Features
Three Finalists for Truman Presidency Identified
Kohlenberg Lyceum Series Presents San Jose Taiko
The
Spring
Career
Expo
is Approaching
Three Finalists for Truman Presidency Identified
Randa Rawlins, a member of the Truman State University Board of Governors and chair of the Presidential Search Committee, announced that three finalists for the presidency at Truman have been identified. Truman’s current president, Jack Magruder, has announced his retirement effective June 30 of this year.“The committee has worked hard since last September to identify a worthy successor to President Magruder,” Rawlins stated. “Following a national search, the committee is bringing to campus for public interview three outstanding finalists who all have the leadership experience and knowledge to continue Truman’s development as a nationally recognized public liberal arts university.”
The three finalists are Norman J. Bregman, provost and vice president for academic affairs at Longwood University; Barbara B. Dixon, provost and vice president for academic affairs at the State University of New York at Geneseo; and David E. Payne, vice president for academic affairs at Sam Houston State University. Biographical materials of these three individuals are available on Truman’s Web page at http://presidentialsearch.truman.edu/.
Each candidate will be brought to Kirksville and the Truman campus for approximately two days of interviews. The candidates will also meet with members of the Board of Governors. Campus visits for these three candidates will be held during the months of February and March.
Bregman will be the first presidential candidate to visit campus. He will be available at an open forum with staff at 1 p.m., Feb. 10, in the SUB Alumni Room. He will be at an open forum with faculty at 3:30 p.m., Feb. 10, in Violette Hall 1000. He also will be at an open forum with students at 5 p.m., Feb. 10, in Violette Hall 1000.
Tentative dates for the other two candidates will be Monday and Tuesday, Feb. 24 and 25, and Tuesday and Wednesday, March 4 and 5. Check the Web site for final schedules. The Board of Governors anticipates making a final decision no later than April 2.
Kohlenberg Lyceum Series Presents San Jose Taiko
The
Kohlenberg Lyceum Series is pleased to present the San Jose Taiko at 7:30
p.m., Feb. 11, in Baldwin Auditorium.
San Jose Taiko was founded in 1973 by young Asian-Americans searching for an artistic and musical outlet to convey their unique experiences as third-generation Japanese Americans. They turned to Japan for inspiration and selected the symbolic taiko, the Japanese drum, as their instrument of expression.
The music of San Jose Taiko weaves traditional Japanese sounds with the beat of world rhythms including African, Balinese, Brazilian, Latin and jazz percussion.
All company members participate in the process of composing, choreographing, designing and creating costumes, and handcrafting drums. San Jose Taiko makes annual tours throughout the United States and Japan.
Tickets are free for Truman students, faculty and staff and will be available Feb. 4 in the Student Activities Board Office or in the Center for Student Involvement, both located in the Student Union Building lower level. Call 785.4016 for information.
Baldwin Lecturer 2003
professor of humanities at Michigan Technological University
Dinner
6 p.m.
Feb. 7
SUB Georgian Room
Reservations are required
Lecture
“The Perils and Promises of Digital Literacy in the 21st
Century: Three Case Studies”
7:30 p.m.
Feb. 7
Violette Hall 1000
Workshops
“Using Images to Re-Think Technology”
9-10:30 a.m.
Feb. 7
SUB Alumni Room
R.S.V.P. is required
“Primary Sources Online and Writing-Intensive Assignments”
9-10:30 a.m.
Feb. 8
Barnett Hall 200
R.S.V.P. is required
The 2003 Baldwin Lecturer is sponsored by
the Center for Teaching and Learning, formerly known as Faculty
Development.
For more information, visit
http://www2.truman.edu/facdev/Baldwin.html,
call the Center for Teaching and Learning Office at 785.4391 or e-mail
facdev@truman.edu.
