Weeks of July 31 - August 13, 2006

Welcome to the Tower Topics E-newsletter for faculty, staff and students at Western. 

Missouri Western State University, 4525 Downs Drive, St. Joseph, MO 64507, 271-4200

Click any link for these stories:

Groupwise Email Transition in August

Western Names Interim Dean

Employee Profile: Rosalie Guyer - Adventure Woman

News Briefs

Calendar

Ads

Archives

The deadline for all entries is 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, for the next week's issue. Tower Topics will be online weekly during the fall and spring semester.  For more information call 271-5651.

Student Editor:
Peg Pella

Staff Advisers:
Kristy Hill and Diane Holtz

GROUPWISE EMAIL TRANSITION IN AUGUST

Western will transition its email network from the Luminis Gold Link email to GroupWise, with the final transition date on Aug. 25 at noon. A new website: www.missouriwestern.edu/groupwise has been created to answer your questions, provide tutorials, and provide training session information. Please email questions about the transition to groupwise@missouriwestern.edu.

The GroupWise system includes calendar, email and contact list. It is a much more feature-rich system that will better support the needs of employees and students. During the testing phase users found it much easier and more effective to use. It will be the official campus email and calendar system, and the only one supported by the Information Technology Services.

It is important to realize and prepare for the following transition issues:

• The GroupWise desktop client will be automatically installed over the summer. Please don't be alarmed, it will not function until the migration on August 25.
   

• Existing email before the transition date WILL NOT be automatically migrated to the new system. It will not be lost but will be archived and can be accessed for at least 6 months after the transition. Please see the website for more details.
   

• Calendar information WILL NOT transfer unless you currently have a working PDA. Therefore you MUST PRINT your calendar out before August 25 and manually reenter the information. All information will be lost once the transfer occurs.
   

• Contact in the email section WILL NOT transfer wit the new email system. You will be able to export them from Goldlink before August 25 and then manually import them into Groupwise, or simply print them out.

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WESTERN NAMES INTERIM DEAN

Dr. Cindy Heider, associate professor of teacher education at Western, has been named interim dean of the college of professional studies for the 2006-2007 academic year. The appointment was effective July 1.

As interim dean, Dr. Heider, who has been a member of the education faculty since 2000, will work closely with the office of academic and student affairs to provide personnel and budgetary oversight for the college of professional studies’ seven departments and assist department chairs in program and faculty professional development.

“I am pleased that Dr. Heider has agreed to fill this critical position for Western for the next academic year,” said Dr. Jeanne Daffron, acting vice president for academic and student affairs. “She will work with faculty and others in the academic and student affairs division to ensure quality curriculum and experiences for our students.”

Dr. Heider plays a leadership role in professional accreditation nationally, having chaired Boards of Examiners for the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE). She has made numerous presentations on subjects including performance-based teacher evaluation, long range planning, teacher professional development, and standards based curriculum development. She chairs state program reviews to accredit state teacher education programs for the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. In the education department, she is a key member of the team preparing for NCATE review, and she presently coordinates clinical experience placement for education majors. She is an active participant in faculty governance, recently serving as a member of the graduate studies committee and as vice president of the Faculty Senate.

Dr. Heider has been awarded grants from the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, The Musgrave Foundation, the National Foundation for the Improvement of Education and the Springfield Public Schools Foundation, and has testified before the State Legislature on academic performance standards.

Before joining Western, Dr. Heider was professional development director for the Missouri branch of the National Education Association, she taught in the St. Joseph and Springfield, Mo. public schools, and served as executive director of the St. Joseph Development Corporation. She is a member of the American Association of Colleges of Teacher Education, the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, the National Staff Development Council, Kappa Delta Pi and Phi Delta Kappa.

Dr. Heider's office is Popplewell Hall 122.

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EMPLOYEE PROFILE: ROSALIE GUYER - ADVENTURE WOMAN  

There are many terms to describe Rosalie Guyer: Western employee since 1988, A+ coordinator or 2006 Presidential Citation Award recipient. But you many not know that there is another phrase that describes Rosalie: “Adventure Woman.”

This summer, Rosalie hopes to participate in a seven-day hike and whitewater rafting excursion in the Rocky Mountains at Glacier National Park in Montana. The trek is planned by Adventure Women, which bills itself as the “Grande Dame of Adventure Travel since 1982.” She’s been planning the trip for almost a year.

