Vol. 13, No. 15 - Dec. 9, 2008

Robert Stein, Missouri’s Commissioner of Higher Education, will be the speaker for the 2008 December Commencement ceremony. The ceremony will take place at 11 a.m. Dec. 13 in Pershing Arena.

Stein has held his current position for the past two years, and for 20 years before that he worked with the Missouri Department of Higher Education (MDHE).

Prior to joining the MDHE, Stein served in faculty and administrative roles at the University of Northern Colorado, including department chair, Interim Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs.

He is professor emeritus from the University of Northern Colorado and is actively involved in local, state and national groups championing the benefits of higher education, providing leadership in Missouri for the development of state policies, and promoting initiatives designed to improve student learning and success in postsecondary education.

Stein received a bachelor’s degree in sociology and philosophy from Beloit College in 1964 and went on to earn his master’s and Ph.D. in sociology from Vanderbilt University.

Students are encouraged to submit their research projects for the 22nd annual Student Research Conference, which will take place April 7, 2009.

The conference celebrates students’ research, scholarship and creative achievement in all disciplines. Students in all departments are invited and encouraged to present their scholarly or creative work.

Students who want to present their research should prepare an abstract, which they will submit online at http://src.truman.edu. The submission site will be open at the beginning of the spring semester and the deadline for submitting abstracts is Feb. 6.

Along with the many student presentations, the day will feature a conference-wide plenary address delivered by Salima Ikram, professor of Egyptology at the American University of Cairo and a world-renowned expert in mummies, both human and animal.

Scheduled classes will not formally meet during the day of the conference, thereby providing the opportunity for all students and faculty members to attend and fully participate.

In addition to the Student Research Conference, Truman has a long tradition of providing grants for independent undergraduate research. The grants provide students with $2,000 to pursue investigative, creative and scholarly activities over the summer.

More than 40 undergraduate research stipends are available to students in any year in all departments, but in order to receive a stipend, students are required to present at the Student Research Conference the year following their research.

Grant projects should be original and promote independent work by the student.

The deadline to apply for stipends for the 2009 summer program is Feb. 6. Guidelines for application are available at http://research.truman.edu/Student%20Research%20Grant%20Guidelines2009.pdf.

For more information about the Student Research Conference or the undergraduate research stipends, please contact Sara Orel, professor of art history, at orel@truman.edu or 785.4419.

The Truman chapter of Phi Kappa Phi organized an educational supplies drive for nine Head Start centers in need in the surrounding community.

Head Start provides early childhood education programs and family and child development activities for children who meet the eligibility requirements. While the Centers do receive financial support from both federal and state sources, the level of funding has stayed the same for several years while the cost of supplies has continued to increase.


Phi Kappa Phi collected more than 600 packages of supplies, for a total exceeding 21,600 items, and more than $65 in cash donations for the nine Head Start centers, which serve five counties in northeast Missouri.

Mary Lee Bailey, Head Start director of family and community development, said the drive impacted positively, “the quality of life of 252 area children during the most formative period of their lives.”  

The drive was organized by Phi Kappa Phi student vice president K. Lee Raby and faculty/staff vice president Teresa Heckert.

The Washington Center (TWC) for Internships and Academic Seminars is offering several internship opportunities for the summer of 2009.

Students are encouraged to apply for the Summer 2009 Department of Defense (DoD) Internship Program as well as summer internships in Washington, D.C., London, Oxford, Quebec City or Sydney. To be eligible for any of the internships applicants must be a junior or senior with a GPA of at least 3.0. All majors are welcome for the internships in Washington, D.C., or abroad, while business, economics, computer science and mathematics/statistics majors are encouraged to apply for the DoD internship program.

The DoD internship program is a highly competitive, full-time internship program. Students will receive a weekly stipend over the 10-week summer term. If students choose to receive academic credit through Truman, they are required to complete additional academic requirements. The deadline for the DoD internship application is Jan. 15.

For the internships in Washington, D.C., and abroad, a pre-application process is conducted at Truman and the deadline for submitting application forms and letters of recommendation is Jan. 23. If the Truman advisory board determines the applicant eligible to participate in the program, a completed application must be submitted to TWC by Feb. 2 to ensure the participant is able to compete for financial assistance from TWC.

