Week of  May 11-31, 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:

International Guitar Festival May 13-17

Students, Faculty Present Psychology Research

Kacere Receives National Award

State Budget Passed

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.

International Guitar Festival May 13-17

The music department at Western is hosting the sixth St. Joseph International Guitar Festival and Competition May 13-17. Headline performers include The Nova Project, Eduardo Minozzi Costa and The Hungry Monks. Tickets for the headline concerts and the final competition round are $10 for the general public, $5 for students, seniors and Western faculty and staff. The festival also features several free jam sessions and masterclasses.

The Nova Project, featuring the classical and orchestral compositions of festival director Anthony Glise, will perform at 8 p.m. May 14 in the Kemper Recital Hall inside Leah Spratt Hall on the Western campus. The group’s goal is to combine different musical and historical styles into traditional classical music. The Nova Project incorporates North African rhythms, texts by 17^th century poets and original improvisations. Glise and Jason Riley, both adjunct faculty members in the department of music, play guitar in the Nova Project. James Kew plays 6-string cello and Nick Baker plays percussion.

Eduardo Minozzi Costa, of Brazil, returns to St. Joseph after winning first prize in the 2007 festival. Costa will perform at 8 p.m. May 15 in the Kemper Recital Hall. The classical guitarist has performed throughout North and South America as a soloist and as a member of Trio Opus 12. He has also won prizes at several other festivals and competitions throughout the U.S. and Brazil.

The Hungry Monks, featuring the creative talents of Hazel Ketchum and John Holenko, will perform at 8 p.m. May 16 at the Thompson Potter Hall Theater on the Western campus. The Hungry Monks, an acoustic group whose instrumentation includes voice, guitar, mandolin, fiddle, banjo, bass, and percussion, play a variety of traditional music and their own original compositions. They have performed their unique blend of historical, folk and Celtic music for more than 20 years in concert throughout the U.S.

At least 15 guitarists will participate in the competition, Glise said, the most in the festival’s history. The first rounds May 14-16 are closed to the public. But the final round will be open to the public at 3 p.m. May 17 at Western’s Downtown University Center, 515 N. 6^th St. The three finalists will present a joint concert and audience members will have a chance to vote for their rankings. The cumulative audience score will be tallied as one vote along with the five jury members. More than $7,000 in prizes will be awarded. While the jurors deliberate, author Glenn Kurtz will read from his acclaimed memoir “Practicing: A Musician’s Return to Music.” The public is also invited to the drawing for competition play order, at 9 a.m. May 14 in the Spratt Hall Atrium. The event will give the audience a chance to meet the international players and judges who will be involved in the competition.

Following each concert, free jam sessions will be open to the public at various locations, allowing competitors, regional guitarists and fans a chance to meet and mingle in a more relaxed setting. Jam sessions are scheduled at:

• 7 p.m. May 13, Cafe Acoustic, 2605 Frederick Ave. (opening party and mixer)

• 9 p.m. May 14, Foster's, 726 Felix St. (with Jazz Express)

• 9 p.m. May 15, Hi Ho, 1817 Frederick Ave. (with Soca Jukebox)

• 9 p.m. May 16, Magoon's Saloon, 632 S. 8th St. (with Jason Riley Trio)

• 8 p.m. May 17, Terrible's St. Jo Frontier Casino, 777 Winners Circle (with Jason Riley Trio

Masterclasses will be offered from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. May 16 in the Kemper Recital Hall. Headline performers Costa and Ketchum will teach guitar classes. David Burke will teach web design for musicians and artists, and Ken Whisler will teach guitar construction and what to look for when buying a guitar.

Partial financial assistance for this project has been provided by the Missouri Arts Council, a state agency. For more information and a complete schedule of events, visit the official website at www.missouriwestern.edu/guitarfestival.

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Students, Faculty Present Psychology Research

Four Western psychology faculty and ten students presented research posters at the Midwestern Psychological Association annual meeting April 30-May 2 in Chicago, and one of the student presentations received an award.

A poster titled “Bump-Set-Spike: Conversational Volleyball & Group Performance” won a Psi Chi Midwest Regional Research Award. Only 16 awards were presented out of more than 350 submissions. The poster was based on research done last fall in the Psychology Research Team course. Presenting the poster were seniors Ashley Bennett, of Brookfield, Mo.; James Boyles, of Savannah, Mo.; Nicole Conroy, of St. Joseph; Stephen Fitzgerald, of St. Joseph; Kaylee Phillips, of Gallatin, Mo.; and Callie Wise, of Savannah, Mo. Dr. Kelly Henry, associate professor of psychology, was the faculty sponsor. 

