Accents06-16-05

Portico Dedicated for Robert W. Plaster Free Enterprise Center

A large group of dignitaries were on hand on Tuesday, Dec. 4 for the dedication of the new Portico entrance of the Robert W. Plaster Free Enterprise Center.

Speakers at the dedication included: Robert W. Plaster; his son, Steve Plaster; Missouri Southern Acting President Dr. Terri Agee; MSSU Board of Governors Chairman Dwight Douglas; Board members Jane Wyman and Nancy Perry; and Dean of the Robert W. Plaster School of Business Administration, Dr. Brad Kleindl.

The architect for the project was Kyle Denham with PLJBD Architects in Joplin. The mechanical engineer was Randy Frymire with FSC MEP Engineers, Inc. out of Kansas City, Kan. The General Contractor who constructed the portico was Branco Enterprises out of Neosho.

Work on the portico began in March 2007 and was completed in October. The portico is 29-feet deep and 42-feet wide. It was built as metal framed construction with veneer of painted precast concrete panels.

It includes five 2' X 2' columns that are each 24-feet high, each supported underground by a 20-30' concrete pier. Besides nine metal halide down lighting fixtures in the plaster covered ceiling, there are two 4' X 4' pyramid skylights that allow sunlight to illuminate the entry during the day.

The floor is constructed of concrete stamped and stained to simulate natural stone accented with red brick solders. The stamped concrete extends to the existing sidewalk next to the street. There is a 14-foot diameter round flower planter in the middle of the concrete surrounded with brick solders.

A shoe box style street light is in the middle of the flower planter that illuminates both the entrance to the portico and the 12" black aluminum letters on the face of the portico that reads, "Robert W. Plaster Free Enterprise Center."

For the benefit of those needing specialized accommodation for entry, the portico includes a contrasting colored 10' wide ADA accessible ramp in the stamped concrete along the east side of the structure leading to the new power accessible entrance.

The total cost of the project to date is about $365,000. This includes architectural and engineering fees, construction costs, and the relocation of the main primary electrical transformer which formerly rested just east of the entrance.

Model UN Represents Phillipines in Chicago

The Model UN Club recently attended the American Model United Nations in Chicago, Nov. 16 - 20, where it represented the Republic of the Philippines. MSSU’s delegation received a certificate of recognition for the position paper prepared prior to the conference. Rebecca Elo, junior International Studies major from Joplin, who has participated in Model UN since 2004, led the delegation as Permanent Representative.

In addition, Missouri Southern alumnus and Model UN Club veteran Jason Kiefer served on the AMUN staff as chair of the General Assembly Plenary. Following his graduation from MSSU, Kiefer earned a master’s degree in International Relations from Webster University.

Before the conference, the 10 participating students researched important global issues and prepared positions reflective of the foreign policy of the Philippines. During the conference, they worked with approximately 1200 students, representing 140 other UN member states, from colleges and universities throughout the nation and the world to find solutions to the topics on the conference agenda. For more information about the conference, see http://www.amun.org/.

Robert Krueger, who represented his native Texas in the House of Representatives and the Senate, delivered the keynote speech. Senator Krueger, who has served in a number of diplomatic posts, focused on his experiences as United States ambassador to Burundi, shortly after the genocide in neighboring Rwanda.

During his tenure as ambassador, renegade units from Burundi’s army were slaughtering at least 100 people per day. Senator Krueger and his wife Kathleen recount their experiences in their recently published book From Bloodshed to Hope in Burundi: Our Embassy Years during Genocide.

William Kumbier, English, and Paul Teverow, History, co-sponsors of the Club accompanied the delegation. Along with faculty sponsors from other universities, they attended sessions on teaching human rights, on the International Atomic Energy Agency [IAEA], and on best practices for preparing students for Model UN conferences.

For a list of students attending and committees represented, visit http://www.mssu.edu/news/modelunfall07.html

Blood Drive today

Kip Heth, Biology, reminds the campus community about the Community Blood Drive today.

The effort, which began at 10 a.m., will last until 3 p.m. on the lower floor of the Billingsly Student Center, adjacent to the campus Bookstore.

"I know the weather may be bad, but we are hoping for a good turnout," Kip says.

He asks faculty members to remind students about the Blood Drive in classes today.

Handel’s Messiah Tuesday, Dec. 11 at MSSU

The halls of Taylor Auditorium will once again be filled with the sounds of Handel’s most beloved oratorio, the Messiah.

