Vol. 14, No. 16 - Jan. 12, 2010

Kenneth L. Read, a member of the Truman Board of Governors and chair of the Presidential Search Committee, announced Dec. 21 that Dr. Troy D. Paino, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at Truman, is the finalist for the University presidency. Truman’s current president, Dr. Darrell W. Krueger, has served in this position since October 2008.
 
“The Committee has worked hard since last April to identify a worthy successor to President Krueger,” said Read. “Following a national search, the Committee is pleased to be hosting a finalist for public interview who has the leadership experience and knowledge to continue Truman’s development as a nationally recognized public liberal arts university.”

The Presidential Search Committee, composed of 15 members of the University community representing faculty, staff, students, alumni and the Board, has worked diligently to identify the top applicants for the presidency.

Following a national search, the Committee narrowed the pool of 66 applicants to five. Next, the Committee performed due diligence checks, including phone reference and other background information checks, and also conducted interviews. Among these five, two applicants stood out above all the rest. The Committee invited both candidates for on-campus interviews and one accepted the invitation.

The Committee will host a series of on-campus meetings and forums Jan. 21. In addition to two open forums for faculty/staff and students, Dr. Paino will also have sessions with community leaders, president’s staff, academic administration, alumni and members of the Truman State University Foundation board of directors.

The two open forums will be videotaped and made available for playback on the Presidential Search Committee website located at http://governors.truman.edu/presidentialsearchcommittee.asp. A Curriculum Vitae for Dr. Paino and a comment form are also available on the website.

The Board of Governors anticipates making a final decision no later than February 2010. 

Truman has received a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to host The Big Read in Kirksville.

Truman is one of 269 nonprofits to receive a grant to host a Big Read project. The Big Read gives communities the opportunity to come together to read, discuss and celebrate one of 30 selections from U.S. and world literature.

“It is a beautiful thing when the University and the community come together for this type of community learning activity,” said Sam Minner, dean of the School of Health Sciences and Education. “Universities enrich the communities where they are situated. People from the community also enrich what happens on campus. It is truly a win-win.”

The Big Read has also been endorsed by Gov. Jay Nixon in the form of a proclamation signed last month.

Kirksville’s Big Read will focus on “The Things They Carried,” a look into the lives of soldiers during the Vietnam War, by Tim O’Brien.

“Working together, reading the O’Brien book, discussing our reactions to the work, particularly in the context of the conflicts our nation is engaged in right now, and just coming together as a community, should be an interesting experience for all participants,” Minner said.

Copies of O’Brien’s book will be provided free of charge to anyone interested in reading it and participating in book discussion groups. To get a copy of the book and sign up for a discussion group call Mona Davis at 785.4383.

In addition to book discussion groups, other activities related to the theme of the book will be taking place from January 2010 to April 2010.

Two Vietnam era movies will be screened free of charge at the Downtown Cinema 8: “Full Metal Jacket” on March 17 and “Platoon” on March 24, both at 6:45 p.m.

An exhibit of Vietnam era artifacts will be developed and displayed at the Kirksville Arts Association Feb. 8-26.

Activities will conclude April 2, with a panel discussion, reception and concert at the Du Kum Inn.

This is the first year Truman is participating in The Big Read, thanks to a grant from the NEA. The NEA works in partnerships with the Institute of Museum and Library Services and in cooperation with Arts Midwest to bring The Big Read to communities across the country.

Support for The Big Read is provided by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. For more information about The Big Read visit http://www.neabigread.org.

Truman has once again been included in Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine as one of the “Best Values in Public Colleges.”

The annual ranking appears in Kiplinger’s February 2010 issue.

Truman was ranked 26th on the exclusive survey list of the 100 public four-year schools that “combine outstanding education with economic value.”

The University was also ranked as the 10th best educational value for out-of-state students.

“Despite widespread state government budget cuts and shrinking endowments, this year’s top 100 public schools continue to deliver strong academics at reasonable prices,” said Janet Bodnar, editor of Kiplinger’s. “In fact, in many cases, these institutions are offering the same or more financial aid as in previous years.”

The Kiplinger’s rankings were determined from a pool of more than 500 public four-year colleges and universities. Schools were ranked according to academic quality, including admission and retention rates, student-faculty ratios and four- and six-year graduation rates, as well as on cost and financial aid.

More information, as well as sortable rankings and other interactive features, are available online at http://www.kiplinger.com/reports/best-college-values/.

The University Equestrian Team is putting together one of its best seasons ever. At the midway point of the season, the Equestrian Team is at the top of the standings in its region in English team competition and in third place in western team competition.  
 
The Equestrian Team is made up of about 90 members of various skill levels in both English and western riding. The team practices Monday-Friday afternoon at the University Farm using some of the 35 horses owned by the University. Since equestrian is a club sport at Truman, no school scholarships are given to team members, but the Agriculture Department does cover the transportation for the team as well as the coach’s additional travel expenses. 


