Vol. 9 No. 21 - Feb. 15, 2005

Truman’s fifth annual University Conference will take place from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Feb. 16. “Liberal Education and Civic Engagement” is the theme for the day.

Faculty and staff will attend discipline action plan meetings and staff meetings from 8-9:45 a.m. in each division’s designated location. Registration for all others participating in the conference or for those who have not pre-registered will be from 9:30-10 a.m., in the Baldwin Hall Lobby.

University President Barbara Dixon will offer a welcome and introductory remarks at 10 a.m., in the Baldwin Auditorium. Following this, Donald Harward will give the keynote address and Baldwin Lecture on liberal arts and democracy. This is the first time that the Baldwin Lecture has taken place during the University Conference. Harward is a senior fellow with the AAC&U for Liberal Arts and Civic Engagement. He served as the president of Bates College in Lewiston, Maine, until 2002, and was recently named a president emeritus. Harward is a frequent consultant to professional discussions involving institutional planning, research and liberal education, service learning, education and civic engagement as well as the financing of higher education.

After the Baldwin Lecture, the first breakout sessions will begin at 11:30 a.m. Students, faculty and staff can choose to attend discussions related to a variety of educational topics. See http://vpaa.truman.edu/communications/universityconference/2005/breakout.pdf for a complete listing of the session topics, locations and facilitators.

A buffet lunch is scheduled at 12:15 p.m., in the Student Union Building Georgian Room following the first sessions. A reservation is required for the luncheon.

From 1-1:45 p.m., Harward will give a follow-up speech on “Liberal Arts Citizenship at Truman,” in the Student Union Building.

All conference participants are invited to the Technology Fair in the afternoon on the day of the conference. See Page 2 for more information about items on display at the Tech Fair, which will take place from 1-4 p.m. in the Student Union Building Alumni Room.

The second and third breakout sessions will be from 2-2:45 p.m., and 3-3:45 p.m. respectively.

Finally, faculty, staff and students will have an opportunity to socialize and reflect on the day’s activities at “Coming Together as a Community.” This culminating discussion will be from 4-4:30 p.m., in the Student Union Building Down Under.

The Teaching/Learning Technology Roundtable will sponsor the Third Annual Technology Fair on the afternoon of the University Conference. All members of the Truman community are invited to the Tech Fair, which will take place from 1-4 p.m., Feb. 16, in the Student Union Building Alumni Room. The purpose of the event is to provide insight on ways of integrating technology into the teaching and learning process.

Submissions to the TruTech Challenge will be on display at the fair along with some of the new services available from Pickler Memorial Library, such as the Research Assistance Program and new databases. Visitors can see and learn about a range of topics including ways that members of the Truman community have used technology to serve the community, graphical enhancements students have made to a statistical software package, the LAS Portfolio Project’s move to an electronic format, opportunities to use free software in courses and projects one can undertake in the TLTC, among others. Additionally, the Registrar’s Office will do a demo on the new Banner features.

The two grand prize Dell X50v PDAs will also be awarded to the winners of the TruTech Challenge.

Contact Chad Mohler at chmohler@truman.edu for more information on the fair.

Forty pre-collegiate piano players will perform at the 22nd Annual Piano Festival Feb. 18-19. The pianists will be auditioning for cash prizes and scholarships including the full-ride Truman Piano Fellowship Award. They have been invited to the final round of competition by piano faculty.

Sponsored by the Division of Fine Arts, their performances are open to the public free of charge. The concerts begin at 8:30 a.m., Feb. 19, in the Baldwin Auditorium and in the Ophelia Parrish Performance Hall.

Guest Artist Tatiana Ioudenitch from Park University (Parkville, Mo.) will also perform at the festival. Ioudenitch is a graduate of the Uspensky School of Music in Uzbekistan and the Saratov State Conservatory in Russia. She will present a solo recital at 8 p.m., Feb. 18, in the Ophelia Parrish Performance Hall, that features the Shostakovich Op. 34 Preludes, Mozart Sonata K. 311 and the Bach-Busoni Chaconne.

Additionally, Ioudenitch will conduct a master class with Truman piano majors Ryan Huber and Matt Safley at 3:30 p.m., Feb. 19, in the same location. All are welcome to attend her recital and workshop.

For more information about the piano festival, contact David McKamie at 785.4405 or e-mail dmckamie@truman.edu.

Several health-wise activities are coming to campus Feb. 16-24, in celebration of the Health Awareness Fair. The Nursing Students Association, Phi Epsilon Kappa and Sigma Alpha Iota are sponsoring different events to encourage members of the campus community to be more aware of their overall health.