As a holiday present from Missouri Southern to the community, this fourteenth production of the oratorio at MSSU will be performed at 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, Dec. 11 in Taylor Performing Arts Center.

Messiah director, Bud Clark, Head of the Music Department and Director of Choral Studies at Southern, expects it to be the biggest and best performance yet.

“We will have an outstanding orchestra of around 45 performers from the Joplin and surrounding area that will accompany a Joplin community chorus which includes the Missouri Southern Concert Chorale,” says Clark.

"This powerful, moving work is as delightful to perform as it is to hear. I have had many community singers tell me that Christmas isn’t complete for them unless we sing Handel’s Messiah," Clark adds.

A chorus of approximately 200 voices drawn from the local area will take part in the holiday event.

The soloists this year will be professional artists from Oklahoma, Arkansas and Missouri. One soloist, Daryl Foster, is a Missouri Southern graduate and the current choral director at Joplin High School.

The performance will be videotaped and televised on KGCS-TV. It will air at 8 p.m., Sunday, Dec. 16 and again at 8 p.m., Sunday, Dec. 23. A special Christmas Eve airing will be presented beginning at 7 p.m. on Christmas Eve, Monday, Dec. 24.

KGCS airs on Cable One channel 7, Mediacom channel 77 and cable systems served by Southern Instructional TV (SITV).

DVD copies of this year's production of the Messiah will also be available to the public at a price of $15. The sale will benefit the National Broadcasting Society student group on the MSSU campus. Those interested in purchasing a copy should call (417) 625-9777 on or after Monday, Dec. 12.

For further information on Handel’s Messiah at MSSU, call Bud Clark at (417) 625-9562.

LaFerla to Speak at 49th Commencement

Joplin Orthodontist and Dentist Michael LaFerla, DDS, MS, will speak at the 49th Commencement at Missouri Southern State University, scheduled for 10 a.m., Saturday, Dec. 15 in the Leggett & Platt Athletic Center. A total of 311degrees will be issued to 291 graduates.

Dr. LaFerla received a M.S. in Craniofacial Biology and a Specialty Certificate in Orthodontics from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. He received his D.D.S. from University of Nebraska – Lincoln and a B.S. in Biology with honors (cum laude) from Missouri Southern State University.

He has operated a solo private practice in Joplin since July 1999 and, prior to that, was in practice with Dr. William D. Cook in Joplin from July 1996 - July 1999.

Dr. LaFerla was named Missouri Southern State University Outstanding Alumnus for 2005. The same year, his practice was named Joplin Area Chamber of Commerce Small Business of the Year.

He currently serves as President Elect of the Missouri Orthodontic Association. He is Board Eligible for the American Board of Orthodontics. He is the Missouri Southern Lionbackers Steering Committee President and Missouri Southern Dental Hygiene Advisory Board President.

Dr. LaFerla has served as Southwest Missouri Dental Society president, a member of the Missouri Southern Alumni Association Strategic Planning Committee and the Missouri Southern Alumni Association Board of Directors.

He was Dental Class President at the University of Nebraska where he won the Pierre Fauchard Academy Award for Outstanding Clinician and received the Chi-Cheung Chan Orthodontic Award.

He is a member of the American Association of Orthodontics (Midwestern Society), the American Dental Association (Southwest Missouri Dental Society), World Federation of Orthodontists, the Southwest Missouri Interdisciplinary Study Club and the Joplin Area Chamber of Commerce.

His charity involvement includes the Big Brothers, Big Sisters of Jasper and Newton Counties (where he served as a County Board President), the American Diabetes Association (where he was Campaign Chairman) and the Michael R. LaFerla Orthodontic Team Scholarship Program.

He and his wife, Bre, are the parents of a daughter, Jadyn.

Christmas Concert slated for Sunday, Dec. 16

The Choral Society of Missouri Southern State University will present its Christmas Concert at 3 p.m., Sunday, Dec. 16 at First Community Church, 2007 E. 15th St. in Joplin.

Comprised of singers from the Tri-State area, the ensemble will provide festive seasonal music for all ages. The opening selection is Fanfare and Gloria based on G. F. Handel’s Water Music.

A Charlie Brown Christmas will not only entertain children, but also bring out the child in the adults. Three Christmas favorites, The Christmas Waltz, The Most Wonderful Time of the Year, and Silver Bells will be featured in Christmas in Three Quarter Time.