Rosalie said the trek appeals to her sense of adventure. She has always liked challenges, even as a child. “That’s always kind of been me,” she said. “I’ve jumped out of many a barn and climbed many a tree. I enjoy the outdoors and doing those kinds of things. It was not my deal to sit in the house.”

She also likes the idea that her traveling companions are all women. “It’s more fun to go with a group of women – for the camaraderie and fun of it,” Rosalie said. There is usually very little competition among the women on trips like this, which suits her.

And is Rosalie prepared for the physical challenge of the trip? Definitely. Before most of our alarm clocks go off every morning, Rosalie is at the Baker Fitness Center, faithfully following her fitness regimen. It’s been her routine for at least five years, and it starts at 5:30 a.m.

In the mornings, it’s the treadmill for 4 ½ miles two days a week and weight machines three days a week. But in the evenings, Rosalie rides her bicycle two to three hours. Weekends in nice weather, you’ll find her riding her bicycle (“I’ve ridden 100 miles in one day”) or sailing.

It all started with a simple goal - to stay healthy and in good physical condition. “My physician tells me I’ll live to be 120,” she laughs. Having watched several of her friends and relatives develop health problems as they get older, Rosalie, 62, is determined to stay fit. Her heart rate and bad cholesterol readings are always very, very low when she has a check up, she said.

 “Life’s too short, even if I live to be 120,” she said. “I’m not going to die sitting on a front porch in a rocking chair.”

For now, her goals are to stay in good physical condition and plan her Montana outdoor adventure. But Rosalie is determined to meet another goal someday: “I really want a Harley.”

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• EFFECTIVE JULY 1, 2006, employees taking classes at MWSU will no longer be required to pay the student activity and related fees. The only costs the employee will be required to pay will be for books and materials related to their specific classes. NO changes were made to the guidelines for dependents and spouses taking classes under the Tuition Waiver program. Student activity fees and other related fees will continue to apply for dependents and spouses.
   

• NEW POLICY FOR STUDENT WORKERS - Students will complete and submit all required new hire and payroll paperwork to the human resources Office before interviewing for open positions. The human resources office will provide the student with appropriate documentation that identifies if the student is work-study eligible that must be provided to the hiring department during the interview process. Once a student is hired, the student will provide the human resources office with placement documentation signed by the hiring supervisor. Students may not begin working until they receive a release to work authorization form from the human resources office.
   

• Email and the Gold Link portal are now the primary ways in which the university will communicate university-related business to employees and students. Faculty and staff should check their email account and Gold Link portal on a regular basis. Gold Link has links to important information such as Banner self service areas, to forms and procedures, personal and campus announcements and other important information. Western now offers two employee announcement lists to assist faculty and staff in prioritizing email: admininfo@list.missouriwestern.edu and news@list.missouriwestern.edu. The admininfo list is limited to official announcements and information that impact all or most regular employees in completing their work at Western. Examples are: announcement regarding benefits, technology changes, professional development information, policies and other required information. news@list is for more discretionary information that does not impact all users. Employees are still accountable for information distributed via this list-serv. Examples are: upcoming events, classes open/closed during registration, employee updates, job vacancies, and news updates like Tower Topics. Please send information to the appropriate list-serv based on the previous guidelines .
   

• Bus News - Two new buses are set to arrive around the first of August. They will replace the current 47-passenger motor coach and the 24-passenger bus. The new buses will consist of one 35-passenger bus and one 28-passenger bus that will have wheelchair accessibility (24 passengers with two wheelchair stations which convert to four seats when chairs are not used.) The oldest fleet van has been removed from service, leaving only two vans available for use. Any additional vans needed by departments must be rented through a local car rental agency. Reserving vehicles will continue to be handled through the vice president for financial planning and administration office, 4226. Effective July 1, bus trips will cost $.85 per mile plus fuel and other costs for driver, meals, lodging, etc.; van trips will cost $.41½ per mile plus fuel. Qualifications for individuals driving the van continue to apply.
   

