Napoleon honor

FSU history Professor Donald Horward has been promoted to the highest rank in the "Ordre des Palmes Académiques," which was created in 1808 by Napoleon Bonaparte to recognize major contributions to the arts and sciences.

Horward, who was promoted from officer to commander of the order, is the director of the Institute on Napoleon and the French Revolution at FSU.

He is the Ben Weider Eminent Scholar in Napoleonic History and the author of many books and articles on Napoleon. He has appeared on television as a main speaker for the PBS production series, "Napoleon."

  Outstanding young chemist

Jerzy Cioslowski, an FSU chemistry and biochemistry professor, has been named the "outstanding computational chemist in the world under the age of 40."

Cioslowski received the 2002 Dirac Medal, a major international honor named for Paul A.M. Dirac, the Nobel Prize-winning physicist who served on the FSU faculty from 1970 until his death in 1984.

"The Dirac Medal speaks in the highest terms of Professor Cioslowski's accomplishments to date, and of FSU's brilliant scientific promise for the future," said Henry F. Schaefer III, president of the World Association of Theoretically Oriented Chemists (WATOC), which presents the medal annually.

Cioslowski's major research interests are computational quantum chemistry, ab initio electronic structure calculations, development of algorithms for supercomputers, development of new electronic structure formalisms and electronic structure modeling of combustion reactions.

His research has been supported by the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Energy.

  Austin comes to FSU

Debra Austin

Debra Austin, an FSU alumna who earned a reputation for competence in the top positions at Tallahassee Community College, has moved to FSU as assistant vice president for institutional effectiveness.

One of her first projects will be to work with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools during FSU's re-accreditation process. She also plans to initiate a study of FSU's graduation and retention rates.

Austin has two degrees from FSU. She received an M.B.A. in 1980 and an Ed.D. in 1998.

Austin began her career at TCC in 1981 as assistant director at the division of applied sciences. She steadily moved up in TCC's administration to executive vice president in 2000, and then for six months she was acting president when TCC president and FSU graduate T.K. Wetherell (B.S. '67, M.S. '68, Ph.D. '74) left the office.

  Oprah likes the Boys' Choir

Oprah's Angel Network has recognized FSU's Earle Lee, director of the Boys' Choir of Tallahassee, with a $100,000 "Use Your Life Award."

Winfrey presented Lee with the award during a May broadcast of "The Oprah Winfrey Show." Perry Ellis America Formalwear also surprised Lee with a donation of 150 tuxedos for the choir.

"I'm very grateful for this award," said Lee, an associate in the School of Social Work. He said the money will start an endowment with the hope that it will attract matching grants.

"Oprah recognized that we're about making a difference in children's lives and strengthening the community, and that's what's important to me," Lee said.

Oprah's Angel Network established the "Use Your Life Award" in April 2000 for individuals who, through their charitable organizations, are making a difference in the lives of others. Lee's award came out of donations from "The Oprah Winfrey Show" viewers and Jeff Bezos, founder and chief executive officer of Amazon.com.

The FSU School of Social Work created the choir in 1995 for boys 8 to 18 who live in neighborhoods with limited social and economic opportunities.

  Joel Chandler Harris books

FSU has acquired 49 rare books by Joel Chandler Harris, writer of African-American folklore, journalism, novels, short stories and children's literature.

The family of former FSU student Paxton H. Briley gave the books to the FSU Librairies.

They have immeasurable historical value, said Lucia Patrick, head of special collections at the FSU Libraries. Most of the donated books are first editions of works such as "Uncle Remus: His Songs and His Sayings," and seven issues of "Uncle Remus: The Home Magazine," which Harris edited.

"Paxton, who died last year, loved FSU and insisted that this university receive these books, which he had collected over several decades," said FSU English Professor Bruce Bickley.

Briley, a Tallahassee resident, attended FSU from 1957-61 before becoming a Navy pilot in the Vietnam War and later a commercial pilot.

Harris' first published book in 1880 introduced the world to Uncle Remus and the celebrated trickster Brer Rabbit.

The story of "Brer Rabbit and the Tar-Baby" is the world's most recognized trickster tale, said Bickley, who has written extensively about Harris. Besides being the first to record the African-American stories told by ex-slaves, Harris wrote the tales in a dialect often associated with uneducated former slaves. Considered controversial for a time, the folklore and dialect of the Uncle Remus stories are now recognized for capturing the essence of slavery and Reconstruction.

  New fall break

This year, for the first time, Florida State students will get a "fall break" of two days (plus 2 weekend days) in early October.

University administrators said the primary reason for the break is to allow new students, especially freshmen, enough time for a long weekend at home.

Duke, Wake Forest, Cornell, Penn State and other universities on the semester system already have the fall break.

This year, the break comes on Oct. 3 and 4.

"For several years, we have been considering the move," said Larry Abele, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs. "Our students' homes are so far from campus, with 90 percent of them living more than 250 miles from campus. In fact, Miami-Dade and Broward, even though they are almost 500 miles from here, are the two counties supplying the largest numbers of students to FSU.

"Freshmen students and their parents from those areas have been saying for some time that a break in the fall semester would help them cope with the 'first time in college' experience."

The break also solves problems caused by an unusual Thursday, Oct. 3, NCAA football game at Doak Campbell Stadium.

"The game will involve more than 80,000 fans coming to campus during the day," said FSU President Sandy D'Alemberte. "A fall break seems to be the answer for both the long-term and short-term challenges."

Essential services of the university, including student health services, will remain open on Oct. 3 and Oct.4.

The fall break applies only to the main campus. Classes will be held as scheduled at other FSU campuses, including Panama City and the engineering school.

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