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Week of March 5 - 11, 2007 Welcome to the Tower Topics E-newsletter for faculty, staff and students at Western. |
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Missouri Western State University, 4525 Downs Drive, St. Joseph, MO 64507, 816-271- 4200 |
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Click any link for these stories: Keister Named MIAA's Coach of the Year Western Professor to Receive Excellence in Teaching Award Lost & Found: If you have lost any items, please come to SU 228 to claim them. You may be required to describe the item. Click on
Guidelines for Tower Topics: Tower Topics submissions should state time, date, place, sponsor, title of event, name of speaker's and admission fees. Send complete information to the Public Relations and Marketing office (Leah Spratt Hall, Room 106). 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. Student Editor:
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Inga Buzoka was
named the MIAA women's Most Valuable Player last week. Buzoka and Ashleigh
Curry were named to the first team. *Article contributed by the St. Joseph News-Press. |
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Keister Named MIAA Coach of the Year
Josh Keister collected his first coaching honor when he was
unanimously voted MIAA women's Coach of the Year. *Article contributed by the St. Joseph News-Press. |
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Western Professor to Receive Excellence in Teaching Award Dr. Ann Thorne, professor of journalism at Western, has been selected for the Governor’s Award for Teaching Excellence. It will be awarded in the Reynolds Alumni Center at the University of Missouri in Columbia, Mo. at the Governor’s Outstanding Teacher Award luncheon April 11. “I’m delighted with the selection of Professor Thorne as this year’s recipient of the Governor’s Award for Teaching Excellence,” said Dr. Joseph Bragin, provost and vice president for academic and student affairs. “She was selected from a number of Western faculty recently recognized as exceptional instructors. Thorne epitomizes what Western faculty do – that is provide the very highest level of instruction in applied learning research and service. She truly exemplifies what we at Western mean by teaching excellence.” Dr. Thorne, who has taught at Western since 1988, was chosen from those Western faculty members who received the James V. Mehl Award, the Jesse Lee Myers Excellence in Teaching Award, or the Governor’s Distinguished Professor Award during the past three years. In addition to having received every one of the university’s distinguished teaching awards, Dr. Thorne’s students consistently win state and national recognition in media publication. These student publications also consistently win national awards for excellence among all college media entries. Her work with students has been recognized seven times by the College Media Association. The award is based on effective teaching, effective advising, service to the university community, commitment to high standards of excellence and success in nurturing student achievement. Only one faculty member from each public and private college/university in Missouri receives this award. |
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Western has been selected to host the 2007 NCAA Division II Women’s South Central Regional Basketball Championship, to be held March 9-12 at the Western Fieldhouse. It is the fifth time since Western joined the NCAA ranks and the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association that Western has been selected as the host site for the championship. The women’s basketball team, which is currently 29-3 overall, won the MIAA’s regular season championship after going through the league 16-2 and was selected as the region’s No. 1 seed. |
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Congratulations to women's basketball on advancing to the regional tournament and getting top seed! Women's Basketball
Baseball
Softball
Tennis
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Global Justice Lecture Series The department of criminal justice and legal studies will host two lectures by Dr. Rick Sarre, professor of law and criminal justice, University of South Australia. The lectures are scheduled for 11 a.m. and again at 12 p.m. March 26 in Spratt Hall, Kemper Recital Hall. Dr. Sarre will present on restorative justice, which is a worldwide movement that expands the present view of the criminal justice system to include the victim and the community. Dr. Sarre will discuss its growth internationally and explore the effect of its growing use in the United States. It's Coming April 17, 2007 The spring concert is almost here. Come out and see the hot band Switchfoot, with special guest Reeve Oliver April 17 at the Civic Arena. Doors will open at 7 p.m. and the concert starts at 8 p.m. Tickets are on sale now. Cost is $20 for the general public and $10 for faculty and staff. All Western students receive free tickets with their student ID. Student tickets are available for pick up in the center for student engagement, Blum 207. For everyone else tickets can be purchased at Record Wearhouse, the Civic Arena or www.TicketMaster.com. Apply now for the Barbara Sprong Leadership Challenge - Deadline March 27 The purpose of the Barbara Sprong Leadership Challenge is to provide