Week of November 15 - 21 

Welcome to the Tower Topics E-newsletter for faculty, staff and students at Western. 

Missouri Western State College, 4525 Downs Drive, St. Joseph, MO 64507, 816-271- 4200

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Grand Opening of the Western Institute

History Professor Visits Western

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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:
Paula White

Staff Advisers:
Kristy Hill and Diane Holtz

Grand Opening of the Western Institute

Serving as a valuable resource to northwest Missouri is the purpose of the Western Institute at Missouri Western State College, according to its executive director and dean Dr. Christopher Shove. The Institute, which was formed in July, held a grand opening today in its offices in the Leah Spratt Multipurpose Classroom Building.  

“The Institute is an applied research resource center, serving the community, the region and beyond,” said Dr. Shove. He said the Institute currently has the capability of conducting research for clients in the areas of economic development, business analysis, urban and natural resource Geographic Information Systems, life sciences, and human health and wellness. 

Dr. Shove was hired as the founding dean and has directed similar university outreach programs in Ohio, Oklahoma and Florida.  Those centers received local, state and national commendations for their activities directed by Dr. Shove, and Dr. Shove was recognized as the Outstanding Economic Development Professional in the United States while working for the Florida Department of Commerce under then Commerce Secretary Jeb Bush. 

The Institute is currently working on a project with the city of St. Joseph and the St. Joseph Area Chamber of Commerce. The three entities have filed a joint application to the United States Economic Development Administration to fund a feasibility study for an innovation incubator and venture capital for St. Joseph. Another Institute project involves mapping 2 million farms in the United States. That information will be used by the Department of Agriculture to monitor the amount of farmland used for crop purposes.

Dr. Shove noted that the Institute, which encompasses the continuing education and special programs offices, will continue to offer programs such as the certified law enforcement officer academy, Global Positioning System workshops, customized training for business and government, high school college credit courses and graduate courses, as well as noncredit courses covering a variety of interests including international travel study.  In 2003-2004 over 23,000 students were enrolled in credit and non-credit classes through the Western Institute.  The Institute also coordinates local, state and national conferences. 

Dr. James Scanlon, Western’s president, and U.S. Rep. Sam Graves of the sixth Congressional District, spoke at the grand opening ceremonies.

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History Professor Visits Western

Although people don’t usually associate Lewis and Clark with the removal of Indians from their lands, historian Dr. Frederick Fausz said at the Nov. 12 Eggs and Issues that the explorers indeed played a large role in the “Trails of Tears.” Part of the purpose of the Corps of Discovery was to determine which Indian tribes would give the government the most problems when it tried to take over the Indian’s land.

“Lewis and Clark brought the concept of Indian relocation west of the Mississippi,” Dr. Fausz said. He noted that the explorers mistakenly reported that very few tribes would offer resistance if forced to move. “Are you telling me you’re going to plant corn for 400 years on a land and not care?”

The associate professor of history at University of Missouri – St. Louis visited Western Nov. 11 and 12 and made three presentations for the campus and community. His two Nov. 12 talks included a display of his extensive collection of 19^th century artifacts and furs.

Dr. Fausz noted that the attitude held by Lewis and Clark toward Indians, which reflected 19^th century thought, was relevant because after the expedition, Lewis became governor of Missouri and Clark was the chief agent of Indian affairs in Missouri. Shortly after they returned in 1806, they forced the Osage Indians to sign over 50,000 square miles of land, paying the Osage 1/16 of a cent per acre. The land included most of Missouri, and was valuable to the government because it made it competitive in the fur trade industry. 

“On a grand scale, the government was moving human populations around like a chess board. We shuffled people around according to our own needs and our dictates,” he said.

Dr. Fausz is an internationally respected scholar of colonial European – Indian  relations and the history of the fur trade industry. He has been a consultant on several historical movies, and has been a member of the Missouri Humanities Speakers Bureau for 11 years.

• A program entitled, "Surviving: The First Six Weeks of Teaching," will be held at 5 p.m. Nov. 16 in SS/C 210.  Recent graduates will discuss what teachers need to know in order to successfully survive their first weeks of teaching.  Workshop completion certificates will be distributed at the end of the program.  For more information, e-mail Jackie Clark at jfc1063@missouriwestern.edu.    

• The next film in the Foreign Film Series will be "Le Fabuleux destin d' Amelie Poulain" at 6:30 p.m. Nov. 16 in LRC 102.  Admission is free and the film includes English subtitles.  For more information, contact Susie Hennessy at 5813.

• Campus Activities Board will be having a magic and illusion show at 7 p.m. Nov. 19 in MC 101.  The event is free for students, and they can volunteer to be participants in the show.  For more information on the event, call 4410.

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Tuesday, November 16

• "Surviving: The First Six Weeks of Teaching" presentation, 5 p.m., SS/C 210

• Foreign Film Series presents, "Le Fabuleux destin d' Amelie Poulain," 6:30 p.m., LRC 102

Wednesday, November 17

• Coffee & Conversation, 9 a.m.-noon, SS/C 202

Thursday, November 18

• "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" Performance, 8 p.m., Black Box Theatre, FA 106

• NCAA Division II South Central Regional, Nov. 18-20

Friday, November 19

• "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" Performance, 8 p.m., Black Box Theatre, FA 106

• Magic & Illusion Show, 7 p.m., MC 101

Saturday, November 20

• "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" Performance, 8 p.m., Black Box Theatre, FA 106

• PRAXIS, 8 a.m.-5 p.m., A101, 102, 104, 105, SS/C 208

• Young Artists Piano Competition, 8 a.m.-4 p.m., FA Theatre

Sunday, November 21

• "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" Performance, 2 p.m., Black Box Theatre, FA 106

• Jazz Ensemble Concert, 7:30 p.m., FA Theatre

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