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Western's Alumni Association Awards Banquet Oct. 20
Deadline to Register is Oct. 13
The 24th
annual Alumni Association Awards Banquet at Western will honor four
distinguished alumni, one distinguished faculty member and 23 recipients
of Alumni Association scholarships.
The banquet
reception begins at 5:30 p.m. Oct. 20, followed by a 6:30 p.m. dinner in
the Fulkerson Center. Reservations for the dinner must be made by Oct. 13;
call 816-271-5646. Cost is $20 per person.
The 2006
Distinguished Alumni award recipients are Clarence Garder ’40, Julia
Schneider ’67, Dennis Atkins ’77, and John Mullican ’87. The 2006
Distinguished Faculty award recipient is Dr. Richard Crumley, professor
emeritus of biology.
Garder graduated
from the St. Joseph Junior College in 1940. He earned a bachelor’s degree
from Baker University, three graduate degrees from Columbia University in
New York, and a doctorate from the University of Kansas.
As a member of
the Robert Shaw Collegiate Chorale, he sang at Carnegie Hall with the New
York Philharmonic, with the Boston Harmonic, and at the New York City
Center under Leonard Bernstein. He directed the International House Choir
in New York City and the Armed Forces Choir in Shanghai after World War
II.
Garder was the
instrumental and choral teacher at Wymore, Nebraska before joining the
faculty of the University of Central Oklahoma in Edmond in 1953 as a
professor of music and director of choral activities. He served as
chairman of the music department for 10 years. He is now
chairman/professor emeritus.
Schneider earned
an associate’s degree from Missouri Western Junior College in 1967, and
has served the Western library since 1971. She earned a bachelor of arts
degree in English and library science from Northwest Missouri State
University and a master’s in library science from University of Missouri –
Columbia. Schneider was named director of the library in 1991.
As director, she
has applied for and received many grants to keep the library
technologically current. Today, the library maintains more than 202,000
volumes and subscribes to 1,500 journals.
In the community,
Schneider is an active member of the St. Joseph Area Literacy Coalition,
and has volunteered for the Allied Arts Council, Runcie Club, and the
Business and Professional Women’s Association, and as grant administrator
for the National Military Heritage Museum. She also serves on the
statewide boards for professional associations.
Atkins graduated
from Western in 1977 with a bachelor of science in marketing, and has had
a successful career with American Family Insurance since he graduated.
During his tenure, he developed and managed three successful claims
offices in Wichita, St. Louis and St. Joseph, and he developed and managed
the first Customer Service Unit in the midland region. Dennis is currently
the district office claim manager in St. Joseph. Along with his successful
career, he also earned a master’s and a doctorate in business
administration from California Pacific University.
In 2005, on
Western’s campus, Dennis logged his 50,000th mile while running
a marathon around Downs Drive. Thanks to that marathon in 2005 and two
others before it, Dennis has raised more than $43,000 for the Midland
Empire Resources for Independent Living – MERIL. His new goal is to log
75,000 miles.
Mullican, an
associate professor of biology at Washburn University in Topeka, Kan.,
graduated from Western in 1987 with a bachelor of science in biology. He
earned his doctorate degree with an emphasis in molecular biology from the
University of Nebraska Medical Center, and served as a post-doctoral
research fellow there as well. He was an assistant professor of biology at
Creighton University in Omaha, and has taught at Washburn since 1999.
As a faculty
member, he has published, and has helped secure a number of grants for the
university, including two $300,000 innovation grants and a grant for a DNA
Sequencer. Mullican has supervised research projects for numerous
students, and his students often present their research at national
meetings.
Mullican
has an extensive resumé of community service, from a Habitat for Humanity
volunteer to a consultant for a high school academic competition.
Dr. Crumley
earned his bachelor’s degree in biology from Pittsburg State University,
his master’s in botany from Emporia State University, and doctorate from
the University of Northern Colorado. After a brief stint as a high school
teacher, he joined Western’s staff in 1967.
From 1978-1997,
Dr. Crumley served as chair of the biology department. During that time,
he was instrumental in establishing many of the programs of study,
including helping to develop the physical therapy assistant program. He
updated the curriculum and developed applied learning and inquiry-oriented
approaches in the classroom. He was named professor emeritus in 2000, but
returned and taught two semesters last year.
