Vol. 14, No. 29 - April 20, 2010

Amy Schachner, a master of arts in education student from Hillsboro, Mo., has been selected for a Knowles Science Teaching Foundation Fellowship, created to support outstanding beginning teachers.


The KSTF is designed to cultivate and support exemplary science and mathematics high school teachers and develop the next generation of leaders in education. Specifically, the teaching fellowship aims to keep exceptional teachers in the profession by providing them with comprehensive professional development, mentoring and a community of peers.
  
Renewable for up to five years, the KSTF Fellowship provides tuition, monthly stipends and financial resources for the classroom, as well as travel and room and board expenses for three conferences a year.

“The fellowship is a great opportunity for me to continue on in professional development throughout my first five years of teaching,” Schachner said. “My hope is that the support I receive in KSTF will allow me to devote the time and energy I need to teach my students and give them the best education possible.”

Schachner is the first Truman student to receive this highly competitive fellowship. Her adviser, Susan LaGrassa, has been encouraging Truman students to apply for about three years, not only for financial reasons, but also for the opportunities it provides.

“The contacts she’ll make will allow her to do anything she wants to in the field,” LaGrassa said. “I suppose it is a little like winning the Tour de France. Not many people know about it, it is really hard to do, and when you do it, every door you could want to enter is opened for you.”

Schachner submitted her initial application in January. A few weeks later the applicants were narrowed down and participated in a 45-minute phone interview. Schachner was among the approximately 70 finalists invited to an interview weekend in Philadelphia March 12-13. She is one of only 11 mathematics fellowship recipients this year.

While Schachner has always enjoyed mathematics and teaching, she credits high school teacher Daniel Horridge with inspiring her.

“He was not only a great teacher who related the subject matter to his students well, but he also cared about us as unique individuals and gave us the respect we thought we deserved,” she said.

Schachner plans to teach high school mathematics starting in the fall.

The University Facebook page can now be accessed directly from the Truman home page.

Originally created by the Admissions Office as a way for prospective and incoming students to learn about the University, the Facebook page has now grown to include current students, alumni and friends of Truman.

Among the features on the Truman Facebook page are links to other University pages, including the Student Activities Board, Bulldog Athletics, the Truman Media Network and the National Alumni Association. Fans can find valuable information about upcoming events, athletics updates, alumni gatherings and recent Truman news articles.

Currently the page has nearly 5,200 fans, but site administrators are hoping to have 6,000 fans by graduation.

The Truman Facebook page can be accessed at http://www.facebook.com/trumanstateuniversity or through the University home page at http://www.truman.edu.

Clifton Kreps, chair of classical and modern languages, always envisioned a class that merged academics with performance.

So when the opportunity for Innovative Academic Initiative Grants was publicized, Kreps jumped at the chance to establish The Truman Blues Project, a class with three components: academics; composition and performance; and civic engagement.

In November 2008, The Truman Blues Project was announced as a recipient of the Innovative Academic Initiative Grants. The criteria for selection of the proposals were that the initiative must be innovative and creative, develop critical thinking and problem solving skills, be able to be implemented in the 2009-10 school year and have learning objectives. Also it must incorporate two or more of the following: involve more than one academic discipline and have global or international relevance, community-based research, service-learning, connection between the curricular and the co-curricular or civic engagement.

“I was happy when they funded it, but on the other hand, it was the beginning of the real work,” Kreps said. “I would say the implementation has been more difficult than even creating the proposal.”

Kreps said implementation included deciding how to list the class, selecting an appropriate classroom and scheduling the best time. From there, he worked on the structure of the course and filling in the gaps of his blues knowledge.

The Truman Blues Project began with its first class this spring semester. Students in the class have various musical backgrounds and abilities.

Hank Eddins, a student in the class, has been playing music on his own for the past several years.

“With this class, you’ve got a hugely varied skill-set between each member,” Eddins said. “The great thing about the blues, though, is its inherent simplicity. It creates a playing field where everyone can step in and play.”

The grant has allowed students to hold a clinic with musicians such as local artists Peter Rolnick and members of Blue Voodoo. The group also conducted a class with musician Charlie Love from Chicago and attended one of his performances. Additionally, the group is traveling to a B. B. King performance in Columbia and taking in the Round Barn Blues Festival in Kirksville.

Alex McKamie, a student in the Truman Blues Project, said he enjoyed the Charlie Love class.

“It was great to talk to someone who had been living the blues for almost his entire life,” McKamie said. “It was also great to see a group that had been playing with each other for so long that they made the blues look effortless.”

The academic component of the class involves the early history of the blues, an area in which Kreps said students are not always familiar.

