June 29 - July 27, 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:

Kansas City Chiefs are Coming to Western

Athletics Marketing Items Recognized as Best in Country

Prairie Lands Writing Project Holds Graduation

June 2009 Points of Pride

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.

Kansas City Chiefs are Coming to Western

Preparation for the Chiefs training camp at Western is in full swing. Gov. Jay Nixon announced June 18 that the state has given its final approval to an agreement that will bring the summer training camp of the Kansas City Chiefs to Western. A groundbreaking ceremony for the new sport and recreation facility, which will serve as the summer training camp home beginning July 2010, will be held at 10 a.m. June 29 at the Chris Faros Alumni Pavilion near Spratt Stadium. The public is invited.

“Bringing the Chiefs training camp to Missouri Western’s campus will be great for the university, for the St. Joseph community and for the state of Missouri,” Gov. Nixon said. “Missouri Western’s students and the community will benefit from a top-notch new athletic facility, and the regional and state economy will get a significant boost from increased employment and tourism. I appreciate the hard work and dedication of the members of my administration, the Chiefs organization, Missouri Western and the St. Joseph community that helped us finalize this important agreement. Together, we’ve reached a consensus that brings this major investment to the state of Missouri, while ensuring the most responsible use of our taxpayer resources.”

Under terms of the agreement, the Chiefs will bring their training camp to Western for three weeks every summer beginning in 2010, provided certain facility improvements are in place by then. The primary improvement is an indoor practice facility, which will include a full-size football field, a 5,000 square-foot locker room, weight room, training room, coaches’ offices, meeting rooms and a lecture hall where the entire team can gather.

The agreement calls for the Chiefs to hold their training camp at Western for a minimum of five years, and in the state of Missouri for a minimum of 10 years.

The city of St. Joseph and Buchanan County are also contributing funds to the project, and Western is raising private donations.

The Western Board of Governors has selected Crossland Construction Co., Inc., as the general contractor for the indoor practice facility, accepting the recommendation of architect Jeff Ellison of Ellison-Auxier Architects, Inc.

Crossland’s base bid of $9,397,000 was the lowest of 14 submitted by pre-qualified contractors prior to the June 16 deadline. Ellison also recommended the board accept seven of the eight alternate bids, bringing the total to $10,297,000. The eighth alternate, the use of pre-engineered metal components rather than custom-made, could be accepted later if it’s in the project’s and university’s best interest, Ellison said.

During his review of Crossland’s bid, Ellison spoke with subcontractors and other clients and project owners and the feedback was “overwhelmingly positive,” he said.

Crossland has submitted a list of subcontractors as part of the bid review process, Ellison said, and 11 local firms are expected to participate in the project.

Featured speakers at the groundbreaking ceremony will include Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder; State Sen. Charlie Shields; Denny Thum, Chiefs president; St. Joseph Mayor Ken Shearin; Buchanan County Presiding Commissioner R.T. Turner; Dr. Robert Vartabedian, Western’s president; Dirck Clark, chair of Western’s Board of Governors; and Dave Williams, Western’s director of athletics. Dan Nicoson, vice president for university advancement, will serve as master of ceremonies.

“Bringing the Chiefs to St. Joseph took many years and the hard work of many people both on campus and in the community,” Nicoson said. “This is our opportunity to thank all of those people and celebrate the success of their effort.”

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Athletics Marketing Items Recognized as Best in Country

Four Missouri Western State University Athletics marketing pieces from the 2008-2009 season were recognized by the National Association of Collegiate Marketing Administrators (NACMA) as “Best of the Year” awards at the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) convention held June 18-21 at the Orlando Marriott World Center in Orlando, Fla.

Initiated in 2003, the NACMA Awards program honors outstanding achievement in marketing and promotions. Awards are presented in 13 categories, with each category divided into three groups based upon school size and conference affiliations to promote fairness. Western competes in group three which is composed of all NCAA Division II, III, NAIA institutions and junior colleges across the country. Over 800 institutions are eligible for these awards in this category with over 700 entries being received across the board in all three levels this year.

