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Campus Review
August 15, 2014
Page 4
PACE Director Antoinette Miller
University Professor Christopher Raridan –
Helping Students Achieve a Little More
by John Shiffert
University Professorships at Clayton State
University are awarded for, “contributions
to Clayton State in the areas of teaching,
service, academic leadership, creative
activity and/or scholarly attainment.”
While the term “empowerment” isn’t
specifically mentioned, there should be no
doubt that Clayton State’s University
Professors empower their students.
In the case of Dr. Christopher Raridan,
associate professor of Mathematics, it’s a
matter of providing students with the
opportunity to, as he says, “achieve a lit-
tle more than they may of at first thought
possible.”
In Raridan’s case, that involves working
with dozens of Clayton State students
since 2009 on undergraduate research
projects in mathematics, often on subjects
that are so complex that they are incom-
prehensible to the average college student
who doesn’t major in math. Raridan
reports that two of these projects have
resulted in publications in peer-reviewed
journals for a total of three Clayton State
students, and that another of his students
is very close to completing a project suit-
able for publication.
“I take my role as advisor on these proj-
ects very seriously, and I use my research
interests, and my love of mathematics, to
engage students in the classroom,” he
says. “I am always encouraging students
to think for themselves and to seek out a
solution that not only works, but one
which works for them.”
The holder of the Jimmy Easley
University Professorship, named in honor
of long-time Atlanta Journal/Constitution
employee Jimmy Easley, and a Ph.D. in
Mathematics from the University of
Alabama, Raridan combines challenging
his students with support his students.
“I never preach that students must `do this
my way,’ but rather that they should seek
Following many months of development,
Clayton State’s Quality Enhancement
Plan
Partnering Academics
and
Community Engagement (PACE) launch-
es officially in Fall of 2014.
PACE Director and Professor of
Psychology Dr. Antoinette Miller joined
the Clayton State faculty in 2001, with
degrees from Northwestern University
(M.S. and Ph.D. in Psychology), and
degrees from Duke University (B.S. in
Biology and B.A. equivalent in Classical
Languages).
Perhaps that academic background
explains her creativity both inside and
outside the classroom. Certainly her cre-
ativity was a major factor in her being
named the 2009 winner of Clayton State’s
Alice J. Smith Faculty Award, the highest
honor the University can bestow upon a
faculty member.
“My original training was in physiologi-
cal psychology, which is why in just about
every class I teach I manage to bring the
brain in, even where students may not
expect it!” she says.
In her 13 years at Clayton State, Miller
has taught a wide variety of classes rang-
ing from general psychology to graduate
neuroscience, in a variety of delivery for-
mats: traditional lecture, hybrid (half-
online), and fully-online settings includ-
ing for the University System’s eCore. “I
can't decide which I like best,” she says.
“I do relish the face-to-face interactions...
but I love technology, so I do all of them
regularly.”
And, about that creativity… she’s been
known to bring wide-ranging topics into
her lectures, including Doctor Who,
Marvel Comics, Monty Python, and Pinky
and the Brain. And that’s without even
going into her devotion to the former res-
ident of 221B Baker St.
Dr. Miller is widely published in refereed
publications, books, conference proceed-
ings, articles and many varied papers.
“While I used to publish more in the area
of event-related potentials, aka, `brain-
waves’ and related topics, in recent years
I've been more involved in writing case
study exercises, problem-based learning
activities, and most recently chapters
relating the brain to pop culture,” she
explains.
Additionally she has served in a number
of committee and leadership roles, includ-
ing as Coordinator for the Department of
Psychology for nearly seven years, Chair
of the 2011-2012 Faculty Senate and
Chair of the QEP Steering Committee.
Now as PACE Director, Dr. Miller will
coordinate its implementation including
planning, assessmet, and dissemination;
budget management and daily operations;
promoting visibility of PACE, creating
President Hynes, Tim Crawford and
Dr. Christopher Raridan
Raridan, cont’d., p. 11
PACE, cont’d., p. 12