Vol. 14, No. 7 - Oct. 13, 2009

For more than four decades, Cousteau has used his vast experience to communicate his love and concern for the earth and its water with people of all nations and generations.

Cousteau is an impassioned spokesman and diplomat for the environment, and he reaches out to the public through a variety of media. He has produced more than 70 films and has received numerous awards: the Emmy, the Peabody Award, the 7 d’Or (the French equivalent of the Emmy) and the Cable ACE Award.

In addition to his awards for film, his book, “Jean-Michel Cousteau’s America’s Underwater Treasures,” has received two prestigious awards in the independent publishing world, the 2008 Benjamin Franklin Bill Fisher Award for Best First Book (Non-Fiction) and the 2008 IPPY Gold Medal Award for best book in the environment/ecology/nature category.

Acting on a childhood dream to build cities under the sea, Cousteau pursued a degree in architecture and graduated from the Paris School of Architecture in 1964. Recently, he has worked with the Jean-Michel Cousteau Fiji Islands Resort, designed to demonstrate an environmentally responsible and culturally appropriate ocean-oriented resort.

Tickets for Cousteau’s presentation go on sale Oct. 14. Students can pick up their free ticket by presenting a Truman ID at the Student Activities Board Box Office, located in the lower level of the Student Union Building. Faculty and staff may receive their free tickets by showing their Truman ID at the Information Center in the Student Union Building. General admission tickets cost $7 for adults and $4 for those 18 and under and may be purchased downtown at Edna Campbell’s or at the Truman Cashier’s Window in McClain Hall.

Area middle school students will be on campus Oct. 19 to shadow current Truman students and experience college life as part of the University’s new “Knowledge is Power” program.

Wendy Miner, chair of the Department of Education, along with Darl Davis, director of the Regional Professional Development Center (RPDC) applied for and received a Faculty Academic Initiative Grant through the Provost’s Office to support Knowledge is Power.

Knowledge is Power focuses on the promotion of higher education within the Milan and Green City school districts, specifically toward seventh grade students. The main goal is to assist students from low socio-economic backgrounds in realizing college is an option and to provide them with the tools and support in discovering the best option for the individual.

“We would love to see them come to Truman, but if they don’t, that’s fine. The program will still be successful,” Davis said.
Davis, who went through the Upward Bound program at Truman during high school, said he is just trying to give something back to the community.

“You see so many students with so much potential, but because of home or economic situations, they never go ahead and take advantage of continuing education,” he said.

The program will be hosting 65 to 75 students from Milan and Green City during an event Oct. 19 on campus. Senior Lisa Busalacki has spearheaded the event and is working with on-campus organizations to recruit volunteers.

The students will arrive at Truman at 9 a.m. when they will be divided into groups and given a tour of campus hitting four prime locations: a residence hall room, Stokes Stadium, the Student Recreation Center and the natatorium. The students will then be welcomed by Troy Paino, provost and vice president for academic affairs.

Truman volunteers and the Milan and Green City students filled out interest surveys allowing each volunteer to be paired with a student with like interests for the day. The students will shadow the volunteers for two hours while they experience a part of campus that pertains to their noted interests.

Popular requests were to visit the University Farm, the herpetology museum, the ROTC office and the radio station, among others. The day ends with lunch in one of the on-campus dining halls.

“To be able to show them that college is fun, and there are a lot of really awesome things you can do. I think it’s really important,” Busalacki said.

The Lincoln Bicentennial celebration moves toward its conclusion with the campus visit of David Para and Cathy Barton from Boonville, Mo., national figures in traditional American folk music. 

Their evening concert, “Songs of the Brothers’ War,” will provide an hour of partisan songs from the great crisis of Lincoln’s presidency, in Georgian Room B Oct. 19 from 7:30-8:30 p.m.

Following an intermission, attendees may dance to Barton and Para’s music for a second hour: circle, line, contra and square-dances, such as Lincoln and friends would have danced to during his prairie years, will be called by Bob Nothdurft until 10 p.m.