University Explores New Methods of Writing Assessment After Discontinuation of the SWE
Article submitted by
Sarah Mohler, assistant professor of English
Last Spring Truman discontinued The Sophomore Writing
Experience (SWE), a two-part writing assessment, used to evaluate student
writing in the second year. The assessment, which had been designed by
Truman faculty in the mid 1980s, had been in place for 13 years.
As part of the assessment process, students
were asked to choose one of two essay prompts, conduct research on the
topic, and then write a short essay during a three-hour writing session.
The essays students produced were then evaluated by a group of faculty,
according to a six-point holistic scoring system. Once the essays were
scored, students were matched up with faculty for a one-on-one conference,
at which the essay score would be revealed and the faculty member conducting
the conference would discuss writing strategies with the student and help
the student set goals for further progress.
Although hailed as an innovative and uniquely
student-centered assessment by national assessment community at its inception,
the administration of the SWE proved to be problematic. The two-part process
was perceived by many students to be cumbersome and time-consuming. As
a result, motivating students to take the assessment in a timely fashion
and to put their best work into the essays remained difficult throughout
the SWE’s history. Methods, such as making the SWE a requirement for junior
registration and a prerequisite for enrolling in JINS courses, served only
to increase student resentment.
Recruiting faculty to evaluate the SWE essays
and confer with students also proved challenging. As the number of faculty
evaluators and conference facilitators needed increased, so did the strain
on the SWE administrative budget.
On April 25, 2002, Faculty Senate voted to
discontinue the assessment at the recommendation of the Vice President
for Academic Affairs and mandated that a new writing assessment be instituted
as soon as possible. In the interim, between assessments, juniors who have
not completed the SWE are expected to engage in self-assessment of their
writing skills as a part of their JINS experience and confer with their
JINS instructors about their writing goals.
In fall 2002, at the request of Faculty Senate,
a committee was formed to develop a new writing assessment tool for the
University. The committee is chaired by Sarah Mohler, who served as director
of writing assessment from 2000?2002. Sue Pieper, the director of writing
assessment from 1989?2000, who is currently evaluating the entire University
assessment program at the behest of the Vice President for Academic Affairs,
serves on the committee in an advisory capacity. Members include representatives
from every division on campus.
Committee members acknowledge that in order
for a new writing assessment to be successful, it must provide motivation
for students to perform well, garner wide support from faculty, staff,
and administrators, and require very little funding. However, most importantly,
the new assessment must provide accurate data on students’ writing strengths
and weaknesses that the university can then use to improve how writing
is taught. Finding or developing a tool that satisfies all these criteria
will not be easy.
The committee is currently exploring two methods
of writing assessment favored by other Universities: the evaluation of
a portfolio of writing assembled by students from the written assignments
completed in a variety of courses, and the evaluation of writing students
due in a particular course. Both methods have their strengths and weaknesses.
Whereas the first relies heavily on student motivation, the second requires
a great deal of faculty support.
The Writing Assessment committee will be interviewing
JINS, Writing As Critical Thinking, and writing-enhanced class instructors
this spring to obtain information on how writing is currently being taught
at the University, what kind of data instructors feel would help them most
enhance their teaching of writing, and what method of assessment they would
prefer and why. An effort also will be made to collect samples of writing
from JINS courses, so that the committee can make a more informed decision
as to what criteria should be used to evaluate student writing. After evaluating
the responses from the survey, as well as from student focus groups, the
committee hopes to begin testing a new writing assessment tool fall 2003,
so that the new writing assessment can be approved spring 2003
If you have any questions or concerns about
the development of the new University writing assessment, please contact
Sarah Mohler, 785.4086, sbmohler@truman.edu.
The Spring Career Expo is Approaching
Truman State UniversityCareer Center
Monday, Feb. 10
Mock Interviews in the UCC with representatives from
Eli Lilly, Steak ‘n’ Shake, State Farm Insurance and Save-a-Lot
“Ace the Interview”
by Larry Frey, Eli Lilly
5 p.m.
SUB Alumni Room
“Internship Information”
Student Panel
6 p.m.