Griffon promotional pieces recognized were as follows:

1st Place – Single Newspaper Display Ad for Griffon Football Hall of Fame Game and “Blackout Saturday”

1st Place – TV Commercial for Griffon Football “This is Griffon Country”

2nd Place – Promotional/Schedule Poster for Griffon Football Poster “This is Griffon Country”

3rd Place – Ticket Sales Piece for 2008-2009 Gold Coat Club Membership Drive Brochure

These promotional pieces were under the direction of the following individuals; Brett Esely, assistant athletics director and external relations; Scott Johnson, graphic designer for campus printing and design services; Eric Callow, photographer for Double E Images; and Jason Davidson, television commercial producer for Cablevision Advertising.

NACMA is the first organization of its kind to provide educational and networking opportunities, enhancement of acceptable operating standards and ethics and establishment of the overall prestige and understanding of the profession of athletics marketing administrators. NACMA is administered by the NACDA, which is in its 44th year.

These pieces may be viewed online at www.gogriffons.com. A complete list of award winners in all thirteen categories is available at http://www.nacda.com/sports/nacma/spec-rel/061909aac.html.

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Prairie Lands Writing Project Holds Graduation

Western hosted the Prairie Lands Writing Project (PLWP) camp graduation for 117 campers from 26 area elementary and middle schools in ceremonies on June 25.

The “Writers Under Construction” elementary school campers and the “Cyberwriters: Publishing Our Generation” middle school campers conducted readings for parents and friends and held closing celebrations in Kemper Recital Hall and Eder Hall, room 210, respectively.

Beginning June 2, the campers met at Western as a part of PLWP’s ongoing partnership with the St. Joseph School District. The students were nominated by their teachers for their outstanding writing and reading skills and had to submit a letter of application describing their literacy practices before being accepted for the camps. During the four-week camp, the students participated in literature circles, completed daily journal writings and workshopped several longer pieces that were published in camp anthologies, along with other student writings. This year the elementary campers participated in a writing marathon at the Mt. Mora cemetery in St. Joseph, and the middle school campers completed a number of digital projects, merging images and sound with their creative writings.

The 2009 camp directors and teachers include Jerri Fischer of Lindberg Elementary; Ann Dotson, Shannon Harris, Betty Stacey and Christie Hofmeister of Skaith Elementary; Jill Steinmetz of Maryville High; Tyler Carlson of Savannah High: Tia Frahm of Neeley Elementary; and Stacia Studer of Bode Middle.

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Tower Sports

Softball Camp The Griffon women's softball team is hosting a hitting, fielding and pitching camp that will teach each player proper mechanics needed to become a top-notch player July 6-9 at the Drake softball fields in St. Joseph. Each player will be taught how to detect common flaws in their hitting, fielding, and pitching mechanics. This camp will provide each player with a challenging, intense and fun experience. It is taught by Head Coach Jen Bagley and Assistant Coach Amy Beverly who led the Griffons to a 47-12 record this past season. Cost is $60 per camper for all four dates.

Time Sessions:

• 12 and under pitching 8–9 a.m.

• 12 and under camp 9 a.m. - 12 p.m.

• 13 and older pitching 12-1 p.m.

• 13 and older camp 1-4 p.m.

Please arrive 15 minutes early for check in. Equipment to bring includes personal bat, cleats, tennis shoes and batting helmet. Pitchers must provide their own catchers. Call 4481 for more information.

Parties on the Parkway Get out for a little fun in the sun by attending Parties on the Parkway. "Exit 47" is from 5-8 p.m. July 9 at SW Noyes and Messanie, Parkway A. Admission is free. Food and beverages are available for purchase. Feel free to bring lawn chairs and blankets. No alcoholic beverages may be brought into the event. Proceeds benefit the Friends of the Park. Incase of rain, the party will be rescheduled for July 16.