To tie the history into the coursework, students are working on research projects involving some aspect of the blues, and will be giving presentations during class. Some participated in the Student Research Conference.

Student research topics range from the importance of the fiddle in early blues music and its influence on great blues musicians, to the semiotics of guitar playing and poetry of Skip James.

Kreps said he hopes to be able to teach the course again and establish the Blues Project as a permanent organization to build upon each year.

The Truman Institute invites alumni who yearn to recapture a few days of the college experience, teachers in need of some classroom enrichment ideas, or members of the community seeking a sampling of the liberal arts experience that Truman is known for, to the first annual Taste of Truman, June 11-13.

The Taste of Truman is an opportunity for lifelong learners to attend short lectures by some of Truman’s greatest professors.

All of the faculty who will teach in the Taste of Truman program have received, or been nominated for, one of the University’s three top teaching or advising honors: the Allen Fellowship, the Teacher of the Year Award or the Lee Advising Award.

Participants will choose from among two Extended Courses, which are classes that will meet for three hours each day June 11-12.

Additionally, participants will be able to select four Great Lectures from a set of eight classes to attend during the weekend.

Each Great Lecture lasts less than 90 minutes and focuses on a topic that is both near and dear to the professor lecturing but also of interest to a general audience.

Topics range from a sustainable environment, to dealing with health care providers, or exploring the joy and controversy of Christmas.

For $125, each Taste of Truman participant gets access to one Extended Course and four Great Lectures. They also get two continental breakfasts, two lunches and a graduation brunch.

Participants wanting to recapture some of the college experience can stay in Truman’s West Campus Suites for $34 per night (single occupancy) or $26 per night (double occupancy).

Due to the cost of meals and supplies, faculty and staff interested in attending all weekend events will also be charged $125.

Those wishing to sit-in on individual lectures can do so on a space-available basis by contacting the Truman Institute Office at 785.5384.

For more information or to register for Taste of Truman, visit http://institute.truman.edu/taste.asp.

Alpha Phi Omega is hosting a head shaving event for St. Baldrick’s Foundation at 11 a.m. May 1 in the Student Union Building Georgian Rooms.

Sixteen students have vowed to shave their heads in solidarity with children who lose their hair due to childhood cancers.

St. Baldrick’s Foundation now funds more in childhood cancer research grants than any organization except the U.S. government.

Since St. Baldrick’s Foundation was started in 2000, events have taken place in 24 countries and all 50 states, raising more than $74 million.

More than 130,000 volunteers have shaved their heads in solidarity of children with cancer, while requesting donations of support from friends and family.

So far, the shavees have raised more than $5,500 toward their $5,000 goal. One Truman student alone has raised more than $2,000 for St. Baldrick’s Foundation this year.

Those interested in shaving their head in support of St. Baldrick’s Foundation can either register online at http://www.stbaldricks.org or the during the event.

This year, schools with graduate degree programs across Missouri will be celebrating Graduate Education Week April 19-24. Graduate programs at Truman will be showcased each day of the week.

Graduate Student Appreciation Day, taking place April 21, includes lunch for graduate students from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. in the Student Union Building Down Under.

In 2006, 11 graduate deans jointly asked for a governor’s proclamation to establish the first Graduate Education Week in Missouri to promote public awareness about the impact and outcomes of graduate education. Check out Missouri’s Graduate Education Week website at http://www.gradedweek.org/indexnew.htm for more.

The William M. Reiss Foundation is offering scholarships to graduates of publicly supported high schools located within the city limits of Belleville, Ill. Official college transcripts are required and a copy of the Student Aid Report from the FASFA is recommended. Stop by the Financial Aid Office at McClain Hall 103 for more information on how to apply for this scholarship. Deadline to apply is May 1.

The John Gyles Education Awards are available each year to students in both Canada and the United States. They are the result of a private, benevolent endeavor established in 1990. Full Canadian or American citizenship is a requirement. Awards are available to both male and female students for all areas of post secondary study. A minimum GPA of 3.0 is required. Criteria other than strictly academic ability and financial need are considered in the selection process. Selected students will receive up to $3,000. The filing date for mailing applications is May 1. Applications are available online at http://www.johngyleseducationcenter.com.

The BigSun Organization is proud to be able to continue to help young athletes succeed in their academic pursuits by offering a $500 scholarship. All student athletes are eligible for this award, regardless of the sport. Deadline for submission is June 24. Visit http://www.bigsunathletics.com to learn how to apply.

AES Engineers is providing $500 scholarships to students, regardless of courses being studied, who meet certain criteria. Scholarships are intended for future leaders across a wide spectrum of fields of study. This award is available to high school seniors and all students attending a post secondary educational facility. Students are not required to be taking engineering courses to be eligible. Students must submit an essay of no more than 1,000 words in answer to one of the two questions posted online at http://www.aesengineers.com/scholarships.htm. Deadline for entry is Oct. 8.