Choir accompanist Eleanor McLemore of Webb City will perform Bill Wolaver’s arrangement of What Child Is This? Closing the performance will be the cantata A Candlelight Christmas by the well-known American composer Benjamin Harlan.

In four sections the work includes four narrators: Beryl and Esther Kingsbury of Carthage and Gayle O’Hare and Greg Holz of Joplin.

Under the direction of Al Carnine, Music, the concert is free and open to the public.

McCallum accepts position in North Dakota

The campus community learned this week that Missouri Southern Vice President for Academic Affairs, Dr. Richard McCallum has accepted a position as President of Dickinson State University in Dickinson, N.D.

Dr. McCallum was selected for the position at Missouri Southern in 2004 following a nationwide search. He had previously served as associate Vice President for Academic Affairs at Central Connecticut State University in New Britain, Conn. He also worked at the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle, Penn. and served 22 years with two land-grant university systems, including seven years with a dual administrative and teaching assignment at the University of Missouri-Columbia.

Dr. McCallum earned both his Ph.D. and his master’s degree in Education from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and his bachelor’s degree in Social Science and Education from Wayne State University in Wayne, Neb.

MSSU Employee Recognition Friday, Dec. 21

Three Missouri Southern State University employees receiving “Superior Service Awards” and 22 employees marking milestones in their careers will be honored in the annual Employee Appreciation Luncheon, beginning at 12 noon, Friday, Dec. 21 at on the third floor of the Billingsly Student Center at MSSU.

One employee each from the Physical Plant, Professional, and Secretarial/Office/Technical areas will be selected for “Superior Service Awards.” The non-faculty staff will be singled out for the exceptional service they provide and the outstanding contribution they make as University employees. Each of the three will receive a plaque and a cash award, funded by the Missouri Southern Foundation.

The names of employees receiving Superior Service Awards will be confidential until the luncheon/program on Friday, Dec. 21.

Twenty-two more employees will be recognized for their years of service to Missouri Southern State University. One employee will commemorate 30 years of service with MSSU, three will commemorate 25 years. Three will mark 20 years with the University, four with 15 years, five with 10 years, and six with 5 years.

In all, the 22 employees have devoted 310 years of service to the University. To see a list of the employees, visit http://www.mssu.edu/news/employeeawardspreview_07.html.

Contemporary Series features Copying Beethoven

The Contemporary Foreign Film series will feature the film Copying Beethoven (U.S.A, 2006) at 7 p.m., Friday, Dec. 14 in Cornell Auditorium in Plaster Hall.

When a young Vienna Music Conservatory student and aspiring composer accepts a job as a copyist for Ludwig van Beethoven, she finds her destiny forever interlinked with that of the legendary musician. Agnieszka Holland directs this motion picture that stars Ed Harris as Beethoven.

Anna Holz, played by Diane Kruger, accepts the job despite a warning that the composer is a callous wretch. Anna's work with Beethoven and her kindness causes the composer to view their venture as a blessing but his derision of her own composition causes her to abandon the project. Anna is determined to flee Vienna and marry her paramour but Beethoven tracks her down and Anna is forced to choose between love and duty.

The film won the Best Film Award at the San Sebastián International Film Festival. For information, contact Nick Kyle, Art, at kyle-n@mssu.edu.

Student pottery sale continues today

The MSSU Ceramics Program's student pottery sale, which began yesterday, continues today.

A variety of works will be on sale from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the Spiva Art Gallery of MSSU on the first floor of the Fine Arts Building.

Unique, handcrafted gifts just in time for the holidays will be available. The sale will include food-safe pottery and many microwave oven, conventional oven and dishwasher-safe tableware as well as sculptural objects.

Some of the proceeds will be used directly for purchasing tools and equipment for the MSSU Ceramics Program.

For further information, contact Frank A. Pishkur, Art, at ext. 9735.

MSSU Speech and Debate Squad competes in Ohio

The Missouri Southern State University Speech and Debate squad competed at Ohio State University and Otterbein College “Holiday Frolic” tournaments held in Columbus, Ohio Dec. 1-3. A total of 54 tournament debaters from 32 colleges and universities representing 18 states took part.

At Ohio State’s part of the tournaments, MSSU’s Richard Brown, sophomore undeclared major from Joplin, qualified for elimination rounds from the tournament field.

