Week of March 1 - 7, 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:

Twenty Chosen for Leadership Challenge

GPS Spring Workshop Offered

Points of Pride

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

Twenty Chosen for Leadership Challenge

Western student Gina Roggy of Kansas City, Mo., is a full-time nursing major with five children, but she is taking time out of her busy schedule this spring to improve her leadership skills. She is one of 20 students who was chosen to participate in Western’s Barbara Sprong Leadership Challenge.

"We think this is a great opportunity for students to get general leadership skills," said Chad Elifrits, coordinator for the center for student activities. "We hope that by virtue of the skills they receive, they will be able to provide new dynamics for our campus as well as for themselves, personally and professionally."

The program began with a weekend retreat where students learned leadership and problem solving skills from Dr. Tim Crowley, peer counselor coordinator; Dr. Brenda Blessing, chair and professor of health, physical education and recreation; and Dr. James Grechus, professor emeritus of health, physical education and recreation.

Six local leaders will offer presentations over the next seven weeks: Dr. James Scanlon, Western’s president; Bob Klostermeyer, acting dean of student development at Western; Dr. Jimmy Albright, pastor of Wyatt Park Baptist Church; Nicholas Sacarro, executive director of America’s Second Harvest of Greater St. Joseph and Western alumnus; Lowell Kruse, CEO and president of Heartland Health Systems; and Lee Keith, president of Gold Bank.

Elifrits is pleased with the choice of speakers and believes they will offer unique perspectives on community service, leadership and business.

Students are also required to complete at least 10 volunteer hours at a community organization and create a display board about their experience.

Nontraditional student Bob Hughs chose to participate in the program to gain more leadership experience in the St. Joseph community, his hometown. "I want to be able to motivate individuals to believe in my vision for the community," he said. "In addition, I want to be a better husband and father by participating in the leadership challenge." Hughs is married to recent Western graduate Jennifer Hughs and has a 19-month-old son.

The 20 students chosen to be a part of the Barbara Sprong Leadership Challenge are as follows: Lisa Cross, a freshman communication studies major from Blue Springs, Mo.; Robert Mitchell, a freshman legal studies major from Columbia, Mo.; Tanisha Washington, a sophomore English major from Columbia, Mo.; Bethany Miller, a junior criminal justice major from Curryville, Mo.; Jennifer Cassity, a freshman business major from DeKalb, Mo.; Daniel Kirk, a sophomore music education major from Emporia, Kan.; Hannah Coy, a freshman from Farragut, Iowa; Andrew Davis, a junior political science major from Garden City, Mo.; Malcolm Malone, a junior business major from Kansas City, Mo.; Roggy, a senior nursing major from Kansas City, Mo.; Jennifer Evans, a senior nursing major from LaClede, Mo.; Lucas Gorham, a senior management major from Lexington, Mo.; Jamie Lee Bogacz, a junior elementary education major from St. Joseph, Mo.; Adam Brown, a junior government major from St. Joseph, Mo.; Nicole Hartenbower, a junior physical education major from St. Joseph, Mo.; Hughs, a junior business major from St. Joseph, Mo.; Scott Landers, a freshman nursing major from St. Joseph, Mo.; John Fabsits, a senior communication studies major from St. Louis, Mo.; Ashlee Kolieboi, a freshman social work major from St. Louis; and Jenny Soptic, a junior public affairs major from Trenton, Mo.

All Challenge participants are required to maintain a 2.5 cumulative grade point average and will receive one hour of credit through the division of continuing education upon completion of the program.

The Leadership Challenge program began in 1992 and is named in honor of Barbara Sprong, a former member and president of the Western Board of Regents who continues to be a leader in the St. Joseph community.

For more information, contact Elifrits at 4220 or elifritsc@missouriwestern.edu.

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GPS Spring Workshop Offered

A three-day Certified User Mapping Global Positioning Systems (GPS) workshop will be held from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. March 17-19. The workshop is entitled, "Introduction to Global Positioning Systems for Mapping and Navigation."