The Office of Citizenship and Community Standards would like to know how Truman’s Community Values have been important in your University experience. Submit 500 words or less to http://conduct.truman.edu for a chance to win a $100 gift card to the bookstore. Entries must be submitted by April 26.

April 20
Baldwin Hall 262  
3 p.m.
Andrew McCall
“On the Foundations of Philosophy: The Partial Convergence of Edmund Husserl and Gottlob Frege’s Philosophical Methodology”

3:30 p.m.
Amy Fleming
“The Aesthetic Sublime and Beautiful: A Feminist Perspective”

4 p.m.
Brooke Ratterree
“Abjecting the (M)other: Philip Trager and Ralph Lemon’s Persephone”


April 20
McClain Hall 211
3 p.m.
Mark Lambert
“Banished Bones and Liminal Lepers: Leprosy as Viewed Through Mary Douglas and Victor Turner”

3:30 p.m.
Drew Slavens
“The Origins of Consciousness: John R. Searle vs. Daniel Dennett”

4 p.m.
Nathaniel Brack
“The Ethical Importance of Interpersonal Relations”
 

April 22
Baldwin Hall 262
3 p.m.
Brenna Hale
“The Emergent Church: Examining a Movement in its Infancy”

3:30 p.m.
Richard Lally
“Religious Preferences and Beliefs among Truman Students”

4 p.m.
Sam Shackelford
“Catholic Rap and Contemporary Christian Music”


April 22
McClain Hall 211
3 p.m.
Will Erker
“The Expanding Circle and the Utilitarian Farmer”

3:30 p.m.
Adam Thompson
“Conscious Experience: The Knowledge Argument”

4 p.m.
Alex Zier
“Walter Benjamin’s Marxist and Mystic Aesthetic”


April 27
Baldwin Hall 262
3 p.m.
Joe Bell
“The New Jihad: The Changing Face of Modern Terrorism”

3:30 p.m.
Amber Lusk
“Wahhabism and its Role in the Global Jihad Movement”

4 p.m.
Caitlin Fosdick
“Negotiating Womens’ Feminist Identities in Contemporary Judaism”

4:30 p.m.
Anna Phillips
“Sufi Music in Society”

All sessions are open to the public.

Dereck Daschke, chair and associate professor of philosophy and religion, had his book, “City of Ruins: Mourning Jerusalem through Jewish Apocalypse,” published this month by Brill. The book is based on his 2000 Ph.D. dissertation at the University of Chicago Divinity School and is a reading of Jewish apocalyptic texts through the Freudian theory of mourning and melancholia.

Regina Loehr, a senior classics student, won first prize in Latin Prose Composition and third prize in Advanced Greek Translation in the Maurine Dallas Watkins Contests, a national Classics competition. These results were announced April 10 at the annual Eta Sigma Phi Convention in Blacksburg, Va. Eta Sigma Phi is a National Classics Honor Society.  Loehr also won second prize in Intermediate Latin Translation in the same competition in 2008. David Giovagnoli, a sophomore classics and English student, was elected president, or megas prytanis, of Eta Sigma Phi. His one-year term began immediately; he will be required to represent Eta Sigma Phi at various Classics conferences throughout the year.

Elaine McDuff, associate professor of sociology, organized and served as convener for one session and as discussant for another session at the Midwest Sociological Society meeting March 30-April 3 in Chicago. The sessions were titled “Women and Religion” and “Classroom Exercises and the Development of Critical Thinking.” Sociology majors participating in the meeting included Chermaine Jennings, Kathrine Olsen-Flaate, Zakery Palmer, Brandon Pollard and Anubia Stephens.

Sara E. Orel, professor of art history, will be the Truman faculty member teaching in the Missouri in London Program in the fall of 2010. While in London, she will be presenting her research on the site of the Gebel el-Haridi at the Third British Egyptology Conference and giving invited lectures at the University of Bristol and to several local Egyptological organizations.

Lynn Rose, professor of history, has received a Fulbright Senior Lecturer Fellowship at the University of Rostock, Germany, for the 2010-2011 academic year. This is a joint invitation from The Institute of British and American Studies and the Department of Special Education. Rose will teach disability studies courses at all levels, from introductory to graduate, and will work with German and European Union scholars of disability studies, as well as visiting scholars from the U.S. and Canada, to offer workshops and seminars. Steven Reschly, professor and chair of history, will undertake work on his sabbatical projects while affiliated with the University of Rostock.