To begin the application process, students should contact Diane Johnson at djohnson@truman.edu or 785.7852 before Dec. 12 for the DoD internship and before Jan. 15 for the Washington, D.C., and abroad internships.

The Truman in Washington Program offers assistance to all students who wish to pursue non-credit opportunities in Washington, D.C.

The School of Business and Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) recently announced the winners of the Go Green YouTube competition that took place during Global Entrepreneurship Week Nov. 17-21.

Sophomores Erika Halsey and Colleen McCarthy won first place and the cash prize of $750. Seniors Kyle Schemmer, Seth Howdeshell, Christopher Hassett, Brianna Wagner, Mike Merritt and sophomore Andrew Simpson took second place and won $500. Junior Dan Heagney came in third and took home $250.

In this competition, participants were asked to create an effective, creative and persuasive video that motivates and encourages others to take part in environmentally sustainable practices. The video also had to be centered around the Go Green theme.

Videos were uploaded to YouTube by Nov. 17 and judged on Nov. 21.

Full-time juniors and seniors are invited to enter The Elie Wiesel Prize in Ethics Essay Contest and compete for $10,000 in prizes. Students are required to have a professor review his or her essay and sign the Contest Entry Form. Deadline to enter the contest is Dec. 19. For further information and required forms, please visit their website at http://www.eliewieselfoundation.org.

Truman State University Foundation Study Abroad Scholarship Applications are now available in the Center for International Education (CIE) office in Kirk Building 114. Ten $1,500 scholarships will be awarded for summer 2009 faculty-led Truman study abroad programs based on financial need, statement of purpose and academic achievement. Applications are due in the CIE office by 12 p.m. Jan. 23, 2009 and recipients will be notified by the end of February.

Finals Week
Dec. 8-10        9 a.m.-11 p.m.
Dec. 11-12      9 a.m.-7 p.m.

Winter Interim
Dec. 13-14      closed
Dec. 15-19      11 a.m.-2 p.m.
Dec. 20-21      closed
Dec. 22-23      11 a.m.-2 p.m.
Dec. 24-Jan. 4  closed
Jan. 5-9            11 a.m.-2 p.m.
Jan. 10            closed
Jan. 11            11 a.m.-7 p.m.

Students who are interested in being student advisers for the 2009-2010 school year should apply online at http://reslife.truman.edu by 5 p.m. Jan. 23.

Activity: Co-Rec Basketball
Division: Open
Deadline: Jan. 20
Captain's Meeting: Jan, 22
Play Begins: Jan. 26

Activity: Basketball
Division: Open/Org/Greek
Deadline: Jan. 20
Captain's Meeting: Jan. 22
Play Begins: Jan. 26

Activity: Badminton
Division: Open
Deadline: Jan. 26
Captain's Meeting: Jan. 29
Play Begins: Jan. 31 & Feb. 7

Activity: Racquetball-Singles
Division: Open/Org/Greek
Deadline: Jan. 26
Captain's Meeting: Jan. 29
Play Begins: Feb. 2

Activity: Super Bowl Pickem
Division: Open
Deadline: Jan. 30
Captain's Meeting: NA
Play Begins: Feb. 1

Activity: Racquetball-Doubles
Division: Open/Org/Greek
Deadline: Feb. 9
Captain's Meeting: Feb. 16
Play Begins: Feb. 2

Activity: Taboo
Division: Open
Deadline: Feb. 16
Captain's Meeting: NA
Play Begins: Feb. 22

Activity: Cranium
Division: Open
Deadline: Feb. 23
Captain's Meeting: NA
Play Begins: Mar. 1

Activity: Volleyball
Division: Open/Org/Greek
Deadline: Feb. 23
Captain's Meeting: Mar. 4
Play Begins: Mar. 16

Activity: Co-Rec Volleyball
Division: Open
Deadline: Feb. 23
Captain's Meeting: Mar. 4
Play Begins: Mar. 16

Activity: Bowling*
Division: Open/Org/Greek
Deadline: Mar. 2
Captain's Meeting: Mar. 4
Play Begins: Mar. 16

