Current Issue: Volume 21 - Number 7 - February 24, 2006
Fourteenth Annual Langston Hughes Celebration tonight on campus
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The Fourteenth Annual Langston Hughes Celebration will take place at 7 p.m., Friday Feb. 24 in Webster Hall Auditorium at MSSU.
Doris Walters, English, says featured speaker, Carmaletta Williams, will speak on the topic "Mother to Son: the Letters of Langston and Carrie Hughes." She has an essay on this topic coming out in the near future in a book of critical studies.. She is the author of Do Nothing Till You Hear From Me: Langston Hughes in the Classroom.
The evening will also include performances of poetry and music and a drawing for children under age 12 to win three picture book biographies of Langston Hughes
Carmaletta Williams is an associate professor of English at Johnson County Community College in Overland Park, Kansas. She has won a number of distinguished teaching awards including the Burlington Northern-Sante Faculty Achievement Award, two Distinguished Service Awards from Johnson County Community College and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.
She has been the recipient of the Kansas Professor of the Year award, and the League for Innovation's Innovation of the Year award for her videotape Sankofa: My Journey Home.
This video was a result of her Fulbright-Hays Award for study in Ghana, West Africa. Williams recently returned from West Africa, where she established a faculty exchange between L'Ecole Nationale de Poste et Telecommunications and Johnson County Community College.
The event, co-sponsored by the Joplin NAACP, is free and open to the public.
SEMO - MSSU sign cooperative master’s agreement
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Southeast Missouri State University President Kenneth W. Dobbins signed a cooperative agreement with Missouri Southern State University on Friday, Feb. 17 that represents another step to provide more higher education opportunities efficiently.
"The cooperative master’s program in Criminal Justice will engage distance learning technology and shared faculty to provide additional master’s programs to Southwest Missouri residents," Dr. Dobbins commented during the signing ceremony held on the MSSU campus..
“Missouri Southern is known for an outstanding undergraduate program in Criminal Justice and we look forward to combining the resources of our strong graduate program to serve the residents of Southwest Missouri and the state of Missouri,” the SEMO president stated.
“We take great pleasure in signing the agreement,” Missouri Southern President Dr. Julio León said. “The cooperative master’s degree program will help our area meet the need for highly trained professionals in this growing field,” he added.
Also present was Missouri State Sen. Gary Nodler, who guided key legislation through the Missouri legislature. Under the provisions of Senate Bill 55, which gave Missouri Southern university status, MSSU can enter into agreements with other Missouri state universities for the delivery of graduate education.
With approval of the Coordinating Board for Higher Education, the joint degree program could begin with the fall semester of 2006. Additional information is available at http://www.mssu.edu/graduate.
Spring enrollment figures show increase
Missouri Southern’s winning combination of affordability and academic excellence has translated into a significant increase in student enrollment for the spring 2006 semester.
Full-time enrollment for the spring semester at Missouri Southern State University has taken a 5.2 percent jump, according to Delores Honey, Assistant Vice President for Assessment and Institutional Research. “We ascribe the increase to strong programs, low tuition and quality classroom experiences,” Honey said. “We’re a good buy for the quality we give.”
A total of 3,620 students are enrolled on a full-time basis this semester, compared to 3, 440 in the spring semester of 2005, an increase of 180 students.
Total enrollment is up by almost 3 percent. In all, a total of 5, 119 students are enrolled this semester compared to 4, 971 during the same period last spring.Today's Brown Bag
The Brown Bag Lunch for faculty and staff features presenters: Susan Craig, Project Stay, and Kathy Feith, Upward Bound. Their topic is "What It Means To Be First: Characteristics of First-Generation College Students and Strategies to Help Them Navigate." The session will be held from 12:10 to 12:50 p.m. in BSC 310. Pick up your free lunch at the mini-buffet outside of BSC 310. Lunch provided courtesy of Academic Affairs and Sodexho.
Banner contest winners to be announced
What’s in a name? Apparently quite a bit. A naming contest for the major administrative software implementation project underway on campus attracted considerable interest, according to Sandi Gieson, project manager.
An official announcement of the new name and the winner of the contest will take place at noon, Thursday, March 2 in the Lions Den in Billingsly Student Center. The winner and other finalists will receive prize packages at the ceremony.