Considering College The Non-Traditional Student Center at Western will present a program titled “How to Be a Successful Non-Traditional Student” from 2-4 p.m. July 16 in Eder Hall, room 208. The program will provide information about enrolling, applying for financial aid, finding resources on campus and other topics of interest to men and women considering a return to college after an absence from formal education. A short tour of the campus will be given. To sign up for the free program or for more information, call the Non-Traditional Student Center at 816-271-4280.

Online Publication Now Available Winning entries from the state’s 2009 National Scholastic Writing Awards Contest are now available online in Missouri Youth Write, the annual online student writing publication housed at Western. The writings were selected from 193 entries submitted by students from 60 different schools throughout Missouri and the Kansas City, Kan., metro region. Readers may access the entire 157-page journal or individual students’ winning writings at www.missouriwestern.edu/scholastic/youth.html. Information about the 2010 Missouri Scholastic Writing Awards Contest and the 2010 edition of Missouri Youth Write will be available at www.missouriwestern.edu/scholastic after Sept. 1. Missouri Youth Write is sponsored by the Missouri Association of Teachers of English (MATE). The Missouri Writing Region for the National Scholastic Writing Awards Contest is sponsored by MATE, Prairie Lands Writing Project at Western and the Missouri Writing Projects Network.

Student Employment Notice During the next couple of weeks, the Student Employment Committee, with the support of Western's vice presidents and deans, will be communicating important changes related to Western's student employment processes for 2009-2010.

Each department will be notified of the total amount of student labor dollars that will be allocated to them to support student labor expenses from all funding sources (Federal Work-Study, Western Work-Study and/or Departmental Student Labor Funds).

We believe that this change will enable us to be more efficient in using our student employment resources so that student employees and individual units will be better served.

Later this month (after each department has been notified of their allocation and had the opportunity to post their position openings), all students will receive an e-mail with instructions for applying for student employment opportunities at Western or in the St. Joseph area.

Additional notifications will be sent as information becomes available.

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Monday, June 29

• First day of classes for second four-week session

Wednesday, July 1

• Fall 2009 graduation application deadline

• Final grades due for first four-week session

Friday, July 3

• Campus closed in observation of Independence Day holiday

Saturday, July 4

• Independence Day

Thursday, July 9

• Parties on the Parkway - "Exit 47" from 5-8 p.m. at SW Noyes and Messanie, Parkway A

Tuesday, July 14

• Transfer and returning student registration

Wednesday, July 15

• Freshmen registration

Thursday, July 16

• Considering College program from 2-4 p.m. in Eder 208

Wednesday, July 20

• Payment for fall classes due

Tuesday, July 21

• Freshmen registration

Thursday, July 23

• Final exams for eight-week and second four-week sessions

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June 2009 Points of Pride

Excellence in Our Faculty and Staff

• Dr. Jeff Poet, associate professor of math, has been accepted after a very competitive application process for participation in a prestigious research conference sponsored by National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The conference is titled Synthetic Biology:  Building on Nature’s Inspiration and will convene about 100 of the nation’s best and brightest researchers from academic, industrial, and government research institutions. The “think-tank” style conference will be held at the National Academy of Science Arnold and Mabel Beckman Center in Irvine, Calif, in November.

• Diane Holtz, editor of the Western Magazine; and Kendy Jones, director of campus printing and design services received the 2009 Gold Communicator Award of Excellence for an issue of the Western Magazine.  

• Crystal Harris, assistant professor of nursing, received an award from the Omicron Nu Chapter of Sigma Theta Tau, an international nursing honor society, to support her research titled “Barriers to No-cost Mammography Screening Among Uninsured Low-income Women in Northwest Missouri.”

• Dr. Reza Hamzaee, professor of economics, was selected by the refereed journal of Contemporary Economic Policy to serve as a referee. This is one of the journals published by the Western Economic Association International, the second biggest economic association in the U.S.

• Dr. Cindy Heider, assistant vice president of academic and student affairs, and Dr. Murray Nabors, dean of the college of liberal arts and sciences, collaborated with Marlie Williams, principal, and Luanne Haggard, International Baccalaureate (IB) director, at Central High School in St. Joseph to craft an articulation of IB credits and advanced placement credits with existing Western coursework. This updated articulation will allow high-achieving high school students and their parents to better understand the advantages of attending Western.