Speaker Bobbe White will give her talk, “Try Laughter-Just for the Health of It” at 6 p.m., Feb. 16, in the Baldwin Auditorium. White will discuss how laughter can be used to relieve stress. Her unique approach to health has been covered in various publications from the New York Times to TV Tokyo.

The Health Awareness Fair will be from 1-6 p.m., Feb. 17, in the Student Recreation Center Multipurpose Gym. This year’s theme is “Sound Mind, Strong Body.” There will be blood pressure, mental health, bone density and hearing screenings. Other booths include mini massage, acupuncture, chiropractic manipulations and more. All of the screenings and booths are free to to the public.

Additionally, free HIV testing will be available to all from 1-6 p.m., Feb. 24, in the Student Union Building Activities Room.

For more information on any of the Health Awareness events, contact Carissa Allen at 665.6659.

Truman State University’s Division of Fine Arts presents the musical “Cabaret” by John Kander and Fred Ebb, directed by Lee Orchard. The show will be at 2 p.m., Feb. 27, 8 p.m., Feb. 28 and 8 p.m., March 2-4, in the Ophelia Parrish Courtyard Theatre.

“Cabaret” is a Tony award-winning musical set in Berlin, Germany, at the dawn of the Nazi takeover. A dark musical drama blending tragedy and comedy, “Cabaret” captures the heightened decadence that had taken root in Berlin prior to Hitler’s uprising. The show’s socially critical commentary speaks as much to America’s contemporary culture as to the society that lived during the Nazi invasion.

Featuring vaudevillian jazz music and a theatre that has been transformed into a nightclub setting, Truman’s production of “Cabaret” promises to be a lively and interactive theatrical event.

Tickets are $5 and may be reserved or purchased in advance at the Ophelia Parrish box office. Limited special seating is also available for $10.

For details or further information on the show, call the Ophelia Parrish box office at 785.4515. Due to the graphic content, this production is not recommended for children.

Truman’s Forensic Union dominated the competition at the first Washburn Capital Classic invitational tournament Feb. 5-6, in Topeka, Kan. The team took first in overall sweepstakes, placed six competitors in speech elimination rounds and composed half the field in parliamentary debate elimination rounds.

Truman out-performed representatives from the University of Nebraska (Lincoln and Omaha campuses), Drury University (Springfield), CMSU (Warrensburg), Northwest Missouri State (Maryville) and Nebraska Wesleyan (Lincoln).

In individual events, freshman communication major Heather Timmerman from Hillsboro, Mo., won the tournament championship in program oral interpretation while freshman political science and economics double major Matthew Snyder from Neosho, Mo., placed second in both impromptu speaking and extemporaneous speaking. Ryan Walsh, senior philosophy and religion and communication double major from Cassville, Mo., also placed second in after dinner speaking, and Elizabeth Hobbs, junior biology major from Newton, Kan., earned fourth place for extemporaneous and informative speaking.

In parliamentary debate, freshman chemistry major Dylan Rothermel from Homewood, Ill., and junior biology major Meghana Kunkala from Hattiesburg, Miss., reached the final round.

Seven Truman students were ranked among the top 10 speakers at the tournament with Hobbs finishing first.

The Forensic Union next travels to the Missouri State Championships in Columbia, Mo.

The Association of Black Collegians and FAC are bringing licensed clinical psychologist and speaker Shikana Temille Porter to campus. Porter will give her inspirational talk, “From Routes to Roots,” at 6 p.m., Feb. 21, in the Student Union Building Alumni Room.

Porter is director of psychology training at Saint John's Child and Family Development Center in Santa Monica, Calif.

She received her bachelor's degree in psychology from San Diego State University and her master's degree in clinical psychology from the California School of Professional Psychology, San Diego. She earned her doctorate in clinical psychology from the same institution.

Contact Patience Rhodes at 627.5512 for more information.

Truman State University will convene a Universitywide Celebration of Student Research, Scholarship and Creative Achievement April 14. The annual Student Research Conference represents the 18th Annual Undergraduate Research Conference and the 3rd Graduate Research Conference, and these will be united in a cohesive program.

Students from all academic disciplines and divisions are invited and encouraged to present their scholarly or creative work. Scheduled classes will not meet during the day on April 14, and it is hoped that faculty will formally integrate the event into course schedules and syllabi by incorporating relevant assignments.

The deadline for online abstract submissions is Feb. 18. Detailed information about presentation options, eligible projects, faculty mentor requirements and much more is available at the conference Web site http://src.truman.edu.