Brown lost a close decision in the octo-final elimination round. Missouri Southern debater Cody Snyder, junior business major from Neosho, went 3-1 in the preliminary rounds but narrowly missed qualifying for the elimination cycle. On Sunday at Otterbein College, Richard Brown and Whitney Hart, junior political science major from Lamar, advanced to the octo-final elimination rounds were they both lost close decisions.

Richard Brown joins fellow teammates Whitney Hart, Cody Snyder, Dylan Slagel, senior political science major from Aurora and Kyle Buzzard, freshman undeclared major from Lamar, as a qualifier for the NFA National Speech and Debate tournament to be held in April 2008 at Middle Tennessee State University.

The MSSU Forensics squad is now off until the Webster Gorlock tournament held in St. Louis the third week of January 2008 according to Kelly Larson, Forensics.

Band Students Selected for All-Collegiate Band

Rusty Raymond, Music, was pleased to announce that six Missouri Southern band students were recently honored with their selection to the 2008 Missouri All-Collegiate Band. The band was selected from students all across Missouri representing 18 different colleges and universities.

Myron Welch from the University of Iowa will direct the band which will perform at the annual Missouri Music Educators Association conference in January. The following students, all Secondary Education Instrumental Music majors, were chosen to take part:

Horn: Liz Bartholet, Joplin;
Clarinet: Kim Cornell, Oronogo;
Tenor Sax: Kyle Babbitt, Webb City;
Trumpet: Paul Equihua, Los Angeles, Calif.;
Tuba: Donald Sparks, Joplin;
Alto Sax: Levi Randolph, Joplin (*1st Alternate)

All students are members of both the Missouri Southern Symphonic Concert Band as well as the MSSU Wind Ensemble. This is the most students from Missouri Southern ever chosen for this select group.

CLASSIFIED

Santa Service: Santa Claus is coming to town. Professional Santa service, over 15 years experience as the happy holiday helper. Available for parties, family get-togethers, and Christmas Eve visits. Available for functions from Dec. 3 through Christmas Eve. Prices available on request 10 minute house visit is $15. Book now while there are still times available. Call (417) 437-6936 or e-mail burrow-l@mssu.edu.

For Sale: 1996 Honda Accord, 2 door coupe. New tires, batteries, good condition 185,000 mi. well maintained. Good mpg. $3500. Call ext. 9670 or (417) 623-2384.