SUB Conference Room
“How to Work a Career Fair”
by Teri Jamison, Target, and Larry Frey, Eli Lilly
7 p.m.
SUB Alumni Room
Tuesday, Feb. 11
Career Expo
1 to 5 p.m.
SUB
Expo Reception
5:30 p.m.
SUB Down Under
Wednesday, Feb. 12
Expo Interviews
all day
SUB
Deadlines
Wednesday, Jan. 29
Deadline to upload your resume and apply for positions by midnight
Tuesday, Feb. 4
Deadline for students to sign up for Expo interviews - Anytime before
Expo
Pre-register to attend at http://career.truman.edu/CareerExpo/home.asp.
Check out Expo employers and posted job/internship listings online
at http://career.truman.edu.
For assistance in preparing for the Expo, stop by the University
Career Center, McKinney Center,
or call 785.4353.
Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship Informational Meeting
4:30 p.m.
Feb. 6
VH 1400
The Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship offers students
the opportunity for post-graduate study in a foreign country. To be eligible
for this scholarship program, students must be 18-30 years of age, be proficient
in the language of the host country and be a citizen of the country in
which there is a Rotary Club.
The academic year scholarship covers transportation
between home and the study city, some educational supplies, academic fees,
and on-campus housing and meals. In return, the student is asked to be
an ambassador of goodwill by making a few presentations in both the host
and the sponsoring communities.
For more information, or to pick up an application,
contact Marilyn Romine, VH 2416, 785.4303; Sandra Fleak,
VH 2432, 785.4359; or Matt Eichor, PB 334, 785.4667. Applications
are also available in the Center for Student Involvement, lower level of
the SUB, or in the Business Academic Advising Center, VH 2413. Additional
information is also available at the Rotary International Web site at http:
//www.rotary.org.
Applications for the Ambassadorial Scholarship
will be due March 17, 2003 for planned international study beginning between
July 1, 2004 and June 30, 2005. Applications should be returned to any
of the contact people before 5 p.m. on the due date.
Physics Students Received $2,000 Research Award
Students in back row, left to right: Charles Weaver III, Amenyedu
Adovor, Christopher Cook, James Lloyd.
Front row: Kevin Haworth, Sarah Smith, Kibrom Tewolde.
Far left: Mohammad Samiullah, faculty supervisor for the project.
A group of Truman physics students have received
a Sigma Pi Sigma Undergraduate Research Award of $2,000 from the Sigma
Pi Sigma Trust Endowment Fund. They will build a Scanning Tunneling Microscope
(STM), which uses the quantum mechanical tunneling of electrons as a mechanism
for mapping a surface and can produce atomic resolution.
Seven members of the local Society of Physics
Students chapter plan to construct the STM under the advisement of Mohammad
Samiullah, associate professor of physics.
The team members will construct all necessary
components and then integrate the components to produce the finished STM.
After construction, they plan to study two well-known surfaces to diagnose
the STM’s capabilities. The conclusion of the project will be the study
of a thin film with an unknown surface.
“Building the STM will be a great learning
experience, and will encourage a greater sense of community both within
the physics department and among the various scientific disciplines here
at Truman,” team leaders Sarah Smith, junior physics major from Kansas
City, Mo., and Kevin Haworth, senior physics major from Northbrook, Ill.,
said. “After it is complete, the STM will become even more beneficial as
we begin our research with it. We are very excited about this project.
It’s incredible to think that we can put together something that will give
us atomic resolution of surfaces!”
Delaware and Giovannini to Lead 2003 Faculty/Staff Campaign
All faculty and staff will receive information this week about supporting the Truman State University Foundation through the 2003 Faculty/Staff Campaign. The campaign is led by Sarah Delaware, assistant professor of nursing, and Marianna Giovannini, head academic adviser for the Residential College Program.Each year private gifts from faculty and staff help fund a wide variety of academic scholarships, study abroad, faculty development and research, additional support for each of the academic divisions, and cultural programs like the Kohlenberg Lyceum Series. In addition, gifts from faculty and staff fund a variety of athletic programs.