• Dr. Jeanne Daffron, associate vice president of academic and student affairs; and Dr. Judy Grimes, dean of student affairs; are members of the United Way’s Volunteer Center Advisory Committee. This group was recently formed to assist in the development of a community-wide volunteer center that will assist organizations to use volunteers effectively and individuals who seek to provide volunteer service. 

• Dr. Konrad Gunderson’s, assistant professor of accounting paper, titled “A Summary and Analysis of the Financial Accounting Standards Board Proposed Ownership Approach for Distinguishing Between Financial Instruments to be Classified as Liabilities Versus Equity,” was published in the Midwestern Business and Economic Review journal.

• Dr. Stephen Butler’s, associate professor of business, “Influence of Compensation Plans and Job Security on Time Horizons,” was published in the Corporate Ownership & Control journal.

• Dr. Reza Hamzaee’s, professor of economics, paper, co-authored by Western economics student, Kyle J. Barclay, titled, “Critical Thinking, a Foundation for a Better Learning and an Effective Teaching: A Systemic Approach,” was published in the refereed journal of Global Business & Economics Anthology.

• Dr. Reza Hamzaee, professor of economics, published “An Assessment of Global Economic Recession with a Focus on Iranian Economy,” in the Iranian refereed Journal of Accountancy.

• Dr. Reza Hamzaee, professor of economics, published “An Experimental Development of an Assessment Instrument for Economics Faculty and Graduating Students at a Regional University,” in the edition of “Global Business & Economics Anthology.”

• Dr. Melissa Daggett, associate professor of biology, presented “Effects of the DNA Binding Drug Berenil and the Antimicrobial Triclosan on Early Embryonic Development in Zebrafish,” at the 48th annual Midwest Development Biology Meeting in Iowa City, Iowa.

• Dr. Melissa Daggett, associate professor of biology, presented “The Minor Groove Binding Drug Berenil Down-Regulates the Expression of Topoisomerase II Alpha in Zebrafish Larvae,” at the Experimental Biology 2009 American Physiological Society in New Orleans.

• Dr. Tingxiu Wang, chair of the department of computer science, math, and physics; visited Minxi Vocational Technology Institute in China and gave a presentation titled “Critical Thinking with Graphing Calculators.”

• Dr. Tingxiu Wang, chair of the department of computer science, math, and physics; visited Guizhou Normal University and gave two presentations to the students of the school of mathematics and computer science. His presentations were “Methods Beyond Textbooks of Calculus,” and “Precalculus and American Mathematics Education.” While there, he met with professors and administrators at Guizhou Normal University in China to discuss the 2+2 program.

• Dr. Reza Hamzaee, professor of economics, presented “Economic Recession: Some X-Ray Readings of the Patient in the ICU,” to Chapter F of the National T.T.T.  Society in St. Joseph.

• Dr. Bob Bergland, professor of journalism, presented a paper, co-authored with Veronika Nagorna, “Multimedia and Interactive Features of Ukrainian Newspaper Websites” at the Global Journalism conference in Luts’k, Ukraine.

• Dr. David Steiniche, professor of government, presented an analysis of the 2008 U.S. presidential election at the National Social Science Association conference in Las Vegas, Nev.

• Craig Darrough, environmental safety coordinator; and Victoria Sample, lab coordinator; conducted science laboratory and chemical storeroom audits for three area high schools:  Maysville High School, Maysville, Mo; East Buchanan High School Gower, Mo; and Bishop LeBlond High School, St. Joseph, Mo. They routinely assist science instructors in identifying hazardous chemical wastes, preparing chemicals for contracted waste disposal and they teach prudent practices for safe science laboratories.