Other poster presentations by Western students in the Psi Chi, International Honor Society for Psychology, sessions included:

• Erica Buczek, of Faucett, Mo., "Group Development: Measuring Worchel's Cyclic Model," Dr. Henry, faculty sponsor.

• Shawna Wolfe, of DeKalb, Mo., "Denial of Child's Disability and Use of Childcare Services," Dr. Teddi Deka, professor of psychology, faculty sponsor.

• Whitney Bryan and Jonathan Thiele, both of St. Joseph, "The Influence of Positive Mood and Empathy on Moral Decision Making," Dr. Phil Wann, professor of psychology, faculty sponsor.

• Thiele, "Certainty and Morality: Does Ambiguity Make Actions More Acceptable?" Dr. Wann, faculty sponsor.

In addition to the student posters, three Western faculty members made presentations.

Dr. Deka and Dr. Wann presented “Bucket Lists, Age and Generation: A Developmental Exercise’ in the Council of Teachers of Undergraduate Psychology Creative Classroom Poster Session.

Dr. Russell Phillips, assistant professor of psychology presented three posters in the MPA Applied Social Poster Session:

• “A Qualitative Inquiry into the Religious Coping of American Buddhists,” co-authored by students Ashley Abarr, Sonya Colvin and Michael Dunn, all of St. Joseph, and Ashley Reed of Independence, Mo.

• “Predictive and Incremental Validity of a Buddhist Coping Measure,” co-authored by students Lisa Hietbrink, of Kansas City, Mo., and Hillary Turner, of St. Joseph.

• “Initial Validation of a Measure of Buddhist Coping,” co-authored by students Buczek; Destiny Ferris, of Trenton, Mo.; Wendy Hickman, of St. Joseph; Hietbrink; Natalie McQuinn, of Stanberry, Mo.; and Randy Riddle, of Kidder, Mo.

The students’ attendance at the conference was supported by the MWSU Foundation’s Student Excellence Fund.

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Kacere Named National Advisor of the Month

Jen Kacere, residence hall director of Scanlon Hall, was named National Advisor of the Month in March by the National Residence Hall Honorary (NRHH).

Kacere was nominated by Bobbie Delaney, who with Kacere is co-advisor for Residence Council and NRHH. Delaney cited Kacere's work in coordinating travel to the annual meeting of the National Association of College and University Residence Halls (NACURH) National Conference in Arizona, helping the incoming NRHH president transition into the position while continuing to work closely with the current president, helping write a proposal that was accepted to bring paper recycling into the residence halls for the first time, and chairing the Resident Assistant Development Committee.

"Jen is very dedicated to the students she works with, and they know that she is there to back them up when they need her," Delaney wrote in her nomination. "I have been very grateful for her help and her experience with the organizations. She is an amazing advisor!"

Kacere has been a residence hall director at Western since August 2006.

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State Budget Passed

On May 7, the General Assembly sent the fiscal year 2010 budget to Gov. Jay Nixon. With that budget, Missouri Western would receive an operating budget of $23,588,351, which is the same state appropriation allocated in the current fiscal year. The bill also provides Western with $847,724 in one-time money, described as maintenance and repair funding.

"Given the current economic climate, this is certainly good news," said Dr. Robert Vartabedian, Western's president, in a message to campus last week. "However, there is still a need for caution."

The bill uses $2,822,234 in federal stabilization funds for Western's operating budget appropriation. Those funds are only available for two years, and were needed to bring Western's operating budget up to the same level as the current year. Also, as noted, the maintenance and repair funding is a one-time appropriation. These measures provide relief for 2009-2010, but leave uncertainty about funding in future years.

"Unfortunately, expenses increase each year, so we will continue to seek savings throughout the year," Dr. Vartabedian said. "In short, times aren’t great, but they could be worse. I’m grateful to our lawmakers for preserving our funding, and I’m grateful to all of you for the steps you’ve taken to conserve our financial resources during this difficult time."

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Tower Sports

Softball

• Loss vs. Abilene Christian, 1-2, May 8, South Central Regional Tournament, Durant, Okla.

• Win vs. Central Missouri, 3-1, 10 innings, May 9, South Central Regional Tournament, Durant, Okla.

• Win vs. Abilene Christian, 11-2, May 9, South Central Regional Tournament, Durant, Okla.

• Loss vs. Southeastern Oklahoma State, 1-5, May 10, South Central Regional Tournament, Durant, Okla.

The Griffon softball team finishes the season 47-12, tied for the second-best record in school history. Pitcher Alison Jones was named to the Third Team ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District 7 softball team.

