Week of  Sept. 24-30, 2007

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, 816-271- 4200

Click any link for these stories:

Western Hosts Career Conference

Western Presidential Search Enters Next Stage

Western Baseball Clinic

Western Awards Banquet  Oct. 12

Tower Sports

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.

Western Hosts Career Conference

A career conference on Western’s campus Sept. 20 delivered three well known speakers and a wealth of great ideas and resources for area employment recruiters and business people.

Linda Garlinger, director of Western’s Career Development and conference organizer, said she wanted to offer a reasonably priced, information-packed conference to area businesses and organizations, and she believes the conference was a success.

Presentations included “Second Thoughts on Recruiting the Creative Class,” by  Jack Cashill, Emmy-award-winning writer and producer, executive editor of Ingram's Magazine (Kansas City), talk show host and author of four books; “Making Contacts Count,” by Anne Baber, of Lenexa, Kan., one of the leaders of Contacts Count, a consulting and training firm for businesses and career networking and co-author of three books; and “How to be Found: Positioning Students and Alums Online in the Age of Deep Web and Internet Searching,” by Maureen Crawford Hentz, manager of talent acquisition for Osman Sylvania, Inc. in Danvers, Mass.

“I thought the conference was very beneficial,” said Amy Bennett, recruiting specialist for Western. “I learned new aspects on diversity, networking and new ideas on how to recruit the best candidates. It was a also great opportunity to network with other professional associates.”

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Western Presidential Search Enters Next Stage

The firm hired to assist in the search for Western’s next president has begun its work.

Dr. Allen E. Koenig, senior consultant with R.H. Perry & Associates (RHPA), has met with groups of staff, faculty, administrators, the Board of Governors and other community members. Dr. Koenig will take the information from the meetings to create an executive search profile for prospective candidates. The profile will describe the university, its accomplishments under current president Dr. James Scanlon, the challenges facing the next president and the qualifications required.

“People attending the meetings expressed a variety of views about Western and its future,” said Patt Lilly, vice chair of the Board of Governors and chair of the 20-member presidential screening committee. “Those perspectives will be reflected in the search profile, helping us find the best match possible.”

Dr. Koenig was president of Emerson College in Boston from 1979 to 1989 and of Chapman University in Orange, Calif. from 1989 to 1991. Before that he served in administrative, teaching and research positions at the University of Southern California, The Ohio State University, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Eastern Michigan University, Capital University, and Marycrest College. Dr. Koenig joined RHPA in 1993 and has since led more than 150 successful presidential searches and interim president placements.

Advertising of the position is expected to begin Sept. 24 with finalists being interviewed on campus by the end of the year, Lilly said. Dr. Scanlon has announced his plans to retire June 30, 2008, after seven years as president of Western.

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Western Baseball Clinic

The Western baseball team will hold its Community Fall Baseball Clinic from 9 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. Oct. 6. This clinic will be offered to boys and girls who are in kindergarten through fourth grade.

The clinic will be free to the first 75 children who call Coach Buzz Verduzco at 4484. Leave the child’s name and phone number.

Check in will begin at 8:30 a.m. at Phil Welch Stadium in St. Joseph, Mo., and lunch will be provided. If it happens to rain on Oct. 6 the clinic will be moved to Oct. 7. Be sure to bring a mitt, cap and cleats if desired.

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Western Awards Banquet Oct. 12

Four alumni, one music professor, a former employee, and scholarship recipients will all be honored at Western’s Alumni Association Homecoming awards banquet Oct. 12. Alumni Mary Jane Fields Schoen ’47, Edward Haffey ’62, Tom Norsworthy ’75, and Dr. R Gregory Downing ’76, will receive Distinguished Alumni Awards; Dr. Dennis Rogers, professor of music, will receive the Distinguished Faculty Award; and Dr. George Richmond will receive the Herb and Peggy Iffert Award for Outstanding Service to the University.

The banquet will begin at 6 p.m. in Western’s Fulkerson Center. Cost is $25 per person. To make a reservation, call 816-271-5670 or go online at www.griffonalumni.org/homecoming2007 by Oct. 1.

Schoen is an alumna of the St. Joseph Junior College as well as a former employee of Western. She earned an associate degree in 1947, and a bachelor of science degree in home economics from Northwest Missouri State University in Maryville, and a master of arts degree in elementary education from the University of Missouri – Kansas City.

