Current Issue: Volume 27 - Number 5 - February 13, 2009
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Enrollment up by nearly five percent
Missouri Southern State University enrollment for the spring 2009 semester climbed nearly 5 percent over the same time one year ago, according to official census figures released today.
Spring 2009 enrollment is 5,090, compared to 4,861 in 2008, an increase of 229 students. Census figures are recorded at the end of the fourth full week of classes for state and federal reporting purposes.
MSSU President Bruce Speck congratulated the faculty and staff on the increased enrollment figures. “This is a testament to what we can do working together to meet the higher education goals of the region,” he stated.
“The Admissions Office, Financial Aid, Registrar’s Office and Business Office along with the entire campus faculty and staff worked very hard to accomplish this. We are glad the students see the value we offer at Southern and we are confident they will receive a high quality education here,” the President stated.
Delores Honey, Assessment and Institutional Research, also noted that the University’s total credit hours increased by 1,449. “The large increase in total numbers of part-time students may reflect the historic trends that in hard economic times, enrollment tends to increase,” she stated. The number of part-time students increased by 198 over the 2008 spring term.
“With our exciting developments with construction underway for the new Beimdiek Student Recreation Center and the new Health Sciences building that will be a wonderful facility for nursing, dental hygiene and allied health programs, we feel very good about future enrollment,” she commented.
The University also reorganized its orientation program with the new First-Year Experience class. The revised First-Year Experience program is designed to give students the tools they need to be successful such as effective study and time management skills, and a connection to the University and its many programs, including the more than 80 student organizations.
HEAR YE! HEAR YE!
There is always turmoil and chaos throughout the evening and this year is no exception, with the arrival of the King of France, the King of Austria, and the Queen of Italy, to the Clarkshire Castle to sign a peace treaty. What could possibly go wrong? With that much testosterone in one palace…plenty! Could King Budward’s Kingdom be in jeopardy? Could they be possibly plotting against the Clarkshire domain? Come and see for yourself. Feast on turkey legs and hear the glorious singing of the Royal Chamber Choir throughout the evening. Your King Budward awaits your presents along with his enormously spacious Queen Susanna. The cost is a mere $25 per person. For ticket information call the MSSU ticket office, 625-9366, and bring your friends, but don’t bring your silverware. . . we have wiping wenches instead! What Ho! See you at the Feast! |
King Budward, the King of Clarkshire, has ordained that ye attend the 11th Biennial Madrigal Feast at Missouri Southern State University. This glorious event will take place on March 11 - 14, in the Black Box Theatre, where you will be transported back into the Renaissance period. It is a time of merriment, jousting, singing, dancing, magic, and wonderful food fit for a King and even peasants such as you. Business leader Jo Luck to speak Feb. 19
The Robert W. Plaster School of Business's Business and Economic Executive Lecture Series will present Jo Luck, President/CEO of Heifer Project International, from 9:30 - 10:45 a.m. on Thursday, Feb.19 in Cornell Auditorium. The program on campus is free and open to all.
Faculty members are encouraged to bring classes to the presentation. |
Luck was appointed President and CEO of Heifer International in July 1992 after serving for three years as Director of International Programs. Prior to joining Heifer, Luck served as Executive Director of the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism for more than a decade.
She attended Hendrix College in Conway, Arkansas and the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University where she served on their Executive Committee of the Alumni Advisory Board.
Luck also currently serves on the board of InterAction, the largest alliance of U.S.-based international development and humanitarian nongovernmental organizations. She is a founding member of Women Executives in State Government (WESG), the International Women’s Forum, and the Arkansas Women’s Leadership Forum.
Under Luck’s leadership, Heifer International has grown from a $7 million to a $100 million organization. Since 1944, Heifer has assisted more than 9.1 million families in 125 countries around the world, including the United States.
Children’s Play The Commedia Cinderella Feb. 21 - 22
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Southern Theatre will present the play The Commedia Cinderella at 2:30 p.m., Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 21 - 22 at Taylor Performing Arts Center at Missouri Southern State University. Ann Lile directs Lane Riosley’s interpretation of the classic fairy tale.
The characters in the play are poor travelers who have made all of their props and costumes from left-overs, hand-me-downs, and objects they have found. They have come to play the story of Cinderella. Because they bring their special talents to the performance, they tell our familiar old story in a brand new way.
Ticket costs for the play are $1 for adults and .50 cents for children age 12 and under. No free passes can be accepted.
The Missouri Southern Theatre Box Office will be open to take reservations as of Monday, Feb. 16. Call the Box Office at (417) 625-3190.
For theater production information call (417) 625-9393.
Senior Assessment Day
Senior Assessment Day will be held on Wednesday, Feb. 18. Day classes will be dismissed with evening classes held. Faculty members will assist with proctoring the assessment test. Seniors will take the core curriculum test and most seniors will also be taking their major field test. Nearly 600 students are expected to participate.