Dr. Crumley has
been very involved in community activities for many years, serving
organizations such as the United Way, Allied Arts Council, New Generation
Singers, his church, and more. Most notably, he and his wife, Barbara,
have been chairs of the Trails West! Festival in St. Joseph for three
years.
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Steve Forbes to Speak at
Convocation Steve Forbes, president and CEO of Forbes, Inc. and
editor-in-chief of Forbes magazine will speak at Western's 13th annual
convocation on Critical Issues. This year's subject is "The Role of
Government in the Global Economy." The convocation is at 9:30 a.m. Oct. 3
in the Looney Complex. Everyone is welcome to attend; 9:30 a.m. classes
will not be held.
United Way Campaign Dr.
James Scanlon encourages all employees of Western to give to the United
Way of Greater St. Joseph. Through a payroll deduction plan, each person
has a convenient, easy and practical way way to make a gift of over 12
months. It is an excellent way to help friends, neighbors and thousands of
people in the St. Joseph area.
Homecoming Shirts Available
The official 2006 homecoming t-shirt is available for purchase at the
Center for Student Engagement (CSE), Blum Union room 207. The homecoming shirts
are black, long-sleeve t-shirts with a four-color back and three-color
front for $7. Personalized homecoming shirts with your organization's name
on the sleeve are available for $10 with a minimum of 15 ordered. Stop by
the CSE and reserve your homecoming t-shirt today! To see the artwork and
obtain more information about homecoming, please visit
www.missouriwestern.edu/engagement.
Non-Trad Spaghetti Supper
Everyone is invited to attend our Non-Trad spaghetti supper on Oct. 26 at
Mayes Memorial Armory, on the corner of Woodbine and Faraon. It will be
from 5-8 p.m. Tickets are $6 each; children six and under are free. Come
to Eder Hall 200 to buy your ticket or see any Non-Trad club member.
Etiquette and Networking
Dinner Learn proper rules of etiquette and how to interact in business
situations on Oct. 3. Network with major employers while enjoying an
delicious meal. Social hour is from 6-7 p.m. and and dinner is at 7 p.m.
The event is at Embassy Suites Hotel near KCI Airport, 7640 NW Tiffany
Springs parkway, off the I-29 and Tiffany Springs exit. Registration fee
is $15 or you may bring a guest for the same amount. Sign up in the Career
Development Office in Eder 202 or call 4205 to make a reservation.
October is Breast Cancer
Awareness Month All employees are invited to join Dr. Martha Ellison,
assistant professor of social work, in conjunction with the YWCA Encore
Plus, program for a breast cancer awareness presentation. The program,
funded by the Avon Foundation and the Susan Komen Foundation, is being
presented to promote breast cancer education. Bring your lunch and join us
for the presentation from 12:15-12:45 p.m. Oct. 4 in Spratt Hall 216.
Pancakes with Nursing
Faculty On Oct. 4, the nursing faculty will host
"Pancakes with Nursing Faculty." This is the faculty mentoring program
with the residence halls. All second floor students as well as other
nursing students living in Vaselakos are invited. The pancakes will be
ready at 10 p.m. on the second floor lobby.
Alpha Gamma Delta's Annual
Teeter-Totter-a-Thon From Oct. 5-6 the ladies of Alpha Gamma Delta
will be teeter-tottering to help raise money for the Juvenile diabetes
Research Foundations. The ladies will start at 8 a.m. and will
teeter-totter for 24 hours straight. Through the Alpha Gamma Delta
Foundation, large grants are made annually to organizations and
individuals for diabetes research, treatment and education. Help support
AGD and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation by donating at the
Teeter-Totter-a-Thon or by giving donations to a member. For more
information please contact Lisa Crawford at 402-681-7350, lcrawford, or
Mandie Wesley at 816-456-2606, ajw9947.
Missouri House
Representative Ed Wildberger on Campus The Organization of Student
Social Workers is inviting all students and faculty members to our meeting
on Oct. 4. Rep. Ed Wildberger, a Democrat who represents part of
Buchanan County (District 27) in the Missouri House of Representatives,
will speak at the meeting. He will discuss issues relevant to all students
and the upcoming election this November. He will speak for a few minutes
and then there will be an open forum for anyone to ask questions. Our
meeting is in Popplewell Hall room 207 and will be held at 12:15 p.m.
