Insight Online
March 30
Do you have news you would like included in Insight? Drop us a line (kwomble@pittstate.edu). It helps to put 'Insight' in the subject line of your e-mail. The next issue is scheduled for April 13.

The sprint to commencement that follows spring break has begun. Welcome back to all those who got away for a few days!

Ah, spring! -- The view from the hike-bike trail looking north toward University Lake.

To Your Health -- PSU employees walk for a purpose and enjoy the spring flowers at the same time.
-----------------------------------------------

Lots of retirements
Sociologists have been speculating for some time about the effects of Boomer retirements. Worries about health care, economics and other issues aside, for us that means saying goodbye to good friends and valued colleagues. The list of retirees is still growing, but the Faculty Association is already planning on honoring at least 16 persons at the All Faculty & Unclassified Staff Dinner at 6 p.m. on Friday, April 20. If you haven’t purchased your ticket, you have until April 16 to do so. Tickets are $18 and may be purchased at the Ticket Office.

The retirees to date:
James AuBuchon, Ray Bachura, Tom Baldwin, Hugh Campbell, Clinton Carter, John Chen, Lee Christensen, John Connelly, Russ Hardin, Steve High, John Leland, Brenda LeTendre, Teresa Massa, Robert Pavlis, Randy Rosenbaum and James Snyder

Lots of appointments
Spring is always a time when the number of new appointments picks up, but the past couple of weeks have been particularly busy in that regard. A recap of recent appointments:

Kelce College of Business
Richard Dearth has been appointed interim dean of the Kelce College of Business. Dearth is currently chairman of the Department of Management and Marketing.

Also in the College of Business – Bienvenido Cortes has been named chairman of the Department of Economics, Finance and Banking; and Becky Casey has been selected as interim chairperson of the Department of Accounting.

College of Education
Andy Tompkins has been selected to serve as the next dean of the College of Education. Tompkins, the former Kansas Commissioner of Education and currently an associate professor at KU, was chairman of SSLS in ’94-’95 and interim dean in ’95-’96.

University Advancement
Scott Roberts has been named director of University Development. Roberts is moving up from his position as director of major gifts for the Colleges of Business and Technology.

Ellen Carter is moving from the Public Relations Office to become the director of major gifts for the Colleges of Education and Arts & Sciences.

Registrar
Debbie Greve has been named Registrar. The position reflects restructuring that splits the position of registrar and associate vice president for academic programs into two positions. Those positions are registrar and dean of enrollment management and student success.

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

Meet me on the Oval -- The Oval is always a busy place, especially when the weather is as nice as it has been this past week.
-----------------------------------------------

Forum with a congresswoman
If you have a question, comment or concern that you would like to share with our elected officials in D.C., your chance comes on Sunday when Congresswoman Nancy Boyda drops by for an open forum. The town hall style meeting will be held from 4:30-6 p.m. in S102 of the Kansas Technology Center. There will also be a reception in the rotunda. Boyda will also tour the campus on Monday before continuing her listening tour of southeast Kansas.

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

Nursing Department uses human stand-ins
It’s a favorite character in sci-fi flicks – the human-like automaton whose true self is revealed only by peeling back a flap of skin. We’re not there yet, but the human simulators in the Department of Nursing are still a pretty amazing leap for technology and a great asset for teaching future nurses. (The story is this week’s feature on the PSU Home Page). Human simulators will be the topic for the Nursing Department’s spring conference on April 20 and the department plans a Human Simulation Center grand opening for later this spring.

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

Pick me! -- Nearly 100 school districts came to interview graduating PSU teachers during Teacher Interview Day on March 29.
-----------------------------------------------

Busy spring calendar
The next several weeks will be very busy on campus with lots of events and activities. Be sure to check the entire calendar on the PSU Web site often, as events are added frequently.

Tonight
Solo & Chamber Music Series, Western Wind, 7:30 p.m., McCray

March 31
Friends of Axe Library Children’s Book Festival, 11:30 a.m. – 4 p.m., Weede
18th Annual Young Authors Conference, 11:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m., Weede

April 4
Study Abroad Info Session, 3 p.m., Grubbs Hall
Student Employee of the Year Awards, 3 p.m., Student Center

April 5
PSU Wind Ensemble, 7:30 p.m., Memorial Audit.

April 7
SAC Easter Egg Hunt, 10 a.m., Oval

April 9-13
National Student Employee Week

April 10
PSU Math Relays, 10 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
PSU Chamber Orchestra, 7:30 p.m., McCray

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

Faculty News
Please submit your faculty news by e-mail to kwomble@pittstate.edu. Categories are Conferences & Meetings; Research, Publications & Performance; Service & Instruction; Honors & Achievements. E-mail news to . Make sure you put 'Insight' in the subject line.