Para and Barton are husband and wife singer-songwriter-instrumentalists who are nationally and internationally known for their interpretations of American folk music. They perform regularly in several folk festivals around the country, they have appeared on the Grand Ole Opry, and they serve as artistic directors of the “Big Muddy Folk Festival” held each year in Boonville, Mo. This fall they’ll take a touring company, “Gumbo Bottoms,” to Washington, Mo., Nov. 21-22. Their last visit to Truman was at the 2003 state conference of the Missouri Folklore Society. Learn more at http://bartonpara.com.

Nothdurft, retired professor and occasional lecturer in physics, plays and sings with several bands and regularly calls local dances.

There will be no charge for either the concert or the folk-dance, thanks to the Schwengel endowment for Pickler’s Lincoln collection and the annual Lincoln Competitions in oratory, essay and art. For further information about the final events of the Lincoln Bicentennial on campus, go to http://Lincoln200.truman.edu.

An exhibit of artwork reflecting upon race and coinciding with the year of Lincoln’s bicentennial, will be on display from Oct. 20 through Nov. 20 in the Truman Art Gallery in Ophelia Parrish.

Entitled “American Race,” the exhibition features contemporary art conceived as a reflection on the bicentennial of Lincoln’s birth, which serves as the midpoint between the settlement of Jamestown and the inauguration of President Barack Obama.

Peter Fine, assistant professor of graphic design at New Mexico State University, and Aaron fine, associate professor of art and gallery director at Truman, curated the exhibit.

Featured artists include Aileen Bassis, N.J.; Robert Gerhardt, N.Y.; Darlynna John, La.; Chido Johnson, Mich.; Christina Marsh, Md.; Jacob Munoz, Texas; J. Thomas Pallas, Ill.; Terri Saul, Calif.; Paul Solomon, Mich.; and Jill Weisberg, Fla.

An opening reception for the exhibit will take place at 6 p.m. Oct. 20. In addition, a roundtable discussion on race will take place at place at 5:30 p.m. Oct. 27 in the gallery.      

The Department of Art and the Department of Society and Environment are presenting the events and exhibit, which have received generous support from the Schwengel Lincoln Fund and the Office of the Provost.

The Missouri Arts Council has also provided financial assistance.

All events are free and open to the public. For more information, please visit http://tsugallery.wordpress.com, or contact Aaron Fine at 785.5386 or afine@truman.edu.  

Truman State University has publicly launched a $30 million comprehensive fundraising campaign designed to generate private gift dollars to address high priorities of the University. The announcement of Truman’s first-ever fundraising campaign entitled “Bright Minds Bright Futures” was made by President Darrell W. Krueger and Campaign Chair Chuck Foudree at a press conference and alumni banquet during Homecoming 2009 festivities.
 
“This campaign will position Truman to fulfill its aspiration of becoming the nation’s premier public liberal arts and sciences university,” said Krueger. “Each priority is important to Truman’s future and will help provide margin of excellence resources that only private gifts can achieve.”


Campaign priorities were determined through a collaborative planning process that began in 2005 and included input from campus faculty and staff, from key University stakeholders, and all integrated with the University’s strategic plan. The key areas being supported through “Bright Minds Bright Futures” include:

Student Scholarships—$7.5 million for merit and need-based scholarships;
Student Enrichment and Academic Program Support—$7.5 million for academic programs and out-of-classroom student learning experiences;
Faculty Support—$2 million for endowed chairs, professorships and fellowships;
Athletics—$3 million for athletic facilities, programs and scholarships;
Legacy Gifts—$10 million in new deferred commitments through bequests.

The campaign’s $30 million goal includes $20 million in current gifts and multi-year pledges, and $10 million in future gift commitments as donors include the University in their estate plans.

Truman entered the advance gifts phase of the five-year campaign, designed to raise a significant portion of the goal prior to the public announcement, on July 1, 2006. To date, the campaign has received $18.61 million in gifts and commitments from 16,422 donors.

The campaign has already had a substantial impact on the lives of students. To date, a total of 104 new funds have been established, including 64 new scholarship funds. For 2009-2010 Truman is projecting to award $533,050 in scholarships to 551 students.