For questions, please contact Ashley
Hicks at alh4356.
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Points of Pride for September 2006
Excellence in our Faculty/Staff
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Dr. Todd Eckdahl,
department chair and professor of biology, and colleagues from the
Genome Consortium for Active Teaching were awarded a $307,654 grant from
the National Science Foundation for workshops to be held for the next
three summers.
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Dr. Brenda Blessing,
professor of recreation management, recently received the 2006 Award of
Distinction from the School of Physical Activities and Educational
Services from The Ohio State University. This award is presented to
alumni who have achieved national or international distinction in
his/her field of endeavor.
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Dr. Chris Shove, dean and executive director
of the Western Institute, was awarded a $75,000 grant from the U.S.
Economic Development Administration to conduct the architecture and
engineering of Western’s incubator, the Western Venture Center.
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Dr. Steve Klassen,
associate professor of mathematics, successfully completed the Financial
Mathematics Actuarial Exam administered by the Casualty Actuarial
Society.
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Dr. John Rushin,
professor of biology, has been appointed editor-in-chief for the
Missouri Academy of Sciences Transactions, a peer-reviewed
scientific publication that publishes important work in all areas of
science from local, regional, national, and international focus.
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Dr. Cary Chevalier,
associate professor of biology, recently completed his tenure as
president of the Missouri Academy of Science. He also has become the
chair of the Missouri Academy of Science’s Past Presidents Committee, a
critical position on the MAS Executive Council, and has been appointed
chair of the Editorial Board Organizational Committee for the Missouri
Academy of Science Transactions.
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Greg Kriewitz,
instructor of physical education, has been appointed to serve on the
Exercise Science Advisory Committee for the Metropolitan Community
Colleges.
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Dr. Ben Caldwell,
associate professor of chemistry, was named director for the Western
Institue’s Center of Natural and Applied Sciences. The name of the
center was changed from Life Sciences to reduce confusion with the
Institute of Industrial Applied Life Sciences.
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Dr. Kathleen Andrews,
associate professor of nursing and department chair, was selected to
chair the Northwest Missouri Regional Healthcare Workforce Development
Group. This group represents regional healthcare organizations,
educational institutions, school districts, and business groups. The
purpose of the group is to draw attention to the shortage of healthcare
professionals, enhance the appeal of healthcare career options, and
create new and innovative strategies to retain existing healthcare
workers.
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Mike West, instructor of
business, is serving as a commissioner on the City Planning Commission
for Gladstone, Mo.
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Dr. Faye Smith,
professor of business, as the 2007 program chair elect for the Midwest
Academy of Management Executive Office, attended the Academy of
Management Meeting in Atlanta, where she served as chair for a session
entitled “Explicating Organizational Trust and Distrust” and presented a
paper entitled “Development and Evolution of Trust and Distrust” which
she co-authored with Joann Keyton from the University of Kansas.
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Larry Andrews, professor
of criminal justice, has been reappointed as chairman of the Board of
Jail Visitors by the 5th Judicial
Circuit Presiding Circuit Court Judge Patrick Robb. Larry will preside
over the review board members that study issues and needs of the
correctional facilities in Buchanan County.
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Developing a Personal Style: Janet Flanner's Literary
Journalism, an article published by Dr. Ann Thorne, professor of
journalism, has been published in American
Journalism: A Journal of Media History.
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Dr. Cynthia Jeney,
assistant professor of English, published her textbook “Writing for the
Web: A Practical Guide” (Prentice Hall, August 2006). She also
presented her paper Granny! What a Big Blog You Have!: The Logos of
Ethos in a Mass-Pathological Century, and Other Truthinesses in Web
Communication at the 22nd annual meeting of the national Computers and
Writing conference in Lubbock, Texas.
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Dr. Phil Mullins,
professor of philosophy, and Struan Jacobs published an article entitled
“T.S. Eliot’s Idea of the Clerisy, and Its Discussion by Karl Mannheim
and Michael Polanyi in the Context of J. H. Oldham’s Moot,” in the
Journal of Classical Sociology, vol. 6, no. 2 (2006):147-156. This
essay is accompanied by 1944 papers from Eliot, Mannheim and Polanyi
edited by Dr. Mullins and Jacobs.