Current Issue: Volume 25 - Number 18 - December 7, 2007
Home Page INDEX Calendar Faculty/Staff Classified	Portico Dedicated for Robert W. Plaster Free Enterprise Center A large group of dignitaries were on hand on Tuesday, Dec. 4 for the dedication of the new Portico entrance of the Robert W. Plaster Free Enterprise Center. Speakers at the dedication included: Robert W. Plaster; his son, Steve Plaster; Missouri Southern Acting President Dr. Terri Agee; MSSU Board of Governors Chairman Dwight Douglas; Board members Jane Wyman and Nancy Perry; and Dean of the Robert W. Plaster School of Business Administration, Dr. Brad Kleindl. The architect for the project was Kyle Denham with PLJBD Architects in Joplin. The mechanical engineer was Randy Frymire with FSC MEP Engineers, Inc. out of Kansas City, Kan. The General Contractor who constructed the portico was Branco Enterprises out of Neosho. Work on the portico began in March 2007 and was completed in October. The portico is 29-feet deep and 42-feet wide. It was built as metal framed construction with veneer of painted precast concrete panels. It includes five 2' X 2' columns that are each 24-feet high, each supported underground by a 20-30' concrete pier. Besides nine metal halide down lighting fixtures in the plaster covered ceiling, there are two 4' X 4' pyramid skylights that allow sunlight to illuminate the entry during the day. The floor is constructed of concrete stamped and stained to simulate natural stone accented with red brick solders. The stamped concrete extends to the existing sidewalk next to the street. There is a 14-foot diameter round flower planter in the middle of the concrete surrounded with brick solders. A shoe box style street light is in the middle of the flower planter that illuminates both the entrance to the portico and the 12" black aluminum letters on the face of the portico that reads, "Robert W. Plaster Free Enterprise Center." For the benefit of those needing specialized accommodation for entry, the portico includes a contrasting colored 10' wide ADA accessible ramp in the stamped concrete along the east side of the structure leading to the new power accessible entrance. The total cost of the project to date is about $365,000. This includes architectural and engineering fees, construction costs, and the relocation of the main primary electrical transformer which formerly rested just east of the entrance. Model UN Represents Phillipines in Chicago The Model UN Club recently attended the American Model United Nations in Chicago, Nov. 16 - 20, where it represented the Republic of the Philippines. MSSU’s delegation received a certificate of recognition for the position paper prepared prior to the conference. Rebecca Elo, junior International Studies major from Joplin, who has participated in Model UN since 2004, led the delegation as Permanent Representative. In addition, Missouri Southern alumnus and Model UN Club veteran Jason Kiefer served on the AMUN staff as chair of the General Assembly Plenary. Following his graduation from MSSU, Kiefer earned a master’s degree in International Relations from Webster University. Before the conference, the 10 participating students researched important global issues and prepared positions reflective of the foreign policy of the Philippines. During the conference, they worked with approximately 1200 students, representing 140 other UN member states, from colleges and universities throughout the nation and the world to find solutions to the topics on the conference agenda. For more information about the conference, see http://www.amun.org/. Robert Krueger, who represented his native Texas in the House of Representatives and the Senate, delivered the keynote speech. Senator Krueger, who has served in a number of diplomatic posts, focused on his experiences as United States ambassador to Burundi, shortly after the genocide in neighboring Rwanda. During his tenure as ambassador, renegade units from Burundi’s army were slaughtering at least 100 people per day. Senator Krueger and his wife Kathleen recount their experiences in their recently published book From Bloodshed to Hope in Burundi: Our Embassy Years during Genocide. William Kumbier, English, and Paul Teverow, History, co-sponsors of the Club accompanied the delegation. Along with faculty sponsors from other universities, they attended sessions on teaching human rights, on the International Atomic Energy Agency [IAEA], and on best practices for preparing students for Model UN conferences. For a list of students attending and committees represented, visit http://www.mssu.edu/news/modelunfall07.html Blood Drive today Kip Heth, Biology, reminds the campus community about the Community Blood Drive today. The effort, which began at 10 a.m., will last until 3 p.m. on the lower floor of the Billingsly Student Center, adjacent to the campus Bookstore. "I know the weather may be bad, but we are hoping for a good turnout," Kip says. He asks faculty members to remind students about the Blood Drive in classes today. Handel’s Messiah Tuesday, Dec. 11 at MSSU The halls of Taylor Auditorium will once again be filled with the sounds of Handel’s most beloved oratorio, the Messiah. As a holiday present from Missouri Southern to the community, this fourteenth production of the oratorio at MSSU will be performed at 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, Dec. 11 in Taylor Performing Arts Center. Messiah director, Bud Clark, Head of the Music Department and Director of Choral Studies at Southern, expects it to be the biggest and best performance yet. “We will have an outstanding orchestra of around 45 performers from the Joplin and surrounding area that will accompany a Joplin community chorus which includes the Missouri Southern Concert Chorale,” says