Western students with an opportunity to acquire and enhance leadership skills so that they may assume leadership roles while in college and after graduation. All full-time students who have at least a 2.5 cumulative grade point average are eligible to apply for the leadership challenge. Students who complete the program without absences will receive one hour of credit (Motivation and Leadership; CED 121). The program is designed to accommodate 24 students. A letter of recommendation from a faculty or staff member must accompany the application form. The letter should address the nominee's leadership potential and academic ability. Participants must agree to attend the weekend retreat and all sessions of the program. The overnight retreat dates are Sep. 21 and 22. Participants are required to submit a brief (200 to 300 word - 1 page double-spaced) essay on an individual they know or admire, describing the leadership qualities demonstrated by that person and how these qualities contributed to his/her success. Participation in the Big Event on Oct. 6 is also a part of the class program. Six sessions will be held from 4-5:30 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays, Sep. 25-Oct. 11. The program concludes with a Barbara Sprong Leadership Challenge recognition event on Oct. 11. The deadline to apply for the leadership challenge has been extended to March 27. Applications are available in the center for student engagement, Blum 207. Missouri Lottery Summer Internship Missouri Lottery will be on campus March 8 interviewing for summer internships. Any college student who has completed at least 20 hours of coursework can interview. There is no minimum GPA requirement. However, in order to be hired, students must turn 21 years of age prior to June 1. All majors are encouraged to apply, although this position directly relates to those in the communications, marketing, journalism and business fields. Candidates must have an exemplary driving record (for traveling purposes). Although not required to live in Jefferson City, Mo., ambassadors are obligated to attend mandatory meetings held weekly at the Missouri Lottery Headquarters in Jefferson City. Go the the Career Development Office, Eder 202, to sign up for a half-hour interview. They will also be at the Career Fair on March 7 in Fulkerson Center. |
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Monday, March 5
Tuesday, March 6
Wednesday, March 7
Thursday, March 8
Friday, March 9
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Excellence in Faculty and Staff Jerry Pickman, director of development, completed the final course to qualify for the Certificate in Fundraising Management from the Indiana University Center on Philanthropy.
Instructors, student volunteers and community partners were recently recognized for their efforts in helping students with disabilities at the Celebrating the Human Spirit Banquet. The office of Disability Services sponsors the event as a way of saying thank you to people who go the extra mile to work with students with disabilities. Eleven instructors were nominated by their students as Outstanding Instructors for their extra efforts in providing equal access to students with disabilities: Cynthia Bartels, instructor of English; Gary Homann, instructor of psychology; Dr. Marilyn Hunt, associate professor of communications and department chair; Dr. Cynthia Jeney, assistant professor of English; Ellen Kisker, director of nontraditional student services; Dr. Catherine Lawson, professor of economics; David McWilliams, developmental mathematics specialist; R.E. Moore, director of developmental mathematics; Dr. Monica Nandan,associate professor of social work and gerontology program coordinator; Bill Roach, developmental math specialtist; and Grace Suenghae.
Missouri Western’s Greek Community was recognized at the Mid-America Greek Council Association (MGCA) annual conference. Stan Sweeney, director of student engagement, was honored with the Steven B. Dealph outstanding Greek Professional Award. Western’s Inter-Greek Council also earned second place in the Greek Council risk Reduction and Management Award.
Dr. Allison Sauls, associate professor of art and department chair, received first place in the print category as well as an honorable mention in the photography category at the recent Albrecht Kemper Museum of Art member’s exhibition.
Teresa Harris, assistant professor of art, had three works chosen for the national juried 12th biennial “Oklahoma: Centerfold.”
Jim Estes, professor of art, won first place and honorable mention for two ceramic vessels at the recent Albrecht-Kemper Museum of Art member’s exhibition.
Jeannie Harmon-Miller, associate professor of art, had two works entitled “Dark Light” and “Still” juried into the 23rd annual Five-State Photography Competition/Exhibition held at the Hays Art Center in Hays, Kan. Dr. Nannette Wolford, associate professor of physical education, attended and participated in the second writing of Grade Level Expectations (GLE) for physical education for the state of Missouri. Her duty was to review thoroughly the GLEs for third through fifth grade and overview grades K-2 and sixth-12. The draft documents can be found on the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education website.
Mike West, instructor of business, was reappointed by the Gladstone city council to a four-year term on the city’s planning commission.