8-9:45 a.m.
Discipline Action Plan and Staff Meetings

9:30-10 a.m.
Registration
Baldwin Hall Lobby

10-10:15 a.m.
Welcome and Introduction
Baldwin Auditorium
President Barbara Dixon

10:15-11:15 a.m.
Opening Plenary Session and Baldwin Lecture
Baldwin Auditorium
Donald Harward

11:30 a.m.-12:15 p.m.
Breakout Session I

12:15-1 p.m.
Lunch Buffet
SUB Georgian Room

1-1:45 p.m.
Follow-Up by Harward on “Liberal Arts Citizenship at Truman”
SUB Georgian Room

1-4 p.m.
Technology Fair
SUB Alumni Room

2-2:45 p.m.
Breakout Session II

3-3:45 p.m.
Breakout Session III

4-4:30 p.m.
Coming Together
SUB Down Under

There will be no daytime classes Feb. 16, so Truman community members can attend the University Conference. Evening classes will meet.

The physics department is presenting a series of five public lectures in celebration of the World Year of Physics 2005 and the 100th anniversary of Albert Einstein’s “Miracle Year.”

Each hour-long talk is appropriate for a general audience and will be followed by refreshments.

“Light Quanta: A Worldview”
Michael Goggin, lecturer
7:30 p.m.
Feb. 15
Violette Hall 1000

“Brownian Motion”
Ken Hahn, lecturer
7:30 p.m.
Feb. 22
SUB Activities Room

For more information, visit http://physics.truman.edu or call Matt Beaky at 785.4594.

provided by Beta Alpha Psi

8 a.m.-3 p.m.
Feb. 19
Violette Hall 1424

The entire community is able to use these services. See http://bap.truman.edu for more information.

Sponsored by the Multicultural Affairs Center, RCP, Association of Black Collegians, African Student Organization, Kappa Psi Fraternity Inc., Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc. and Phi Mu Alpha

Feb. 18
Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc. “Knowledge Bowl”
7 p.m.
SUB Alumni Room

Feb. 21
"From Routes to Roots"
6 p.m.
Student Union Building Alumni Room

Feb. 25
Race Identity and Experiences Across the Black World
7 p.m.
Volette Hall 1000

Feb. 26
37th Annual Jazz Festival
7:30 p.m.
Baldwin Auditorium

Feb. 27
Sights & Sounds of Africa
4-7 p.m.
Student Union Building Activities Room

New this year! Participation in the Faculty & Staff Campaign qualifies you for a chance to win a parking space of your own until Dec. 31, 2005. Log on to http://isupport.truman.edu for more information and links to popular funds, new funds and details about the Foundation accounts to which you can give.

As of Feb. 14, the Faculty & Staff Campaign has reached 41 percent participation and $46,446 toward the 2005 goals of 60 percent and $90,000.

Career Expo

1-5 p.m.

March 1

Student Union Building.

 

Now is the time to start preparing. 

 

One way to begin to do this is to look at the list of organizations attending Expo which students can find by looking at the Career Center Web site, http://career.truman.edu and then clicking on the Expo link. There students will find information regarding other tips on how they can prepare and make a great impression on the employers at Expo. 

 

Students can bring their resume by for a critique or take part in a mock interview to practice their skills. The last day to upload resumes to apply for jobs at Expo is Feb. 20. 

 

Students may come by the Career Center or call 785.4353 if they have any questions.

The True Men a cappella group placed third at the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella contest Feb. 5, in Champaign, Ill. The group also received the best choreography award. They will compete in the semi-finals Feb. 19 in Madison, Wis.

Mark Spitzer, assistant professor of English, had his poem “Winding Down Through Wolf Pass” accepted for publication in The Cimarron Review. Also, his poems “Meeting a Creature on My List” and “Dumb Mistake” were accepted for publication in The Kennesaw Review.

The 2005-2006 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is available on the Web at http://www.fafsa.ed.gov.  Apply soon to be considered for all available federal and state funds. Contact the Financial Aid Office, MC 103, 785.4130, if you have questions.

The University Wellness Program in cooperation with the staff of the Student Health Center will be offering blood pressure, cholesterol, glucose, prostate and thyroid screening for faculty, staff and spouses at the Student Health Center in February. This service is provided free to all who are covered by the University’s health insurance plan subject to restrictions. The screenings will take place from 7:30-9 a.m., Feb. 15-16, and Feb. 22, at the Student Health Center. No appointment is required but participants must fast 12 hours before the screening. Faculty and staff should bring their Banner IDs. Call the Student Health Center for more details at 785.4182 or Curt Devan, director of Human Resources, at 785.7298.