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Assistant professor of
physical education Dr. Bill Russell’s article “The Argument for
Promoting Authentic Assessment in Physical Education” was published in
the June 2006 edition of the Iowa AHPERD Journal.
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Dr. David Ashley, professor of biology,
traveled to the Region 7 Headquarters of the Environmental Protection
Agency (Kansas City, Kan.) and presented an invited seminar on the Loess
Hills Ecosystem.
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Jeremy
Warner, instructor of theatre, presented a paper “The Whole Experience:
A Medium of Obsession” and a digital video film entitled “Diva to the
Rescue” at the University Film and Video Arts Conference in Los Angeles.
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Don
Lillie, associate professor of theatre, traveled this summer to Hong
Kong International School under an arts grant awarded to the
communication studies and theatre department. The grant made it possible
for Lillie to give a two-week workshop entitled “The Swords of
Shakespeare.” The focus of this hands-on workshop was to teach basic
weapon skills and to demonstrate how Shakespeare used staged violence to
reinforce his dialogue. Lillie was also asked to present several sword
workshops in the Los Angeles and Palm Springs areas.
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Dr. Elizabeth Latosi-Sawin, professor of
English, presented a paper at Berea College Kentucky at the national
meeting of the Assembly on Expanded Perspectives on Learning (a group
formally associated with the National Council of Teachers of English).
The title of her paper was “Daring to Speak to our Darker Side:
Reconciliation in Native American Literature.”
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Dr. Monica Nandan, associate professor of
social work, presented a research paper entitled “Public Work vs.
Community Service: Lasting Community Impact by Elementary School
Students” at the American Democracy Project National Meeting in
Snowbird, Utah.
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Dr. Phil Wann, professor of psychology, presented a poster entitled
“Loneliness, Type D Personality, and Orthostatic Blood Pressure
Regulation” at the Association for Psychological Science meeting in New
York City. The paper was co-authored by Russ Phillips, psychology
instructor, psychology students Lyn Oshel and John Waller, and by Larry
Perlmuter of the Rosalind Franklin School of Medicine and Science. Dr.
Wann also participated in the Modifiers of Cognitive Aging Conference
held at the Washington University School of Medicine Center for Aging in
St. Louis and gave a presentation at the Society for the Teaching of
Psychology/APS Teaching Institute in New York. The presentation was
based on a study of a new method for teaching the topic of memory in
psychology classes.
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The health, physical education and recreation department, under the
direction of Dr. Nannette Wolford, professor of physical education; and
Patty Hartenbower, assistant professor of physical education; hosted the
Children’s Lifetime Sports Academy. One hundred sixty-eight campers,
ranging in age from eight to 12, participated in rock climbing,
canoeing, rappelling, fishing, archery, obstacle course, swimming, fly
tying, badminton, racquetball, snorkeling, target practice and bungee
pod jumping. Western faculty members Dr. Brenda Blessing, Brandon Neal,
Greg Kriewitz, Jennifer Bishop, Freda Allen and Bill Russell, Western
graduate Nicole Weise and several Western students helped with the
weeklong activities held on campus.
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Bonnie Alsbury, assistant professor of
nursing, and Stephanie Corder, assistant professor of nursing, presented
“Political Advocacy as Civic Engagement: Perceptions of Senior Nursing
Students” at the American Democracy Project National Meeting in
Snowbird, Utah. The presentation was a collaborative effort between
nursing faculty members Alsbury, Corder, Dr. Kathleen Andrews, Dr.
Evelyn Brooks, Dr. Carolyn Brose and Mary Jo Gay.
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Dr. Richard Porr, associate professor and chair of education, and
instructor Mike Flowers facilitated the fourth annual Educator Institute
on Western’s campus. The weeklong institute helps teachers convey to
their students the relationship between classroom learning and real
world application. The educators, from grades K through12, create
curriculum for their own classrooms that will link real world life
experiences to learning. Fifteen teachers from the St. Joseph School
District participated along with area businesses and Western faculty
members Kip Wilson, associate professor of criminal justice, and Dr.
