Week of  Feb. 2-8, 2009

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 President Pleased with Budget Proposal

Western Selects Architect for Indoor Practice Facility

Western Hosts Synthetic Biology Lectures

Western Hosts Third Annual Jazz Festival

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 President Pleased with Budget Proposal

Western would receive about $24.4 million from the state under the budget proposed by Gov. Jay Nixon.

“I’m encouraged that the governor has recognized the important role that higher education plays in job creation and economic recovery,” said Dr. Robert Vartabedian, Western’s president. “An educated workforce is the key to Missouri attracting new employers and encouraging economic growth.”

The budget proposal would fully fund the Caring for Missourians Initiative, giving Western an additional $843,816 over its current state appropriation. That money would allow Western to increase its annual production of baccalaureate nursing degree graduates by 15, its other health professional baccalaureates by 10 and its medical technology baccalaureates by five.

“We know that there is a growing need for health care workers in the state,” Dr. Vartabedian said. “Caring for Missourians would allow Western and other institutions to help meet this need.”

The budget would also provide more money to the Access Missouri Financial Assistance Program, raising the cap on the need-based scholarships from $2,150 to $2,850. Combined with stable tuition, the higher cap will make college a more affordable choice for many Missourians. Last year, 1,406 Western students received more than $2 million in Access Missouri funds. This year, an estimated 1,598 students will receive nearly $2.6 million.

Although he’s pleased with the governor’s proposal, Dr. Vartabedian said he recognizes the budget has to go through the normal legislative process.

“Our local lawmakers have been strong advocates for Western and for higher education in general, and we look forward to working with them and other legislative leaders as the budget moves through the General Assembly,” he said. “They’ll have tough choices to make, and we welcome the opportunity to explain the value of investing in higher education in the state.”

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Western Selects Architect for Indoor Practice Facility

The Western Board of Governors selected Ellison-Auxier Architects, Inc. to design and provide construction oversight for a new indoor football practice facility and related improvements to Spratt Memorial Stadium. The board made their selection this morning in a phone poll, which will be ratified at their regular monthly meeting Feb. 26.

The selection was based on the recommendations of a committee that reviewed the qualifications submitted by ten firms in response to Western’s request. The committee interviewed four of the firms on campus.

The committee evaluated the firms based on four criteria set in state statute: the specialized experience and technical competence of the firm; the firm’s ability to perform the work on time; the record of the firm with respect to controlling costs, quality of work and other factors; and the firm’s proximity to and familiarity with the area in which the project is to be located.

“We received qualifications from a number of great firms, but when we looked at those criteria, Ellison-Auxier emerged as the best choice,” said Dave Williams, Western’s director of athletics and a member of the review committee. “During their 35-year association with Western, they’ve provided high-quality design while controlling costs and completing projects on schedule.”

Selection of the architect will allow work to move forward quickly, Williams said, an important consideration because of the limited time frame available to complete construction. The Kansas City Chiefs will move their training camp to Western if the indoor practice facility is substantially completed by summer 2010. University officials hope to break ground in June.

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Western Hosts Synthetic Biology Lectures

The field of synthetic biology is advancing rapidly, with new engineered organisms being constructed to help cure cancer, produce renewable energy and build living computers. A leader in this emerging field will give two lectures at Western on Feb. 6.

Dr. Drew Endy, assistant professor of bioengineering at Stanford University, will present, “Designs and Operation of Natural and Engineered Biological Systems” at noon in the Hearnes Center, room 102. Dr. Endy’s second talk, “Building a New Biology,” will be delivered at 3 p.m. in Spratt Hall, room 201. Both lectures are free and open to the public.

Dr. Endy is president of the BioBricks Foundation, has co-founded two biotechnology companies, and helped start the Registry of Standard Biological Parts and iGEM, a genetic engineering “Olympics” for undergraduates in which Western has won a gold medal each of the last three years. Esquire magazine recently named Dr. Endy one of the 75 most influential people of the 21^st century.

His noon lecture will focus on the decisions individual cells in our bodies make, such as to grow and divide or die, to become skin or liver, and so on. Dr. Endy will talk about what scientists still don’t understand about that decision-making process, how engineers and others are using new tools to build synthetic biological systems, and how biologists might join in such work to better understand how life exists and evolves.

The second lecture will explore some of the questions raised by synthetic biology. With researchers developing powerful new technologies that allow life to be assembled from scratch, who will control these new biotechnologies? What good and bad possibilities exist?

