Vol. 22 No. 2 - August 28, 2017

Truman has again been recognized as one of the top schools in the country.

In its September/October 2017 issue, the Washington Monthly tabbed Truman as the No. 4 master’s university in the nation. Truman has become a fixture in the Washington Monthly rankings, finishing in the top five in each of the last five years.

The Washington Monthly rankings are unique in that they place an importance on social mobility, research and service. Along with traditional benchmarks such as graduation rates and costs, schools are rewarded for criteria including the number of first-generation students enrolled and the number of students contributing to community service projects, participating in ROTC and going on to serve in the Peace Corps. Additionally, Washington Monthly looks at the number of bachelor’s recipients who go on to earn a Ph.D. and the success rates and earning potential of students 10 years after enrollment.

“These are highly competitive, thoughtfully composed rankings. To be consistently recognized as one of the best universities is a strong indicator of our excellence and profound impact,” University President Susan L. Thomas said. “With its emphasis on social mobility, the Washington Monthly rankings demonstrate that Truman transforms the lives of all of our students. The successes our graduates achieve contribute to the greater good locally, nationally and globally, and that is an enormous source of pride for everyone associated with Truman.”

Washington Monthly ranked nearly 900 institutions across the categories of national universities, master’s universities, liberal arts colleges and baccalaureate colleges. Truman was the only Missouri school to be included in the entire top 150 entries for the master’s university category, and it was the state’s only public school to crack the top 40 in any of the four categories.  

Truman’s affordability led to another distinction in this year’s ranking. In the supplemental category, “Best Bang for the Buck,” Truman was recognized as the No. 6 public school, and No. 17 overall, in the Midwest region.

Washington Monthly is a bimonthly nonprofit magazine covering politics, government, culture and the media. The college guide and rankings appear in the magazine’s September/October issue and can be found online at washingtonmonthly.com/2017college-guide.

Among the many campus changes during the University’s first 150 years, the most notable might be its physical location. When classes started in 1867, they were actually a few blocks north of the current campus in a building known as the Cumberland Academy.

Located at the corner of Mulanix and Hickory streets, the Cumberland Academy was originally founded in 1859 by a local church as a non-collegiate coed school. It closed due to the Battle of Kirksville in 1862 and never reopened as a school until University founder Joseph Baldwin leased the building. It served as the site of campus for five years until the University moved to its current location.

An information meeting for the Spring 2018 Missouri Government Internship Program will take place at 4:30 p.m. Sept. 12 in McClain Hall 209.

The Missouri Government Internship Program provides students with the opportunity to gain meaningful experience in the fast-paced world of state politics. Selected interns will work as full-time staff assistants with a legislator or state public official. By interning at the Missouri Capitol, students will expand their knowledge of state government, build a diversified professional network and establish a basis for future professional positions.

Many former interns have subsequently taken positions as legislative directors, chiefs of staff, judicial clerks, policy analysts, lobbyists and public officials as a direct result of what they learned and the connections they made as interns.

The varying daily tasks throughout each office could include attending public hearings, completing legislative research, writing and editing published materials, constituent relations or assisting with basic office work.

The Truman State University Foundation provides selected interns with a stipend. Interested students should click here for more information and to view the internship application. Additional information will be presented at the meeting, Sept. 12. Questions can be directed to Candy Young or Heidi Templeton.

The deadline to apply is 12 p.m. Sept. 28. Interviews for the internship will take place Oct. 3-5.

Truman, in cooperation with the local community, continues to participate in the Be the Light campaign with the goal of developing understanding of mental health issues and providing support for individuals who experience them within the community. Initial activities planned include a University Counseling Services-sponsored QPR-athon and participation in Hospice of Northeast Missouri’s Suicide Awareness 5K Run/Walk.

QPR
QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer) suicide prevention training is a 1.25-hour program designed to train participants in recognizing the warning signs of suicide and intervening to help someone in crisis. Sessions will be offered Sept. 15 in the Student Union Building 3201. Individuals wishing to participate should sign up through the Human Resources program registration website. Class size at each training is limited to 30 participants.