Cary Chevalier, associate professor of biology.
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Joanne Katz, professor of legal studies, and Dave Tushaus, department
chair and associate professor of legal studies, presented “Protecting
Democracy: The Right to Vote” at the International Conference on
Experiential Learning in Lancaster, England.
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Rosalie Guyer, advising and A+ coordinator, and Dr. Shauna Hiley,
associate professor of chemistry, provided an advising session for
incoming faculty.
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Jeff Wilson, student employment coordinator, and Linda Garlinger,
director of career development, made presentations for Griffon Edge
students on student employment and career development.
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Dr. Judy Grimes, dean of student services, made a presentation entitled
“Assessment, Recruitment and Retention: Putting the Pieces Together” at
the National Conference on Recruitment, Marketing and Retention in
Denver. This presentation was done with Courtney Stryker, the retention
consultant currently working with Western. It addressed the strategy of
ensuring that plans for AQIP, strategic planning and recruitment and
retention all successfully come together.
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Dr. Ben Caldwell, associate professor of
chemistry, and Dr. Chris Shove, dean and executive director of Western
Institute, attended the Missouri Bio-technology conference in St. Louis
that featured keynote speakers Senators Bond and Talent.
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During 2005-06, a total
of over $50,000 in training funds was received by three area companies.
This funding, provided through the Missouri Customized Training Program,
offset corporate training costs for Nestle Purina, Lifeline Foods, and
Gray Automotive Products. Peggy Ellis, director of noncredit programs
and business and industry training, assisted the companies in preparing
their funding proposals.
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Dr. Ken Rosenauer,
professor of Eglish and chair; Dr. Ann Thorne, professor of journalism;
and Dr. Robert Bergland, associate professor of journalism; attended the
annual conference of the Association for Education in Journalism and
Mass Communication in San Francisco. The three presented a refereed
paper entitled Grading Student in a Small Journalism Workshop Course.
The paper dealt with data they gathered in a nationwide study of
journalism workshop courses that produce student newspapers and
yearbooks. In addition, Thorne was named editor of the quarterly
national newsletter for the Small Programs Interest Group.
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Dr. James Okapal,
assistant professor of philosophy, wrote a paper entitled “Respite
Palliative Sedation for Refractory Symptoms at the End-of-Life” that was
read at the Center for Applied and Professional Ethics Conference at the
University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
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Frank Thomas, associate
professor of music, and Sharon Gray, associate professor of music,
served on a panel at the Missouri Choral Directors Association on
Community Chorus Outreach at Jefferson City. Two presentations were
given on beginning and/or developing choruses for adults within
communities. Thomas and Western graduate Mary Ann Haenni described our
award-winning educational outreach program, “An American Folk Journey:
History of Life Through Music.” This program is a multimedia
interdisciplinary arts project for fourth graders.
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Dr. Zhao Zhang,
associate professor of electronics engineering, participated in the
GlobalComm 2006 conference in Chicago. The telecommunication industrial
trade show covers all aspects of technology and the latest trends.
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Dale Krueger, associate
professor of business management, attended the Society of Case Research
conference to present a case study on “Flying the Competitive Skies.”
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Dr. Larry Lawson,
associate professor of business finance, and Dr. Cathy Lawson, professor
of economics, made a presentation at the International Consortium for
Experiential Learning in Lancaster, England. The presentation was
entitled “Fluid Intelligence, Experiential Education, and Video Games.”
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Carol Roever, associate
professor of general business and department chair, presented the
“Diversity Game,” a method to help understand and value mental
diversity, to the Dow Joans Investment Club in St. Joseph.
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Dave Tushaus, associate
professor of legal studies and department chair, presented “Students
Protecting Democracy” at the American Democracy Project’s (ADP) National
Meeting in Snowbird, Utah. The presentation focused on getting students
involved in the election process as poll monitors or poll workers. Some
of these strategies are being implemented in Tushaus’ Honors Election
Law class. The presentation fit in with the ADP meeting focus on
assessing how far the project has come and what our next steps should be
to prepare students to fully participate in our democracy.
