Insight Online
Feb. 9, 2007
Family ties pull Hardin south
Never underestimate the power of family ties. It is that desire to be nearer to family that finally persuaded Russ Hardin to retire from his post as dean of the Kelce College of Business and accept a position as chairman of the Accounting Department at the University of South Alabama in Mobile.

“Our whole family lives in the South,” Hardin said in the soft accent that confirms his roots. “The drive to see parents will be five to six hours as opposed to 16.”

Hardin said leaving Pittsburg State will be bittersweet because he has been happy here. Hardin said he knew he would like it here from his first campus visit.

“Pittsburg State University is the best organization I’ve ever worked for,” Hardin said. “I had other offers, but I chose Pitt State because all of the faculty, staff and students I met during my interview were so friendly. It was evident that this university is people and student oriented.”

Hardin joined the PSU family as a professor in the Department of Accounting in 1997. He served as director of the MBA program from 1998 until 2001 and as chairman of the Department of Accounting from 2001 until 2002. He became dean of the college in 2002.

Hardin received both a bachelor’s and master’s degree from Appalachian State University and a Ph.D. in accountancy from the University of Mississippi. Before coming to PSU, Hardin taught and had administrative responsibilities at Spartanburg (S.C.) Technical College, and Gardner-Webb University in Boiling Springs, N.C. He and his wife, Judy, have two daughters: Melinda and Emili.

The past five years have been good years for the College of Business, Hardin said.

“We have been able to hire some very good faculty,” Hardin said. “I was very happy to be able to establish the first Faculty of Distinction position (a program administered by the Board of Regents that encourages gifts by private donors to enhance the ability of universities to attract and retain excellent faculty). Right now we have another one in a planned gift and I’m working on two more.”

Hardin said he has devoted a significant amount of time – he estimates about 20 percent -- to fundraising and building relationships with alumni, donors and friends of the college. It is both a necessity and a labor of love for Hardin, who clearly enjoys the interaction with a Pittsburg State community that is increasingly far flung.

With all of these responsibilities, Hardin said, he is proud that he has been able to maintain an active schedule of research, publishing and presenting papers.

“I love to write,” Hardin said, adding that as an accountant, “I’m pretty good at time management.”

Time will go quickly as spring semesters always do, so Hardin is already thinking about the transition from Pittsburg to Mobile. Because he is teaching a class in July, Hardin will not leave his post until the end of July.

Steve Scott, vice president for academic affairs, said that while it is difficult to loose a talented administrator such Hardin, the dean is leaving the college healthy and poised for good things to happen in both the near-term and long-term future.

Vice President Scott said he expects an interim appointment to be made until a search can be conducted at a later time.

--------------------

Rec center work continues

If Old Abe seems to be grimacing a bit, it may be because the university has been pinching pennies pretty hard in order to get everything it can into the student recreation center/ANG readiness center now under construction on the east side of campus. Paul Stewart, Facilities Planning, said this week that he is pleased some options in the project that once seemed in peril are now included. One of those is a walking track.

“It just seemed like a very important thing to include in this kind of facility,” Stewart said. “I was very happy we were able to include it.”

Making room for the track was just one facet of an unusually complex project, Stewart said.

“It was a complex bid because it involved two agencies,” Stewart said.

Those agencies are the university and the Kansas Army National Guard. The National Guard will occupy 41,368 square feet of the 98,959-square-foot building. PSU will have the remaining 57,591 square feet. Each agency, Stewart said, had different requirements that affected both the bid and the bidding process. In the end, Crossland Construction won with a bid of $14,671,450.

Work on the new building began in the fall and is expected to be completed in the spring of 2008. Stewart said most of the below-ground work was done before recent extreme cold set in, making it possible for construction to continue.

Stewart thinks the campus and community will be pleased with the finished structure, which will house the Departments of Health, Human Performance and Recreation and Military Science as well as the student fitness center. The university’s portion of the building will include three gymnasiums for intramural sports. A fourth gym will be for National Guard use, but will be available for university use at other times.

The fitness center will include a large area for aerobic equipment and free weights as well as the walking track. Large, west-facing windows will brighten the fitness center.

The facility includes offices and classrooms for the academic departments and dedicated space for the three HHPR labs. For the Guard, a library/museum area has been included. The Guard will also share some of the classroom space.