“Our faculty and staff have always been very generous and this year the need is even greater,” Giovannini explains. “For instance, I know the Foundation received more than 3,000 applications for the 260 scholarships they offer to upperclassmen. That’s a real indicator of the level of need among our students,” she added.
For more information, contact one of the co-chairs or call Laura Cook in the Advancement Office at 785.4688. Watch the Truman Today for campaign updates.
Notables
Jo Agnew, associate professor of education and director of the CDC, and Katy Korte, elementary education graduate student and CDC teacher from Wellsville, Mo., attended the Birth to Three Institute in Washington, D.C., Jan. 7-10. It was sponsored by Early Head Start, a federal program. They attended meetings on the latest research in early childhood pertaining to ages birth-three.
Jim Barnes, writer in residence and professor of comparative literature, has had two poems, “On the Hill Back of La Ciotat” and “La Vieille Madame a la Machine a Sous” accepted for publication in The Formalist, an international magazine of formal poetry published at the University of Evansville. His long poem “In St. Maximin with the Old Men at Boules, Looking for the Maestro” will be published in The Evansville Review, a national review of the arts, in April.
Betsy Delmonico, professor of English, was elected co-president of the Missouri Folklore Society at the Jan. 25 meeting of the Board of Directors at the University of Missouri-Columbia. She and Adam Davis, associate professor of English, will coordinate the 2003 annual meeting.
Pete Kelly and Dale Blesz, assistant professors of special education, and Kathy Childers and Marcia McManis of Kirksville Public Schools, will facilitate a panel presentation/discussion focusing on the first year results of their Professional Development School Partnership. The group will present at the Midwest Symposium for Leadership in Behavior Disorders in Kansas City, Mo., Feb. 21.
Kent Lineberry, English graduate student from Kirksville, received first prize in the Missouri Folklore Society’s annual competition for his work, “Cadence Calls: Military Folklore in Motion.” The prize includes publication in the Missouri Folklore Society Journal and $100. Karen Highland, English graduate student from Milan, Mo., received second place at the same competition for “84 Soft Tales: Fieldwork and Disillusionment.” Second prize consists of a $50 award.
Emmanuel U. Nnadozie, professor of economics and director of the Ronald E. McNair Program, recently had a chapter titled “Post-Colonial African Achievements in Health” published in the book “Afro-Optimism: Perspectives on Africa’s Advances.” Ebere Onwudiwe and Minabere Ibelema edited the book.
Marc Rice, assistant professor of music, has had his article “Break O'Day Blues: The 1923 Recordings of the Bennie Moten Orchestra” accepted for publication in the musicology journal The Musical Quarterly.
Mark Spitzer, professor of English, will be reading from his new book of Rimbaud translations at Cornell College in Mt. Vernon, Iowa, Feb. 10.
Notes
The Mostly Live Composer’s Society will present the Truman Student Composition Recital at 3:30 p.m., Feb. 4, in the OP Performance Hall. Admissions is free. Contact Warren Gooch at 785.4429 for more information.
The Art of Living Club Yoga Weekend introduction, talk and registration will be at 7 p.m., Feb. 4, in BH 252. The weekend is a crash course in stress reduction. Contact Michael Heinz at 627.7482 for more information.
Ekklesia will sponsor a devotional at 8 p.m., Feb. 4, at 411 S. First St. Contact Jennifer Main at 665.8165 for more information.
The Center for Teaching and Learning Weekly Lunch Series will meet from 12:30-1:30 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 5, in the SUB Spanish Room. The topic, “Classroom Observations and Student Evaluation Consults,”will be lead by Julie Lochbaum. Contact the Center for Teaching and Learning at 785.4391 for more information.
