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Missouri Southern International Piano Competition

The Missouri Southern International Piano Competition (MSIPC), which began Monday, will run through Saturday, April 29 at Missouri Southern State University. The 2006 event features 35 of the most talented young pianists from locations all over the world. The pianists will compete for over $30,000 in prize money and a coveted debut perfromance in Carnegie Hall in New York City for the winner of the Senior Competition.

Five senior contestants were selected yesterday. They are: Tatiana Tessman, 26, Russia; Sang-il Han, 22, South Korea; Sergei Saratovsky, 24, Russia; Esther Park, 21, United States; and Ti Xin, 20, China.

Plenty of action will continue to take place today. The 2006 MSIPC will culminate in the Gala Winners Concert at 8 p.m., tomorrow night in Taylor Performing Arts Center. The concert will be broadcast live on 88.7KXMS/Fine Arts Radio International.

Today's and tomorrow's activities include the following:

Gallemore selected as Outstanding Graduate by Alumni Association

Caleb Gallemore, senior International Studies major, is the Missouri Southern Alumni Association's "2006 Outstanding Graduate."

The award will be formally announced at the Honors Convocation, slated for 11 a.m., Tuesday, May 2 in Taylor Performing Arts Center at Missouri Southern. In addition to receiving the “Outstanding Graduate” award, Gallemore also will be honored as Outstanding Student in the International Studies Department at Missouri Southern during the Convocation.

Lee Elliff Pound, Director of Alumni Affairs at Missouri Southern, says the Outstanding Graduates are selected on the basis of superior involvement and leadership on campus and in the community, high academic achievements and respect of fellow students and faculty.

Gallemore, a resident of Seneca and a 2002 graduate of Seneca High School, currently serves as head delegate to the Model United Nations Club at MSSU. He is a member of Omicron Delta Kappa, a campus-wide honor society based on leadership, scholarship and service.

He is also a member of the Philosophy Club and the Model Arab League at Missouri Southern and additionally belongs to Alpha Chi, an academic honor society open to students with a 3.75 grade point average or better.

Gallemore won the 2005 Northedge Essay Competition with his essay titled "Of Lords and (Cyber) Serfs: eGovernment and Poststructuralism in a Neomedieval Europe." The competition, in existence since 1986, is conducted by Millennium: Journal of International Studies at the London School of Economics and Political Science.

The Northedge Essay Competition is designed for students who are currently pursuing or have recently completed a degree in International Relations or a related field. Essays may be part of a doctoral research project, an essay or dissertation submitted as part of an undergraduate or Master's degree course, a seminar paper or similar work.

Board of Governors hears presentations

The Missouri Southern State University Board of Governors today heard presentations on plans to renovate the historic Mission Hills Mansion on the MSSU campus and possible future renovations at Fred G. Hughes Stadium.

Architect Kyle Denham, of Patterson, Latimer, Jones, Brannon, Denham, Inc, updated the Board on a project to renovate the 1920s era white stucco, red tile-roofed mansion. Denham described the need for the renovation and discussed features of the estimated $1.2 million dollar project.

Dr. Terri Agee, Vice President for Business Affairs, told the Board that approximately $886,000 of the cost has been pledged through a fundraising campaign. At this time just under $60,000 of that amount is in hand. She said work will probably be ready to begin when funds on hand exceed $100,000.

In a second part of the presentation, Denham showed photographs of Fred G. Hughes Stadium and presented possible renovations to that structure which would include the replacement of stands on the east and west sides, the possible building of skyboxes and press boxes and the construction of a field house on either the north or south of the present football field.

“I think the [stadium renovation] committee would agree that the field house is the first priority,” said MSSU President Dr. Julio Léon. He added: “Obviously we’re going to have to do this in phases. Even the field house could be built in stages, starting with what we need the most.”

In other action, the Board approved a variety of reports and curricular proposals from the Academic Affairs Office. One proposal approved will allow American Sign Language (ASL) to qualify for foreign language credit. A bill signed by Gov. Blunt last July authorizes public schools and higher education institutions to treat ASL as a foreign language for the purpose of granting academic credit.

Banana, coffee papers good for Mother Earth

In celebration of Earth Day and the ongoing effort to utilize resources in the most efficient manner, the MSSU Bookstore is selling Banana Paper and Coffee Paper journals.

Banana fiber paper is a mix of 100% post-consumer paper with a minimum of 15% banana fiber. Banana fiber is a byproduct of the harvesting of banana plantations. The fiber is transformed into fine ecological papers and writing accessories without the use of chemicals.