The college equestrian season runs concurrent with the academic year, with a break in the winter months. Competitions are sanctioned by the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA) which provides college students of all riding levels the ability to compete in equestrian events without having to own their own horse.

At competitions, horses are provided by the host and riders draw names to determine which horse they will ride in their class. Riders are given no warm up and judged on their equitation and ability to control an unfamiliar horse. Riders compete both individually, by placing in their class and gaining points towards their individual total, and as a team, by the points from one rider at each level counting towards the team total.

“Riding at shows can be a bit nerve racking at first, riding horses you are not familiar with,” says Equestrian Team coach and Truman alumna, Emily Costello, “But most people find it is a really good test of your adaptability as a rider, adjusting to new horses while still maintaining correct positing. Showing also helps build team spirit since members are with each other for nearly an entire weekend, helping each other get ready for their classes, eating meals together and traveling in the University vans.”  

Both the English and western teams travel to about four shows a year all over Missouri, Illinois, southern Iowa and eastern Kansas in addition to hosting a show at the University Farm in the fall. Each spring the regular showing season ends with regional competition which gives those riders who have accumulated enough points in the regular season to compete for a chance to go onto zone and possibly national competition. So far this year, the team has four English riders (with the possibility of four more) and four western riders (with the possibility of five more) qualified for regional competition. If the English team is able to maintain its lead after the last show in the spring, up to eight riders will qualify to represent the team at zone competition.

The next competition for the western team is Feb. 28 at Kansas State University while the English team will have its next show March 19-20 near Chicago at a show hosted by Augustana College and Illinois State University.

For more information on the Equestrian Team, and to follow its progress in the second half of the season, go to http://equestrian.truman.edu/.       

As part of the renovation to Pershing Building, some offices are being temporarily moved to Grim-Smith.

All offices south of the main stairs of Pershing will be relocated. By the end of the midterm break, the basketball and football coaches offices will be moved.

The arena portion of the building remains open, but classes have been relocated to other facilities. Racquetball courts are all closed and construction is under way.     

ADA parking spaces have been moved to the southwest parking lot.

Truman’s National Communication Association Student Club (NCASC) will host the final round of the Lincoln Oratorical Contest at 8:30 p.m. Jan. 19 in the Student Union Building, Georgian Room A.

The three finalists, Megan Hoffman, Samantha Pernicka and Chris Schneider, where chosen from a field of roughly 20 contestants by Barry Poyner, professor of communication and adviser for NCASC.

Members of NCASC will assist in determining the first, second and third places, awarded $200, $100 and $50 respectively. Prize money is provided by the Schwengel Lincoln Fund.

This year’s contest continues a year-long celebration of Abraham Lincoln’s birth. Students were given the following prompt: In honor of his 200th birthday, remember and honor Lincoln’s love for story-telling. Imagine being among those at the Soldiers’ Home who had the unique opportunity of swapping a story with their President, “Honest Abe,” or being someone skewered politically by young Lincoln if they campaigned against him in Illinois. Explore the unkempt, irreverent frontier Lincoln, a speaker who could engage any audience through homespun humor. Creatively tell a 4-5 minute story, real or imaginary, on any subject, but have a clear point to the story.

Following the contest, students majoring or minoring in communication are invited to an open meeting of the NCASC.

The Alumnae Panhellenic Association of Greater Kansas City is offering scholarship opportunities to female college juniors, seniors or graduate students, who are residents of the greater Kansas City area, attending Kansas or Missouri schools. The Kansas City area is defined as Platte and Ray counties in Missouri, and Johnson, Leavenworth, Miami and Wyandotte counties in Kansas. Greek sorority membership is required to apply for this program. Application deadline is Feb. 5. Applications are available online at http://www.kcpanhel.com.

USA Funds is taking applications for $1,500 scholarships to qualified full-time undergraduate and graduate students from households with incomes of $35,000 or less. Applicants for the scholarships must be enrolled or plan to enroll in coursework at an accredited two- or four-year college, university or vocational/technical school beginning with the fall 2010 term. Deadline for students to submit scholarship application is Feb. 15. For complete eligibility information and to download an application, visit USA Funds’ website at http://www.usafunds.org/scholarship.

The Missouri Travel Council will offer two $1,000 scholarships to currently enrolled sophomores, juniors or seniors in an accredited college or university in the state of Missouri. Applicants must be pursuing a hospitality-related major such as hotel/restaurant management, parks and recreation, etc., must be a current resident of Missouri and must have a grade point average of at least 3.0. For more information, visit http://www.missouritravel.com. The deadline for applications is March 2, 2010.

