Current Issue: Volume 25 - Number 4 - August 31, 2007
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Graduate wins Ph.D. Dissertation Prize
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Missouri Southern graduate Jarod Roll, originally from Mt. Vernon, Mo., has won the 2006 Best Ph.D. Dissertation Prize from the International Association of Labor History Institutions.
He is now teaching at the University of Sussex in England.
Roll received his Ph.D. in History from Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill. in 2006. In recognition of his award, Roll will receive a cash award of £750 (pounds sterling).
Roll graduated with a major in History in 2000 from MSSU. He received his Master’s Degree in History from Northwestern in 2001.
His dissertation is entitled, "The Road to the Promised Land: Rural Rebellion in the New Cotton South, 1890-1945." It explores how African American and white farmers created a grassroots radicalism to defend agrarian traditions against the rise of capital-intensive agriculture in the lowlands of southeast Missouri.
Roll’s specialty is the United States after the Civil War. His research and writing focuses on the intersection of race, work, and protest in the political economy of rural America. Parts of this research have already appeared in the Journal of Southern History, Labor History, and Radical History Review.
One of Roll’s first articles ever published took place in the Missouri Historical Review while he was an undergraduate at Missouri Southern State University.
Southern, Northwest to offer joint MBA program
The presidents of Missouri Southern State University and Northwest Missouri State University will meet at 2 p.m., Friday, Sept. 7, at Northwest's Kansas City Center in Liberty to lay the foundation for a new online master's degree program in business administration.
President Dean L. Hubbard of Northwest in Maryville and Acting President Dr. Terri Agee of Missouri Southern in Joplin will sign a memorandum of understanding creating the cooperative program, which could begin as early as fall 2008 if approval is obtained from the Missouri Department of Higher Education and the Higher Learning Commission.
The curriculum will mirror Northwest's traditional MBA, which requires candidates to complete 33 hours of graduate credit in addition to a research component. Courses will be delivered via the Internet, instructional television and other electronic means. Northwest's Melvin and Valorie Booth College of Business and Professional Studies and Missouri Southern's Robert W. Plaster School of Business Administration will each provide equal numbers of faculty.
Under the terms of the memorandum, students will be subject to Northwest policies for admission, retention and program completion and pay Northwest tuition rates. Each institution will retain revenue generated through courses taught by its own faculty. Likewise, instructors will be paid by their home university, though other costs, such as marketing and promotion, can be shared.
According to the MOU, an advisory board comprised of representatives from both institutions will oversee the program, and diplomas issued to graduates will bear the names of both schools.
“We are very excited to be able to partner with Northwest to provide this valuable MBA program to students in our region and it is another example of how higher education institutions are working together to deliver high quality programs and use state resources efficiently,” commented Dr. Terri Agee, Acting President of Missouri Southern.
Dr. Brad Kleindl, Dean of The Robert W. Plaster School of Business Administration at Missouri Southern, stated, “This offers many students more opportunities to advance their careers and it uses the latest technology and distance learning tools to provide the program efficiently and conveniently.”
Northwest recently opened academic centers equipped for both classroom-based instruction and distance learning in Kansas City and St. Joseph, and the University has a long tradition of providing graduate-level outreach in such Missouri locations as St. Joseph, Chillicothe, Trenton and Kirksville.
Missouri Southern also has agreements with Northwest for Master of Science in Education degrees in Early Childhood Education and Instructional Technology. Other Missouri Southern agreements to deliver cooperative master’s programs are with the University of Missouri-Kansas City in the fields of nursing and dental hygiene, Missouri State University in teaching (MAT) and Southeast Missouri State University in criminal justice.
Additional information is available at http://www.mssu.edu/graduate.
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Toliver to Direct First Year Experience program
Cliff Toliver, English-Philosophy, has been named Director of the “First Year Experience Program” at MSSU.
The keystone of the program will be the new course, “The University Experience: Transitions within an International Context.” Beginning in the fall of 2008, the course will be a mandatory, three-hour, core course, required for all first-year students.