Dr. Endy’s visit is made possible by a National Science Foundation Undergraduate Training in Biology and Mathematics grant that Western received.

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Western Hosts Third Annual Jazz Festival

The Western music department will host its third annual Jazz Festival starting at 8 a.m. Feb. 7 in Potter Hall Theater.

High school music ensembles will perform in front of adjudicators who will give taped and written critiques after their performance. Immediately following each band’s performance the clinicians will give a 25-40 minute clinic for the band, discussing and working on specific areas of the performance. Clinicians for the performances are Doug Talley of Shawnee Mission Northwest and Dr. David Aaberg, director of jazz studies at the University of Central Missouri.

Performing will be groups from Benton and Central High Schools of St. Joseph, Harrisonville High School, Lee’s Summit High School and Turner High School of Kansas City, Kan.

After the performances, students will attend clinics designed for their specific instruments. The clinics are conducted by Western faculty, including Lee Harrelson, trombone; Stephen Molloy, trumpet; Mark Elting, percussion; and Bob Long, saxophone.

The festival will conclude with a short performance by the Western Jazz Ensemble, directed by Long, at approximately 5 p.m. During the concert individual performance awards for the day will be announced.

For more information, contact Long at 4420 or long@missouriwestern.edu.

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Tower Sports

Men's Basketball

• Win vs. Emporia State, 75-58, Jan. 28

• Loss vs. Washburn University, 78-79, Jan. 31

• Feb. 4 vs. Fort Hays State at 7:30 p.m.

• Feb. 7 vs. Missouri Southern State at 7:30 p.m.

Women's Basketball

• Loss vs. Emporia State, 70-89, Jan. 28

• Loss vs. Washburn University, 64-77, Jan. 31

• Feb. 4 vs. Fort Hays State at 5:30 p.m.

• Feb. 7 vs. Missouri Southern State at 5:30 p.m.

Baseball

• Feb. 7 at Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia, Ark., at 12 p.m.

• Feb. 7 at Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia, Ark., at 2 p.m.

• Feb. 8 at Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia, Ark., at 12 p.m.

• Feb. 8 at Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia, Ark., at 2 p.m.

Noontime Concert Series Western will co-sponsor the First Thursday Downtown Noontime Concert Series at 12:10 p.m. Feb. 5 at the First Presbyterian Church, 301 N. 7th St. Pianist Victoria Bragin will be joined by Western faculty Richard Yeager, woodwind specialist, on flute; Craig Kew, bass instructor, on bass; and Mark Elting, instructor of music and recording arts, on percussion. The concert will consist of crossover music, a fusion of classical music and jazz. Selections will feature work from Claude Bolling. The community is invited to bring lunch and eat while listening to the performance in the sanctuary of the church. The event will last approximately 35 minutes, and there will be an opportunity to meet the performers after the concert. A minimum donation of $3 per person is suggested in order to meet the expenses and provide continuation of the series. For more information about the concert series, contact the First Presbyterian Church office at 816-232-3358; the Western music department at 4420; or Jerry Anderson, Noontime Concerts coordinator at 816-262-0800.

Black Heritage Ball The Center for Multicultural Education (CME) at Western will host the second annual Black Heritage Ball and Drum Major for Justice Awards at 5 p.m. Feb. 7 in the Fulkerson Center. Prior to the ball, CME and the Western Alumni Association will host an Alumni Meet and Greet at 4 p.m. in the Enright Community Room, Spratt Hall room 214. The Black Heritage Ball will focus on the African Diaspora, the story of how Africans, though scattered and dispersed, managed to retain their traditions while transforming their identities in a new world. Students from Western and Central High School will make a presentation about the lives of African-Americans, from slavery to the presidency. The keynote speaker will be Joseph Sebarenzi, a former leader of the parliament in Rwanda, who will talk about peace and reconciliation in his home nation. Tickets are $10 for students and $15 for others. A table of six may be reserved for $50 (students) or $65 (non-students). Reservations and payments must be made by Feb. 4 in the CME office, Blum Student Union room 210. The Alumni Meet and Greet will give Western juniors and seniors an opportunity to network and socialize with Western alumni. Admission is free and pre-registration is not required. For more information about both events, call CME at 4150.