QPR Training Sessions
9:30 a.m.
11 a.m.
12:30 p.m.
2 p.m.
3:30 p.m.

Suicide Awareness 5K Run/Walk
The Suicide Awareness 5K Run/1.9 Mile Walk will take place at 8 a.m. Sept. 16 beginning at Alliant Bank, 201 S. Baltimore Street. Registration forms can be picked up on campus at University Counseling Services, as well as the hospice office, the Thompson Campus Center at ATSU or at Warehouse 660. Registration is $20 before Sept. 1, and $25 after Sept. 1. Registration includes a T-shirt.

Pickler Memorial Library and the Missouri-Southern Iowa Art Guild (MOSI) are partnering again for an art exhibition.
 
The exhibition, which runs through Dec. 15, is located in the library café and features 27 pieces from nine local MOSI artists. There will be a reception from 5-6:30 p.m. Sept. 28 in the library café. Refreshments will be provided, and guests will have the opportunity to meet with featured artists. Visitors can vote for the Viewers’ Choice Award until 5:30 p.m. on the day of the reception. The award will be announced at 6 p.m.
 
MOSI art guild is a group of artists that sponsors local art exhibitions, provides recognition and networking opportunities for members and conducts art workshops for the community.

Delta Sigma Pi conducted its 51st Grand Chapter Congress in New Orleans, Aug. 16-20. Eleven students from the Truman’s Iota Nu chapter attended the event, along with chapter advisor Debi Cartwright, professor of business administration. The chapter won the following awards for their activities during the 2016-17 academic year:

Regional Awards
R. Nelson Mitchell Outstanding Chapter
Outstanding Financial Operations
Outstanding Service
Outstanding Scholastic Development
Outstanding Alumni Relations
Chapter Advisor of the Year

Provincial Awards
Outstanding Scholastic Development
Outstanding Alumni Relations
Chapter Advisor of the Year

National Award
Chapter of Excellence

2-6 p.m.
Aug. 30
Student Union Building

Campus and community organizations will be present to distribute information and answer questions. This is a great way to learn more about the numerous organizations available at Truman.

The Department of Classical and Modern Languages will host a presentation in Spanish by Venezuelan poet and musician Víctor Hugo Márquez García, “La Décima en la tradición hispánica” at 5:30 p.m. Aug. 28 in Baldwin Hall 114. Márquez, a faculty member at the University of Zulia, has published seven books on Venezuelan folk music, recorded more than 80 songs, led numerous workshops on the gaita Zuliana, and received numerous awards for his cultural work.

Applications for the Student Activities Board are now open and will close at midnight, Sept. 1. The application can be found at sab.truman.edu/apply.

SAB will host two open houses from 6-7 p.m. Aug. 29 and Aug. 30 in the lower level of the Student Union Building.

Various Student Activities Board members will be presenting an information session for the organization from 6-7 p.m. Aug. 29-30 in the CSI Complex in the Student Union Building. Applications for SAB are open through Sept. 1 and can be found online at sab.truman.edu/apply.

The Global Issues Colloquium begins at 7 p.m. Aug. 31 in Baldwin Hall Little Theater. Kate Riestenberg, Truman’s Ofstad Endowed Chair in English and Linguistics, will present “Endangered Language Documentation and Revitalization.”

The University Art Gallery will host the opening reception for the exhibition “New Works by Truman State University Art Faculty” at 5 p.m. Aug. 29. Works by Matthew Derezinski, Lindsey Dunnagan, Aaron Neeley, Russell Nelson and Wynne Wilbur will be on display through Oct. 6.

All 2016 Bulldog Forever apparel is now available at a reduced price on the alumni store. Items include men’s and women’s fleece vests, long-sleeve purple T-shirts and a purple and white Bulldog Forever scarf.