All sessions are limited to a maximum of 10 participants, and the workshops are open to the community. Participants at the workshop will use commercial mapping-grade GPS receiver systems. The workshop will cover basic concepts of the GPS system, as well as basic operation of data loggers, receivers and antennas. The workshop will be a mix of lectures, demonstrations, hands-on computer activities and field exercises with GPS equipment and software. No prior experience in GPS is required or expected. Lunch will be provided daily, and beverages will be available during scheduled breaks.

Participants should register at the office of continuing education in the Leah Spratt Multipurpose Classroom Building, room 105, or call 4200. A reservation may be secured prior to payment, but arrangements for payment must be made by the time the sessions begins. Credit and noncredit options are available.

For more information contact Dr. Cary Chevalier, associate professor of biology, professional certified trainer at GPS mapping and director of GPS mapping-navigation program, at 4252 or cchev@missouriwestern.edu. For more details on the course, visit the website at www.missouriwestern.edu/conteduc/gps.html.

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Points of Pride

Excellence in our Faculty and Staff

• Dr. Phil Wann, professor of psychology, has received the Midwest Region Faculty Advisor Award for 2003-04 from Psi Chi, the National Honor Society in Psychology. The award will be presented at the Midwestern Psychological Association meeting in Chicago.
• Dr. William Eickhorst, professor of art, exhibited a mixed-media print in "Print Types" exhibition at the Dickenson State University in Dickenson, N.D. He also exhibited two works in the Albrecht-Kemper Museum’s Members Exhibit.
• Jim Estes, professor of art, had a ceramic sculpture entitled "Mellow Skies" accepted into the Topeka Competition 26 exhibition, a seven-state regional competition.
• Jeannie Harmon-Miller, associate professor of art, had her photograph "Hope" selected for inclusion in the seven-state juried exhibition, Photography Midwest, at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The show will run through March 2004. This photography also received a first place award in the photographic division in the Albrecht-Kemper Museum’s Members Exhibit.
• Geo Sipp, assistant professor of art, submitted a drawing, "Sew He Popped A Cop At Chesme Church." It won a Juror’s Award at the America’s 2000: Works on Paper Competition. The work is exhibited at the Northwest Art Center at Minot State University, Minot, N.D. The juror for the exhibit is Shelley Langdale, assistant curator of prints and drawings at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
• Jill Miller, professor of criminal justice and department chair, has been selected to chair the Allocations Council for the United Way of Greater St. Joseph. She also participated in "Drug Court Evaluation" at The National Drug Court Training in Kansas City, Mo.
• Dr. Randye Williams, associate professor of physical education, was appointed by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services to serve on the Council for Adolescent School Health for a two-year term.
• Dr. Reza Hamzaee, professor of economics, will have a paper published, "Testing Sensitivity of Student Enrollment with Respect to Tuition at an Institution of Higher Education." The paper is co-authored by Bijan Vasigh and will be published in the International Atlantic Economic Society’s refereed journal of International Advances in Economic Research, May 2004.
• The research paper, "The Current Iranian Economic Obstacles," by Zinat Najafi, an economics major, and Dr. Reza Hamzaee, professor of economics, was published by Tehran University in Iran.