College Goal Sunday Western will host “College Goal Sunday,” from 2-4 p.m. Feb. 8 in Kemper Recital Hall, Leah Spratt 101. Parents and students will receive free professional assistance filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, the first step in the college financial aid process. Parents and students are asked to bring copies of their 2008 federal tax returns and W2 forms, social security numbers and other information. College Goal Sunday is hosted by high school counselors, financial aid professionals and the Missouri Association of Financial Aid Personnel at 24 locations around Missouri. One attendee at each site will receive a $500 scholarship. The event is free to the public. For more info contact the financial aid office at 4361.

Employee Email Changes In the recent Public Relations/Marketing Office survey about internal communications, we received several comments regarding employee emails. On the one hand, employees liked getting MWSU information via email. However, there were concerns expressed about the large volume of email. There were several good suggestions for lessening the volume that we want to try, so we are making the following changes to the news@list.missouriwestern.edu system, effective immediately:

• All employee emails regarding excess office furniture or supplies will not be sent out as emails. These will be forwarded to the editor of Tower Topics, the weekly e-newsletter. Each week, the information from the emails about office furniture or supplies will be placed in the Want Ad section of Tower Topics. When your furniture, etc., is given away, please call 5652 or email publicrelations@missouriwestern.edu, and we will remove the ad from Tower Topics. You may continue to send the information on excess furniture or office supplies as an email to news@list.missouriwestern.edu, and we will forward it to Tower Topics, or you can begin to send them directly to the Tower Topics email - publicrelations.

• All employee emails regarding service activities or functions will also be forwarded to Tower Topics and not sent out as emails. These include food drives, bake sales, toy drives, Adopt-a-Family information, etc. Updates or important timely information may still be sent as employee emails, so please continue to send them as emails and we will use our discretion.

• Suggestions from the survey included better use of email subject lines and giving employees the opportunity to set up filters on their emails so that the emails immediately go to a folder. In order for you to be able to do this, the Public Relations Office is standardizing the email subject lines.

• When you send a news@list.missouriwestern.edu email, it comes to the Public Relations Office first for approval, so if you haven't already, we will change the Subject Line on the email so employees may have the option of automatically sending the email to a folder or deleting it. Each "news" email will include one of the following key words in its subject line:

a. W-Advisory - holiday mail instructions, purchasing instructions regarding year end, CPDS courier schedule, surveys, etc. These emails may require action on the part of employees.
b. W-Academics - course offerings, advisor information, etc.
c. W-Athletics - information from the athletic dept. This email will include upcoming athletic events.
d. W-Event - coming events or activities except athletics.
e. W-News - department newsletters, miscellaneous news, etc.
f. W-Family - family updates

• Even if you don't want to create email folders, our use of consistent subject lines will help all of us determine if the email is relevant or not.

• Remember, these changes only apply to the news@list.missouriwestern.edu emails, not the admininfo@missouriwestern.edu emails. (The admininfos include messages from top administrators, human resources information about benefits, etc.)

We plan to evaluate these changes at the end of the Spring semester to see if they are effective and have solved any of the email volume issues. If you have any questions or comments, contact Roger Swafford at 5649 or rswafford1; or Diane Holtz at 5651 or holtz.

New Web Page Instructional Media Center has been working on a new web page design for the university, and it should be online soon. Also, a new calendar page for the MWSU arts is in production and should go online within the week. Watch the website for these developments.

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Monday, February 2

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

• Orchestra Rehearsal from 6:30-8:30 p.m.

• Griffon Luncheon from 12-1 p.m. in the upstairs banquet room at La Dolce Vita at 36th Street Restaurant

• Student Excellence Deadline. Applications must be submitted to the Foundation Office, Spratt 111, no later than 4:30 p.m.

Tuesday, February 3

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

Wednesday, February 4

• Western Activities Council meeting at 4 p.m. in the Junior College Room

• “The Extreme Team” returns to Western. Performances will be during the halftimes of the men's and women's basketball games.

• Black Heritage Ball reservation and payment deadline

Thursday, February 5

• Noontime Concert Series at 12:10 p.m. at the First Presbyterian Church, 301 N. 7th St.

Friday, February 6

• “Designs and Operation of Natural and Engineered Biological Systems” at noon in the Hearnes Center, room 102.

• “Building a New Biology,” at 3 p.m. in Spratt Hall, room 201.

Saturday, February 7

• Third annual Jazz Festival begins at 8 a.m. in Potter Hall Theatre

• Alumni Meet and Greet at 4 p.m. in the Enright Community Room, Spratt Hall room 214

• Black Heritage Ball and Drum Major for Justice Awards at 5 p.m. in the Fulkerson Center

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