The second parking lot located at the southwest corner of Patterson and Franklin streets will be closed beginning the evening of Sept. 7 and all day Sept. 8.

Truman led the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) with a total of 116 student-athletes receiving the Division II Athletics Directors Association Academic Achievement Awards. The awards recognize the academic accomplishments of student-athletes at the Division II level. A record total of 10,644 student-athletes from 183 institutions were recognized with the honor. Of the eight GLVC schools with recipients, Truman’s 116 were first, and Indianapolis was the only other league member with at least 100, coming in with 110.

Students in a justice systems class taught by Neal McNabb, assistant professor of justice systems, conducted a public survey for the Palmyra, Mo., Police Department. The class worked with Eddie Bogue, chief of police, to help the department understand public opinion and recognize any potential areas of improvement. Details on the collaboration can be found in the Hannibal Courier-Post.

Tom Capuano, professor emeritus of foreign language, and his team of Truman undergraduate researchers, saw their work published in the Spring 2017 issue of Romance Philology (UC Berkeley). Their publication, which occupies the entire issue, features the first-ever English translation by Chelsea Firra (Spanish and Biology, ’17) of the Compendium aromatariorum, a handbook on the apothecary’s craft by Saladino Ferro D’Ascoli (Italy, 15th century). It also contains an extensive glossary of pharmaceutical, herbal and medical terms researched and organized by Clara Miller-Broomfield (romance language, ’17) and a Latin edition that was transcribed from one of the earliest printed editions (1495) by Jordan Noland (classical studies, ’17). All three researchers received generous support from Truman’s Office of Student Research in the form of Grants-in-Aid or TruScholars scholarships, along with mentoring from Matthew Tornatore, professor of foreign languages, and Capuano.

Barry Poyner, professor of communication, will have his paper “A Proto-theory for Understanding and Appreciating American Midwestern Public Address,” published in the Speech and Theatre Association of Missouri (STAM) Journal in September. This same paper will be presented at the Midwest Popular Culture Association/Midwest American Culture Association Annual Conference, Oct. 19, in St. Louis.

Antonio Scuderi, professor of Italian, published “Coercion, Rapture and Delusion: Why Dario Fo’s ‘Accidental Death of an Anarchist’ Is Still Relevant Today,” in a special edition of Spunti e Ricerche, dedicated to Dario Fo and Franca Rame, Vol. 31, pp 114-22.

Óscar Sendón, assistant professor of Spanish, had his article, “La relación militar de un hombre sin alma: Alonso de Contreras frente al proceso civilizador,” published in issue 179 of Hispanófila. The article reflects on the autobiography of Alonso de Contreras, a 17th-century Spanish soldier.

The Gilman Scholarship Program is open to U.S. citizen undergraduate students who are receiving Federal Pell Grant funding at a two-year or four-year college or university to participate in study and intern abroad programs worldwide.

Student Sydnie Russian studied abroad in Russia during the spring 2017 semester with the Gilman Scholarship. She will be available throughout the semester to help interested students learn about and apply for the scholarship.

Gilman Advisor Sessions
12:30-1:30 p.m.
Student Union Building
Aug. 28
Sept. 11
Sept. 25
Oct. 9
Oct. 23
Nov. 6
Nov. 20
Dec. 4
Dec. 18

Sydnie Russian takes a picture outside the Kremlin. She studied abroad on a Gilman Scholarship in the spring. During the fall she will be available to interested students apply for the Scholarship.

Applications for the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation’s German Chancellor Fellowship are now open. The German Chancellor Fellowship allows recent university graduates to spend one year conducting a project of their design with the host of their choice in Germany. The project can be in any field, but should be research-based and create a positive social impact. Benefits include full financial support, a language course and a study tour culminating with meeting Chancellor Angela Merkel. For more information on the German Chancellor Fellowship and application process, visit humboldt-foundation.de/web/german-chancellor-fellowship.html. Applications are due Sept. 15.