Dr. Natalie Johnson-Leslie, professor of secondary education, and Dr. H. Steve Leslie, associate professor of business communication and associate dean, are co-authors of the children’s book “Building a New Cool School: Step by Step.” Chronicling construction of one of the Child Development Center buildings, the book was produced to honor the work of Jo Ann Nalley, director, Childhood Services, and an advocate for early childhood education in Arkansas for more than 50 years. With illustrations by Jody Hughes and design by Lydia Strickland, the foreword is by Dr. Beverly Gilbert, emeritus professor of elementary education. The A-State Literacy Foundation funded printing of 5,000 copies by Printing Services, with distribution to 432 early childhood centers across the state.

Dr. Hrishikesh Desai, associate professor of accounting, was presented with the "Excellence in Public Awareness" award at the National Association of Enrolled Agents (NAEA) annual meeting in Salt Lake City. The award recognizes contributions to public awareness and education in tax matters. Also, his book chapter, "Business Fraud Detection, Prevention and Investigations with Conversational AI” has been published in The ChatGPT Revolution, published by Emerald.

Dr. Alicia Shaw, associate professor and chair, Educational Leadership, Curriculum and Special Education, Dr. Audrey Bowser, associate professor and chair, Teacher Education, and Dr. Annette Hux, dean, College of Education and Behavioral Science, recently presented at the Association of Teacher Educators in St. Louis. Their presentation, “Mentor Perceptions of Building Level Candidate Dispositions: A Research Proposal,” centers on how mentors perceive candidates' dispositions when working with them in the supervised internship. This work is part of a larger study regarding the differences between mentor perceptions and candidate self-dispositions.

Carlitta Moore, associate professor of athletic training and vice chancellor, access and institutional engagement, spoke at the Southwest Athletic Trainers' Association (SWATA) annual symposium.  Her lecture explored the imposter phenomenon (IP) in newly certified athletic trainers, describing how IP affects confidence and care despite the individual’s competence. She explained how addressing IP with tools like the Clance Test can boost self-awareness, performance and professional growth.

Johnathan Reaves, who has served as an academic adviser in the School of Media and Journalism and is now an instructor in creative media production, is the latest recipient of the PROPS (Proudly Recognizing our Pack Staff) Award, as determined by a Staff Senate subcommittee. More information about Reaves and his work with students is available online. Staff members are selected from a pool of nominated candidates.