Cliff says the course will provide students with the information, resources, encouragement and support needed to adapt successfully to the university environment and to begin an informed pursuit of an undergraduate degree. Students will consider the varied opportunities for study and choice of major as they become acquainted with the facilities and support mechanisms that MSSU affords.
“They should gain a clearer understanding of the personal responsibility students must take for their own educational advancement,” he comments. “They should also develop an awareness of the commitment that success in a university requires.”
He says the course also will introduce students to MSSU’s international mission by actively engaging them in the international life of the institution. This will take place through participation in themed semester events and through study of the themed semester’s foreign country. Students will learn about foreign language learning opportunities, international travel and study abroad possibilities and MSSU’s International Studies major at the beginning of their university career.
Cliff came to Joplin in 2001 from Austin, Tex., where he chaired the Division of Humanities at Huston-Tillotson College, a small, historically black, four-year institution. He holds a law degree from the University of Texas School of Law and a Ph.D. in English from the University of Texas/Austin. During the late 1970s and early 1980s, he studied and taught in Germany. He traveled widely during that time, visiting about 50 countries in Europe, Africa and Asia.
Today's Brown Bag
Betsy Griffin, Academic Affairs, reminds faculty/staff about the Brown Bag lunch for today, Friday, August 31. Ken Kennedy, Public Safety, and Kelly Wilson, Student Support Center, will speak on "Preventing and Responding to Disruptive, Threatening, or Violent Behavior in the Workplace."
The Brown Bag will be held from 12:10 - 12:50 p.m. in the Keystone Room on the 3rd floor of the BSC. Pick up your free lunch at the mini-buffet outside the room. Lunch is provided courtesy of Academic Affairs and Sodexho.
All faculty/staff are welcome to attend.
Campus invited to court session
The Criminal Justice Department at MSSU extends a special invitation to faculty and Missouri Southern students to attend a session of the Missouri Court of Appeals, Southern District on Monday, Sept. 17 at the Justice Center Auditorium on campus.
"Sept. 17 is Constitution Day in Missouri, and this is a one-time opportunity to attend an appellate court session and hear live oral argument," says Wayne Thomason, Head of the Criminal Justice Department at MSSU.
Court sessions are scheduled to begin promptly at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Sessions will last about one hour, but those attending should arrive prior to the session. Once the court session begins, individuals will not be able to enter or exit.
In order to accommodate interested individuals, the Criminal Justice Department requests that faculty members contact the department by Friday, Sept. 7 if they plan to bring students to either of the sessions.
Those responding will be sent a summary of the cases.
Area high schools also have been invited.
Those with questions should contact Trina Scott, Criminal Justice, at (417) 625-3143 or e-mail scott-t@mssu.edu or contact Sheila Galbraith, Criminal Justice, at (417) 625-9302 or e-mail galbraith-s@mssu.edu .
"Music, Menus & Masterpieces" Sept. 29
Music, Menus & Masterpieces" is a chefs' & designer's showcase presented by the Missouri Southern International Piano Competition slated for 2 - 5:30 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 29 in the Alice H. Wilson Room of the Joplin Family Y South.
The afternoon will begin with entertaining elegance featuring ideas and tips from area designers and florists showcased in fantastic themed table settings. Participants include: Suzanne’s Natural Foods, Creek Harbor Interiors, Countryside Florist, Evergreen and Amber, Inter City Florist & Gifts, Joplin Decorating Center, Masterson’s, Cake Emporium, Cho-col-ate Creations, Deli Du Jour, Forget- Me-Not Florist, and The WildFlower. Each participant has created a one-of-a-kind table to entertain and inspire. Representatives will be present throughout the afternoon to discuss their creations and lend expert decorating tips.
Chef Michael Anthony Yonovak will present gourmet cooking demonstrations each hour. Chef Yonovak has over fifteen years of professional culinary experience specializing in classic sauces and French pastries. A Magna Cum Laude graduate from Johnson & Wales University in Charleston, S.C. in Culinary Arts, he currently serves as District Chef for Sodexho and General Manager at Concordia Seminary in St. Louis. Included in Chef Yonovak’s presentations will be appetizer, entree and dessert selections. These recipes, along with others, will be provided to all attendees. Audience members are invited to sample each dish, accompanied by a specially selected wine.