• Residential Life Updates: Fall classes will begin with many changes on campus. The Living Learning Center (LLC) is now designated as a first year experience hall.  Programs and services in LLC are geared toward assisting first year students' transition into college. Leaverton will house 95 percent first year students. The LLC will also house a "freshman" honors wing. Vaselakos will house first year students through seniors as well as the music floor and honors floor. The suites will house sophomores through seniors with Beshears being a junior/senior hall. Beshears is also being renovated this summer. New front desks in Leaverton and Vaselakos will serve as information centers for these buildings. Security cameras were installed in all building lobbies and elevator areas on each floor, LLC parking lot, and suite courtyards. New electronic locks have been installed in all of the outside suite and apartment doors, allowing the implementation of a limited access program where students and guests show their key and ID to enter. New patio doors/windows and locks for the suites (Juda/Logan/Beshears) will be completed by our August opening. Balcony doors also have a dead bolt lock allowing for more security as well as the ability to monitor and control access to these balconies. We are looking for faculty mentors for many of our floors.; Faculty members interested in this opportunity should call Michael Speros @ 7103.

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Saturday, August 5

• PRAXIS. 7:30 a.m. Fred Eder Hall, 208

Monday, August 7

• ARTSCAPE - 9 am - 3:30 pm Thompson E. Potter Hall, for grades three-10.

Tuesday, August 8

• ARTSCAPE - 9 am - 3:30 pm Thompson E. Potter Hall, for grades three-10.

Wednesday, August 9

• ARTSCAPE - 9 am - 3:30 pm Thompson E. Potter Hall, for grades three-10.

Thursday, August 10

• GED. 7:30 a.m. Fred Eder Hall 208

• ARTSCAPE - 9 am - 3:30 pm Thompson E. Potter Hall, for grades three-10.

Friday, August 11

• ARTSCAPE - 9 am - 3:30 pm Thompson E. Potter Hall, for grades three-10.

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For Sale: 

• For Sale: Spacious two-story colonial revival home, 2723 Francis Street. Five bedrooms, two full and two half baths. Hardwood floors throughout. The home boasts traditional features, including over 30 glass doorknobs, 9-feet ceilings, original moldings, and stained pine doors. The 600-sq. ft. remodeled attic has hardwood floors and wink-eye windows. Priced below appraised value. contact Susie Hennessy (hennessy@missouriwestern.edu or262-0524) to view. For details see http:www.aokhometours.com AOK I.D. #: 065275.
   

• For Rent: House in Stonecrest - 3 bedrooms plus loft, family room, 3 baths, fenced back yard, quiet cul-de-sac. 509 Meadowcrest Court. $750/month. Call 910-546-2162 or 910-546-2108.
   

• Car for sale: Hyundai 2003 Elantra. Low miles. Factory warranty remaining. Four cylinder, five speed. Excellent car, cold air, great mileage. Listed in "Consumer Reports" 'best buy' for reliability and price. Asking $7,750. Call 816-567-2067.
   

• NASCAR Tickets for sale! Section 230, Row 47, Seat 15-18 (four tickets each race). Busch Series, Sept. 30, $80 each; Nextel Cup Series, Oct. 1, $125 each. Email bjm1465@missouriwestern.edu.
    

• CBR600F4:  2001 Red/Black only 7,800 miles, very clean, minor scratches, garaged, never wrecked, $4,800.00 FIRM, (816) 390-3055
   

• Large Tent accommodates 6 people. Color: green. Excellent condition. $50.00. Contact Gladys Patten at 4364 or gpatten@missouriwestern.edu.
   

• Basset brand TV cabinet (very heavy) approximately 5 feet long, cherry wood finish with pocket doors, drawer at the bottom and 4 shelves with glass door on the left. Good condition. Asking $300.00 or best offer. Contact Gladys Patten at 4364 or email at gpatten@missouriwestern.edu.
   

• 16 week old kitten. Has first distemper shot will have second distemper and rabies shots week of the 17th of July. Ready then to be neutered and declawed. Comes with a carrier, a few toys, some food and kitty litter. Call 5634, Bobbie Delaney.
   

• For Sale: 4 male Beagle puppies; one lemon and white and 3 tri-color. They have had their first set of shots and are loving and gentle. Asking $80.00 to cover vet bills and expenses. email John or Darcy Groce at johngroce@stjoelive.com or call 238-4162 after 5:00 p.m.

• Remember to send us your ads! Send your submissions to publicrelations@missouriwestern.edu

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