Stewart said the building was designed with its purpose of shared space and function in mind. The entrance, which will face northwest, will lead into a rotunda. From there, traffic can be directed to the fitness center, the academic areas or the National Guard portion of the building.

The building’s modern design will complement the portion of the campus that includes the Kansas Technology Center and the Veterans Memorial, Stewart said. He added that the materials chosen for the building were selected with both long-term maintenance and visual appeal in mind. Pre-finished concrete, painted steel panels and glass will make up the exterior.

While the work on the building continues, efforts are underway to identify private funding to furnish the fitness center, according to John Patterson, vice president for Campus Life and Administration. Patterson said this time will also be use to create specific use policies and hours of operation.

-------------

Friends of Axe to hold Children’s Book Festival March 31

The Friends of the Leonard H. Axe Library will hold its second annual Children’s Book Festival from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, March 31 in the east lobby of the Weede Physical Education Building. Proceeds from the event are used to support a wide variety of projects for library improvement.

The Children’s Book Festival is held in conjunction with the annual Young Authors’ Conference. Authors from the United States, Australia and England have donated samples of their work for the festival. Most of them are signed and many are decorated with a small drawing or a note.

For example, Jeff Weigel, the author of the “Atomic Ace” comic book series not only gave two of his books for the festival, but also two very precisely drawn samples of his art work on the lining papers.

Other works in the festival include a number of picture books that appeal to youngsters such as “The Old Woman Who Lived in a Vinegar Bottle,” about a greedy old lady who gets a very nice wish from a fairy, but exasperates her benefactor by continually “trading up.” “A Sea of Words” is an ABC book about the deep blue sea with beautiful illustrations of clownfish, anglerfish, barracudas and other colorful denizens of the ocean.

There are also many wonderful books for middle school and high school readers, such as “Lorenzo and the Turncoat,” involving exciting adventure in colonial New Orleans at the time of the American Revolution, or “Bridging Beyond,” in which a troubled teenager dreams of a near-death experience. Comedies in the festival include works such as “Amelia Bedelia’s Family Album,” in which the world’s most literal maid introduces a gaggle of equally literal relatives. “Time Bomb,” tells the story of four misfit youngsters in 1949 London who find an unexploded bomb and keep it a secret, with disastrous results. Among the non fiction books is “Colonial America,” part of the “Making a New Nation” series, has beautiful period illustrations.

Since the organization’s creation in 1988, the Friends of Axe Library has planned and supported many projects for library improvement, including purchases of furniture, films and books, organization of numerous lectures and an art exhibition and publication of a guidebook about the history of the campus, which is now in its second edition.

Organizers of the Children’s Book Festival say that as an added incentive, the books for sale are not only signed, but discounted 25 percent.

For information about 2007 projects of the Friends of Axe Library, check the latest edition of their newsletter, “A Chat Between Friends,” at http://library/friends/newsletter/2007_spr_chat.pdf.

-----------------

News Briefs:

Making blankets for kids
In the iconic Charlie Brown cartoon series, Linus derives great comfort from his ever-present blanket. The PSU Civil Service Club hopes to share some of that feeling of security by participating in “Project Linus,” an effort to make and share blankets with children who are ill or otherwise in need of a little extra TLC. The group is sponsoring a Valentine’s Day party and blanket-making time from 1:30-2:30 p.m. on Feb. 14 in 101 Whitesitt Hall.

Jeannice Parker, Career Services, said that while this is a Civil Service Club project, everyone on campus is invited to attend and help out. Parker said the club has purchased enough materials to make two blankets and the Pittsburg Wal-Mart has donated additional materials.

Project Linus is a national volunteer movement. It was begun in 1996 for the purpose of providing “love, a sense of security, warmth and comfort to children who are seriously ill, traumatized, or otherwise in need through the gifts of new, handmade blankets and afghans.”

Parker said she hopes this event leads to the establishment of a local chapter of Project Linus that can work with local law enforcement and social services agencies as well as Mt. Carmel Medical Center to provide blankets for children.

In addition to refreshments, door prizes will also be given at the Pitt State blanket-making meeting. For information, contact Jeannice Parker at Ext. 4144, jparker@pittstate.edu.