Schoen, who resides in St. Joseph, owned and operated a preschool for seven years, opened the first kindergarten at John Glenn Elementary in the Savannah School District and opened the first all-day kindergarten in the area at Camden Point, Mo. She also served as a kindergarten consultant. Schoen developed the early childhood emphasis area for elementary education majors at Western and taught in the education department for 20 years. She retired from Western in 1993 but continued to teach part time until 2005.

Haffey, of Castle Rock, Colo., earned an associate degree from the St. Joseph Junior College, a bachelor’s degree in government, business and international affairs from George Washington University in Washington, DC, and a juris doctor degree from the University of Colorado School of Law. He served as a lieutenant in the United States Navy for three years, making two extended deployments to Vietnam.

During more than 35 years of law practice, Haffey specialized in representation of most major property and casualty insurers regarding suspected fraudulent claims activity.

Norsworthy is the president and CEO of KRM Restaurant Corp., which owns and operates the 54^th Street Grill & Bars. He graduated from Western with a bachelor of science in business administration with an emphasis in accounting. He was formerly president and CEO of RFD Incorporated, a direct-marketing company with 500 employees and $100 million in annual revenues. He opened his first restaurant in 1990, and in 2005, Norsworthy and his wife, Ann, were named Restaurateurs of the Year by the Kansas City Restaurant Association.

Dr. Downing, of Niskayuna, NY, graduated with a bachelor of science in chemistry from Western, and earned his Ph.D. in nuclear chemistry from the University of Missouri-Rolla. He is a research chemist for the National Institute of Standards and Technology, Chemical Science and Technology Laboratory in Gaithersburg, Md.; and president of his consulting firm, RGD Research, Inc.

He holds six patents on inventions and procedures, and has collaborated with scientists across the globe on a number of projects. Dr. Downing has published over 100 articles and made more that 125 presentations nationally and internationally.

Dr. Rogers joined Western as an adjunct instructor of percussion in 1978 and became a full-time faculty member in 1979. He was named director of percussion studies in 1981, and has developed a highly successful percussion program at Western.

Dr. Rogers earned a bachelor of music – percussion performance, and a master of music – percussion performance from the University of Missouri - Kansas City Conservatory of Music. He earned a master of arts – adult and continuing education, an educational specialist degree, and a Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction from the University of Missouri – Kansas City School of Education.

Dr. Rogers has been the recipient of nine institutional merit awards from Western, and in 2005, he received the Distinguished Professor Award from the university. He received the Original Compositions and Current Performance Awards from the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers in 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2005. Additionally, he has published five books relating to percussion.

Dr. Richmond began teaching in the education department at Western in 1969 and became chair of education and special education in 1970. He became the director of the  continuing education department in 1977, serving until 1982. He then served as vice president for development and planning for Western until he retired in 1984.

Dr. Richmond has been an active volunteer in the St. Joseph community, serving many organizations and offering his leadership on several nonprofit boards. He is currently serving his second term on the MWSU Foundation Board and serves as its secretary.

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Tower Sports

Soccer

• Loss vs. Southwest Baptist, 0-5, Sept. 21

• Loss vs. Missouri Southern, 0-5, Sept. 22

• Sept. 28 at Northwest Missouri State in Maryville, Mo., at 2 p.m.

• Sept. 29 at Truman State in Kirksville, Mo., at 2 p.m.

Volleyball

• Loss vs. Central Missouri, 0-3, Sept. 21

• Loss vs. Southwest Baptist, 2-3, Sept. 22

• Sept. 25 vs. Northwest Missouri State at 7 p.m.

• Sept. 26 at Missouri Southern in Joplin, Mo., at 7 p.m.

• Sept. 29 vs. Emporia State at 7 p.m.

Football

• Win vs. Pittsburg State, 39-32, Sept. 22

• Sept. 29 vs. Washburn at 1:30 p.m. Family Day/Hall of Fame game

Women's Golf

• Placed 13 at Southwest Minnesota State Invitational in Marshall, Minn., Sept. 22-23

Softball

• Loss vs. Kansas University, 3-5, Sept. 23 

• Loss vs. Kansas University, 0-5, Sept. 23

• Sept. 29 - Alumni Game at 1 p.m.