A percentage of the sales is used to help sustainable development in the tropical rainforest. Coffee paper similarly utilizes fibrous elements of the coffee bean and plant to create an ecological paper.

Liz Scheurich, Bookstore, says a large journal is available for $6.99. A small journal costs $4.59.

Missouri Southern receives international export grant

Southwest Missouri Congressman Roy Blunt has notified Missouri Southern officials that a two-year grant totaling $180,000 has been approved to help local firms improve their international exports.

The "Business and International Education Program" targets business communities of the 4-state area with a variety of programs and services that will expand the community's ability to compete in the international marketplace.

John Lewis, International Business, says: "The program's goal is to increase the level of revenues generated from international trade to local businesses. We hope to make local companies aware of opportunities in the world marketplace and increase their knowledge about how to be more competitive in that field."

Congressman Blunt added, "International trade already employs thousands of Missourians. There is plenty of evidence that opening international markets to competitive American goods and services benefits employees here. More than 200 companies in the Springfield-Joplin area export to international markets."

The U.S. Department of Education grant for first-year funding of the Business and International Education Program at Missouri Southern begins on July 1 of this year.

Math League Plaques Awarded to Winners

The MSSU Math League Awards Banquet was held Thursday, April 20 in the Billingsly Student Center. Math League is a mathematics competition in which students from 22 area high schools come to the campus of MSSU for five meets each academic year and take tests consisting of standard mathematics topics and also advanced team problems.

The schools are partitioned into four classes based on size. The competitions and banquets are coordinated by Dennis Harmon, Mathematics, with the help of the department head’s secretary, Betty Bartlett.

Test questions are submitted by faculty members of the MSSU Department of Mathematics. Meets are proctored by MSSU students who volunteer their valuable time to administer the tests. More information on Math League is available at the web site www.mssu.edu/math/league.

To see the list of 2006 winners visit www.mssu.edu/news/mathplaques06.htm.

Foreign Language Field Day winners announced

Students from 37 schools in the three-state area competed in the 32nd Modern Foreign Language Field Day on April 18 at Missouri Southern State University. Tatiana Karmanova, International Language Resource Center, says over 1500 tests were administered that day. Competitive events included culture bowl, geography, poetry reading, posters, reading comprehension, skits, and vocabulary recognition.

During the Award Ceremony the sweepstakes trophies were awarded to the first 3 places in each language:

In French, with 374 students from 16 schools competing, Thomas Jefferson Independent Day School placed first. Joplin High School was second place followed by Nixa High School in third place.

In German, with 69 students from five schools competing, Bolivar High School took top honors. Second place was won by Neosho High School and third place by Joplin High School.

In Spanish, with 568 students from 31 schools competing, Thomas Jefferson came in first, followed by Joplin High School in second place and Willard High School in third place.

The "Best Overall School" trophy went to Joplin High School. Thomas Jefferson and Bolivar schools came in the second and third places. For individual student results, visit www.mssu.edu/news/FLFDay06results.htm.

Man with a Camera Next in International Series

As part of the 44th Annual International Film Festival, the film Man with a Movie Camera ( Russia, 1929) will be shown at Missouri Southern State University. The film will be shown at 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 2 in Cornell Auditorium in Matthews Hall on the MSSU campus.

This restored masterpiece of the late silent era, directed by Dziga Vertov, is one of the most experimental and influential works in film history. It follows daily life in Moscow and Odessa and showcases extravagant techniques including hand-held cameras, frozen frames, stroboscopic editing, multiple images, split screen and elaborate tracking shots.

"Wildflowers and Dances" May 4

The Missouri Southern Symphonic Band will present its spring concert "Wildflowers and Dances" at 7:30 p.m., Thursday, May 4 in Taylor Performing Arts Center.

The concert will feature the band classics Lincolnshire Posy by Percy Grainger and Armenian Dances by Alfred Reed. The concert will also bring to the stage Southern's new woodwind professor, Cheryl Cifelli, performing Concertino for Clarinet by Carl Maria von Weber.

"Cheryl is a world-class performing artist and an inspiring teacher," says Rusty Raymond, Director of Bands at MSSU and conductor of the Symphonic Band. "She has performed on more than 30 compact discs and it will be a treat for our audiences to hear her in a solo setting," he adds.

The concert is free and open to the public.