The online application deadline for the Summer Undergraduate Research Experience-Science and Mathematics Talent Expansion Program is Feb. 15. Visit http://step.truman.edu for more information.

The Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance (FMLA) will be having an informational meeting at 6 p.m., Feb. 15, in OP 2121.

The Truman Art of Living Club is offering a week-long Basic Yoga Course Feb. 17-25. All faculty, staff and students are invited to an introductory registration meeting at 7 p.m., Feb. 15, in BH 350. For more information on class times, call Kristen Haley at 665.4812 or Lloyd Pflueger at 785.4056.

Pick up an application now in the CSI for the 2005 Homecoming Committee. Completed forms are due at 4 p.m., Feb. 16, in the CSI.

The Bulldog football recruits will be available from noon-1 p.m., Feb. 18, in the SUB Georgian Room. Those who want to attend may purchase their lunch in Mainstreet Market and then watch video clips of the new players as well as a presentation by Shannon Currier, Truman’s football head coach. Call 785.4252 for more information.

The Staff Development and Recognition Committee invites staff members to hear Mark Gambaiana, vice president for University advancement, speak about the Advancement Office at 10 a.m., Feb. 21, in the SUB Governors Room. Staff members should R.S.V.P. to Human Resources at 785.4031 by Feb. 18.

Students interested in teaching conversational English in China next year should attend an informational meeting at 7 p.m., Feb. 24, in VH 2351. The experience is offered as a 12-hour internship. Contact Amy Peebles at apeebles@truman.edu or Tim Farley at tfarley@truman.edu for more information.

The University Observatory will be open to the public from 8-10 p.m., Feb. 24 weather permitting.

Omega Delta Kappa Student Hall of Fame nomination forms are available in the Center for Student Involvement and division offices. Any faculty, staff or student can nominate an outstanding senior for the award, which will be announced at the Leadership Recognition Night. Applications are due in the ODK mailbox Feb. 25. Contact Lukin T. Murphy at 785.7143 for more information.

MAE and Counseling students interested in a 2005-2006 full-year Teacher of Record Internship in a metropolitan area are invited to attend an informational field trip to Kansas City 74 School District in Kansas City, Mo. Transportation will leave at 7 a.m., March 3, from the Public Safety Building and return at 6 p.m. Internships in the program include a full first-year teacher salary, on-site mentoring and coaching and beautiful living accommodations at a reduced cost. Students accepted into the program must make a two-year commitment to teach in the Kansas City 74 District. To reserve a spot by Feb. 25, stop by the Education Division Office in VH 2300 or call 785.4383. For more information, call Dale Blesz at 785.4398.

The second basketball “Spiritfest” will be at noon, Feb. 26, in the RH Main Lounge. The theme is “Paint Pershing Purple.” Enjoy free purple food, music, games and fun with Spike the Bulldog. The first 100 guest get a free foam paw.

The Truman Volleyball Banquet, honoring the 2004 national runner-up team, will begin with a social at 6 p.m., Feb. 26. A dinner and program will follow. Cost is $12 per person or $5.50 for those 10 and under. Children three and under are free. For more information or to R.S.V.P., call the Volleyball Office at 785.4468 or e-mail clundy@truman.edu.

The Center for International Education Abroad is sponsoring a Study Abroad Fair Feb. 28. Directors from host institutions abroad as well as Truman faculty will be available to discuss their programs with students from 10 a.m. to noon and 1:30-3:30 p.m. on the first floor of Kirk Building.

The Graduate English Organization is accepting submissions for its second annual Environmental Studies Conference April 21-22. Abstracts of 200-600 words are due March 11. E-mail laurenr@truman.edu for more information on the conference.

The Brashear Elementary After-School Program needs Truman students, faculty and staff to share their knowledge and talents with elementary students. This could be done through hands-on activities, displays, interactive presentations, performances or any other creative method in the form of a one-time or sequence of events or on a regular basis. Interested parties should contact Jenny Pawlowski at jenny_pawlowski@brashear.k12.mo.us.

The Adair County Juvenile Office is looking for individuals to work with youth as a part of their mentoring program. For more information on this opportunity, stop by the SERVE Center or e-mail Staci at staci.eleazarraraz@courts.mo.gov.

Student Senate Housing Guides are now available in the Senate Office free of charge for students.

Phi Epsilon Kappa is now selling Bulldog wristbands. Contact Abby Souders at abbysouders@truman.edu to place an order. Individual wristbands cost $1 a piece.