Light the Night Walk Join Western administrators, faculty, staff and students for the annual Light the Night Walk at 6 p.m. Sept. 29 at Hyde Park. After Family Day, members of the Western community will participate in the walk for leukemia and lymphoma. Participants will carry red balloons and cancer survivors will carry white balloons. To find out how to get involved with the fight against leukemia and lymphoma, call Stena Hinkle at 4444 or email her at hinkle.

Planetarium Series The Western Planetarium will hold its fall series with shows entitled “Light Years from Andromeda,” “More Than Meets the Eye” and “Lewis and Clark.” The dates are as follows:

• Oct. 1: “Light Years from Andromeda”

• Oct. 2: “Light Years from Andromeda”

• Oct. 8: “More Than Meets the Eye”

• Oct. 9: “Lewis and Clark”

All shows begin at 7 p.m. and last approximately 50 minutes. The seating capacity is 40 people. Tickets are $3 each. Advance reservations are required and can be made by calling 4370. The planetarium is located in Agenstein Hall, room 105.

Up 'til Dawn Up 'til Dawn is a student-led program hosted on college campuses throughout the country. You can be a part of the campuswide effort to support St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, the internationally-known center for research and treatment of catastrophic childhood diseases. For more information, please visit www.stjude.org. Want to get involved? Contact the center for student engagement at 4159 for more information and to sign up a team by Oct. 2.

Student Excellence Request Deadline Student applications for fall semester for the Student Excellence Fund must be submitted to the Foundation Office, Spratt 111, no later than 4:30 p.m. on Oct. 19. The Student Excellence Fund is a source of financial assistance provided for Western students through the Western Foundation. This fund reimburses students for expenses incurred while presenting papers, participating in seminars, etc. For detailed information link to: http://www.missouriwestern.edu/foundation/excellence.htm For questions, contact Kim Weddle at 5647.

Cheer Squad Golf Tournament The Cheer Squad will host a golf tournament Oct. 6 at Duncan Hills Golf Course in Savannah, Mo. The tournament is a four-person scramble and will begin at 8 a.m. with a shotgun start. The cost is $45 per golfer. The proceeds from this event will go to the cheer squad to help with travel expenses, uniforms and other costs. The registration and payment deadline is Sept. 24. If you wish to enter a team send your names, phone numbers and payment to: Duncan Hills Golf Course, 400 E Duncan Drive, Savannah, Mo., 64485 For questions or more information call 816-617-5487.

Attention, Student Organizations! Interested in publicizing your events in a way that many students can see? The new plasma screens in the Blum Union are managed by the center for student engagement. You can have all of your weekly events publicized on a weekly calendar of events that will appear on The University Network. Request forms can be obtained in the CSE (Blum Union 207), so stop by today, and your events could be on TV.

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Monday, September 24

• Senate meeting at 5 p.m. in Blum 220

• Fiesta from 4:30-7 p.m. in Blum Union Lounge

Tuesday, September 25

•  Residence Council meeting at 7 p.m. in Commons Building

Wednesday, September 26

• WAC meeting at 4:30 p.m. in the Junior College Room

• GED graduation ceremony for the WRDCC is at 1:30 p.m. in the visitor's center at WRDCC.

Thursday, September 27

• Student Court at 5 p.m. in Blum 222

• Board of Governors meeting at 5:30 p.m. in Blum 220

Friday, September 28

• Hall of Fame Reception from 6:30-9:30 p.m. at Ramada Inn

Saturday, September 29

• ACT Prep Course from 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. Spratt Hall

• Family Day

• Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony 2007 at 9 a.m. breakfast at Ramada Inn

• Presentation of Hall of Fame rings at halftime of football game vs. Washburn University. Kickoff begins at 1:30 p.m. at Spratt Stadium.

• Light the Night Walk at 6 p.m. at Hyde Park

• YWCA Women and Money Conference in the Fulkerson Center

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Looking for: Looking to purchase a used piano. Contact Kathy Joe at 232-5817 or 4585.

For Sale: 1989 Ford Lariat pickup - dualie, crew cab, brown/beige. $1,800. Please call 4554 or 816-390-6184 or email judnol.

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