SouthernFest '09 slated for Aug. 2-3!

Kevin Greim, Athletics, says the first-ever Lion Pride Dinner/Auction will be held at Downstream Casino Resort the evening of Sunday, Aug. 2. The annual Rod Smith Green and Gold Golf Classic will be held on Monday, August 3 at Eagle Creek Golf Club (formerly Loma Linda). This fun, two-day event will serve as a fund raiser for the various sports at Missouri Southern.

"There are many ways to be involved and many ways to register," Kevin says. "You can be a sponsor of SouthernFest, you can play in the golf tournament, you can attend the dinner/auction or you can do all three!"

Online links below will guide you through the registration process and will give you detailed information on SouthernFest '09. Those with questions may call (417) 625-3075.

To get started, visit the online link to the home for SouthernFest: http://www.mssu.edu/athletics/southernfest09.htm.

Students wanted

The MSSU Child Development Center has daycare openings for the children of students, alumni, faculty, and staff. A nominal fee of $26 a day provides breakfast, hot lunch, snacks, organized activities, and classroom lessons for children ages 2 - 5 years. Call 625-9314 to receive enrollment forms and reserve a spot for your child today.

Employee passes

Georgia Mann

Georgia J. Mann, a member of the Missouri Southern staff, passed away Friday, July 3 at Freeman Hospital, following an illness.

Georgia was born in Peoria, Ill., the daughter of the late George and Ina Mann. She was a member of the Jehovah’s Witness Congregation. Georgia started working at Missouri Southern in 2000.

She served the University as a custodian in Hearnes Hall and in Kuhn Hall.

She is survived by two sons, Thomas Toombs and his wife Rosetta of Canyon County, Calif. and Russell Toombs and his wife Jamie of Brighton, Tenn.; one sister Hilda Britz of Sarcoxie; and three grandchildren, Taylor Toombs, McKenzie Toombs and Khatya Toombs.

Funeral services were held Wednesday of this week at Mason-Woodard Mortuary & Chapel.

Lifelong Learning Summer Institute

The Lifelong Learning 2009 Summer Institute is set to begin next week in the Library, Room 418. Betty Baker, Lifelong Learning, says this training is free and open to anyone who is teaching a course at Missouri Southern and wanting to use Blackboard to enhance; hybridize; or teach entirely on-line. The focus is on enrichment through course design and use of multimedia.

The kick-off session focuses on Blackboard itself with a hands on Introduction leading to an on-line Instructor training course.

Instructional Design for Distance Courses: 1 hour sessions
July 13 @ 9 a.m. & 10 a.m.
July 14 @ 9:30 a.m., 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.

This topic is available for anyone to attend, but is a training requirement of anyone signing a development contract for an on-line course to be taught in the spring of 2010 or later. A course development Rubric will be reviewed, along with a course/media outline plan to get you contemplating ways to present and communicate your on-line materials in an engaging interactive manner.

Audio File Creation & Posting Links
July 15 and 16 @ 9:30 a.m., 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.

This topic is available for anyone to attend. However, it is especially geared toward the requirements of anyone signing a development contract for an on-line course for the spring of 2010 or later who already has familiarity with the introduction to Blackboard session. Are you ready to take your materials presentation to another level? Incorporating audio into your course can add greater depth and dimension to your lectures and tutorials.

Text can be informative, but often the spoken word can convey more depth and understanding. FREE software programs enable you to create audio files in a variety of formats for downloading or streaming. Files are stored outside of Blackboard and accessible only through Blackboard via an external link, or can be made public and downloadable through a pod cast.

Seating is limited, but multiple sessions are offered. Reservations are required. Please send an e-mail to LLLTraining or contact Scott Snell at ext. 3003 or Betty Baker at ext. 9888 with the sessions, dates, and times that you would like to attend.

Managing your health care and living well

Human Resources and Freeman Health System have teamed up to provide MSSU employees important information about regaining control over healthcare expenses. Through a series of presentations by Freeman Health System, employees will have an opportunity to learn how to get the most out of each doctor and pharmacy visit.

You're invited to attend one of the following sessions. Each session will accommodate approximately 40 people. All but the final meeting are slated for Webster Hall Room 105.

11 a.m. - 12 noon, July 13
11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m., July 21
12:30 p.m. - 1:30 p.m., July 29
11:30 a.m. - 12:30; p.m., Sept. 14
12 noon - 1 p.m., Sept 16
11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m., Sept 22 - Location to be determined

Learn the following vital information:

• The current state of healthcare in America today

• The definition of self-care

• Why self care is important

• The 3 C’s of developing a treatment plan.

• How to get the most from your doctor’s visit

• Strategies for interacting with your pharmacist

Sessions will be presented by Kris Drake, RN, CHPD, Freeman Health System Wellness Coordinator.

Staff Senate now active

The MSSU Staff Senate is now active  The group invites members of the staff to share ideas, questions, suggestions and comments regarding issues that affect MSSU classified and non-classified employees. The main e-mail address for the senate is staffsenate@mssu.edu.

Staff Senate meetings are open for all staff to attend. Our next meeting is Wednesday, July 15 at 9 a.m. in Spiva Library, Room 413A. 

Staff may also contact any of the following members: Josh Doak, Gary Edwards, Mike Fox, Darren Fullerton, Erik Hilgendorf, Greg Killingsworth, Greg Needham, Ann Quade, Olive Talley, Debbie Woodmansee or Ted Wright.

E-mail addresses and telephone numbers are available at: https://webapps.mssu.edu/EmployeeDirectory/EmployeeDirectory.aspx#M

FACULTY/STAFF

Michael Garoutte, Physical Science/Honors Program, will serve a three-year term on the national POGIL Project Steering Committee. Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning (POGIL) is a project funded by the National Science Foundation whose focus is the national dissemination of an innovative instructional approach based on the current understanding of how students learn best. The POGIL approach involves creating a learning environment where students are actively engaged in mastering a discipline and in developing essential skills by working in self-managed teams on guided inquiry activities. Another focus of POGIL is on the development of important student process skills in areas such as information processing, critical thinking, problem solving, teamwork, and communication. Information about POGIL events and available resources is available at http://pogil.org.

CLASSIFIED

For Sale: 2003 Toyota Matrix, 51,000 miles, 4 cylinder automatic, 35 mpg hwy; 28-30 town. Blue/grey, sun roof, all electric windows, 6 CD changer, cloth blue/grey interior, hatch back with 6 feet from hatch to back of front seats-holds a lot! Excellent first or second car. $8200 Call (417) 540-3423.

For Sale: Dachshund puppy. Full blood, 5 months, neutered, had 1st round of shots, & house trained. Happy, playful, & good with kids. $100 includes cage. Call (417) 793-1276 or ext. 9371.

For Rent: House available early as mid-August. Modern, spacious, affordable, conveniently located at 4204 University Circle, half a mile from MSSU. Ideal for faculty or other employees. Current owners have purchased a house and are moving to another location. Previously paid $995/month. Assume rent will remain the same. For inquiries, contact Norton Wheeler, Social Sciences, at (417) 540-7535.

Free to a Good Home: Five puppies, one male, the rest female, free to a good home. Red Heeler and assorted mix (?). Current owner will pay for worming and shots. Puppies are 7-8 weeks old. Delivery available. Call (417) 773-9343.