More than 140 names were entered in the contest with suggestions coming from more nearly 60 students, faculty and staff. “We were very pleased with the enthusiastic response to the contest,” Sandi commented, “It’s just another example of the spirit of involvement on campus. There were many great suggestions and we want to thank everyone for their creativity.”
“The administrative software will provide significant improvements in the efficiencies and conveniences of obtaining and maintaining information on campus for administrators, faculty, staff and students,” she said.
Honors Audition Saturday on campus
Young pianists from the Four-States will compete for the opportunity to learn from pianists of international renown on Saturday, February 25 as part of the Honors Audition portion of the Missouri Southern International Piano Competition. Pianists up to 18 years of age from Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Kansas will perform before a panel of area judges from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. in Webster Hall Auditorium.. The event is open to the public free of charge.
Each participant will perform a classical piano solo of 10 minutes or less. Up to five winners selected from the audition will perform in a Master Class for the international judges during the International Piano Competition April 24 - 29. In addition, the winners each will receive $500 cash prize, a medal, a certificate and critiques from each of the competition judges. They will be featured in the MSIPC program book and be recognized as Honors Audition Winners at the Gala Winners Concert on April 29. The winners also will be guests of MSIPC at all the performances and activities during the competition week.
The Honors Audition is a way of involving area students who may not be quite ready for the major competition, according to Gloria Jardon, chairman of the audition program. “It’s a wonderful opportunity for these students to participate in a world-class event and learn from master teachers,” Jardon says.
This year’s participants are: Huinam Bae, Pittsburg; Diane Chen, Stillwater, Ok.; Taylor Dolence, Neosho; Bren Flannigan, Carthage; Brittany Gauthier, Ashland; Paul Huang, Jessica Lawson and Mason Moon, all of Springfield;, Melissa Kornspan, Alec Tuascher and Jennifer Tung, all of Overland Park, Kan.; Isaac Van Hoecke, Shawnee, Kan.; Catherine Yang, Fayetteville, Ark.; Molli McDaniel and Emily Yates, Tulsa, Okla..
Students, advisor attend Career Development Conference
Scott Cragin, Marketing Management, Delta Epsilon Chi club adviser, took nine members to the state Career Development Conference in Osage Beach last Thursday and Friday, Feb. 16-17. The students competed in a total of 14 marketing, management and entrepreneurship-related individual and team events and received the following awards:
Students In Top 5 Finishers in Business Test:
Jeff Bates, Jared Graham
Restaurant and Food Services Marketing:
Jeff Bates- Third Place
Retail Management:
JP West- Fifth Place
Hospitality Marketing/ Management:
Kristenee Wofford- Fifth Place
Sports and Entertainment Marketing:
Michael Lang and Kristenee Wofford- Second Place
Business Ethics:
Kalan Hubbard and Sam Sturgis-Third Place
Business-to-Business Marketing:
Jared Graham and Sheryl Hunter- Second Place
Human Resources Management Decision Making:
Kalan Hubbard- First Place, Sam Sturgis- Third Place
Music Department to present guest artists
The MSSU Music Department presents guest artists Marvin Murphree, Baritone, and Melinda Smashey, Piano, with Stephanie Harter, Soprano, in recital at 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 28 in Webster Auditorium. The event is free and open to the public.
Marvin Murphree has appeared in opera, oratorio, song recital, and musical theatre throughout the United States and Central America. He is a National Association of Teachers of Singing Award winner. Among his operatic roles is Don Alfonzo in Cosi fan Tutte, Sgt. Belcore in L'elisir D' Amore, Count Almaviva in Nozze de Figaro, Pirate King in Pirates of Penzance, and Silvio in Pagliacci. His musical theatre credits include Brigadoon, Kiss Me Kate, Camelo, and Oklahoma. Murphree holds both bachelor and master of music degrees and has studied voice with Edwin Quistorff, Harry Morrison, and Vernon Yenne. He studied voice pedagogy with the late James McKinney. Currently, he is a member of the voice faculty at MSSU as well as Missouri State University and the Missouri Fine Arts Academy.