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Rhonda Rund, Western Institute’s director of
center for community arts, was a judge at the annual art show at the
Trails West! Festival. In addition, Rund promoted the St. Joseph Palette
and the Center for Community Arts fall courses on KQ-TVs “Live at Five”
program. She also met with 80 area public school fine arts teachers to
promote “The Palette” and the Center for Community Arts fall courses.
Excellence in Our Students
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Fifteen cadets from
Military Science attended summer training. Seven cadets graduated from
the ROTC Leader Development and Assessment course at Ft. Lewis
Washington, two of whom graduated with an overall rating of excellent.
One cadet graduated from the Leader's Training Course, two cadets
completed the Cadet Professional Development Program, one cadet
participated in four weeks of training at West Point, two cadets
graduated from the U.S. Army Airborne School and one cadet graduated
from the U.S. Army Air Assault School.
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Psychology majors Lyn Oshel and John Waller
co-authored “Loneliness, Type D Personality, and Orthostatic Blood
Pressure Regulation” along with Russ Phillips, instructor of psychology,
and Larry Perlmuter of the Rosalind Franklin School of Medicine and
Science. Dr. Phil Wann, professor of psychology, presented the poster at
the Association for Psychological Science meeting in New York City.
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A Small Business Institute (SBI) team of
students developed a foster parent marketing plan for the St. Joseph
office of the Missouri Department of Social Services. State officials
were so impressed with this plan that it has now been adopted statewide
as a way to recruit foster parents. The instructor for the SBI course
was Dr. Todd Mick, associate professor of marketing, and the students
were Ben Hultquist, Seham Almuttar, Amber Leach and Anisha Merrill.
Excellence in our
Programs
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Prairie
Lands Writing Project was awarded a $15,000 Technology Initiative “year
two” grant from the National Writing Project to support technology
institutes, technology learning communities, and technology mentor
projects during 2006-2007. In June, Christina Cantrill, National Writing
Project Senior Program Associate, spent a two-day consultancy in St.
Joseph, meeting with area teachers who had directed and/or participated
in Prairie Lands’ technology projects during 2005-2006.
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“Writers by Choice”
elementary school campers and “Make the Write Choice” middle school
campers met at Western for four weeks in June as a part of a cooperative
venture jointly sponsored by Prairie Lands Writing Project and the St.
Joseph School District. This summer, 79 students from 21 St. Joseph area
schools participated; Prairie Lands Teacher Consultants directing the
2006 camps included Skaith teachers Terri McAvoy, Christie Hofmeister,
Dana Adams, Joyce Finch, and Betty Stacey (elementary camp); and Coleman
teacher Donna Klein, and Western adjunct English instructor Valorie
Stokes (middle school camp).
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One-hundred fourteen area educators participated in Western’s Prairie
Lands’ summer institutes, with 65 of these teachers also opting for
graduate credits for their work.
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Conferences and special programs hosted
Harmony University, with over 600 participants from all over the world,
for a weeklong session of various music classes relating to barbershop
quartets.
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Four new dual credit high school chemistry
instructors participated in training workshops with Dr. Mike Ducey,
associate professor of chemistry. These instructors represent four new
schools joining the dual credit/distance education CHE 111 program. A
total of 19 area high schools will be participating in the program for
the 2006-2007 school year.
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Three high
schools have signed up for the new dual credit online College Algebra
course, taught by Dr. Ken Lee, professor of mathematics. Two of the
schools are new additions to Western’s dual credit program.
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Western Institute hosted the annual
Northwest Missouri Counselor’s Breakfast. Over 100 area high school
counselors and administrators were in attendance.
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Six students are enrolled in the new health
information technology online degree program that began in fall 2006.
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Over 60 students, teachers, family members,
and mentor poets attended the final event of Prairie Lands Writing
Project’s (PLWP) “Celebrating Rural Poetry” contest, a reading held in
the community room at St. Joseph’s East Hills Library. The contest came
as a result of United States Poet Laureate Ted Kooser joining the
National Writing Project’s Rural Sites Network and the Rural and
Community Trust to fund eight NWP sites across the country, including
the Prairie Lands Writing Project site located at Western, in
encouraging young writers to write place-based poetry. The winner from
each site flew to Washington D. C. to read his/her poetry at the Library
of Congress. PLWP’s winner was Timothy Weeks of Savannah, Mo. a
tenth-grader being home-schooled.
