LSUS celebrates eight retiring faculty, staff who defined past three decades

LSUS celebrates eight retiring faculty, staff who were cornerstones for past three decades

SHREVEPORT: Irreplaceable impact.

Of all the words used to describe each of the eight retiring faculty and staff members at LSU Shreveport during Friday's retirement celebration, those two words might sum up their contributions best.

Spanning a range of fields and disciplines, the impact these eight members had on students, colleagues and their respective bodies of knowledge through their research is immeasurable.

LSUS celebrated Dr. Douglas Bible, Dr. Timothy Vines, Dr. Kenna Franklin, Dr. Stephen Banks, Dr. Gary Joiner, Dr. Cheryl White, Rhonda Failey and Dr. Dennis Wissing.

"These are people who have had such a significant impact on this institution with their 242 combined years of service," said Dr. Helen Taylor, LSUS Provost. "You have all changed this institution in a variety of ways with your teaching, your research, your publications, and with your community service.

"Your impact will be felt for decades to come."

As the Oscar Cloyd Professor of Real Estate, Bible established an immensely successful real estate concentration, which currently has 82 finance students.

"Doug Bible has made innumerable contributions in his roles as faculty mentor, academic leader, and intramural athlete," said Dr. Mary Lois White, LSUS College of Business Dean. "He's always stepped up countless times when needed, as a department chair (economics and finance), associate dean, interim dean, and even serving as president of the Faculty Senate."

One of Bible's countless service examples since he started his LSUS career in 1985 was to serve on the hiring committee that brought in Vines in 1989.

Vines directed the Master of Business Administration program, which is the largest program by far with more than 5,000 students at its height, and was a favorite professor for many students that crossed his path.

"Tim provides really valuable assistance to the College of Business by being the MBA director," Bible said. "He's always helping, whether it's teaching new finance or economics courses or improving the finance curriculum.

"His service and education will be missed as well as his dry humor."

Humor is just one of the many weapons in Franklin's arsenal in a career as an associate provost and associate professor in sociology and social work.

As the head of the Office of Community Engagement and a member of numerous committees, councils and boards, Franklin mentored college students while bringing in school-aged children to experience rich programming on a college campus.

"When students talk about Kenna, they say 'that's Auntie - she'll get you right then give you a piece of candy,'" said Demitrius Brown, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs. "Institutions pay a price when our most vulnerable students are not treated in the unique and specific ways that make them feel seen, heard, valued, appreciated and loved.

"Kenna has made sure that LSUS has built a legacy and reputation in that way."

Banks was part of an LSUS botany legacy when he joined Drs. Dalton Gossett and Cran Lucas in 1992, particularly in the study of salt induction and its physiological stress on plants.

"That must have been quite a team to be around," said Dr. Chris Gissendanner, biological sciences chair. "Stephen has served as an associate dean and department chair while publishing some 27 research papers and book chapters.

"This fellow of the Royal Society of Biology has had a very distinguished academic career."

Distinguished certainly applies to two retiring history professors - Dr. Gary Joiner and Dr. Cheryl White.

Joiner, who served as chair of history and social sciences for 10 years, is a leading voice in the western theater of the Civil War among vast other topics that stretch through regions and times.

"Gary is a prolific author and editor that has 37 books or book-length projects," said Dr. Jeff Wells, chair of history and social sciences. "He's made landmark studies of the Red River campaign, including one of the best book titles ever - 'One Damn Blunder from Beginning to End.'

"He's also distinguished in cartography and GIS work with several major cultural resource studies like the Caddo Parish Civil Rights Heritage Trail Project."

White established herself as a leading voice on the Shroud of Turin in addition to Christian church history and late medieval reformation.

"White authored or co-authored 11 books that range from Confederate General Leonidas Polk (bishop of the Episcopal Diocese) to the Shreveport Martyrs," Wells said. "She's on the History Channel pretty much every time I turn it on, and she's participated in a number of other projects like documentaries and (Smithsonian Institution) programming.

"Her career demonstrates sustained engagement beyond campus with extensive public speaking roles, museum and community education work, and consulting historian roles on local archeological and historical initiatives."

Rhonda Failey lit up psychology classrooms with her vivacious energy and assisted LSUS in its online teaching prowess in her return to campus as Director of Online Learning.

"Rhonda was the professor students always gravitated towards, whether it was learning about the biological basis of human behavior, how to be a freshman in the freshman seminar program she started, or a (400-level class on human sexuality)," said Dr. Helen Wise, associate academic provost. "She's won all the awards, and students lined up in the hallway to receive support and guidance from her.

"Rhonda received student evaluations in her final semester like, 'she genuinely loves teaching psychology.'"

While Wissing led the LSUS College of Education and Human Development as dean for his last seven years, he served as a licensed respiratory therapist for 51 years and has 45 years health education experience.

"Dennis served in the LSU Health Shreveport's dean's office as associate and interim dean while giving more than 500 invited lectureships in a variety of healthcare and community related groups," said Dr. Jill Rush-Kolodzey, interim chair of kinesiology and health sciences. "He's planned and implemented statewide professional meetings and seminars and has numerous chapters in textbooks.

"Dennis was instrumental in us creating the joint Master of Public Health program between LSUS and LSU Health in addition to teaching numerous graduate level courses in poverty, nutrition and public health."

While these faculty and staff have become LSUS fixtures on campus and in the community, many for the last three decades, Chancellor Dr. Robert Smith anticipates they will excel in their chapters.

"These are eight exceptional colleagues who have served this institution very, very well for quite some time," Smith said. "You have made a difference and have really contributed to the forward movement of this organization."