Week of February 23 - 29, 2004 

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

Missouri Western State College, 4525 Downs Drive, St. Joseph, MO 64507, 816-271- 4200

Click any link for these stories:

Theatre Performs 
"Angels in America"

Western To Kick Off MIAA Tournament with Get Together

News Briefs

Calendar

Ads

Archives

The deadline for all entries is 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, 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:
Jenny Pawlowski

Staff Advisers:
Kristy Hill and Diane Holtz

Theatre Performs "Angels in America"

 "Angels in America," a Pulitzer Prize-and two-time Tony Award-winning production is coming to Western . Directed by W. Robin Findlay, associate professor of theatre, the show will run March 4-7 at the Thompson E. Potter Fine Arts Theatre. It will begin at 8 p.m. March 4-6 and at 2 p.m. March 7. Admission is $6 for adults and $3 for students.

The college has also partnered with St. Joseph/Buchanan County Health to present a sneak preview of "Angels in America," at 8 p.m. March 3. Sneak preview admission is $1 with all proceeds going to the National AIDS Awareness Foundation.

"Angels in America" is a dramatic comedy exploring the perspective of Americans during the 1980s and the nation’s struggle in dealing with the spread of AIDS. HBO’s adaptation of the production has recently received five Golden Globe awards.

For more information, contact the Western box office at (816) 271-4443. This play contains material for a mature audience.

Top of Page

Western to Kick Off MIAA Tournament with Get Together

The Western Alumni Association and athletics department are sponsoring "Hoops and Harpo’s," an event to kick off the MIAA Conference Championship Basketball Tournament March 4-7 in Kansas City, Mo. Alumni and friends are invited to Harpo’s Restaurant and Bar in Westport, 4109 Pennsylvania Avenue, from 5 to 8 p.m. March 4. Souvenir mugs will be available for $5, with five-cent refills.

The MIAA Conference Championship Tournament will be held in the Municipal Auditorium. The women’s first round will be on Thursday and the men will begin on Friday. The times will be determined at a later date depending on their seeds. In 2003, both the Western men’s and women’s teams were in the finals, and the men’s team won the championship title.

For more information, contact Julie Lawrence, director of Alumni Services at (816) 271-5650 or lawrence@missouriwestern.edu.

Top of Page

• Applications for financial aid are now available. Students may visit www.missouriwestern.edu/finaid or contact the Financial Aid Office at 4361for more information. Deadlines for applications are as follows:
  --Applications for aid for the fall 2004 semester are due March 1. 
  --The priority deadline for the 2004-2005 FAFSA is April 1. Students may apply online at www.fafsa.ed.gov.

• "Discovering Home," a free short video and an open discussion for "MWSC Outdoor Semester, 2004: Lewis and Clark and Westward Expansion" will be presented on the following Wednesdays:
  - Feb. 25: 2 p.m., PE 226
  - Mar. 3: 2 p.m., SM 205
  Mark Hamilton, instructor of English, will host. He is perhaps the only person in over 100 years to have traveled the entire 8,000-mile Lewis and Clark Expedition route on their approximate timetable, traveling as they did by paddle and pack mule. All are welcome to these one-hour informal sessions.

• The photograph art exhibit featuring Sam Wang is on display in the Thompson E. Potter Fine Arts Building Gallery, room 206, until Feb. 27. The gallery is open 8:30 a.m. - 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.

• The Western Planetarium will feature “Lewis and Clark” on March 1, 3, 8 and 10.Shows begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Evan R. Agenstein Science and Math Building, room 105.  Each show lasts about one hour.  Tickets are $3 each and 40 seats are available.  Reservations can be made in advance by calling 4370. Planetarium showings for organizations or other groups can be arranged by calling 4370 or by contacting Jerry Wilkerson at wilk@missouriwestern.edu.     

• Faculty and professional staff (who work directly with students) are invited to "continue the conversation" about student engagement that began in January from 3:30 - 5 p.m. March 2 in the Nelle Blum Student Union, room 218.  For more information, visit http://www.missouriwestern.edu/acadaff/student_engage.html .  

• The French Conversation Table will be held in the Fred Eder Student Services and Classroom Building, room 211, from noon - 12:45 p.m., on the following Thursdays: March 25, April. 22.  All are welcome to bring their lunch and come for conversation en francais. Contact Susie Hennessy at 5813 or hennessy@missouriwestern.edu for more information.

• Applications and nominations for the Jesse Lee Myers Excellence in Teaching Awards and the Dr. James V. Mehl Outstanding Faculty Scholarship Award for 2004 are now being accepted.  The criteria are as follows:

  --- Jesse Lee Myers Award - All full-time tenured or tenure-track faculty are eligible.  Faculty members may nominate themselves for the award or may be nominated by one of their peers.  The nominating report should contain no more than five pages of narrative explaining the individual's qualifications for the award, a current resume and three letters of recommendation.  Applications and nominations should be based on information for 2003 only.  Consistent teaching performance during a faculty member's career at Western will also be taken into consideration.  Applications and nominations must be sent to the appropriate school dean by April 1.

  --- Dr. James V. Mehl Award - All full-time faculty members are eligible. The awards are not limited to those on tenure tracks.  Awards will be made to faculty scholars.  Previous recipients continue to be eligible in successive years.  Awards must be given only to the highest achieving faculty members.  To be eligible to receive an award, the candidate must have evidence of unusually significant and meritorious achievement in professional scholarship.  The nominating report should contain no more than five pages of narrative explaining the individual's qualifications for the award, a current resume and three letters of recommendation, at least one of which is from an off-campus professional peer.  Applications and nominations should be based on 2003 information only, and they be sent to the appropriate school dean by April 1.

Top of Page

Wednesday, February 25

• Cafeteria serving soul food dishes  

• Black history trivia games and prizes, 4:30 - 7 p.m., cafeteria

• "Discovering Home," 2 p.m., PE 226

• Baseball at Lincoln, Mo., 12:30 p.m.

• Women's basketball at Northwest Missouri State, 5:30 p.m.

• Men's basketball at Northwest Missouri State, 7:30 p.m.

Thursday, February 26

• Coffee and Conversation, 9 a.m. - noon, SS/C 202

• Board of Regents meeting, 5 p.m., SU 220

Saturday, February 28

• St. Joseph Symphony Winter Concert, 8 p.m., Missouri Theatre, 717 Edmond

• Baseball at Nebraska-Omaha, 1 p.m.

• Women's basketball vs. Missouri Southern, 5:30 p.m.

• Men's basketball vs. Missouri Southern, 7:30 p.m.

Sunday, February 29

• Baseball at Nebraska-Omaha, TBA

• TEC/Gospel Extravaganza Dinner, 5 - 8 p.m., SU 218

Top of Page

Top of Page