Conferences/Meetings
Joni Barnard, Human Resource Development (Technology Management) presented the results of her dissertation study, “The Effects of a Near Versus Far Transfer of Training Approach on Trainees’ Confidence to Coach Related and Unrelated Tasks” at the annual conference of the Academy of Human Resource Development (AHRD) on March 3 in Indianapolis, Ind. AHRD is committed to leading the human resource development profession through scholarly research.

Chuck Blatchley, Chemistry, presented a paper, “Functionally graded, nanocrystalline, multiphase, B- and C-based super hard coatings,” at the American Physical Society Meeting in Denver, March 3-9. Coauthors were F. Namavar (U. Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha), Eric Tobin, John Adams (Spire Corporation, Bedford, Mass.), and Michael Graham (Northwestern University, Evanston, Ill.).

---Pitt State---

Insight Online
March 9, 2007
Do you have news you would like included in Insight? Drop us a line (kwomble@pittstate.edu). It helps to put 'Insight' in the subject line of your e-mail. The next issue is scheduled for March 30.

New campus fitness program
about to begin
The initial response to the Gorilla Basic Training Fitness Program has been very good, according to Debbie Amershek, HRS. Around 40 attended an information session earlier this week and about 20 have signed up for each of the two groups, which are fitness classes and walking for wellness.

Amershek said the fitness classes will be limited to 25 participants because of the size of the room. Walking for Wellness has no size limit.

According to the Gorilla Basic Training Fitness Program Web site, the program is designed to fitness and nutrition information to employees over a six-week period. The rationale is that proper fitness and nutrition results in better overall health, lower health care costs and better employee morale.

The fitness classes, which will meet for 45 minutes on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 6 a.m. beginning March 26, will meet in 163 Weede. There is a $20 registration fee for the fitness class. Fitness activities include low-impact aerobics, body toning, weight training, walking and introduction to exercise equipment. Other services include cholesterol screening, body composition assessment, and nutritional information

Walking for Wellness will meet at noon on the center of the Oval on Tuesdays and Thursdays beginning on March 27. The guided walking tour will take about 30 minutes. There is no fee for Walking for Wellness.

The Gorilla Basic Training Fitness Program is sponsored by the Department of Health, Human Performance and Recreation; Human Resource Services; Prevention and Wellness Services; Sodexho Food Services; and Student Health Services.

For more information, go to the Gorilla Basic Training Fitness Program Web site, http://www.pittstate.edu/hrs/GorillaBasicTraining.htm

Around the Oval

Students in the PSU Preschool performed their own version of the classic tale "Goldilocks and the Three Bears" for proud parents and friends on Thursday, March 8.

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

Howard Smith, President's Office, tells membersof the Crimson Club about the Kansas City Metro Center recently. The students made the trip to Kansas City to learn more about the university's outreach efforts in the region.

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

Dickinson Poetry Festival features readings by contemporary poets
Three poets, Amy Fleury, Jeanne E. Clark, and Alice Fulton, will read from their works as part of the Emily Dickinson Poetry Festival, March 27-29. Sponsored by the Distinguished Visiting Writers Series, Women’s Studies, and the Student Fee Council, the series will feature lectures each day, and every night, one of the poets will read from her own work. On March 29, a panel discussion on Emily Dickinson will be presented from 2-3:30 p.m. in the Balkans Room.

Fleury will read from her work at 8 p.m. on March 27 in the Governor’s Room. A reception will follow in the Heritage Room. Fleury, a native of rural northeast Kansas, is an associate professor of English at Washburn University in Topeka. Her collection of poems, “Beautiful Trouble,” won the 2003 Crab Orchard First Book Award and was named a top-10 notable book of 2004 by the Kansas City Star. Her poetry and fiction have appeared in “Prairie Schooner,” “North American Review,” “Midwest Quarterly,” “21st,” and “Southeast Review,” among other journals. She has been a recipient of fellowships from the MacDowell Colony and the Kansas Arts Commission.

Clark will read from her work at 8 p.m. on March 28. A reception will follow in the Heritage Room. Clark is the author of “Ohio Blue Tips,” which won the 1997 Akron Poetry Prize. Clark was born and raised in Northwest Ohio. She teaches Creative Writing at California State University, Chico. She was the winner of the 1995 Loft Prize in Poetry.