For information about Project Linus, visit their Web site:
www.projectlinus.org

Gibson sponsors room makeover
It may be only a few square feet, but Campus Dining Services knows that even a typical residence hall room could use a little expert help or even a complete makeover. Students will get daily tips and advice on ways to make their personal spaces more attractive and more functional during the “Your Room on a Dime” promotion Feb. 19-23. In addition, students will be invited to vote with their spare change in the “My Room is a Disaster” contest. The winners of that dubious honor will receive a little help transforming their rooms with a gift card from Home Depot.

Michael Wonderly, Sodexho resident dining manager, said the contest is designed to be both fun and educational for the residence hall students who eat in Gibson Dining Hall regularly. Wonderly said that Dining Services plans promotions both as a way of making the dining experience new and interesting for the regular diners and also to introduce others on campus to what the dining hall has to offer.

For more information about “Your Room on a Dime” or other campus dining events, contact Michael Wonderly at Ext. 4996, wonderly@pittstate.edu.

Kansas RAs gather at PSU
About 100 residence hall assistants, the unsung heroes of student housing, will gather on the Pittsburg State University campus Feb. 23-24. The RAs represent all of the state universities and Washburn and will be at PSU for the Kansas Association of Residence Assistants (KARA) meeting.

Justin Frederick, University Housing, said the RAs will participate in a variety of learning sessions on Feb. 24. They will share ideas about programming, diversity and ways to build a sense of community among students who live on campus.

All of the sessions will be in Russ Hall, Frederick said. The meeting will conclude with a banquet and awards ceremony in the Crimson and Gold Ballroom and a dance in Dellinger Underground.

Gordon trained to present global warming documentary
David Gordon, Biology, was recently trained by former Vice President Al Gore and his team of scientists and educators to present his version of “An Inconvenient Truth,” Gore’s recent documentary and book on the global warming crisis.

Gordon was one of 800 people chosen out of more than 2,000 applicants. He attended the fifth and last training session of 200 people, which took place Jan. 8-10 in Nashville, Tenn.

After “An Inconvenient Truth” was released, Gore formed the Climate Project, a grass roots organization to recruit and train a team of responsible and motivated individuals to present a modified version of his presentation about global warming, chronicled in the film. Gore’s goal is to deploy these messengers throughout the U.S. – and eventually in other countries – to actively promote presentations to educate and energize the public to take action on global warming solutions. Their short-term goal is to educate 1 million people in the next 12 months with the global warming message.

“When I saw the movie last summer,” Gordon said, “I noticed that most people in the audience were not aware of the extent of the problem and I was surprised because I teach the same things in my ecology course. Gore’s presentation articulates the evidence very well and the visual aids are very impressive. I feel very fortunate to have been chosen to participate in The Climate Project and look forward making the presentation throughout the Four State Region.”

Gordon will be ready to begin making these presentations by the end of February. Presentations generally take about an hour, but can be tailored to time frames from 30 minutes to two hours. He is interested in speaking to parents, high schools and students, religious institutions, community associations, town officials, PTAs and other organizations. To schedule a presentation, call Ext. 4735 or e-mail him at dgordon@pittstate.edu (be sure to put climate project or global warming talk in the subject heading). More information is available at Gordon’s Web site http://mail.pittstate.edu/~dgordon/, which can be accessed through the Biology Department home page at Pittsburg State University.

-----------------

In Other News:
Spring Career Day draws a record number of companies
http://pittnews.blogspot.com/2007/02/space-premium-at-spring-career-day.html

Allegro Trio to perform for Solo & Chamber Series
http://pittnews.blogspot.com/2007/02/trio-next-on-chamber-music-series.html

Play targets violence against women
http://pittnews.blogspot.com/2007/02/play-targets-violence-against-women.html

---------------

Faculty news
Conferences/Meetings:
Wayne Busby (Social Sciences) will present two papers in March at the Image of Violence conference in Colorado Springs, Colo. The papers are entitled: "Insecurity and Violence" and "Insecurity: An Analysis."

Kathryn Richard and Tammie Hawkins (KSBDC/BTI) participated in the Kansas Small Business Development Center's Legislative Day on January 24 in Topeka, where they met with many of the area legislators.

Cynthia Woodburn (Math) attended the national joint mathematics meetings Jan 5 - 8 in New Orleans. Woodburn gave a presentation, "Proofs, Equivalence Classes and Groups Sudoku-Style," during a special session on “Mathematics of Sudoku and Other Puzzles.”