Several signature gift commitments have been secured, including a $2.87 million gift from the Holman family for study-abroad stipends, distinguished speaker series and graduate scholarships, and $1.5 million from Dr. Greg A. Gerhardt for a professorship in chemistry/biology and to create a summer research fellowship program.

“As I consider the future of Truman, we must ensure that future generations of students have the best possible educational experience to equip them for the challenges of our new global world,” said Foudree, campaign chair, 1966 alumnus and retired executive vice president of Harmon Industries in Blue Springs, Mo. “And private giving is the most effective and efficient way to provide the best students, faculty, programs and facilities for Truman to achieve its full potential.”

Foudree leads a campaign steering committee of 11 alumni and friends from across the country who will be overseeing the fundraising effort. The campaign’s honorary chair is Dr. Charles McClain, who served as University President from 1970-1989.

The initiative now enters its public phase, where regional campaigns have been established in Truman’s major markets, and all constituents will be asked to participate. More than 80 volunteers have been recruited to assist in the effort, which runs until the campaign concludes on June 30, 2011.

Ryan Gregg, who graduated from Truman in 1999 with a degree in art history, will return to campus for a public lecture and to meet with students. Since graduating from Truman, Gregg has worked at the Art Institute of Chicago, earned a master's degree from Virginia Commonwealth University, and received his Ph.D. in Italian Renaissance Art History from Johns Hopkins University. He currently teaches Art History at Webster University in St. Louis.

During his visit Gregg will meet with art history and other students as well as with the student club Art History Society. In addition, he will give a public lecture about his research, entitled “False Advertising in the Renaissance: Fabricating Military Architecture in Images of Siege Warfare,” at 6 p.m. Oct. 19 in Ophelia Parrish 2210. His presentation is free and open to the public.

Abstract for "False Advertising in the Renaissance":

It was common practice in the Renaissance to include a bird's-eye view of a city in images of warfare. Such images normally offered a recognizable portrait of the city. Occasionally, however, artists would alter or embellish a city's fortifications for propagandistic purposes. This paper, after first explaining how such city views were made, will discuss an example by the Florentine artist Giorgio Vasari of such fabrication, found in his painting in the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence celebrating Europe's 1532 defense of Vienna against the Islamic Ottoman Empire—a battle that never actually occurred.

 

As part of suicide prevention week, Bacchus and Gamma, a student group focused on promoting healthy behaviors, will sponsor speaker John Kevin Hines at 8 p.m. Oct. 22 in Baldwin Hall Auditorium.

Hines is one of 29 known survivors to have jumped from the Golden Gate Bridge in an attempt to end his life. In his presentation, he will discuss bipolar disorder, depression, suicide and survival.  

Admission to the presentation is free, and all in the Truman community are welcome to attend.

Other events throughout the week include planting bulbs to keep hope alive for those affected by suicide at 12:30 p.m. Oct. 19 in front of the University Counseling Services building. At 6 p.m. Oct. 20, UCS will sponsor QPR training in the Student Union Building Activities Room to help students talk to their peers about suicide. UCS will also sponsor a Depression Screening Day from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Oct. 23 in the Student Union Building Alumni Room.

Those concerned about someone struggling with suicidal thoughts, should contact UCS at 785.4014 or the National Suicide Hotline at 1.800.273. TALK.

For those interested in helping to plan future Bacchus and Gamma events, the group meets every Monday at 7 p.m. in Baldwin Hall 251.

For the third time this decade the National Debate Team of the United Kingdom will visit Truman as part of its annual tour of United States colleges and universities. 

They will challenge debaters from the Truman Forensic Union in an exhibition debate on the topic “Resolved: China represents more of a threat than an opportunity” at 7 p.m. Oct. 20 in the Ophelia Parrish Performance Hall. Admission is free and open to the public. 

The British recommended the topic, and they will affirm the resolution, as Truman’s debaters negate it.