Extended hours for Spiva Library

Amber Carr, Spiva Library, says extended library hours will be featured in coming weeks in order to provide students with additional research and study time during the two weeks prior to finals.The library will stay open until MIDNIGHT and University Java will close at 10 p.m. Sunday April 30– Thursday May 4 and Sunday May 7 – Thursday May 11.

Drawings will also be held during these extended hours. Be sure to sign up at the Reference desk on the 3rd floor beginning at 8 p.m. each night. Winners will then be announced at 9 p.m., 10 p.m. and 11 p.m.

Missouri Southern group performs in Branson

Missouri Southern's show choir, "Southern Exposure," under the direction of Music Department Head Bud Clark, recently performed as the opening act for magician Darrin Romeo in Branson. On Sunday, April 23, the choir sang and danced on the Welk Theatre stage before a tourist-filled concert hall.

"It was an exciting experience for the students to perform on a professional stage with a Las Vegas atmosphere, Bud says. "They did an excellent job and were highly praised by Romeo at the beginning of his own act," he adds. "It was great exposure for the Southern students and fun too."

Next Senior Exhibit opens this Sunday

The MSSU Art Department is pleased to present the opening of a senior art exhibit, from 3-7 p.m., Sunday, April 30 at the Spiva Art Gallery on the Missouri Southern campus. The exhibit, which runs from Sunday, April 30 to Saturday, May 6, features works by art students Katie Lee of Carthage, Lisa McCain of Joplin and Amy Patterson and Desiree Petersen-Patrick, both of Neosho.

The exhibit will feature a variety of media including paintings, watercolors, jewelry, sculpture, ceramics and graphic design. The exhibit is planned by Missouri Southern art students to highlight techniques they have studied during their education at MSSU.

The Spiva Gallery exhibit will be held from 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Admission is free and open to the public. For more information about the show, call the MSSU Art Department at (417) 625-9563.

FACULTY/STAFF

"Maps to the Crash Sites," a poem by Joey Brown, English, has been selected for publication in the Spring 2006 issue of The Dos Passos Review.

Larry Cebula, Social Science, attended the recent annual meeting of the Organization of American Historians in Washington D.C

Richard Miller, Social Science, chaired two sessions at the Midwest Sociological Society meetings in Omaha, Neb. The first was a session was on adolescence and young adulthood. The second covered political and international issues. He also organized the "Gender Studies" session at the conference. Three students, Deborah Doss, Bradley Crane, and Kelly Wilson, attended the meetings.

Art Saltzman, English, has had an essay accepted by Oregon Literary Review. "Trust Me" will appear in the Summer 2006 issue.

Phillip C. Wise, Music, served as featured guest jazz soloist at William Penn University on April 26-27. He performed with the University Jazz Choir "Penntatonic," the University Chorale, and presented a jazz improvisation clinic to instrumental students. Additionally, Phil is scheduled to perform a concert with Des Moines trumpeter Bill Bergren at Smokey Row on April 28.

CLASSIFIED

For Sale: 2006 Yamaha Virago 250 cc. Almost new! Very low miles and in perfect condition. $2999. Optional extended warranty can be purchased from current owner or the dealer. Call 625-3153 or 434-2345 (cell) or e-mail harris-p@mssu.edu.

Tennis Lessons Available: Call ext. 9662 or 358-0600.

Needed: Child's youth bed and baby crib in good condition. Call ext. 9766.

Downsizing/Moving Sale. For information, e-mail horvath-m@mssu.edu to request pictures or call ext. 9307 or 626-2613. All reasonable offers accepted. Items featured include:

1. Frigidaire 18 cu. ft. frost free refrigerator–$75
2. Flexsteel multicolor sofa, love seat, and chair–$250
3. Gibson Epiphone 6-string acoustic guitar–$325
4. Men’s Accordo Centurian 12 speed adult touring bike–make offer
5. Women’s Fuju Absolute 10 speed touring bike–make offer
6. Bicycle helmets–$7 each
7. Banquet folding table (72 x 30)–$15
8. Two stacking chairs–$5 each
9. Oak modular bookshelf (38w x 13d x 48h)–$30
10. Oak telephone table (15.5w x 14d x 29.5h)–$30
11. French Provincial Cherie dresser, night stand, mirror, chair, and desk–$500
12. Mitsubishi cassette deck–$15
13. Large rug (8 x11 ft. plus)–$800 (new $2000)
14. Formal floral pattern love seat and high-backed chair–$300
15. Oak TV stand–$40
16. Zenith DVD player–$20