Constitution Day
Many thanks to Dr. Amanda Miracle, associate professor of social sciences, and Leon Bryson, graduate teaching assistant in social sciences, who coordinated the campus team that presented Constitution Day activities to middle- and high-school students across campus. The livestream of the keynote speech by Fred Gray Sr., a renowned civil rights attorney, was used by Penn Valley Community College in Kansas City, Missouri, as part of that school’s Constitution Day celebration. Departments and faculty from across campus presented sessions including Rob Catlett of mathematics and economics, Ellen Hansen of interdisciplinary studies, and Lendi Bland, Amanda Lickteig, Dan Stiffler, Ken Weaver and teacher candidates from The Teachers College. More than 500 students attended.
Inauguration
Fred Gray Sr., also launched festivities for the inauguration celebration with a presentation to campus and the community, which was livestreamed and archived for later viewing.
Many thanks to all the faculty, staff, students, Emporia community members and special guests who celebrated ESU’s inauguration of 17th President Allison Garrett. The event was livestreamed and archived. A transcript of the inaugural address also is online.
Family & Friends
Thanks to all the academic departments and recognized student organizations that created events for the Buzz Around during Family & Friends Day. Events focused on programs in Butcher Hall, Visser Hall and the HPER building and included IQ testing, disc golf, tissue paper collages and a tour of the rat lab.
Liberal Arts & Sciences
Congratulations to Carmen King (BS Biology, 2015), who was accepted into the medical laboratory science program at the North Kansas City Hospital.
Congratulations to Kelsey Porter (ESU Biology major). Kelsey was featured in The Nature Conservancy of Kansas’ Summer 2016 newsletter for her internship at the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, where she “assisted with vegetation monitoring, biological inventories, noxious weed control and trail maintenance.”
Thanks to Mel Storm, professor in English, modern languages and journalism, and Maire Johnson, assistant professor in social sciences, for their work coordinating the 40th Annual Mid-America Medieval Association conference, which was on campus September 17. The conference brought 100 participants from 30 institutions in 15 states to campus.
Congratulations to Dr. Martín Cuéllar, who was awarded the honorary title of associate professor during a visit to Liaoning Normal University in Dalian, China, for the work he has done with that institution during the last decade to build relationships between the two institutions and recruit students to ESU. During his trip, he performed concerts and conducted piano master classes. Presenting the award are Mr. Shihu Liu, chair of the LNU Department of Music, and Associate Professor of Piano Dr. Angel Yang, associate professor of piano and a former piano student of Dr. Cuéllar. Dr. Yang also is the 2016 Outstanding Recent Graduate from the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences.
International Education
This fall, 10 students are participating in independent study abroad trips. Hornets are having a new academic experience in the UK, Austria, Mexico and Finland through the programs such as ISEP, ISA and CISabroad. In addition, one student joined the National Student Exchange (NSE) and made University of Arizona her host university.
The Office of International Education partnered with the WAW Library to host a Game Night on Sept. 14. This was an opportunity for international and domestic students to get together while taking a break from their hectic academic lives. Some games included Twister, Apples to Apples, Wii Games and even a few games from international students’ home countries.
This month ESU international recruiters have travelled to South America, specifically Panama, Colombia and Venezuela. Toward the end of September, we will also visit Nigeria.
The OIE will kick off the academic year with Fun on the Field on Thursday from 4 to 7 p,m. The program offers an opportunity for international students to build community with American students by sharing games from other cultures.
Library & Information Management
This month, eight students in the School of Library and Information Management, along with Dr. Andrew Smith and Dean Wooseob Jeong, are studying at the University of Belgrade in Serbia.
Amanda Harrison, candidate for the Doctor of Philosophy degree, is teaching graduate level courses at University of Central Missouri. She also has been named for the next three years to the William Allen White Children’s Book Award selection committee.
Assistant Professor James Walther is a new reviewer for the editorial board of Library Leadership & Management, peer journal with American Library Association. LL&M focuses on assisting library administrators and managers at all levels as they deal with day-to-day challenges.
Dean Wooseob Jeong attended the ESU booth at the Kansas State Fair in Hutchinson on September 10 and met two SLIM alumnae, Cathy Reeves and Laura Schafer, at the booth.
Congratulations to graduate Marion Schweitzer who becomes the director of the Clay Center Carnegie Library in Clay Center, Kansas, on October 3.