The English Speaking Union in London selected the British debaters and the Committee for International Discussion and Debate (CIDD) of the National Communication Association is sponsoring the team. In total, the debaters are visiting 26 colleges, universities and high schools from mid-September to mid-November. Truman is one of three Missouri institutions the British will visit, including Washington University in St. Louis and Metropolitan Community College-Longview in Lee’s Summit.

The visiting debaters are Dan Bradley and Andrew Tuffin. As is customary in the United Kingdom, the debaters already hold graduate degrees.
 
Bradley, a former president of the Manchester Debating Union and the Northern and Midlands Debating Alliance, is in the process of submitting his thesis for a Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Manchester. He previously held an internship on climate change policy at the Houses of Parliament. Bradley said he “took up university debating after I became fed up of losing arguments in pubs to a friend who was Convener of Debates at Glasgow University.” Over the course of his Ph.D. he competed in more than 75 competitions, reaching the semi-finals of the World University Debating Championships, and was one of the top 10 speakers at the European Championships. 

Andrew Tuffin is as an active debater on the European universities’ debating circuit. He received a Master of Arts in Philosophy from King’s College, London, and also read history as an undergraduate at the University of Manchester. He took up debating two years ago because a broken foot had made him “a pretty ineffective member of the university hockey team.” Since then he has won inter-varsity tournaments, picked up individual speaker awards, and acted as the Chief Adjudicator at competitions on the British university circuit. He is also involved in the English Speaking Union’s High School debate program, which endeavors to broaden students’ horizons, build their confidence and, as Tuffin puts it, “teach them how to talk back to their teachers without getting into too much trouble.” Tuffin has previously worked as a teacher in India and Nepal.

Junior political science major, Sarah Backhaus (Liberty, Mo.) and sophomore political science major, Christian Johns (Carthage, Mo.) will represent Truman. Backhaus has represented Truman at three consecutive national championship tournaments, and Johns reached the sweet sixteen of the national tournament as a freshman last season. Both are having highly successful seasons this year, and both have already secured qualifications to the national championships in April.

The visiting team is sponsored by Pi Kappa Delta, a National Forensics Honor Society, with financial support from the Funds Allotment Council. The Truman Institute and faculty of the Department of Communication have provided logistical support. For more information on the event, contact Kevin Minch at kminch@truman.edu or 785.5384.  

 

The University and Community Relations Committee of Truman’s Staff Council is providing an opportunity for the campus to help local children who need warm outerwear for the approaching cold weather.

The annual “Head to Toe” drive will run from Oct. 21-28. The committee encourages donations of warm hats, scarves, gloves, mittens and boots.

Those wishing to donate can place items in the collection boxes located in the Student Union Building, the Career Center, Pickler Memorial Library, the Physical Plant Office in Kirk Building, the Barnett Hall lobby and the McClain Hall lobby.

For the last two years, Truman staff members have transported boxes and bags of winter wear to area schools so the items could be distributed to children in need. The committee does not accept monetary donations.

In addition, the Staff Council Committee now supports “Cold Turkey” smoking cessation classes. The classes are free and occur both on and off campus.

The on-campus classes will take place from 8-9 p.m. on Oct. 22, 29, Nov. 5, 12, 19, and Dec. 3 in Pershing 301. For more information about these classes, and the ones taking place off campus, e-mail ccox@truman.edu.

The Truman State University Foundation has announced that scholarship applications for Truman students in the Spring 2010 semester are now available.
   
Students may fill out and submit applications online. The applications are due by midnight Nov. 1. To learn more, go to http://www.truman.edu and click on Student Life/Money/Foundation Scholarships or visit https://secure.truman.edu/isupport-s/.  

The current application period is for Foundation Scholarships that have not yet been awarded for 2009-2010. Applications for the majority of Foundation Scholarships will be available in February for the 2010-2011 academic year.

Applications are also now available in the Center for International Education Office (CIE), located in Kirk Building 114, for the Truman State University Foundation Study Abroad Scholarships for the summer of 2010. Ten $1,500 scholarships will be awarded for summer, faculty-led Truman study abroad programs based on financial need, statement of purpose and academic achievement. These applications are due in the CIE office by 12 p.m. Jan. 29, 2010, and recipients will be notified by the end of February.