Student Activities Board applications are now available in the CSI and SAB office. All applications are due by 5 p.m., Feb. 5, in the CSI. Interviews will be held Feb. 7-9.
The Truman State University Child Development Center Seminar Series will continue with “Early Childhood and Art: Preferred Practices to Support the Making and Appreciation of Art in Young Children” at 4:30 p.m., Feb. 6, in VH 1320. Contact Mona Davis at 785.4383 at least two days before the event for childcare.
There will be an Amnesty International introductory meeting and discussion of activities at 6 p.m., Feb. 6, in SUB Room 308. This will be the first meeting for all interested students, faculty, staff and members of the Kirksville community. Contact Betty McLane-Illes at 785.4507 for more information.
SAB will present the movie “Jackass” at 6:30 p.m. and 9 p.m., Feb. 7, in Baldwin Auditorium.
Proposals for Summer 2003 Undergraduate Research Stipends/Faculty Addendum are now being accepted. Up to 44 stipends of $2,000 each will be awarded to students. Faculty mentors are also eligible to receive up to $1,000. Interested students need to work with a faculty mentor in developing a brief research proposal. Proposals must be submitted to the division head of the faculty mentor’s division by Feb. 7. Interdisciplinary proposals should be submitted to the Vice President for Academic Affairs. Application packets with additional information are available in division offices.
The Board of Governors will have a meeting at 8:30 a.m., Feb. 8, in the SUB Conference Room.
All University women faculty, staff and faculty/staff wives are invited to the University League’s mid-winter event. They will meet for a tropical beach party from 2-4 p.m., Feb. 8, at the University Club. Baby-sitting will be available by advance reservation ($2 per child, maximum of $4 per family). R.S.V.P. to Barbara Smith-Mandell at 665.6781.
The Residential College Program will bring the Gash/Voight Dance Theatre to present “Art, Poetry, Music and Dance On-Campus Residency” at 6:30-9:30 p.m. Feb. 9-13. They are looking for student dancers, poets, visual artists and musicians to participate. Students must also be available for the final workshop for an audience Feb. 13. Call Devon Mills at 785.7124 or dmills@truman.edu for more information.
The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi will have their Spring Luncheon from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., Feb. 10, in the SUB Georgian Room. Phi Kappa Phi members can R.S.V.P. to Patrice Kluge at pkluge@truman.edu.
The Truman State University Law School Forum will be from 1-5 p.m., Feb. 13, in the SUB Activities Room. The forum is an opportunity for those interested in law school to meet with representatives from schools in the area. There will also be information on the LSAT and brochures from schools around the country.
The Upward Bound Project is offering employment opportunities for the 2003 high school summer session (June 8-July 18). Upward Bound is a college preparatory program serving northeast Missouri high school students. Positions are available for instructors in composition, literature, physics, ACT English, ACT reading, performance and multimedia; residence hall staff; night supervisor; and a career specialist. Positions as tutors/mentors for college freshmen also are available (June 1-July 25). Completed applications are due Feb. 14. Contact Upward Bound for more information at KB 220 or ubub@truman.edu. Employment details are available on the Web at http://ub.truman.edu.
The Truman State Theater Department presents “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,” Tennessee Williams’ modern classic about a family’s interaction amidst the storm of a common crisis at 8 p.m., Feb. 18-22, in the Courtyard Theatre. Tickets are free at the door. Reserved seating is $1. Call 785.4515 for more information.
The Education Division will sponsor “The Pilots and Students FAA Safety Seminar” 7-9:15 p.m., Feb. 18, in the SUB Activities Room. Randy Robinson, flight standards office safety specialist of the Federal Aviation Administration of Kansas City, will speak on aircraft collisions at airports: runway incursions. Contact Mark Thompson at 665.1880 for more information.
Phi Beta Lambda will sponsor Business week 2003 Feb. 17-19. Contact Jenny Allemann at 665.1192 for more information.
