foster, Athletics, 10.

Congratulations to Dr. Steven Green, professor of soil and water conservation, who has been appointed by Gov. Asa Hutchinson to serve a term on a professional oversight board. Green, who joined A-State’s faculty in 2006, was asked to serve on the Arkansas State Board of Registration for Professional Soil Classifiers. He will serve on the board until his term expires Nov. 1, 2026.

Dr. Ferebee Tunno, associate professor of statistics, was the keynote speaker at Christian Brothers University’s recent Undergraduate Math and Computer Science Symposium. He was invited by A-State alumnus Dr. Justin Smith, who is an assistant professor on the CBU faculty. The title of Tunno’s talk was "Introduction to GARCH Processes," where GARCH is an acronym for “generalized autoregressive conditionally heteroskedastic.”

Congratulations to Dr. Maria Montserrat Juarez Aubry (left), associate professor of mathematics and physics, and Dr. Gerardo Velázquez Rodríguez (right), assistant professor of mathematics and physics, at Arkansas State University Campus Querétaro. Juarez and Velázquez are co-authors of an article in Physical Review D, published by the American Physical Society. The article is titled, “Lifshitz black holes in four-dimensional critical gravity.”

Katie Pryor, admissions analyst, A-State Online System (AOS), was selected by a Staff Senate committee to receive the May PROPS (Proudly Recognizing Our Pack Staff) award. She was nominated by multiple individuals who cited her knowledge of A-State technology systems, her willingness to help and encourage students, and her love for helping others make positive change toward reaching their full potential. An interview is online.