Clark. "This powerful, moving work is as delightful to perform as it is to hear. I have had many community singers tell me that Christmas isn’t complete for them unless we sing Handel’s Messiah," Clark adds. A chorus of approximately 200 voices drawn from the local area will take part in the holiday event. The soloists this year will be professional artists from Oklahoma, Arkansas and Missouri. One soloist, Daryl Foster, is a Missouri Southern graduate and the current choral director at Joplin High School. The performance will be videotaped and televised on KGCS-TV. It will air at 8 p.m., Sunday, Dec. 16 and again at 8 p.m., Sunday, Dec. 23. A special Christmas Eve airing will be presented beginning at 7 p.m. on Christmas Eve, Monday, Dec. 24. KGCS airs on Cable One channel 7, Mediacom channel 77 and cable systems served by Southern Instructional TV (SITV). DVD copies of this year's production of the Messiah will also be available to the public at a price of $15. The sale will benefit the National Broadcasting Society student group on the MSSU campus. Those interested in purchasing a copy should call (417) 625-9777 on or after Monday, Dec. 12. For further information on Handel’s Messiah at MSSU, call Bud Clark at (417) 625-9562. LaFerla to Speak at 49th Commencement Joplin Orthodontist and Dentist Michael LaFerla, DDS, MS, will speak at the 49th Commencement at Missouri Southern State University, scheduled for 10 a.m., Saturday, Dec. 15 in the Leggett & Platt Athletic Center. A total of 311degrees will be issued to 291 graduates. Dr. LaFerla received a M.S. in Craniofacial Biology and a Specialty Certificate in Orthodontics from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. He received his D.D.S. from University of Nebraska – Lincoln and a B.S. in Biology with honors (cum laude) from Missouri Southern State University. He has operated a solo private practice in Joplin since July 1999 and, prior to that, was in practice with Dr. William D. Cook in Joplin from July 1996 - July 1999. Dr. LaFerla was named Missouri Southern State University Outstanding Alumnus for 2005. The same year, his practice was named Joplin Area Chamber of Commerce Small Business of the Year. He currently serves as President Elect of the Missouri Orthodontic Association. He is Board Eligible for the American Board of Orthodontics. He is the Missouri Southern Lionbackers Steering Committee President and Missouri Southern Dental Hygiene Advisory Board President. Dr. LaFerla has served as Southwest Missouri Dental Society president, a member of the Missouri Southern Alumni Association Strategic Planning Committee and the Missouri Southern Alumni Association Board of Directors. He was Dental Class President at the University of Nebraska where he won the Pierre Fauchard Academy Award for Outstanding Clinician and received the Chi-Cheung Chan Orthodontic Award. He is a member of the American Association of Orthodontics (Midwestern Society), the American Dental Association (Southwest Missouri Dental Society), World Federation of Orthodontists, the Southwest Missouri Interdisciplinary Study Club and the Joplin Area Chamber of Commerce. His charity involvement includes the Big Brothers, Big Sisters of Jasper and Newton Counties (where he served as a County Board President), the American Diabetes Association (where he was Campaign Chairman) and the Michael R. LaFerla Orthodontic Team Scholarship Program. He and his wife, Bre, are the parents of a daughter, Jadyn. Christmas Concert slated for Sunday, Dec. 16 The Choral Society of Missouri Southern State University will present its Christmas Concert at 3 p.m., Sunday, Dec. 16 at First Community Church, 2007 E. 15th St. in Joplin. Comprised of singers from the Tri-State area, the ensemble will provide festive seasonal music for all ages. The opening selection is Fanfare and Gloria based on G. F. Handel’s Water Music. A Charlie Brown Christmas will not only entertain children, but also bring out the child in the adults. Three Christmas favorites, The Christmas Waltz, The Most Wonderful Time of the Year, and Silver Bells will be featured in Christmas in Three Quarter Time. Choir accompanist Eleanor McLemore of Webb City will perform Bill Wolaver’s arrangement of What Child Is This? Closing the performance will be the cantata A Candlelight Christmas by the well-known American composer Benjamin Harlan. In four sections the work includes four narrators: Beryl and Esther Kingsbury of Carthage and Gayle O’Hare and Greg Holz of Joplin. Under the direction of Al Carnine, Music, the concert is free and open to the public. McCallum accepts position in North Dakota The campus community learned this week that Missouri Southern Vice President for Academic Affairs, Dr. Richard McCallum has accepted a position as President of Dickinson State University in Dickinson, N.D. Dr. McCallum was selected for the position at Missouri Southern in 2004 following a nationwide search. He had previously served as associate Vice President for Academic Affairs at Central Connecticut State University in New Britain, Conn. He also worked at the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle, Penn. and served 22 years with two land-grant university systems, including seven years with a dual administrative and teaching assignment at the University of Missouri-Columbia. Dr. McCallum earned both his Ph.D. and his master’s degree in Education from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and his bachelor’s degree in Social Science and Education from Wayne State University in Wayne, Neb. MSSU Employee Recognition Friday, Dec. 21 Three Missouri Southern State University employees receiving “Superior Service Awards” and 22 employees marking milestones in their careers will be honored in the annual Employee Appreciation