Since its creation in 1980, the Truman State University Foundation has provided an opportunity for thousands of alumni and friends to make an investment in students. The mission of the Foundation and Office of Advancement is to support the goals and activities of the University by nurturing viable relationships with external constituencies, obtaining financial support and serving as prudent financial stewards of the Foundation’s resources.

Activity: Table Tennis
Division: Open/Org/Greek
Deadline: Oct. 13
Captains’ Meeting: E-mail
Play Begins: Oct. 24

Activity: Basketball Pentathlon
Division: Open/Org/Greek
Deadline: Oct. 27
Captains’ Meeting: E-mail
Play Begins: Nov. 2

Activity: Texas Hold’em
Division: Open
Deadline: Nov. 3
Captains’ Meeting: E-mail
Play Begins: Nov. 8

Activity: 3 on 3 Basketball
Division: Open/Org/Greek
Deadline: Nov. 3
Captains’ Meeting: Nov. 5
Play Begins: Nov. 9

Activity: Pickelball
Division: Open/Org/Greek
Deadline: Nov. 3
Captains’ Meeting: Nov. 5
Play Begins: Nov. 9

Activity: Pitch
Division: Open
Deadline: Nov. 10
Captains’ Meeting: E-mail
Play Begins: Nov. 14

Activity: Billiards
Division: Open
Deadline: Nov. 10
Captains’ Meeting: E-mail
Play Begins: Nov. 15

Activity: Bench Press
Division: Open/Org/Greek
Deadline: Nov. 10
Captains’ Meeting: E-mail
Play Begins: Nov. 16

Activity: College Bowl Mania
Division: Open
Deadline: Finals Week
Captains’ Meeting: NA
Play Begins: Finals Week

Activity: Wrap Up Meeting
Division: Open/Org/Greek
Deadline: NA
Captains’ Meeting: Dec. 3
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.

Zhong (John) Ma, assistant professor of biology, Todd Hammond, professor of mathematics and computer science, along with their students Yu-yu Ren, a biology major and Bo Forrester, a math and computer science major, had their paper “A Computer-Assisted Mathematical Image Analysis Method for Quantifying Gravitropic Curvature in Plant Roots,” accepted for publication in the Journal of Interdisciplinary Mathematics. The research was supported by Truman’s grant from the National Science Foundation’s Interdisciplinary Training for Undergraduates in Biology and Mathematics Program under Grant No. 0436348, “Research-focused Learning Communities in Mathematical Biology,” and Grant No. 0337769, “Mathematical Biology Initiative.” The work also received valuable support from science machinist T.W. Sorrell and Truman undergraduate biology majors Allison Schafers, Jenna Landwehr, James Franklin and Jeremy Oliver.

Barbara Price, associate professor of English/English education, participated in the Iowa Council of Teachers of English conference in Des Moines, Iowa Oct. 1-2. Price and MAE student Chelsie Neufeld, who currently is completing her teaching internship in the St. Louis area, gave a presentation, “Multiple Voices/Reading and Writing Multigenre Texts.” Truman MAE students Kelly Dillon, Amanda Happy and Deana Judah also attended the conference.

Applications for the Missouri Government Internship at the Capitol in Jefferson City, Mo., are available in the Public Relations Office in McClain Hall 101 or online at http://career.truman.edu/Internships/mogovBrochure.asp.

The Center for Teaching and Learning’s Weekly Lunch Series continues at 12:30 p.m. Oct. 14 in the Student Union Building Spanish Room. The session will focus on advising and how to document in the new teacher-scholar promotion and tenure process. Rebecca Charles from the Registrar’s Office will explain the ins and outs of DegreeWorks.

The Local Foods Supper will take place from 7-9:30 p.m. Oct. 26 the Student Union Building Georgian Rooms A and B. The dinner will feature delicious local, seasonal foods (with vegetarian options), and will be also feature discussion tables.

The Agriculture Department is selling Bulldog Bistro Cookbooks for $10. Contact Michael Seipel at mseipel@truman.edu.