Camp Ramapo in Rhinebeck, N.Y., is offering unique educational summer job opportunities for students. Ramapo is one of the few residential summer camps servicing children with emotional, behavioral and learning problems. It provides a safe, predictable and highly structured environment, which fosters the development of positive social and learning skills. In addition, Ramapo offers an on-site college course through the National Program on Non-collegiate Sponsored Instruction. For more information on how to make a difference in a child’s life this summer, while possibly earning college credits, log on to http://www.ramapoforchildren.org.

U.S. Bank will award forty $1,000 scholarships through a random drawing process. Undergraduate students attending an eligible four-year college or university participating in the U.S. Bank No Fee Education Loan Program are eligible to apply. Further details regarding this scholarship opportunity can be found online at http://www.usbank.com.

Scholarships are available through Federated Garden Clubs of Missouri, Inc., for the 2010-2011 academic year. Stop by the Financial Aid Office in McClain Hall 103 for more information on eligibility requirements or to obtain an application. One winner from each state may be submitted for the National Garden Club scholarship in the amount of $3,500.

The Truman in Washington Program facilitates internship opportunities in the Washington, D.C. area. Students can intern in their area of interest by working with Truman alumni, The Washington Center (TWC), or independently identified internships. Truman in Washington helps students locate housing in the D.C. area and provides students with support throughout the internship experience. Students also have the opportunity to earn academic credit through Truman in Washington, if they choose. Visit the Truman in Washington website at http://twp.truman.edu for more information. The site includes application materials, cost estimates, photographs taken by past interns and general information about the D.C. area. Applications for internships through The Washington Center are due by Jan. 19. Contact Diane Tobin Johnson at djohnson@truman.edu or 785.7852 with any questions regarding an internship in the Washington, D.C. area.

The Institute of International Education has announced the inauguration of the Freeman Indonesia Nonprofit Internship Program (FINIP), funded by the Freeman Foundation. The internship aims to develop student leaders and strengthen the nonprofit sector in Indonesia. IIE will select and pair 10 Indonesian students pursuing U.S. degrees with 10 U.S. undergraduates and arrange internships for them to work together in an Indonesian nonprofit organization. The internship lasts from June 15-Aug. 17, 2010, and will take place in three cities: Jakarta, Bandung and Yogyakarta. Interested American and Indonesian sophomores and juniors enrolled in U.S. institutions are encouraged to apply online at http://www.iie.org/programs/finip. The deadline for submission of completed  applications is Feb. 15. Contact finip@iie.org or visit http://www.iie.org/programs/finip for more information.

Collegium Civitas is now accepting applications for its professional internship program in Warsaw, Poland (June 1-July 31, 2010). Civitas offers students a unique opportunity to undertake professional internships in various areas, including politics, European integration, human rights, civic and political education, civil society, arts, history, Jewish culture and history, economics, business, media and journalism, legal and constitutional affairs, the environment and more. For details, visit http://www.globaleducationleadership.org/.

The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) invites highly qualified undergraduate students to apply for scholarships funding study, senior thesis research and/or internships in Germany. Scholarships are available either as part of an organized study abroad program or as part of an individual, student-designed study abroad semester or year. Funding is offered for the academic year 2010-2011 and includes a monthly stipend, health insurance and a lump sum for travel. For program details go online to: http://www.daad.org/?p=undergrad. Current DAAD-Scholar blogs: http://daadabroad.wordpress.com/. DAAD Young Ambassadors: http://www.daad.org/page/65670/.

The Portz Fellowships support original and extended interdisciplinary projects for up to 18 months. Applications are available at http://www.nchchonors.org. For more information contact Dr. Patrice Berger at pberger1@unl.edu or 402.472.5425.

Activity: Basketball
Division: Open/Org/Greek
Deadline: Jan. 19
Captains’ Meeting: Jan. 21
Play Begins: Jan. 25

Activity: Co-Rec Basketball
Division: Open
Deadline: Jan. 19
Captains’ Meeting: Jan. 21
Play Begins: Jan. 25

Activity: Racquetball-Singles*
Division: Open/Org/Greek
Deadline: Jan. 19
Captains’ Meeting: E-mail
Play Begins: Jan. 25
*Will be played at YMCA

Activity: Super Bowl Pickem
Division: Open
Deadline: Jan. 22
Captains’ Meeting: NA
Play Begins: Feb. 7

Activity: Badminton
Division: Open
Deadline: Jan. 26
Captains’ Meeting: E-mail
Play Begins: Jan. 30 & Feb. 6

Activity: Racquetball-Doubles*
Division: Open/Org/Greek
Deadline: Feb. 2
Captains’ Meeting: E-mail
Play Begins: Feb. 8
* Will be played at YMCA

Activity: Taboo
Division: Open
Deadline: Feb. 9
Captains’ Meeting: E-mail
Play Begins: Feb. 13