The Brown Bag Lunch Lecture Series
After a semester hiatus the Brown Bag Lecture series will resume for the spring semester. The lecture series is open to faculty/staff and will be held on Friday afternoons from 12:10 - 12:50 p.m. and will be held in room 202 of the Art Department. The semester schedule at this point includes:
Feb.27: Pat Murphy, English, "Victorian Anxieties in Literature and Culture"
March 6: Willie Edwards, Education, "Mauritius - More than Club Med: Building Local Capacity for Effective Instruction in Primary Schools"
March 24: Gerald T. Schlink, Biology, "How to Grow Corn the Ecological Way: Slash & Burn"
April 3: Eugene Berger, Social Sciences, "We Know How People Make History, but How do they DO it? My Trip to Franciscan Archives in Arequipa and Lima."
Faculty and Staff interested in presenting either for the end of this semester or for the fall 2009 semester should send a title and 3 - 4 sentence description of their presentation to Frank A. Pishkur, Art, series sponsor, at pishkur-f@mssu.edu
SMB’s new SPIRIT CARDS are now available
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Southwest Missouri Bank’s special debit card is now available to order with the MSSU logo.
You can show your Lion pride AND support your university at the same time. The specialty card costs $10 and $5 of that is donated back to the university.
So stop by any SMB branch and fill out your debit card order form today. And while you’re there, ask about our new school specialty checks and checkbook covers too!
If you can’t come by, just call and we can place the order over the phone for you.
Show your spirit and support your university with SMB’s new SPIRIT CARDS.
Time of Remembrance Monday
A brief ceremony in remembrance of two students who have recently passed away, Renard Johnson and Jon Hansen, will take place at 12 noon Monday, Feb. 16, at the flagpole on the Oval according to Kelly Wilson, ACTS. Faculty, staff, students and friends are invited. In case of inclement weather, the remembrance will be held in Corley Auditorium in Webster Hall.
Student to perform with Valdosta Orchestra
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Anna Buckley, a senior Music Performance and German major from Neosho, Mo., was recently formally invited to perform a keyboard part with the Valdosta Symphony Orchestra of Valdosta, Georgia.
She will participate in the orchestra's performance of Honegger's King David Oratorio.
Buckley will be in Georgia from Feb. 25 to March 1 for rehearsals and a series of three concerts, two in Valdosta and one in Atlanta.
The Valdosta Symphony Orchestra's membership is a unique blend of resident artist-faculty, students studying professional music disciplines, talented community performers, and carefully selected professionals.
Anna Buckley is the daughter of Russell and Nancy Buckley of Neosho. She is a member of the Phi Eta Sigma, Alpha Chi and Omicron Delta Kappa (ODK) Honor Societies at Missouri Southern.
Buckley is a recipient of the Mamie Holden Scholarship, a local fine arts scholarship. She has augmented her studies of German by taking courses, visiting music conservatories, and traveling independently in Germany and Austria. She also has visited the Czech Republic, Italy, Hungary, Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina.
National Issues Forum: COMMIT AN ACT OF SELF-GOVERNMENT
Early in our democracy, citizens gathered to talk and learn together about their common problems before deciding how to solve them. We can still gather and deliberate to create a reasoned public voice. Since 1981, National Issues Forums (NIF) has supported a nonpartisan, nationwide network of locally-sponsored public forums for that purpose. Area residents, community organizations, and Missouri Southern students, faculty, and staff are invited to gather in small groups and deliberate on one of this year’s NIF topics:
The Energy Problem: Choices for an Uncertain Future
Tues 2/24: 3:30 - 5:30 p.m., Spiva Library Fireplace
Tues 3/03: 5:30 - 7:30 p.m., Spiva Library Fireplace
Democracy’s Challenge: Reclaiming the Public Role
Thurs 2/26: 3:30 -5:30 p.m., Spiva Library Fireplace
Breaking the Habit of Deficit Spending
Wed 3/04: 11 a.m.-1 p.m., Spiva Library Fireplace
Thurs 3/05: 3:30 - 5:30 p.m., Spiva Library Fireplace
Read a brief brochure on background facts (prepared by the non-partisan Kettering Foundation), and then meet to talk informally about various approaches to the problem. There is no fee to participate, but you must reserve a seat.
For reservations or to arrange a forum for your group, contact Ann Wyman, Social Sciences at 625-9697 or e-mail wyman-a@mssu.edu.
Woody Allen film featured in Contemporary Series tonight
The first feature film for the spring 2009 season will be shown at approximately 7 p.m. tonight, Friday, Feb. 13, in Cornell Auditorium in Plaster Hall. The film is Vicky Cristina Barcelona (USA, 2008). This sexy romantic comedy takes place in the stunning city of Barcelona. Vicky and Cristina, two young Americans spending a summer in Spain, meet a charming "Casanova" and his beautiful but volatile ex-wife. When they all become romantically entangled, the smoldering sparks begin to fly in hilarious fashion.