Dr. Todd Mick, associate professor of business, recommended a new journal to Allied Academies, one of three dedicated national entrepreneurship organizations, entitled Spirituality and Entrepreneurship Journal. The journal idea was accepted and Dr. Mick will serve as the first editor.
The chair of the Platte County Commission has asked Dr. Chris Shove, executive director and dean of the Western Institute, to be a member of the Platte County 2030 Strategic Plan Task Force.
Bill Church, instructor of English, conducted an interview with Pulitzer Prize winning author Edward P. Jones, who resides in Washington, D.C. Jones’ neo-slave novel, “The Known World,” was awarded the 2004 Pulitzer for fiction. Church interviewed Jones about the novel as well as about Jones’ two short story collections, “Lost in the City” and “All Aunt Hagar's Children.” The interview will appear in the 2007 Mochila Review, Western's national literary magazine, which will be available in May.
Lou Fowler’s, associate professor of accounting, research paper “Active Learning: An Empirical Study of the Use of Simulation Games in the Introductory Financial Accounting Class” was published in the “Academy of Educational Leadership Journal”, volume 10, Number 3, 2006, pages 93-103.
Geo Sipp, assistant professor of art, has a solo exhibition at Piedmont College in Demorest, Ga. Twenty-seven prints comprise the exhibition. The work will be exhibited during the 2006-2007 academic year. Sipp also had his work accepted into the 31st Bradley International Print and Drawing Biennial Exhibition. Three of his drawings were entered. His drawing entitled Pentimento has been awarded honorable mention. There were 850 entries and 123 works of art were selected.
Dr. Joseph Bragin’s, provost and vice president for academic and student affairs, manuscript entitled “Symmetry Selection in Artificial DNA Base Pairs” has been accepted for publication in The Journal of Physical Chemistry. The manuscript was co-authored by Dr. Radi Al-Jishi, Professor of Physics at California State University, with whom Dr. Bragin has had 10-year collaboration on the physics of low dimensional solids with interesting electrical properties. As The Journal of Physical Chemistry is a publication of the American Chemical Society, it is considered an upper tier publication.
Dr. Susie Hennessy, associate professor of French, published a book with the Edwin Mellen Press entitled, “The Mother Figure in Emile Zolas’ Les Rougon-Macquart: Literary Realism and the Quest for the Ideal Mother.”
Dr. Chris Shove, executive director and dean of the Western Institute, and Dr. Shiva Nandan, professor of business, published the first Western Institute research report entitled, "Branding & Venture Capital Equity for St. Joseph and Kansas City," which was distributed to banks, small business counselors and entrepreneurs. It will be advertised through the St. Joseph Area Chamber of Commerce annual report that is sent to all members and business prospects.
Rick Dyson, information services librarian, authored four articles in the two-volume Encyclopedia of Slave Resistance and Rebellion, Greenwood Press, 2007.
Dr. Ken Lee, professor of mathematics and department chair, attended the annual joint meeting of the American Mathematical Society and the Mathematical Association of America in New Orleans. He gave a presentation entitled “The ALEKS Dependent” about Western’s Developmental Mathematics Program.
Dr. Gavin Waters, assistant professor of mathematics, attended the annual joint meeting of the American Mathematical Society and the Mathematical Association of America in New Orleans. He served as a judge for the undergraduate research poster session.
Dr. Jeff Poet, assistant professor of mathematics, and Dr. Todd Eckdahl, professor of biology and department chair, along with collaborators from Davidson College, had a poster, “Engaging Undergraduates in the Emerging Field of Synthetic Biology,” presented at the 46th Annual Meeting for Cell Biology in San Diego.
Dr. Jason Youngkeit, assistant professor of Spanish, presented a paper, “Argentina's 'Dirty War' and Film: Images of Domination,” at the campus of Minnesota State University, Mankato, at the conference “1966-2006: Four Decades of Art, Culture, and Society in Latin America” hosted by the North Central Council of Latin Americanists.
Dr. Russell Phillips, assistant professor of psychology, presented the poster “Recycling an Ancient Technique: The Dream Incubation Ritual as a Teaching Tool in Introductory and Cross-Cultural Psychology” at the National Institute for the Teaching of Psychology, St. Petersburg Beach, Fla.
Dr. Joanne Katz, professor of legal studies, presented her second year of research on Missouri Stakeholder Attitudes on Restorative Justice and the Criminal Justice System to the Board of the Restorative Initiative (RJI) in St. Louis. The RJI provides funding for the three-year grant to study the effects of the initiative’s activities in Missouri. The research has been done in conjunction with the Western Institute.