Students interested in becoming campus tour guides for visiting prospective students and their families are encouraged to apply for the Student Ambassador Program. Applications are available in the Admissions Office, MC 205, and are due Feb. 21. Contact Chris Ramsay at 785.4114 for more information.
The Writing Center would like to announce its spring semester hours. It will be open Monday 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 4:30-6 p.m.; Tuesday 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Wednesday 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Thursday 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2:30-6 p.m.; Friday 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Students can make appointments in MC 303 or by calling 785.4484. Walk-ins are also welcome. Consultations generally last 30 minutes. Papers longer than seven pages must be turned in 24 hours in advance, papers longer than 10 pages, 48 hours in advance.
The Division of Mathematics and Computer Science is again taking
applications for the Support for Undergraduate Scholars in Mathematics
and Computer Science Scholarship Program. Scholarships of up to $3,100
per year are available for mathematics or computer science majors. Applicants
must be U.S. citizens and be able to demonstrate financial need. Please
note that the scholarship recipients must re-apply each year for renewal.
For more information visit http://mtcs.truman.edu/scholars/
or contact Jason Miller at millerj@truman.edu,
Alan Garvey at agarvey@truman.edu,
Jon Beck at jbeck@truman.edu, Carol
Hoferkamp at hoferkam@truman.edu,
Dana Vazzana at dvazzana@truman.edu
or Pam Ryan at pjryan@truman.edu.
On Campus
4 Tuesday
11 a.m.-4 p.m.-Blood Drive, SUB Activities Room; see Master Calendar
3:30 p.m.-Truman Student Composition Recital, OP Performance Hall; see Notes
7 p.m.-Art of Living Club Yoga Weekend Introduction, BH 252; see Notes5 Wednesday
11 a.m.-4 p.m.-Blood Drive, SUB Activities Room; see Master Calendar
12:30-1:30 p.m.-The Center for Teacher and Learning Weekly Lunch Series, SUB Spanish Room; see Notes6 Thursday
11 a.m.-4 p.m.-Blood Drive, SUB Activities Room; see Master Calendar
4:30 p.m.-Child Development Seminar Series, VH 1320; see Notes
6 p.m.-Amnesty International Informational Meeting, SUB Room 308; see Notes7 Friday
9-10:30 a.m.-Baldwin Workshop, SUB Alumni Room; see Baldwin Lecturer 2003
6 p.m.-Baldwin Dinner-Cynthia Selfe, SUB Georgian Room; see Baldwin Lecturer 2003
6:30 p.m. and 9 p.m.-SAB event; Movie: “Jackass,” Baldwin Auditorium; see Notes
7 p.m.-Men’s Wrestling vs. Ft. Hays State, Pershing Arena; see http://gobulldogs.truman.edu
7:30 p.m.-Baldwin Lecture, VH 1000; see Baldwin Lecturer 20038 Saturday
8:30 a.m.-Board of Governors Meeting, SUB Conference Room; see Notes
9-10:30 a.m.-Baldwin Workshop, BT 200; see Baldwin Lecturer 2003
1:30 p.m.-Women’s Basketball vs. Emporia State, Pershing Arenasee; see http://gobulldogs.truman.edu
2-4 p.m.-University League Mid-Winter Event, University Club; see Notes
3:30 p.m.-Men’s Basketball vs. Emporia State, Pershing Arena; see http://gobulldogs.truman.edu
6:30 p.m.-Truman Honor Band Concert, OP Performance Hall; see Master Calendar10 Monday
11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.-Phi Kappa Phi Spring Luncheon, SUB Georgian Room; see Notes
1 p.m.-Presidential Candidate Open Forum with Staff, SUB Alumni Room; see Three Finalists for Truman Presidency Identified
3:30 p.m.-Presidential Candidate Open Forum with Faculty, VH 1000; see Three Finalists for Truman Presidency Identified
5 p.m.-Presidential Candidate Open Forum with Students, VH 1000; see Three Finalists for Truman Presidency Identified
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