• Dr. Reza Hamzaee, professor of economics, had his research, "Iranian Economy," published in the World & Its Peoples Encyclopedia, Brown Publishing Group, London, U.K., 2003.
• Lynette Barr, adjunct instructor of English, recently published the seventh volume of "Missouri Teachers Write." This statewide creative writing magazine accepts submissions from Missouri Association of Teachers of English members. Barr has edited the last three editions.
• Roger Kirschbaum has poems published in "Hawai’i Pacific Review" (HI), "The Newport Review" (RI) and "Poetry Motel" (MN).
• Dr. Kelly Henry, assistant professor of psychology, and Dr. Teddi Deka, associate professor of psychology, published a chapter in the American Psychological Society’s second volume of "Lessons Learned: Practical Advice for the Teaching of Psychology." The chapter is entitled "A New Edition of Your Text." The chapter is also featured in the February issue of the American Psychological Society’s national monthly publication, "The Observer."
• Dr. Carolyn Brose, assistant professor of nursing, presented "Competency: Why Don’t New Grads Have It? Implications for Academia and Service" at the 30^th Annual National Conference on Professional Nursing Education and Development held in Kansas City, Mo.
• Marsha Dolan, assistant professor of nursing, presented "Using the Internet for Health Care Research" at the Missouri Hospital Association annual meeting in Tan Tar A and also at the Mid-Missouri Health Information Management Association regional meeting in Columbia, Mo.
• Dr. Randye Williams, associate professor of physical education, presented a workshop to the faculty and staff at Hall Elementary School in St. Joseph, "Stress Management and Coping Skills."
• Peggy Ellis, continuing education director, presented "Managing Priorities" to students. She helped students identify their many roles and explore methods to stay focused on short-term and long-term goals. She also presented "Valuing Diversity" to 29 members of Leadership St. Joseph’s Class of 2004.
• Dr. Reza Hamzaee, professor of economics, was invited as the preliminary speaker to share his new research, "Building a Testable Model of Distinct & Successful Distance-Education Program," to the faculty, administrators and doctoral students of the Walden University in Alexandria, Va.
• Dr. Dennis Rogers, professor of music, was a presenter and clinician on "Positive Effects of Innovative Classroom Instruction," dealing with the teaching of beat and rhythm to elementary, middle and high school music students at the Missouri Music Educators Association Convention.
• Mark Hamilton, instructor of English, gave two presentations concerning the Lewis and Clark Expedition for the third-through sixth-graders of Cathedral School, St. Joseph. In addition, Hamilton has had a contributor’s item, "The Imagination," published in the 285-page e-book "FabJob Guide to Become a Published Writer," edited by Sheila Seifert, FabJob.com, 2003.
• David Tushaus, assistant professor of legal studies, presented "Policies, Procedures, and Other Things That Can Get You SUED" at a conference for directors of child care programs in Leavenworth, Kan. The session was on legal issues facing employers in hiring and firing employees, and in collecting past due accounts.
• Dr. Brent Walker, assistant professor of physical education, gave several sport psychology lectures at the A, B, & C National Soccer Licensing Clinics for the U.S. Soccer Federation in Tampa, Fla. He was also a guest speaker at the Frank White Coaching Clinic in Lee’s Summit and at the Midwest Baseball Coaches Clinic in Peoria, Ill.