Dr. Zhao Zhang, associate professor of engineering technology; Dr. Jin-Lee Kim, assistant professor of engineering technology; and Dr. Jinwen Zhu, assistant professor of engineering technology, attended and participated in an Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) faculty workshop in Phoenix. The workshop covered ways to assess program outcomes more efficiently and effectively. The department of engineering technology is accredited by the Technology Accreditation Commission of ABET.
Dr. Jin-Lee Kim, assistant professor of engineering technology, presented “Value of Travel Time of Goods Movement for Transportation Project Appraisal in Korea” at the 2007 Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting in Washington, DC.
Linda Garlinger, director of career development, facilitated a workshop for Alpha Kappa Psi on behavioral interviewing. She also attended the United Way of Greater St. Joseph kick off luncheon and will chair a sub-committee for allocations again this year. Garlinger also presented a workshop on resume` writing to a health information technology class.
Dr. Chris Shove, executive director and dean of the Western Institute, met with senior Army officers and the education office at Ft. Leavenworth to begin offering continuing education Law Enforcement Academy Homeland Security classes there to active duty soldiers. Western Institute has also applied to the Veterans Administration to approve the program for GI Bill funding.
Dr. Chris Shove, executive director and dean of the Western Institute, made a presentation in Clinton, Mo. to the Kaysinger Basin Planning Commission Board of Directors regarding the "Clinton Incubator Plan" grant that he and Dr. Shiva Nandan, professor of marketing, received. Dr. Shove also met with members of the Weston City Council and the Weston Chamber of Commerce regarding a Weston downtown development strategy.
Frank Thomas, associate professor of music; Anthony Glise, instructor of music; Jason Riley, instructor of music, and the St. Joseph Chamber Choir performed at the Jefferson City Capitol Rotunda as part of the annual Citizens for the Arts Day. The concert featured Glise’s original compositions, Missouri Fables and Stabat Mater Speciosa - The Blue Virgin, which was conducted by Dr. David Benz, assistant professor of music.
Kathy Kelly, administrative coordinator for the dean of student development, and Kelly Glynn, administrative coordinator for the office of residential life, attended the 2007 Missouri College Personnel Association support staff conference at the University of Missouri-Columbia.
Dr. Paul Shang, dean of student development, and Sean O’ Reilly, assistant director of the office of residential life, attended the 19th annual Association for Student Judicial Affairs International conference in Clearwater, Fla.
Dr. Mike Ducey, assistant professor of chemistry, attended the 2007 American Chemical Society Leadership Conference in Baltimore, Md.
Prairie Lands Writing Project served as a preliminary judging site for the Scholastic Writing Awards of 2007, the Alliance for Young Artists and Writers national annual high school writing and art contest. Thirty-seven area pre-service teachers and teachers and Western faculty members met at Western where they judged over 3,200 student contest entries. Western faculty involved in the project included Dr. Jane Frick, professor of English; Tom Pankiewicz, Prairie Lands site director and instructor of English; Dr. Patricia Donaher, assistant professor of English; Steve Frogge; and Meredith Katchen, instructor of English.
Dr. James Scanlon, president; Dave Brown, counseling center director; Michael Speros, director of residential life; Dr. Paul Shang, dean of student development; Dr. Joseph Bragin, provost and vice president for academic and student affairs; Pastor Rayphell Warren from the St. Joseph community; and several students served on a panel for the NAACP Founder’s Day Forum. The panel addressed many important concerns including the atmosphere on campus for students of color, the social and academic skills necessary for students of color to be more successful, and the commitment of the university to student success. During the lively discussion, students expressed their interest in more classes focused on the experiences of African-Americans and other people of color and the possibility of a major or minor in Black studies.