Baseball

The Griffon baseball team was well-represented on the 2009 All-MIAA baseball team as voted on by the league's head coaches. Pitcher A.J. Huttenlocker, outfielder Troy Landi and infielder/designated hitter Andy Hebrard were all named to the first team. Pitcher Blake Thomas and shortstop Danny Conners received honorable mention. Western finished with a record of 34-22. The 34 victories are the most for the Griffons since joining NCAA Division II.

Lifetime Sports Academy The Health, Physical Education and Recreation department will hold its annual Children's Lifetime Sports Academy June 8-12, 2009 for children 8 to 12 years of age. The academy will be held from 1:30-5:15 pm each day here on campus. Activities will be held outdoors and in the Looney Complex. The camp offers activities such as canoeing, archery, rappelling, water sports, swimming, fishing, gun safety, and Frisbee golf. Faculty and students in the HPER department will coordinate the activities. All equipment is furnished by Western. However, participants must furnish their own tennis shoes, swimming suits and towels. To register, access registration and authorization forms at www.missouriwestern.edu/hper or call 4491. The discounted cost for MWSU employees is $60 for the first child in the family and $50 for each additional child. Enrollment is limited to the first 150 to register.

Spring magazine The Spring 2009 edition of the Western Magazine is in the mail! In an effort to save postage and print costs, we have changed our procedure for distributing magazines to Western employees. In the past, employees who were alumni and/or donors received a magazine in their homes. Additionally, all employees received a copy through campus mail. Starting with this Spring 2009 issue, no magazines were mailed through the U.S. Post Office to employees. Those who are alumni and/or donors, will receive a copy labeled for them in campus mail in the next couple days. Copies of the magazine have also been distributed to racks and coffee tables throughout campus.

MDHE Commissioner on Campus Dr. Robert Stein, commissioner of the Missouri Department of Higher Education, will be at Western May 18 to discuss an agreement between Western, North Central Missouri College in Trenton, Mo., and Metropolitan Community Colleges in Kansas City, Mo., regarding two-year degree programs. Dr. Stein and the presidents of the three institutions will speak at a press conference at 1 p.m. in Blum 218. The campus is invited.

Outstanding Employee Award Changes The members of the Valuing People (Opportunity 6) Committee have been busy following up on its campus-wide Employee Survey of last year. One project for the Valuing People Goal 3 Sub-committee included reviewing the Outstanding Staff Employee Award guidelines and application. The Outstanding Staff Employee Award was established in 2005-06, and while it is still leading-edge compared to other colleges
and universities, the survey results indicated employees had concerns and that it was time for review. The Valuing People Goal 3 Sub-committee first took a broad look at other colleges and universities award programs. Missouri Western’s Outstanding Staff Employee Award remains unique among its peers in that it provides a monetary award for its awardees which is built into the base salary. This leading-edge feature will remain the same. As a direct result of the Employee Survey findings, several changes are being made to improve and update the Outstanding Staff Employee Award:

• Nominations may be made by other MWSU employees (co-workers or supervisor) or by self-nomination

• The award description and application directly ties to the Vision, Mission, and Values of Western and the current strategic plan.

• The application instructions have been revised to be more clear and concise.

• There will be two training sessions during the year for employees unfamiliar with the process or wishing to learn more. Additionally, an approved list of former awardees will be made available to contact for assistance with completing applications.

• The three areas which require written responses have been updated and clarified.

• The Outstanding Staff Employee Selection Committee reviewing the applications will have equal representation from both exempt and non-exempt employees, as well as, two administrators.

• The Selection Committee membership will change every year and
  the members will be provided with clear guidelines to follow during the
  selection process.

The Valuing People Goal 3 Sub-committee would like to stress that the essential criteria for selection is truly outstanding and exceptional performance. The changes made in the process and application will help foster this intent. Further, we are very pleased to announce that all of the changes listed above were brought forward by you in the Employee Survey, and we thank you for your input. These updates have been approved by Western’s President, and it is now the official Outstanding Staff Employee Award process. If you have any questions or comments, please contact Human Resources, 4587.

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May 6-21

• Intersession 2009 classes held

May 13-17

• St. Joseph International Guitar Festival and Competition

Friday, May 22

• Intersession final exams

Monday, May 25

• Memorial Day Holiday

Wednesday, May 27

• Intersession final grades due

Thursday, May 28

• Summer session registration

Monday, June 1

• First day of classes (eight-week and first four-week session)

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Free to good home. Everett piano - needs tuning. You must move! Contact Brenda Griffith at 5870.

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