Dr. Melinda Smashey, pianist, is associate professor of music at Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar, Missouri, where she teaches piano and music theory. She earned both master of music and doctor of musical arts degrees in piano performance from the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory of Music, where she studied with Joanne Baker. She also holds a bachelor of music degree in piano pedagogy from Southwest Baptist University. She stays very busy as a recital accompanist and chamber pianist, and has performed a series of recitals in Texas and Missouri as part of the Allegra piano duo.
Stephanie Harter made her professional debut in Love is a Four-Letter Word in January and has made numerous appearances in MSSU and JLT productions. In March she will appear at Philia in the MSSU production of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. After studying at the University of Edinburgh in the spring of 2005, she is finishing her degree in vocal performance at Missouri Southern where she studies voice with Susan Smith in the MSSU Music Department.
Memorandum signed with Russian University
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Students will soon be able to go from Southern to Siberia as the result of a new international education exchange agreement. An International Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the promotion of International education exchange between Missouri Southern and Yugra State University in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia was signed on the Missouri Southern campus Friday, Feb. 17.
"This is just another example of how globalization is bringing us closer to other parts of the world," commented MSSU President Dr. Julio León.
Taking part in the signing were Julio S. Leon, Tatiana D. Karminskaia, vice rector of Yugra State University; Elena D. Lapshina, head of the International Department and a professor in the Center of Environmental Dynamics and Climate Change; and Natalia R. Maslova, chairman of the Information Resource Committee of the Governor's Administration in the state of Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug Tyumen Region.
Natalia R. Maslova is the mother Evgeny (Jake) Maslov, a 2003 graduate of MSSU. Jake will graduate from the Washington University, St. Louis, Law School this year. He was a high school foreign exchange student in Carthage when he became acquainted with Missouri Southern. Natalia Maslova took her positive impressions of MSSU back to Russia and began discussions to develop an agreement between the two institutions.
For more information on the area and Yugra State University visit the online powerpoint presentation at: http://www.hmao.wsnet.ru/english/newsE/2005/septem/01.htm.
Phonathon underway
The 24th Annual Phonathon is under way now with a group of 20 students calling Alumni, Friends of the University and local businesses. Dr. Virginia Laas is this year's faculty co-chair.
"The response to the faculty and staff appeal has been especially strong this year," says Foundation Director, Curt
Betebenner.
"Last year there were 29 pledges made by faculty and staff. So far this year we have 52 pledges," he adds.
Wake up to Career Services!
Lynsey Schwabrow, Career Services, says her department's staff will be coming to a location near you next week with the "Coffee, Cookies & Careers" outreach program.
Students and faculty are encouraged to stop by for a complimentary cup of coffee and morning snack to find out about upcoming Career Services events, including Spring Job Expo on March 8 and Education Job Fair on April 5. Visitors also can talk with a career counselor about career interests and pick up materials about career choices, resumes and cover letters, interviewing, and more.
Coffee, Cookies & Careers sessions, all slated for 8:30 - 11 a.m., include:
- Monday, Feb. 27: Reynolds Hall, north main entrance
- Wednesday, March 1: Matthews Hall, east entrance
- Friday, March 3: Webster Hall, south entrance
Forum slated for March 8-11 in TPAC
The second production of the spring semester for Missouri Southern Theatre Department will be the musical A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum at 7:30 p.m., March 8, 9, 10, and 11 in Taylor Performing Arts Center.
Susan Smith, Music, is the voice coach and Vocal Music Director, Bud Clark, Music, is the Instrumental Music Director and the Orchestra Conductor. Gerrie-Ellen Johnston, Theatre, is the Choreographer, and Jim Lile, Theatre, is the Director. Costume designs are by Anne Jaros, Theatre. Ann Lile, Theater, is the costumer. Sam Claussen and Lyle Burrow, Theatre, are the set designers.
Curtain times are 7:30 pm each evening. Tickets may be reserved in person in the lobby of Taylor Auditorium or by calling the box office at 625-3190 between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. Monday through Friday.
With its crazy mixture of togas and vaudeville, this wild and silly visit to ancient Rome is one of the funniest shows ever to hit the stage. Forum is one of the great American musicals with the story by Burt Shevelove and Larry Gelbart, and music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. The show premiered in 1962 with Zero Mostel, Jack Gilford, and John Carradine in featured roles; and was revived to great acclaim in 1996 with Nathan Lane as Pseudolus, the crafty and resourceful Roman slave. When Lane left the show, Whoopi Goldberg took over and ushered in another wave of hilarious success. Southern’s production boasts an outstanding company of 18 performers headed by Ben Horine as Pseudolus.