• Dr. Jeff Poet, associate professor of math; and Dr. Todd Eckdahl, professor of biology, traveled with Western students, Clif Davis, Ashley Schnoor, Siya Sun, Bryce Szczepanik, Will Vernon, and Central High school student Eric Sawyer, to North Carolina where they worked side-by-side with other faculty and student synthetic biology researchers on the Davidson College campus. The combined team is working on the design and construction of a bacterial computer to solve what is called the Max 2-SAT Problem and will present the results of their research at the iGEM Jamboree at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. This collaborative research effort is made possible by the grants received by Western and Davidson College, currently in its second year.

• Dr. Evelyn Brooks, professor of nursing, presented “Planting and Blooming: Growing Collaborative Practices,” at the 2009 Association of Community Health Nursing Educators annual Institute in Chicago. Glenda Kelly, MSN, Instructor at MU Sinclair School of Nursing, co-authored the presentation.

• Dr. Elizabeth Hendrix, assistant professor of education, presented “Birthing Social Justice,” at the 15^th annual International Pedagogy and Theater of the Oppressed conference in Minneapolis. She also made the same presentation at the eighth annual Hawaii International Conference on Social Sciences.

• Dr. Justin Kraft, assistant professor of health, physical education, and recreation; presented the research, “Impact of Dehydration to 3% Body Weight on a Full Body Resistance Training Protocol,” at the 56^th annual meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine in Seattle.

• Mary Reid, nursing student, presented “Assessing the University Student Community Attitudes Regarding Environmental Smoking,” at the annual Northwest Missouri Substance Abuse Prevention conference at Western. The research was partially funded through a Robert Wood Johnson Grant. The faculty-directed project included students Hannah Claytor, Abigail Harding, Jennifer Lindberg and Debra Snapp, as well as faculty members Bonnie Gregory, assistant professor of nursing; and Dr. Evelyn Brooks, professor of nursing.

• Faculty members Dr. Durai Sundaramoorthi, assistant professor of business; Dr. Mark Lewis, associate professor of business; and Cassandra Samuel, instructor of business; co-authored the article with Craig School of Business student Sonja Streeter. Sonja Streeter,  presented the research article titled, “Using Classification and Regression Trees to Predict Ozone Concentration,” at the annual Institution of Industrial Engineers Research Conference.

• Terry Weaver, library supervisor and technical/automation services, and Sandy Phillips, circulation coordinator, presented a session at the recent MOBIUS annual conference in Osage Beach, Mo. on “Discovering Hidden Collections Through Partnerships.”

• Rick Dyson, information services librarian, was a presenter on a panel discussing “LibGuides: Your Research Guide for the 21st Century,” at the MOBIUS conference in Los Angeles.

• Dr. Judy Grimes, dean of student affairs, provided early intervention/retention workshops for advisors and staff at the College of Charleston and Savannah State University.

• Matthew Gregg, student employment coordinator, participated in a workforce panel discussion for Leadership Northwest Missouri.

• Linda Garlinger, director of career development, led the report writing session for the United Way Allocations Committee.

Excellence in Our Students

• Western economics student, Kyle J. Barclay, co-authored a paper entitled “Critical Thinking, a Foundation for a Better Learning and an Effective Teaching: A Systemic Approach.” The paper was published in the refereed journal of Global Business & Economics Anthology. Dr. Reza Hamzaee’s, professor of economics, also co-authored the paper.

• Craig School of Business student Sonja Streeter presented her research article, “Using Classification and Regression Trees to Predict Ozone Concentration,” at the annual Institution of Industrial Engineers Research Conference. Faculty members Dr. Durai Sundaramoorthi, assistant professor of business; Dr. Mark Lewis, associate professor of business; and Cassandra Samuel, instructor of business; co-authored the article.

• Nineteen students in the Craig School of Business traveled to Ecuador for the 2009 Global Viewpoint class. During their two-week stay, the students toured businesses they had studied during the spring semester, listened to panels of business owners talking about their challenges and successes, hiked in the rain forest, shopped at the famous Otavalla marketplace in the highlands, toured the newly opened Presidential Palace in Quito, had an audience with two highly ranked members of the current administration, and heard a presentation by a former Ecuadorian Ambassador to the U.S. Traveling with the students were a translator and Dr. faye smith, professor of business; Dr. Konrad Gunderson, assistant professor of accounting; and Carol Roever, interim dean of the Craig School of Business.