The 2008 Golden Globe Award-winning/Academy Award-nominated film was written and directed by Woody Allen. It stars Scarlett Johansson, Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem.
This film will be shown as part of a Missouri Southern Continuing Education Class. The cost of the class is $10 per person per semester and those interested may register before the film tonight.
Relay for Life Team fund raiser
Don’t forget that tomorrow, Saturday, Feb. 14, is MSSU’s Relay for Life Team’s Dodge Cancer - Dodgeball Tournament.
Spectators are welcome so stop by Young Gym between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. to join in the fun and excitement.
The concession stand remains open until 1 p.m. and, for those interested in Valentine's gifts, a silent auction ends at noon.
Fur Ball March 7 in Joplin
The Joplin Humane Society (JHS) will hold its annual Fur Ball beginning at 6 p.m. Saturday, March 7 at the Joplin Holiday Inn. Dinner will be served at 7 p.m. The event features a live and silent auction and will primarily help support the daily operations of the shelter.
Robin Douglas, Lifelong Learning, says in 2008 nearly 12,000 animals entered the doors of the JHS. Almost 9,000 were euthanized due to lack of space and adequate funding. JHS wants to build a new shelter to be located on North Main Street Road in Joplin.
Tickets for the event are $50 per person and can be purchased at Commerce Bank, 211 Main Street, Room 314 in Joplin. Proceeds of this event will benefit the operations of the Joplin Humane Society. For Fur Ball ticket information contact (417) 206-3678.
Southern debaters compete in San Diego
The MSSU Speech and Debate Squad recently competed in the Pt. Loma Sunset Classic Debate Tournament held Feb. 6-9 in San Diego, Calif. A total of 38 colleges and universities represented 11 states with 68 debaters in the Lincoln-Douglas (LD) debate division.
At the tournament in the open division of LD debate, team members Whitney Hart, Michael Baca, Kyle Buzzard and Valerie Melton all missed qualification for elimination rounds by one decision.
Kelly Larson, Forensics, states, “We were on the cusp of having a very good tournament. My task is to do a better job in preparing the students before we travel next time.”
The MOSO forensics squad is now preparing for the state debate tournament and counting down to the two national tournaments we are going to compete at over the next seven weeks.
Wildwood Ranch honored
The MSSU Small Business & Technology Development Center (SBTDC) held an award ceremony to honor Wildwood Ranch Development Inc. on Friday, Feb. 6, in Cornell Auditorium in The Robert W. Plaster School of Business Administration on the campus of Missouri Southern State University.
For information and a photograph: visit http://www.mssu.edu/news/2009/wildwood09.html.
Road Trip for Justice
Campus Catholic Ministries will present “Road Trip for Justice: Real Stories about the Death Penalty” at 7 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 17 in Room 105 of Webster Hall.
Two women, one whose mother was murdered when she was a young teenager and another whose son is on “death row” will tell their stories.
For more information, contact (314) 256-9810 or visit http://www.moabolition.org/roadtrip.php.
Silpada jewelry party on campus
A Silpada jewelry party will take place in the Taylor Education Building (Room #120) on Monday, Feb. 16
The event is a fundraiser for students participating in Comparative Education in Washington, D.C., according to Vikki Spencer, Teacher Education.
Jewelry is available for viewing online by clicking on this link: SilpadaJewlery.
For information, contact Vikki at 625-9622 or e-mail Spencer-V@mssu.edu.
The doctoral thesis of Andrea B. Hellman, Teacher Education and Project S.P.E.A.K., is a finalist for the Christopher Brumfit PhD/Ed.D. Thesis Award 2008, sponsored by Cambridge University Press and promoted by Language Teaching: Surveys and Studies. Her thesis is one of fourteen chosen for the final stage of selection out of almost fifty submissions. The Brumfit Award recognizes doctoral thesis research that makes a significant and original contribution to the field of Second Language Acquisition and/or Foreign Language teaching and learning. The award winner will be announced in August 2009.
CLASSIFIED
For Sale: 2004 Toyota 4 x 2, 4 door, white, bed liner, new tires, 83,000 miles. EXCELLENT condition. $12,000. Lots of extras! Also have three lighted wise men for the front yard. $35. Call Becky Gallemore (417) 540-3423 or (417) 659-5425.
Two Houses for Lease: Two bedrooms, 1 bath, central heat & air, $500 month/$300 deposit at 2611 Rolla in Joplin. 1 year lease, no pets. ALSO: Two bedrooms, 1 bath, central heat & air, $495 month/$300 deposit at 3017 East 11th in Joplin. 1 year lease, no pets. Contact (417) 781-3166.
February is Library Lovers’ Month If you love your library and would like to contribute Thank You for loving your library! |
Join Spiva Library for the
Watch it on the BIG screen on the Enjoy refreshments Cast your own ballot Win prizes IT’S ALL FREE! If you would like to reserve a |
♥ Purchase a GIFT CERTIFICATE for a 1 year
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