David Miles and Lindy Thomsen (Wood Technology) staffed a PSU information booth at the Kansas City Woodworking Show in Overland Park February 2-4. The primary purpose was to recruit new students from the Kansas City area into the Wood Technology Program and the College of Technology at Pittsburg State. Mike Cline (graduate assistant) assisted. Miles and Thomsen reported that the crowd for this year’s show was much larger than last year’s and they shared information with large numbers of high school students, teachers, counselors and administrators. Many PSU alumni stopped by the booth, as well.

Julia Spresser (HHPR) presented "Zumba: High-Low Latin Aerobics - Fire Up Your Workouts” at the AAHPERD SW and NW District conference held in Reno, Nev., on Friday, January 26.

David Gordon (Biology) presented a poster at the Entomological Society of America's annual meeting Dec. 10-13 in Indianapolis, Ind. The poster presentation was entitled “Overwintering Mortality of Brood of Megachile wheeleri Mitchell (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae) a Ground-Nesting Leafcutter Bee in Coastal Dunes of Northern California.”

Publications/Performances:
Kenny McDougle (Curriculum and Instruction) had "The History of Student Teaching from 1800-1950" published in the spring 2007 issue of “The Advocate.”

Stephen Meats (English) was the featured poet on the Oct. 10, 2006, broadcast of “Shoptalk,” a monthly series featuring Kansas poets that is broadcast from Kansas State University to Telenet sites around the state. “Shoptalk” is a discussion about poetry writing with Kansas Poet Laureate Jonathan Holden.

Frank Miller (Curriculum & Instruction) recently had an article, "Kindergartners and Worksheets - Not a Good Match," published in “Hand-In-Hand,” a publication of the Kansas Association for the Education of Young Children.

Rebekah Heath (Accounting) had an article, "A Re-examination of the Effect of Job-Relevant Information on the Budgetary Participation - Job Performance Relation During An Age of Employee Empowerment," published in the 1st Quarter 2007 issue of the “Journal of Applied Business Research.” In addition, she had an article, "Are Certified Accountants Working in Industry More Ethical than Other Managers: An Evaluation of Moral Intention During the Annual Budgeting Process," published in the Fall/Winter 2006 issue of the “Journal of Business and Economic Perspectives.”

Robert Kehle (Music) performed as principal trombone with the Springfield Symphony on Feb. 10.

Suzanne Arruda (Biology) has had her second mystery novel published by NAL. “Stalking Ivory” is a sequel to the mystery, “Mark Of The Lion,” which has been nominated for best historical mystery, by Romantic Times Magazine. Both are set in East Africa just after WWI. For excerpts and information, visit www.suzannearruda.com.

Service/Teaching:
Charles Heath (Mid-America Certified Development Company, a division of BTI) and Rebekah Heath (Accounting) are acting as co-directors of the College of Business' Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program for the current tax filing season. Students volunteer their time to prepare tax returns for fellow students as well as low-income individuals from the community.

Stephen Meats (English) served on an academic program review team for the English Department at Texas State University, October 26-27.

Mark Johnson and Robert Schwindt (Technology Management) presented a supervisor and team development workshop to city administrators for the City of Parsons on Jan. 18. On Jan. 26, Johnson presented a workshop for the Lansing High School business education classes on parliamentary procedure and team event preparation. On Feb. 20, he will present a team development workshop for the Labette County High School Chapter of the Future Business Leaders of America at the Parsons Recreation Center. On Feb. 21, he will present a session entitled "Incorporating the Skills Employers Want into Classroom Instruction" at the Connecting Education and Employment Conferences sponsored by the Kansas Board of Regents at the Wichita Airport Hilton.

Julia Spresser (HHPR) and a student, Mike Province, are teaching physical activities at George Nettles Elementary School’s after-school program in February and March.

Susan Johns-Smith (Axe Library) made the following presentations: "Three Peas in a Pod: Policy, Process, Product : Evaluating the 8.0 Horizon Product," presented to the SCODI (Southwest Customers of Dynix, Inc.), February 2, Dallas, Texas; and "Waiting for Godot: How to while away the time between now and your migration go-live," at the 17th annual CODI conference, Oct. 4-6 in Salt Lake City, Utah.