Another highlight of the afternoon is a silent auction of fine art, antiques and other masterpieces. This select collection includes Hummel Porcelain by Goebel, Lladro Porcelain, paintings, Hitchcock Chairs and much more. Attendees will have the afternoon to browse these fantastic finds and place their bids to benefit the Piano Competition.
Underwriters for this event are A. G. Edwards, Empire District Electric Company, Freeman Health System, The Hershewe Law Firm, Missouri Southern State University, The Joplin Globe, BKD, LLP., and St. John’s Regional Medical Center. Music will be provided by Chet Fritz, Cecie Fritz and Jerry Holcomb.
"Music, Menus and Masterpieces" benefits the 2008 Missouri Southern International Piano Competition. Tickets are $25 per person and are available at the MSIPC office and the participating merchants. Please call (417) 625-9755 for more information or tickets.
China Semester events for next week
| Tai Chi Chuan Class 7 - 8 p.m., Thursdays, Aug. 30-Nov. 1, 2007 Racquetball courts on MSSU campus Kexi Liu, a veteran Tai Chi Chuan teacher with more than 20 years' experience, will be the instructor. For more information or to enroll in the class, contact the Continuing Education Office at Missouri Southern at (417) 625-9384. Enrollment fee: $50 |
Chinese Film Festival: Raise the Red Lantern (Da hong deng long gao gao gua) |
The Rise of China in the 21st Century Through Sport |
Two Worlds, Single Country: The Rural and Urban Divide in China |
Democratizing or Legitimizing the Authoritarian Regime: Political Reform in China Since 1989 |
Southern Exposure to represent Missouri in Honolulu
The MSSU show choir, Southern Exposure, has been chosen to represent the state of Missouri at the "Aloha Showcase Festival" in Honolulu, Hawaii June 10 - June 17, 2008. The group was selected by audition and will perform in several locations throughout the island such as: The Polynesian Cultural Center, the USS Missouri Battleship, the Waikiki Mall (6th largest in the world), at the Hilton Resort on Waikiki Beach, and for a church service at the largest church on the island.
The performance engagement will also include tours of Pearl Harbor, the Polynesian Cultural Center, the Lolani Palace, attend a luau, and opportunities to snorkel, parasail, surf, swim, shop, and just bask in the sun on Waikiki Beach. Bud Clark, head of the Music Dept., will be directing the choir and will be assisted by Matthew Holt, a new adjunct in the Music Dept. and former choral director at Webb City High School.
The members of Exposure will be doing performances to raise money throughout the year. The group is actively accepting singing engagements and contributions for the trip will be accepted.
"This will be another great opportunity for us to show off the excellent talent and quality of student that we have here at Southern to a part of the U.S. that seldom sees and hears the music of the Midwest", Bud says. "I am not surprised we were chosen. You can't find better students than what we have at Southern."
Johnson Exhibit in Spiva Gallery through September 21
MSSU’s Spiva Art Gallery is featuring the exhibit "Gerald Johnson: Is It a Painting, A Collage, A Print?" through Sept. 21. In 2001, Gerald Johnson, who earlier had studied at the Spiva Art Gallery and PSU, returned to Joplin after a 34-year involvement in the New York art scene. He grew up in the Joplin area from the age of eight after his family moved here from South Dakota where he was born in 1944. He returned with a large number of paintings, collages, prints, weavings and sculpture from which the items for this exhibition were selected.
Johnson in his early years decided to become an artist. He attended classes at the Spiva Art Center and then Pittsburg State University. Harry Krug a renowned printmaker and faculty member there, influenced him greatly. The skills he learned in silkscreen printing would prove valuable to him after his move to New York in 1967.