Luncheon, beginning at 12 noon, Friday, Dec. 21 at on the third floor of the Billingsly Student Center at MSSU. One employee each from the Physical Plant, Professional, and Secretarial/Office/Technical areas will be selected for “Superior Service Awards.” The non-faculty staff will be singled out for the exceptional service they provide and the outstanding contribution they make as University employees. Each of the three will receive a plaque and a cash award, funded by the Missouri Southern Foundation. The names of employees receiving Superior Service Awards will be confidential until the luncheon/program on Friday, Dec. 21. Twenty-two more employees will be recognized for their years of service to Missouri Southern State University. One employee will commemorate 30 years of service with MSSU, three will commemorate 25 years. Three will mark 20 years with the University, four with 15 years, five with 10 years, and six with 5 years. In all, the 22 employees have devoted 310 years of service to the University. To see a list of the employees, visit http://www.mssu.edu/news/employeeawardspreview_07.html. Contemporary Series features Copying Beethoven The Contemporary Foreign Film series will feature the film Copying Beethoven (U.S.A, 2006) at 7 p.m., Friday, Dec. 14 in Cornell Auditorium in Plaster Hall. When a young Vienna Music Conservatory student and aspiring composer accepts a job as a copyist for Ludwig van Beethoven, she finds her destiny forever interlinked with that of the legendary musician. Agnieszka Holland directs this motion picture that stars Ed Harris as Beethoven. Anna Holz, played by Diane Kruger, accepts the job despite a warning that the composer is a callous wretch. Anna's work with Beethoven and her kindness causes the composer to view their venture as a blessing but his derision of her own composition causes her to abandon the project. Anna is determined to flee Vienna and marry her paramour but Beethoven tracks her down and Anna is forced to choose between love and duty. The film won the Best Film Award at the San Sebastián International Film Festival. For information, contact Nick Kyle, Art, at kyle-n@mssu.edu. Student pottery sale continues today The MSSU Ceramics Program's student pottery sale, which began yesterday, continues today. A variety of works will be on sale from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the Spiva Art Gallery of MSSU on the first floor of the Fine Arts Building. Unique, handcrafted gifts just in time for the holidays will be available. The sale will include food-safe pottery and many microwave oven, conventional oven and dishwasher-safe tableware as well as sculptural objects. Some of the proceeds will be used directly for purchasing tools and equipment for the MSSU Ceramics Program. For further information, contact Frank A. Pishkur, Art, at ext. 9735. MSSU Speech and Debate Squad competes in Ohio The Missouri Southern State University Speech and Debate squad competed at Ohio State University and Otterbein College “Holiday Frolic” tournaments held in Columbus, Ohio Dec. 1-3. A total of 54 tournament debaters from 32 colleges and universities representing 18 states took part. At Ohio State’s part of the tournaments, MSSU’s Richard Brown, sophomore undeclared major from Joplin, qualified for elimination rounds from the tournament field. Brown lost a close decision in the octo-final elimination round. Missouri Southern debater Cody Snyder, junior business major from Neosho, went 3-1 in the preliminary rounds but narrowly missed qualifying for the elimination cycle. On Sunday at Otterbein College, Richard Brown and Whitney Hart, junior political science major from Lamar, advanced to the octo-final elimination rounds were they both lost close decisions. Richard Brown joins fellow teammates Whitney Hart, Cody Snyder, Dylan Slagel, senior political science major from Aurora and Kyle Buzzard, freshman undeclared major from Lamar, as a qualifier for the NFA National Speech and Debate tournament to be held in April 2008 at Middle Tennessee State University. The MSSU Forensics squad is now off until the Webster Gorlock tournament held in St. Louis the third week of January 2008 according to Kelly Larson, Forensics. Band Students Selected for All-Collegiate Band Rusty Raymond, Music, was pleased to announce that six Missouri Southern band students were recently honored with their selection to the 2008 Missouri All-Collegiate Band. The band was selected from students all across Missouri representing 18 different colleges and universities. Myron Welch from the University of Iowa will direct the band which will perform at the annual Missouri Music Educators Association conference in January. The following students, all Secondary Education Instrumental Music majors, were chosen to take part: Horn: Liz Bartholet, Joplin; Clarinet: Kim Cornell, Oronogo; Tenor Sax: Kyle Babbitt, Webb City; Trumpet: Paul Equihua, Los Angeles, Calif.; Tuba: Donald Sparks, Joplin; Alto Sax: Levi Randolph, Joplin (1st Alternate) All students are members of both the Missouri Southern Symphonic Concert Band as well as the MSSU Wind Ensemble. This is the most students from Missouri Southern ever chosen for this select group. CLASSIFIED* Santa Service: Santa Claus is coming to town. Professional Santa service, over 15 years experience as the happy holiday helper. Available for parties, family get-togethers, and Christmas Eve visits. Available for functions from Dec. 3 through Christmas Eve. Prices available on request 10 minute house visit is $15. Book now while there are still times available. Call (417) 437-6936 or e-mail burrow-l@mssu.edu. For Sale: 1996 Honda Accord, 2 door coupe. New tires, batteries, good condition 185,000 mi. well maintained. Good mpg. $3500. Call ext. 9670 or (417) 623-2384.