• Western students; Clif Davis, Ashley Schnoor, Siya Sun, Bryce Szczepanik, Will Vernon, and Central High school student, Eric Sawyer, traveled with, Dr. Jeff Poet, associate professor of math; and Dr. Todd Eckdahl, professor of biology, to North Carolina where they worked side-by-side with other faculty and student synthetic biology researchers on the Davidson College campus. The combined team is working on the design and construction of a bacterial computer to solve what is called the Max 2-SAT Problem and will present the results of their research at the iGEM Jamboree at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. This collaborative research effort is made possible by the grants received by Western and Davidson College, currently in its second year.

• The Music Department held the following student recitals:

• Micah Jones, senior recital, piano

• Beaux Lux, senior recital, tenor sax

• Dustin Mott, junior recital, percussion

• Sara Beas, junior recital, euphonium

• Leslie Tinkler, junior recital, oboe

• Mary Reid,  nursing student, presented “Assessing the University Student Community Attitudes Regarding Environmental Smoking,” at the annual Northwest Missouri Substance Abuse Prevention conference at Western. The research was partially funded through a Robert Wood Johnson Grant. The faculty-directed project included students Hannah Claytor, Abigail Harding, Jennifer Lindberg and Debra Snapp, as well as faculty members Bonnie Gregory, assistant professor of nursing; and Dr. Evelyn Brooks, professor of nursing.

Excellence in Our Programs

• The St. Joseph International Guitar Festival & Competition hosted an impressive list of artists from Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Costa Rica, Cyprus, France, Germany, Holland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, Mongolia, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Poland, Serbia, Ukraine, Uruguay and the United States. 

• Department of nursing has received confirmation that the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) Board of Commissioners has reviewed the continuous improvement progress report and determined that the department of nursing program continues to meet all accreditation standards. A CCNE site team visit is scheduled for the spring of 2013.

• The admissions office has increased the number of recruiting visits at area community colleges from 51 in 2005-06, more than 70 in 2008-09. Both Jim Hoffman, articulation coordinator, and Peggy Payne, assistant director of admissions, implemented this initiative.

• Admissions is in the process of finalizing the presentation of 98 program-to-program articulations with Metropolitan Community College-Kansas City (MCC-KC) on new web pages on the Western website. These articulation agreements represent all of the degree options currently offered at Western, and coordinate with the associate of arts and the associate of arts in teaching degrees offered at MCC-KC. The program articulations will be accessible to prospective transfer students, MCC-KC advisors and faculty, and Western faculty. Five to six additional academic programs will be added.  These program articulations will be updated annually, rather than on a three-year rotation.

• For the first time, 19 program-to-program articulations have been prepared for submission to St. Louis Community College for mutual agreement.

• Huey Shi Chew, international student coordinator, and the international student services office are assisting prospective new international students with their visa applications and also their arrival to the United States. The fall orientation program is being developed. For the coming fall, Western is expecting its first international graduate student from Bangladesh and possibly two additional students from Afghanistan.

• Four new exchange students will be joining Western this fall -- three of them from Germany and one from France. There is a total of 18 new international applications for fall and others for January.

• The Greek Life Steering Committee, which consists of the student development staff, Nader Vargha, associate professor of economics and Interfraternity Council advisor; Dr. Judy Grimes, dean of student affairs; Colleen Kowich, director of alumni services and National Panhellenic Council advisor; and Michael Speros, assistant dean for residential life and services; met with Dr. Robert Vartabedian and Dr. Joseph Bragin, provost and vice president for academic and student affairs; to develop plans to enhance Greek life at Western.

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Wanted: Dr. Samir El-Omari, new faculty member in the engineering department, is looking for a spare room, living quarter or house to stay in during the weed days instead of commuting, starting in August. Please contact him at s_elomar@encs.concordia.ca with more information and to negotiate rent.

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