Activity: Closest to the Pin
Division: Open/Org/Greek
Deadline: Mar. 2
Captain's Meeting: NA
Play Begins: TBA

Activity: Outdoor Soccer
Division: Open/Org/Greek
Deadline: Mar. 18
Captain's Meeting: Mar. 19
Play Begins: Mar. 23

Activity: Sports Trivia
Division: Open
Deadline: Mar. 23
Captain's Meeting: NA
Play Begins: Mar. 29

Activity: Ultimate Frisbee
Division: Open
Deadline: Apr. 6
Captain's Meeting: Apr. 9
Play Begins: Apr. 11-12

Activity: Punt, Pass & Kick
Division: Open/Org/Greek
Deadline: Apr. 14
Captain's Meeting: Apr. 16
Play Begins: Apr. 22

Activity: Swim Meet
Division: Open/Org/Greek
Deadline: Apr. 14
Captain's Meeting: Apr. 16
Play Begins: Apr. 23

Activity: Bench Press
Division: Open/Org/Greek
Deadline: Apr. 20
Captain's Meeting: Apr. 23
Play Begins: Apr. 28

Activity: Track Meet
Division: Open/Org/Greek
Deadline: Apr. 20
Captain's Meeting: Apr. 23
Play Begins: Apr. 30

Activity: Mud Fest
Division: Open
Deadline: Apr. 27
Captain's Meeting: Apr. 30
Play Begins: May 2

Activity: T-shirt Design Contest
Division: Open
Deadline: Apr. 30
Captain's Meeting: NA
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. *Small fee could be required.

Ralph Cupelli, assistant to the provost and vice president for academic affairs, received the Edgar Ewing Brandon Outstanding Adviser Award for 2007-2008 from Phi Kappa Tau fraternity. Cupelli, adviser to the Truman Phi Kappa Tau chapter, is the only adviser in the history of the fraternity to receive the national award twice.

USMED will sponsor a Holiday Bellydance Show at 7 p.m. Dec. 9 in the Down Under of the Student Union Building. Tickets are $1.

The Truman Bookstore presents Faculty Staff Appreciation Days Dec. 15-16. Faculty and staff are encouraged to stop by the bookstore for specials. Also, new publications by faculty, including “Dieppe Crossing” by Betty McLane-Iles, “American Ethnic History” by Jason McDonald and “Plutonic Sonnets” by Robert Graber, will be showcased and book signings will take place from 1-2 p.m. Dec. 16. Call 785.4211 to reserve copies.

The Center for Teaching and Learning will host Tips for the Peer Review of Teaching at 1 p.m. Dec. 18 in Pickler Memorial Library 205. Suitable for department chairs only. How to conduct a peer review of live teaching performance and how to peer review syllabi will be addressed.

The French Government is seeking applicants ages 20-30 to work as teaching assistants in English at secondary public schools in France. Applications will be accepted in Washington, D.C., until late January in 2009. Details are online at http://www.frenchculture.org, under the education menu. Contact Gregg Siewert, professor of French, at gsiewert@truman.edu for more information.

The Center for Teaching and Learning will host the Promotion and Tenure Portfolio Blitz from 9 a.m.-12 p.m. Jan. 6-7, 2009 in Pickler Memorial Library 205. Suitable for all faculty and instructional staff undergoing promotion, tenure review, or formative review processes. Register for both days at http://tctl.truman.edu/register and visit http://tctl.truman.edu/facultySupport/Programs/Winter2009PromTenBlitz.htm for more information.

The Student Activities Board presents Tuesday Night Trivia Series, A Lovely Night for Trivia, at 7 p.m. Feb. 10, 2009 in the Student Union Building Down Under. Free food and drinks will be provided and prizes will be awarded to the first place winner.

Students have an opportunity to spend two weeks in Hong Kong and Shuizhai in a professional exchange setting during the May 2009 Interim or spend a semester abroad in Shuizhai assisting English teachers. For details e-mail Janice Grow at jgrow@truman.edu.

Due to the winter break, this will be the last Truman Today of the semester. The Truman Today will resume the week of Jan. 12.