Tickets are on sale. Stop by the TPAC Box Office or call 625-3190.
IMPORTANT: To avoid long lines on the night of the performances, please pay for and pick-up reserved tickets by March 3. Any unclaimed reservations after this date will be resold. Tickets reserved after March 3 must be made in person and paid for when making reservations. No refunds or exchanges will be given.
Requests for accommodations related to a disability need to be made to Terri Spencer, Theatre, at (417) 625-9393 at least 72 hours before the program.
Southern Symphony Orchestra to perform
The Department of Music will present “An Evening of Romantic Dances,” a concert by the Southern Symphony Orchestra, at 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, March 14, at Taylor Performing Arts Center at MSSU. Admission is free.
Under the baton of Kexi Liu, Music, the orchestra will perform The Moldau by Smetana, polkas by Strauss, Hungarian dances by Brahms, waltzes by Tchaikovsky, and Slavonic dances by Dvorak. The Neosho High School Orchestra, directed by Alyssa DePew, will make a special guest performance.
Southern Symphony Orchestra consists of 60 members, including university students and faculty members, community members, and selected high school students.For further information, contact Kexi at (417) 624-8795 or e-mail liu-k@mssu.edu.
Job Expo, Grad Expo joining forces to meet grads' needs
The Job Expo and Grad Expo are joining forces at Missouri Southern State University to make graduation a more convenient and enjoyable experience for students on the verge of finishing their degrees.
Representatives from business, government, non-profit agencies, and education organizations are expected to take part in Missouri Southern State University's Spring Job Expo.
Designed to benefit students of all majors, alumni and employers, the event is being sponsored by MSSU Career Services and will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Wednesday, March 8 on the third floor of the Billingsly Student Center. Local and national employers are registered to attend.
This year, the Expo will include “Grad Expo” from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. and 4 p.m.-6:30 p.m. in the same location. After browsing all the career opportunities students set to graduate may pick up caps and gowns and complete last minute details in advance of graduation. Upcoming graduates also may order announcements, buy rings, purchase diploma frames, join the Alumni Association, and visit with representatives from on and off campus.
Visit www.mssu.edu/career for a listing of employers registered to attend. For additional information, call Career Services at (417) 625-9343.
Film Society to show Hungarian selection
The International Film Festival at Missouri Southern will present the film 25 Fireman's Street at 7 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 28 in Cornell Auditorium in Matthews Hall. In the 1973 film, the director Istvan Szabo created a chronicle of Hungary's post-war history, told through the memories, dreams and nightmares of the inhabitants of an old apartment building in Budapest on the eve of its destruction.
The film is free and open to the public.
BSU to sponsor blood drive
The Baptist Student Union will sponsor a Blood Drive from 10 a.m.- 5 p.m. on Friday, March 10 at the BSU on Duquesne Road north of MSSU. All faculty and staff are invited to donate blood for the American Red Cross.
Jazz recital slated for March 16
Phillip C. Wise, Director of Jazz Studies, will perform a faculty jazz recital titled "Jazz Classics." The recital will be held at 7:30 p.m., Thursday, March 16 in Webster Hall Auditorium at MSSU.
"This is a 'homecoming' of sorts," Dr. Wise says. "The recital will include a number of Jerome Kern compositions and will feature three MSSU music alumni," he explains.
Trevor Headrick and Jerry Schultz, area band directors and former trombone students of Phil Wise will be performing. Jennifer Smith, an area choir director who played piano in the MSSU Jazz Orchestra several years ago, will be a featured singer on "I've Told Every Little Star and Yesterdays. Recital selections: include Just Friends, Stars Fell on Alabama, Too Young To Go Steady and Perdio.
The recital will also feature Posonaum Palooza, a trombone quartet and rhythm section that made its debut at Dr. Jeffrey Macomber's faculty recital last fall. The quartet will perform Pavane by Faure, A Fine Romance, arranged by Jeff Macomber, and Duke Ellington's Caravan. Other musicians performing include Crowder College professor of music Robert Ensor on piano, and two current MSSU students: Damon Graue,drums, and Robert Terry, bass.