Dr. Mike Ducey, assistant professor of chemistry, and chemistry major Deborah Wright traveled to Chicago to present a poster presentation at the annual Pittsburgh Conference on Analytical Chemistry and Applied Spectroscopy. The poster “Investigation of Solvent Induced Conformational Order in Alkyl Methylimidizolium Room Temperature Ionic Liquids Using FTIR and NMR” is a product of work conducted as part of the 2006 Summer Research Institute and the 2005 URSI program. Other co-authors on the poster include freshmen Joseph Noynaert and Jonathan Morrison, Justin Tone-Pah-hote, Western alumnus; and Excelsior Springs High School student Tara Hill. The Pittsburgh Conference is the premier international conference in Analytical Chemistry and draws more than 30,000 chemists from around the world each year. Excellence in Students Student volunteers, instructors and community partners were recently recognized for their efforts in helping students with disabilities at the Celebrating the Human Spirit Banquet. The office of Disability sponsors the event as a way of saying thank you to people who go the extra mile to work with students with disabilities. Thirty students served as volunteer note takers for the fall semester: Lindsey Barnes, Jennifer Brenneman, Jonathan Bray, Shantelle Castle, Linda Chavez, Jessica Daniel, Holly Ellis, Blair Ficklin, Patricia Gammill, Heather Gorham, Jeffrey Hague, Jessica Hahn, Sydney Hendrix, Sheena Huse, Kandus Jacobs, Mallory Kline, Laura Lutz, Barbara Martin, Robin Noble, Leslie Patton, Taneshia Pearl, John Phillips, Sydney Phillips, David Pipkin, Brittany Rodriguez, Kerri Rollins, Andrea Ryan, Olivia Scott, Jonathan Thiele, and Krystal White.
Eight Western students were chosen through audition to participate in the All-College Choir at the Missouri Music Educators Association Convention at Tan-Tar-A in Lake of the Ozarks: Christopher Alexander, Karla Buckminster, Kimberly Evans, Autumn Greear, Calvin Haynes, Daniel Moss, Seth Parker, and Ashley Schnoor.
Andrew Murphy has been elected the president of the Collegiate Chapter of Missouri Educators National Conference (MENC). Rachel Harrison, senior, is the vice president of MENC for memberships. These are state-wide positions.
Chemistry major Deborah Wright and Dr. Mike Ducey, assistant professor of chemistry, traveled to Chicago to present a poster presentation at the annual Pittsburgh Conference on Analytical Chemistry and Applied Spectroscopy. The poster, “Investigation of Solvent Induced Conformational Order in Alkyl Methylimidizolium Room Temperature Ionic Liquids Using FTIR and NMR,” is a product of work conducted as part of the 2006 Summer Research Institute and the 2005 URSI program. Other co-authors on the poster include freshmen Joseph Noynaert and Jonathan Morrison, Justin Tone-Pah-hote, Western alumnus; and Excelsior Springs High School student Tara Hill. The Pittsburgh Conference is the premier international conference in Analytical Chemistry and draws nearly more than 30,000 chemists from around the world each year.
Excellence in Programs
The Western Institute GED program in the Western Reception Diagnostic and Correctional Center received an award from the Department of Corrections in Jefferson City, Mo. for achieving a 95percent pass rate on the GED test for the fall of 2006. This is the highest pass rate in the state among all prison GED programs, 50 percent of graduated high school students fail the GED test. Two recently graduated students ranked in the top 10 percent of scores for the U.S.
Students Sara Bovard, Charles Howell and Traci Haug, along with Jen Kacere, residence hall director Vaselakos Hall and residence council advisor; attended the Midwest Affiliated of College and University Residence Halls, No-Frills Conference at the University of Iowa, where they learned what other colleges and universities in our region are doing in residential communities.
The departments of chemistry, biology and computer science, math and physics hosted activities for children and adults at Super Science Saturday at the Wyeth-Tootle mansion.
The health, physical education and recreation department hosted the AAU Super Regional basketball tournament in coordination with the St. Joseph Convention and Visitors Bureau. This is a big event that incorporated several of the city school gymnasiums.
The Community Arts program has enrolled more than 380 for spring classes, with large enrollment classes being Griffon Junior Singers, Social Dance, Suzuki Violin, Symphonic Youth Orchestra, Cooking and Fencing.
Western sent 14 delegates to MGCA consisting of the executive boards of the National Pan-Hellenic Council, the Inter-Fraternity Council and the Panhellenic Association. Students attended leadership workshops and seminars on issues in the Greek Community. |
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For Sale: Silver snare drum with stand; Ambassador/Continental; Remo weather king; $50. If interested, please email judnol or call 4554 or 390-6184. |
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Wanted: Your want ads! You
are welcome to submit ads to the Western ADvantage each week.
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