Alumni Relations
The Alumni Association kicked off Emporia State University’s presence at the Kansas State Fair during the Summervill Fan Fair event on Friday, September 9. Guests enjoyed a meal and were joined by President Allison Garrett and Kent Weiser, director of athletics. The Alumni Association partners with Admissions and the rest of campus to host a booth during the fair. University representatives and volunteers staff the booth throughout the week and engage in “aggressive friend-making” while connecting with potential students, families, alumni and friends of the university.
During Family & Friends Day, the Harkness family was presented with the 2016 Hornet Heritage Family Award. This award, presented by the Alumni Association of Emporia State University, recognizes a multi-generation family with deep ties to the Hornet Nation and honors their family’s legacy at ESU.
Facilities
The Silent Joe Plaza is finished and was dedicated during Friends & Family Day. Thanks to the donor who provided the funds to improve this area. The new plaque will provide the history of Silent Joe Bell Tower and the plaza will provide seating for the campus community.
Business
Congratulations to the fall 2016 recipients of faculty grants from the Koch Center for Leadership and Ethics: Dr. Tanja Steigner, School of Business; Dr. Christopher Stone, School of Business; Dr. Clinton Stephens, The Teachers College; Dr. Jim Walther, School of Library and Information Management; and the spring 2016 recipient, Dr. Jim Persinger, The Teachers College, who will be conducting his research this semester.
Beta Alpha Psi initiated eight new members on September 8 and also sponsored a welcome back picnic for all members, accounting majors, and information systems majors on September 15. Picture from left to right, back row, are Kalyn Meseke, Jacquelynn Huynh, Bryan Jones; front row, Qianqian Hou, Aubrey Plankinton, Hailin Chen. Not pictured are Alexandra Ewy, Jason Tetuan.
Koch Corporate Connections Day was recently held. Students had the opportunity to visit with ESU alum, get tips on resumes and interviews, and attend a Behavioral Based Interview Workshop. Pictured: Dean Ed Bashaw visits with Koch employees and ESU alumni Brent Wilson and Brandon Long.
Phillips 66 Corporate Connections was September 16. Headquarted in Houston, Texas, and offices in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, P66 offers Accounting internships and careers for ESU students.
The Teachers College
On September 12, 112 K-8 educators attended the Department of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation’s “Helping Every Student Succeed.” This was the 15th annual fall physical education workshop.
Research
Congratulations to the 10 students selected as K-INBRE Biomedical Scholars for the 2016-2017 academic year. This award provides a stipend and a supply budget to allow undergraduate students to conduct authentic research in collaboration with ESU faculty. The program is funded by a grant from the Kansas IDEA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence (K-INBRE). The students and their faculty mentors are: Chloe Callahan (Mentor: Tim Burnett, Biology), Jessica Carrillo (Tim Burnett, Biology), Lauren Harrell (Stephen Fields, Biology), Taylor Heins (Erin Blocker, HPER), Elizabeth McCuistion (Melissa Bailey, Biology), Andy Renteria (Diane Nutbrown, Chemistry), Lauren Miller (Kim Simons, Chemistry), Ana Castro Munoz (Tim Burnett, Biology), Kelly Schwinghamer (Diane Nutbrown, Chemistry), Bridget Wages (Erin Blocker, HPER).
Presentations
Dr. John Morton and Dr. Tim Marshall, both associate professors in school leadership/middle and secondary teacher education, are analyzing data from the Kansas Association of School Board’s Kansas Conversations project and will present their findings at both the Kansans Can Symposium in Manhattan this month and the Kansas State Department of Education Annual Conference in October.
This November, Dr. John Morton, Dr. Nancy Albrecht, professor in school leadership/middle and secondary teacher education, and Dr. Dan Stiffler, chair of the department, will present at the World Conference on E-Learning in Washington, D.C. Their presentation will describe the unique, student-centered online practicum courses offered through the educational administration master’s degree program here at ESU.
Publications
A paper by Dr. Jun Yu and Dr. Joyce Zhou, School of Business, and Hailin Chen (Master of Accountancy student) has been accepted for publication in the International Journal of Business, Marketing, and Decision Sciences. The manuscript is titled “Consumer Perception And Consumption Behavior Regarding Luxury Products In The Fashion Industry.”
Congratulations to Dr. Rochelle Rowley, assistant professor of sociology, and Dr. Gary Wyatt, associate provost and director of the Honors College, for their manuscript titled ”The more things change, the more they stay the same: An analysis of cyberbullying experiences among college students,” which will appear in the next issue of the peer-reviewed journal Emporia State Research Studies, (51, 2, 30-38).