Eating Disorders Awareness Week
The MSSU campus will observe Eating Disorders Awareness Week Feb. 27-March 3. Dalenette Voigt-Catlin,
Counselor/Outreach Coordinator, says an informational display will be set up in the Lion's Den for the duration of the week.
An experiential workshop body image will be offered from 12 noon - 2 p.m., Wednesday, March 1 in 311 Billingsly Student Center/ The workshop is titled, "Our Bodies, Our Selves: an Interactive Experience with Body Image". All students, faculty, and staff are invited. Activities are sponsored by the Student Support Center.
Honors Presentations slated for three
Seniors in the Honors Program undertake a research project in their major discipline and present the results to the college community in a series of talks we call the Senior Honors Thesis. Instructors are asked to pass along the invitation to students.
Ashley Lambeth, Elementary Education major from Sarcoxie, will present "Teaching in the Diverse Classroom" at 3 p.m. today, Friday, Feb. 24, in Room 113 of Taylor Hall. This study identifies the diversities that teachers in the Southwest Missouri area feel are the most difficult to differentiate instruction in order to meet the students’ needs.
Ashley Eckhart, Elementary Education major from Webb City, will present "Literacy Centers in the Classroom: Concerns and Characteristics of Utilization" at 3 p.m., Monday, Feb. 27 in Room 113 of Tylor Hall. This thesis will review the characteristics of literacy centers or work stations in an elementary classroom.
Bobby Clarkson, Computer Information Science Information major from Chanute, Kan., will present Computer Information Science: Information Technology and Web Administration at 2:30 p.m., May 1 in Room 209 of Matthews Hall. The presentation will focus on using computer technology to assist in teaching foreign languages.
FairTax video showing March 9
Are you tired of having such a large amount of your money taken from your paychecks? Come learn about the FairTax.
The FairTax video will be shown at 12:15 p.m., March 9 in room 311 of Billingsly Student Center. Pizza will be provided on a first come, first serve basis. The showing is sponsored by College Republicans.
For more information contact frerer-b-791@mssu.edu or visit www.FairTax.org or www.myfairtax.org.
Debaters compete in state championships
Missouri Southern State University Speech and Debate Squad competed in the MAFA Missouri Colleges and Universities state championships in Springfield, Mo. Feb. 17-19. A total of 23 tournament debaters from 12 colleges and universities representing the Show Me State took part.
At the tournament, Whitney Hart, freshman from Lamar, qualified for elimination rounds. Hart went all the way to the semi-final round before losing a tough decision. The state Lincoln-Douglas debate champion was from Drury University. Individual speaker awards were also won by participants from MSSU. Whitney Hart placed fourth.
The team is now off until March when they head to Central Missouri State University for a round robin invitational tournament, according to Kelly B. Larson, Forensics.
Phillip C. Wise, Music, served as adjudicator, clinician, and featured trombone soloist at the recent Webb City Jazz Festival.
Learning? Tennis lessons available. Call ext. 9662 or 358-0600.
Looking For: An auto mechanic with great skills able to replace the water pump on a Ford Taurus. Need someone economical. Call ext. 9506 or e-mail smith-se@mssu.edu.
For Sale: Ladies garnet ring, multi-stone, size 7 & ½ -8 on gold band, $50.. Excellent condition. Call ext. 9766.
For Sale: Last chance to get your Cougar Card and save money! This is the best buy one get one free card in town. The cost is $10, but you'll save much more than that as you can use it up to 24 times at any of 12 different merchants. See the card at: www.collegeheights.org. Contact Bill at ext. 9778 for delivery of your card.
For Sale: Melco EP1 professional single head single needle embroidery machine with computer and accessories for sale. The machine works well and is in good condition. The computer software is DOS based but is not difficult to use. $3000 for the set. For more information call ext. 3192 or 358-5748 or 358-3821.
MSSU BookstoreSidewalk Sale: MSSU Bookstore 10 a.m. - 3 p.m., Wednesday, March 8 Great sales on polos, sweatpants, shirts and much more. Stop by the Bookstore on the BSC 1st floor and check out all the great deals! |
