This Thursday, Associate Professor of Early Childhood and Elementary Education Mary Jo Pollman will be the first speaker in the 2008-09 Colloquia Series presented by the School of Professional Studies (SPS).

The series is designed to showcase the professional development and areas of expertise of the faculty in the school and enable them to share their knowledge with other members of the Metro State community.

The School of Professional Studies initiated the colloquia series two years ago with three presentations. Last year, the number of speakers doubled to six. In this, its third year, the series will feature 11 speakers in all. Presentations range from Associate Professor of Criminal Justice Hal Nees speaking on the views of retired police chiefs on good management to Assistant Professor of Civil Engineering Technology ZsuZsa Balogh on assessment.

“The series has become a very popular venue for SPS faculty to showcase their scholarship and other activities that benefit the College,” said SPS Dean Sandra Haynes.

The topic of Pollman’s lecture is Spatial Literacy: A Weakness of the American Education System. She will speak Thursday, Sept. 18, noon-1 p.m., in WC 133.

Held on certain Thursdays at noon, the series is a brown bag lunch. “You bring your lunch, and I’ll provide the dessert,” Haynes said.

Go to http://www.mscd.edu/academic/scops/colloquia.shtml for the schedule of all the colloquia planned for the academic year.