• Two advanced photo students had work selected for inclusion in the Photography Midwest exhibition: Jackie Roy’s photograph entitled "Ascending" was included as well as Sarah Fisher’s untitled photo.
• Advanced photo student Kristin Wampler had her work selected in the 24^th Annual College Photography Contest & Publication. Over 31,000 photographs were entered from student photographers in the United States and Canada. This year’s judges were photo faculty from Brooks Institute of Photography, Art Center College of Design and Nikon USA.
• The research paper, "The Current Iranian Economic Obstacles," by Zinat Najafi, an economics major student, and Dr. Reza Hamzaee, professor of economics, was published by Tehran University in Iran.
• Six resident assistants accompanied by residence hall director Sarah Lloyd participated in the Resident Assistant Conferences at the University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, Iowa.

• The Jazz Ensemble, under the direction of Richard Yeager, assistant professor of music, was granted the one and only collegiate jazz performance position at the Missouri Music Educators Association Convention. They performed for a crowd of more than 700.
• The Western Symphonic Winds, directed by Jeffrey Hinton, assistant professor of music, was one of the only two collegiate concert bands accepted to perform at the Missouri Music Educators Association Convention. Stephen Molloy, Western’s trumpet professor and artist in residence, was also featured with the group. They performed to an audience of more than 1,000.
• Distance Education courses were offered for the first time this semester in the Western Regional Diagnostic and Correctional Center. Tuition for the students incarcerated at the institution is provided by the Missouri Department of Corrections through a federal grant, Youthful Offenders College Tuition Grant. The first cohort group is taking Introduction to Psychology taught by Dr. Teddi Deka, associate professor of psychology.
• During the fall semester the Developmental Mathematics Program expanded the use of self-spaced instruction. Sixty students used the system to complete all the requirements for both Beginning Algebra and Intermediate Algebra in one semester.
• The Jason Riley Trio, comprised of Riley, guitar, and Mark Elting, percussion, both alumni; and Craig Kew, bass, performed for the January recital of the Noontime Series at the First Presbyterian Church.
• Prairie Lands Writing Project recently served as a Preliminary Judging Site for the national 2004 Scholastic Writing Awards competition. Twenty-six area pre-service teachers and teachers, grades three-16, met at Western on the last two Saturdays in January where they read and scored high school poetry, essay, fiction, drama and journalism contest entries submitted by over 2,000 high school students from throughout the United States. Dr. Jane Frick, Prairie Lands Director, and Rebecca Dierking, Maryville High School English teacher, coordinated the scoring sessions. English faculty members who participated in the scoring sessions included Roger Kirschbaum, Dr. Robert Bergland, Nancy Reese-Dillon, Dr. Patricia Donaher, Susan Garrison, Jeff McMillian, Keith Collett, Thomas Pankiewicz, and Dr. Elizabeth Sawin.
• The Center for Multicultural Education sponsored "A New Vision for America," a lecture by Dr. Na’im Akbar, a Florida State University Professor and renowned speaker. The Center also sponsored "The Vagina Monologues" in celebration of the V-Day Campaign. Over 250 community members, students, faculty and administrators attended each event.
• Rosalie Guyer, advising and A+ coordinator, and George Hammer, academic advisor and A+ specialist, joined Howard McCauley, director of admissions, at a meeting with St. Joseph Public School officials to discuss ways to encourage students to take the core curriculum during high school. They will assist with the Ready-Set-Go program that admissions is coordinating.

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• "The Use of 3-D Terrain Image Generation in Virtual Reality," the computer science, mathematics and physics department colloquium, is 4 - 4:50 p.m. March 4 in the Evan R. Agenstein Science & Math Building, room 109. Lecture will be given by Kent Pickett, assistant professor of computer science and director of special projects, Carmel Applied Technologies, Incorporated. Everyone is invited to attend, and refreshments will be served.

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

• 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 Dr. 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.

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Monday, March 1

• "Lewis and Clark" planetarium show, 7:30 p.m., SM 105

Tuesday, March 2

• Interview day, KCI Expo Center 

• Continued conversation about student engagement, 3:30 - 5 p.m., SU 218. 

• Softball vs. Bellevue, 2 p.m.

Wednesday, March 3

• Academic Profile, 2 p.m., LRC 102

• "Discovering Home," 2 p.m., SM 205

• Hoops for Heart, 3:30 p.m. - 6 p.m., PE Arena

• Baseball vs. St. Mary, 3:30 p.m.

• "Lewis and Clark" planetarium show, 7:30 p.m., SM 105

• "Angels in America," sneak preview, 8 p.m., FA Theater

Thursday, March 4

• Noontime Concert Series, 12:10 - 12:45 p.m., First Presbyterian Church, 7th and Jules

• Computer Science, Math and Physics colloquium, 4 p.m., SM 109

• "Angels in America," 8 p.m., FA Theater

• CAB fashion show, 7 p.m., Leah Spratt Hall, Room 101

Friday, March 5

• Softball vs. St. Cloud State, 2 p.m.

• "Angels in America," 8 p.m., FA Theater

Saturday, March 6

• Praxis, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m., A105

• Baseball vs. Nebraska-Kearney, 1 p.m.

• Softball, Western Invitational

• "Angels in America," 8 p.m., FA Theater

Sunday, March 7

• Baseball vs. Nebraska-Kearney, 1 p.m.

• Softball, Western Invitational

• "Angels in America," 2 p.m., FA Theater

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