Kelsey Shields, a junior music major, is a winner in the 2010 International Trumpet Guild Scholarship contest. This competition includes trumpet players from all over the world who send in a recording of a required solo with piano accompaniment and a very challenging technical etude. Shields will be honored at the 2010 ITG Conference in Sydney, Australia, where she will also perform alongside professional trumpet players and university professors from dozens of countries.

French students Jessica Rideout, Catherine Bauer, Misty Lipp and Hannah Wetzel gave the first oral paper session entirely in French at the Student Research Conference at Truman April 13. Their studies were on the work of French/Francophone Women historical figures and writers: Holocaust (Shoah) Autobiographer Charlotte Delbo; French Carribean writer Maryse Condé; Québécois novelist Gabrielle Roy; and French medievalist author Marie de France.

Junior computer science majors Michael Price, Michael Rodriguez, Michael Solomon and coach Bob Matthews, assistant professor of computer science, traveled to the CCSC Regional Programming Contest at Park University in Parkville, Mo., April 12. The students successfully solved three out of six programming problems (tying with the first and second place teams in the number of problems solved), and were awarded third place out of 17 teams. The students each received a prize of $30.

The Stargazers Club is hosting an Observatory Open House from 9-11 p.m. April 20 at the Truman Observatory at the Farm. View Saturn, the Ring Nebula and other celestial sights. For more information and a map to the Observatory, please visit http://observatory.truman.edu.

University Counseling Services will host Walk a Mile in Her Shoes at 6 p.m. April 21 at the fountain near the Student Union Building. The event is part of the international Men’s March to stop rape, sexual assault and gender violence. The Walk will begin and end at the fountain. Participants are encouraged to give a $5 donation to Victim Support Services. Men are encouraged to wear bold shoes that are clearly women’s shoes.

The Career Center is sponsoring Find-A-Job Fridays from 12-2 p.m. April 23 and 30 on the Mall. The topic for April 23 is “Networking 101,” and the topic for April 30 is “I’ve found job openings that interest me. How do I get the interview?”

Admissions is hosting the last Truman Showcase for the 2009-2010 school year April 24.

Circle K will host its annual rummage sale from 6 a.m.-2 p.m. April 24 in the Barnett Commuter Parking Lot.

The Role Playing Games (RPG) Club will host Quad Faire from 9 a.m.-9 p.m. April 24 on the Quad. Activities include outdoor and board games, food and prizes.

SAB presents the Spring Drive-In at 7 p.m. April 24 in Pershing Arena. “Avatar” will begin at 7 p.m. and “Youth in Revolt” at 10 p.m. Enjoy the movie and free popcorn, soda, ice cream and toppings.

The Hispanic American Leadership Organization (H.A.L.O.) is selling quesadillas for $1 each and three pinata hits for 50 cents from 11 a.m.-3:30 p.m. April 26 on the Quad.

The Professional Development Institute is hosting Golf 101, a program designed for those with little to no golf experience, at 5 p.m. April 26 at the Kirksville Country Club. Interested participants must register at http://pdi.truman.edu. To fully participate in the business world, it helps to have basic training in golf and golf etiquette. The event is divided into two sessions: 5 p.m. is classroom instruction on golf and golf etiquette; 6 p.m. is hands-on experience on the putting green, driving range and golf course.

The Center for International Education/Study Abroad is hosting a Study Abroad Orientation for Summer and Fall 2010 at 5 p.m. April 26 in the Student Union Building Georgian Room B. For more information, call 785.4076 or e-mail ciea@truman.edu.

The Theatre Department will present the Spring Directors’ Showcase: One Act Plays at 8 p.m. April 28-30 in Ophelia Parrish Severns Theatre.

Ekklesia and the Kirksville Church of Christ will sponsor speaker Willie Franklin at a special midweek service at 7 p.m. April 28 in the Student Union Building Georgian Room. Franklin played professional football for the Rams and Colts. His presentation is “Give Me the Heart of a Servant.” The Truman football team will also be fulfilling community service projects on the same day.

SAB presents the Bonnaroo College Comedy Tour at 7 p.m. April 29 in Baldwin Auditorium. This performance could feature explicit content.

True Men will host their Spring Concert at 7:30 p.m. April 30 in Baldwin Hall Auditorium. Come celebrate the release of True Men’s new CD, “TrueMentertainment,” which will be on sale for $10. Admission is free.

Minor Detail will host a Spring Concert at 6 p.m. May 1 in the Student Union Building Down Under. Celebrate the last weekend of school with Minor Detail.

The McNair Spring 2010 newsletter is now available online at http://trumantoday.truman.edu/pdf/McNairSpring2010.pdf.