Activity: BAGGO
Division: Open/Org/Greek
Deadline: Feb. 23
Captains’ Meeting: E-mail
Play Begins: Feb. 28

Activity: NCAA March Madness
Division: Open
Deadline: First of March
Captains’ Meeting: NA
Play Begins: First of March

Activity: Volleyball
Division: Open/Org/Greek
Deadline: Mar. 2
Captains’ Meeting: Mar. 3
Play Begins: Mar. 15

Activity: Co-Rec Volleyball
Division: Open
Deadline: Mar. 2
Captains’ Meeting: Mar. 3
Play Begins: Mar. 15

Activity: Closest to the Pin
Division: Open/Org/Greek
Deadline: Mar. 16
Captains’ Meeting: E-mail
Play Begins: TBA

Activity: Indoor Soccer
Division: Open/Org/Greek
Deadline: Mar. 16
Captains’ Meeting: Mar. 18
Play Begins: Mar. 22

Activity: Co-Rec Indoor Soccer
Division: Open
Deadline: Mar. 16
Captains’ Meeting: Mar. 18
Play Begins: Mar. 22

Activity: Swim Meet
Division: Open/Org/Greek
Deadline: Apr. 6
Captains’ Meeting: E-mail
Play Begins: Apr. 8

Activity: Ultimate Frisbee
Division: Open
Deadline: Apr. 13
Captains’ Meeting: E-mail
Play Begins: Apr. 17 & 18

Activity: Punt Pass & Kick
Division: Open/Org/Greek
Deadline: Apr. 13
Captains’ Meeting: Apr. 15
Play Begins: Apr. 22

Activity: Track Meet
Division: Open/Org/Greek
Deadline: Apr. 13
Captains’ Meeting: Apr. 15
Play Begins: Apr. 22

Activity: T-Shirt Design Contest
Division: Open
Deadline: Apr. 29
Captains’ Meeting: NA
Play Begins: NA

Activity: Wrap Up Meeting
Division: Open
Deadline: NA
Captains’ Meeting: Apr. 29
Play Begins: NA


All information, rules and registration requirements are online at http://recreation.truman.edu/intramuralrec.asp, or contact the Intramural Office at 785.4467. Captains’ Meeting is at 4:30 p.m. in the SRC Conference Room.

Sam Minner, dean of the School of Health Sciences and Education, has been elected to the board of directors for the Missouri Foundation for Health. The 15-member board provides oversight of all MFH activities and grant making. Directors serve a maximum of two three-year terms. Established in 2000, MHF is the largest nongovernmental funder of community health activities in Missouri. MFH has issued more than $300 million in grants and awards. It is dedicated to serving the uninsured, underinsured and underserved in 84 Missouri counties and the city of St. Louis.

John J. Quinn, professor of political science, had his entry “Principal-Agent Theory,” accepted for inclusion in the forthcoming publication by John Ishiyama and Marijke Breuning, “21st Century Political Science: A Reference Handbook.” Quinn also had an essay entitled “African Foreign Policies” accepted for publication in the forthcoming “The International Studies Compendium Project.”

Glenn Wehner, professor of animal science, was awarded with the Agriculture Educators Lifetime Achievement Award at the 10th annual Missouri Livestock Symposium in Kirksville Dec. 4.

The next event in the Physics Colloquium will take place at 4:30 p.m. Jan. 13 in Magruder Hall 1096 and will focus on summer research. This presentation will provide an overview of the variety of summer research opportunities available to physics undergrads, both on and off campus. Students will learn how to identify opportunities, how to submit a competitive application and how to decide between the many offers they will receive. For more information about our colloquium series and upcoming talks, please visit: http://physics.truman.edu/colloquia/mainstage.asp.

Beta Alpha Psi will host informational meetings at 7 p.m. Jan. 19-20 in Violette Hall 1400. Beta Alpha Psi is an honors professional organization open to Accounting and Finance majors. For more information, visit http://bap.truman.edu.

The Weekly Lunch Series will resume at 12:30 p.m. Jan. 20 in the Spanish Room of the Student Union Building with a program by Charlene Boyes, director of the Missouri Rural Enterprise and Innovation Center. This center, housed in Violette Hall, is designed to assist University personnel to convert their ideas and developments into commercially viable products or services.  

KTRM will sponsor Fireside Friday from 3-5 p.m. Jan. 22 in the Hub of the Student Union Building. There will be live music and free snacks.

SUB After Dark will sponsor Psychic Magician Craig Karges at 7 p.m. Jan. 22 in the Student Union Building Georgian Room. Karges, the “extraordinist,” is an award winning entertainer, a nationally recognized speaker and an author. He has made more than 4,000 appearances on four continents and in all 50 states.  

Sara Orel, professor of art, will present the Faculty Forum at 7 p.m. Jan. 26 in Magruder Hall 2001.