While developing his career as a fine artist, he worked as a master printer for Chiron Press and then O’Connell Graphics. He collaborated with artists who are now in art history books including Victor Vasarely, one of the originators of Op Art, Chuck Close, Photorealist artist, and Alex Katz, figurative artist in the Pop Art vein.
The artist who had the greatest influence on him was Ilya Bolotowsky. Johnson became a studio assistant to the Russia born artist in 1981 and he taught him about Mondrian, the tenets of Neoplasticism and the Bauhaus.
Although Johnson’s work from then on exhibited the objectivity and universal qualities of geometrical abstraction, it nevertheless reflected the influences of his early life. There are certain forms derived from his earliest years in South Dakota near the Pine Ridge Reservation, trips to New Mexico and elsewhere, his collection of quilts, and his interest in Navajo weaving techniques. The visual qualities in his work he once described as “…sky, earth, space, and solitude.”
Johnson unfortunately has nearly ceased creating new work due to health concerns.
The exhibition is free and open to the public. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Author Stiles to speak on Jesse James
T. J. Stiles, author of the best selling Jesse James: Last Rebel of the Civil War, will speak about Jesse James and Civil War era in Missouri at 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept.13 in Webster Hall Auditorium on the Missouri Southern State University campus.
T.J. Stiles is an independent historian and the author. His writings have appeared in Smithsonian, the Denver Post and the Los Angeles Times. His book titled Jesse James was described by the New York Times as "so carefully researched, persuasive, and illuminating that it is likely to reshape permanently our understanding of its subject's life and times."
The Missouri Historical Review called the book "a superb word-portrait of Jesse James, his crimes, and his times."
Stiles’ awards include the Peter Seaborg Award for Civil War Scholarship and a New York Times Notable Book for 2002 designation.
The lecture is sponsored by the East Newton R-6 and Carthage R-9 school districts and by the Department of Social Sciences at Missouri Southern State University. The program is funded by a Teaching American History grant from the United States Department of Education.
More information about the author and his work, including primary sources regarding Jesse James and original essays by Stiles are available at http://www.tjstiles.com/index.htm.
The lecture is free and open to the public. For more information contact Larry Cebula, History, at ext. 9739 or Renee Cebula at (417) 793-4790.
"Case Study: Incorporating International Themes Into the Business Curriculum at Missouri Southern State University" by Janet Buzzard & Beverly Block was published in the Journal of College Teaching and Learning, Volume 4, Number 6, June 2007 (listed in Cabell's Directories).
Joaquin Rodriguez Suro, Foreign Languages, had an article published in the May 21, 2007 edition of The Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education. The article is: "The Spanish Imperfect and the Revival of the Past."
Wanted: The Honors Program is looking for a clean love seat for the office, cheap or free. We will be glad to pick it up. Call Katie at ext. 3005.
For Sale: 2006 Chevrolet Equinox LT 10,500 Miles; All Wheel Drive. Like new. Must sell. $19,650 or best offer. Sunroof, CD player, AC in back, factory warranty, Black with Silver-grey cloth interior; automatic. 25 mpg on the highway, 20-22 in town. Call Becky Gallemore at 659-5425, ( 417) 540-3423, cell or 782-9643, home.
For Sale: 1978 Kincaid console piano, walnut finish, like new. Recently tuned and appraised at $2,500, asking $1,500. Call (417) 623-3199 or (417) 434-6631.
For Sale: 1995 Honda Accord V6, loaded with leather seats, sunroof, and CD player. One owner, 125K miles, and complete record of all service. Asking price of $5K. Call 625-9530.
For Sale: Clean, 6 year old, La-Z-Boy sofa and loveseat. $325 for both. Call Jennifer at 673-2344.
For Sale: Nice decorative Chinese candle lanterns and colorful Chinese bags for sale in the switchboard office in Hearnes hall. See Rae Surber, Monday - Friday from 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
For Sale: 1997 Lincoln Continental, loaded, 112,000 highway miles, well-maintained, second owner, new tires, great car. Call Jan at ext. 9558 for details.