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The music department hosted the fourth
Mid-America All Star Jazz Ensemble/Camp. Outstanding jazz students from
Iowa, Kansas and Missouri stayed on campus during the week and gained
knowledge and experience about the process of preparing and performing
in a professional setting. The ensemble gave several concerts in the
area. Bob Long, assistant professor of music and director of jazz
studies, directed and organized the ensemble.
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The center for multicultural education
sponsored “The Fate of Hate: Anti-hate Informational,” an all-day event
that exposed students to crime statistics and people associated with
hate crimes. The day featured handouts, two documentaries, visual
depictions of victims of hate crimes, descriptions of known hate groups
in Missouri, verbal stories of victims of hate crimes and a September 11
remembrance. The highlight of the day was visual aids depicting the
pictures and accomplishments of social justice leaders around the world.
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The Stepping Stones Minority Achievement and
Mentorship Program enrolled 16 participants during summer 2006 and has
since grown to 19 participants. There are 10 first-year students of
color and nine upperclassmen who serve as their mentors. The mentors are
required to spend five hours per week (study hours, meals, program
attendance, student organization meetings, etc.) with their first-year
student. Both groups of students are also required to attend training
once per month. Topics include: How to be Successful in Math 090 and
Reading 095, Communication Skills, Making Successful Decisions, Thinking
About Graduate School, etc.
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Residence Life successfully opened up new
front desk operations in Leaverton, Vaselakos and Living Learning
Center. These desks now provide services to the residents of each
building rather than them coming to the Commons, although the Commons is
still the only desk open 24 hours seven days a week. Anyone entering
Leaverton/Vaselakos and LLC between midnight and 6 a.m. must show their
I.D. Anyone with a guest must check them in and receive a guest pass.
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Disability Services and the Non-Traditional
Student Center hosted a workshop entitled “Transition to Higher
Education Opportunities – Support Services for Students with
Disabilities” to area high school counselors, special education teachers
and vocational rehabilitation counselors. Nineteen participants spent
the day on campus listening to the presentation by Sue Matthews and
Julia Edwards, members of MoAHEAD. Topics included reasonable
accommodations, legal requirements, preparation for college,
self-advocacy and services in community colleges and universities.
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Disability Services is currently working
with over 50 students to provide appropriate accommodations. Thirty-five
new students are also in various stages of qualifying for services with
Vocational Rehabilitation. An estimated 20 of those will probably
qualify for accommodations once evaluations are completed. The majority
of students being served have learning disabilities. Approximately 90
percent of those that are served need note takers. Currently, volunteers
in various classes provide notes for our students. There is a slight
increase in the number of students using wheelchairs and scooters. There
are several students with visual impairments working with Don Winkie.
Don has special equipment available for these students in the library.
At least one keyboard with a touch pad has been purchased for each
computer lab. The touch pad keyboards provide access to computer-based
classes for students who find it difficult or impossible to use a mouse.
Plans are to purchase more resting benches so students with some
difficulty walking have a place to stop as they cross campus. There is
also a plan to purchase an automatic door opener for the Registrar’s
Office.
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Enrollment continues for High School/College
Credit courses. A total of 71 classes are being offered at 32 area high
schools this fall. Six new schools and two new courses have been added
this year.
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The Law Enforcement Academy Class #25 began
with 22 cadets scheduled to graduate in December. The law enforcement
cadets assisted the Cass County Sheriff’s Department and the Missouri
State Highway Patrol searching for the remains of seven possible murder
victims. Judge Dan Kellogg requested the assistance of the cadets for
security purposes for Trails West! The Platte City Police Department
also requested the assistance of the cadets in helping with a Motorcycle
Rally held in Platte City. The cadets helped with parking, security,
directing traffic, and assisting officers.
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The Center for Community Arts enrollments
for summer 2006 totaled 378 students, which includes students across all
ages, several different cultures, and all socio-economic regions.
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The Center for Community Arts, in
conjunction with the St. Joseph Allied Arts Council, held the annual
Artscape camp on campus. Artscape is an arts immersion for children in
grades three-10. This year, the camp drew 168 participants from the
greater St. Joseph region.
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