Fulton will read her poetry at 8 p.m. on March 29 in the Governor’s Room. Fulton's most recent book of poems is “Cascade Experiment.” Her book, “Felt,” was awarded the 2002 Rebekah Johnson Bobbitt National Prize for Poetry from the Library of Congress. “Felt” also was selected by the Los Angeles Times as one of the Best Books of 2001 and as a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Award. Her honors include fellowships from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, The Ingram Merrill Foundation, The Guggenheim Foundation, The National Endowment for the Arts, and The Michigan Society of Fellows. Her work has been included in six editions of The Best American Poetry series and the Pushcart Prize series. She is currently the Ann S. Bowers Professor of English at Cornell University.

In addition to reading from their works, the visiting poets will also deliver a series of lectures to English classes during the week. Those lectures are also open to the public. Amy Fleury will speak in Paul McCallum’s “General Literature: Poetry” class at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, March 28, in 302 Grubbs Hall. Jeanne E. Clark will speak in Laura Lee Washburn’s “Poetry Writing” class at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, March 28, in 303 Grubbs Hall. Alice Fulton will speak in Lizanne Minerva’s “Introduction to Creative Writing” class at 11 a.m. on Thursday, March 29 in 312 Grubbs Hall.


Conference on Higher Education Computing in Kansas
PSU will host the 2007 Conference on Higher Education Computing in Kansas May 23-24. The conference, sponsored by the Regents Information Technology Council, is an annual gathering of information technology professionals in post-secondary institutions in Kansas to present, discuss, and learn about new technologies and current issues in providing IT services to the higher education community.

Interested persons may submit proposals for presentations at the conference or learn more about CHECK at the CHECK Web site. The deadline for submissions is March 21. For answers to questions about CHECK, e-mail check@pittstate.edu.


Friends of Axe Library receives award
The Friends of Kansas Libraries have recognized the Friends of Axe Library as the outstanding friends group in a Kansas community of from 5,001 to 10,000 patrons. The award will be given at the group’s 2007 ‘Tri-Conference’ on April 11 in Topeka. The conference is held annually by the Kansas Library Association, the Kansas Association of School Librarians, and the Kansas Association for Educational Communications and Technology.

This is the second award given to the Friends of Axe Library by the FOKL. The first was a 2004 challenge grant designed to boost the Friends’ membership. The 2007 award is in recognition of the group’s achievements in 2006, which consisted of two grants for the enhancement of the library film collection, the development of two new fundraisers, the hosting of famed novelist Don Coldsmith for the 9th annual Gene DeGruson lecture and the revision of the new edition of the group’s campus history, “A Closer Look.”

On the day of the award ceremony, Jo Anne Beezley, government documents librarian and member of the Friends since 1988, will accept a certificate and a check for $100 on behalf of the Friends of Axe Library.


Campus calendar use grows
In a little more than a year since its inception, postings to the campuswide electronic calendar continue to grow. Today, more than 1,200 postings have been added to the calendar.

A few suggestions for using the campus calendar:
• The earlier you post your event to the calendar the better. Even if you don’t have all the details worked out, it is good to get your event posted so others can spot possible conflicts when they are planning their own events.

• Make sure you get changes or cancellations posted as soon as you know about them.

• Use the calendar to plan your event. While it is impossible to avoid all conflicts, it may be possible to avoid major conflicts that reduce the effectiveness for everyone.

To see the list of persons who have the ability to post to the calendar, go to http://www.pittstate.edu/ois/CampusCalendar/submit.htm

Recent Headlines:

Outstanding faculty
Because we work with them, we know how great they are. Congratulations Pitt State Outstanding Faculty 2007: Brenda LeTendre, Tysha Potter and Mark Peterson.
http://www.pittstate.edu/spotlight/

PSU/Fort Scott Agreement
Fort Scott Community College President James Miesner and PSU President Tom Bryant sign an agreement that formalizes details of the successful shared campus agreement.
http://pittnews.blogspot.com/2007/03/psu-fort-scott-community-college-sign.html

Women of the Kansas Balkans
The observance of Women’s History Month begins with a presentation on “Women of the Kansas Balkans” by Randy Roberts, Special Collections.
http://pittnews.blogspot.com/2007/03/women-of-kansas-balkans.html

Safe Spring Break
With spring break now just a week away, Gorillas in Your Midst, joins the chorus of folks urging students to ‘be safe’ while they’re having fun.
http://pittnews.blogspot.com/2007/03/groups-plan-safe-spring-break-message.html

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

Faculty/Staff News
Send us your news. Categories are Conferences & Meetings; Research, Publications & Performance; Service & Instruction; Honors & Achievements. E-mail news to . Make sure you put 'Insight' in the subject line.

Service
James AuBuchon – special assistant to the president and recently retired vice president for University Advancement, has been appointed by Gov. Kathleen Sebelius to a group that will develop the Kansas Long Range Transportation Plan. He will serve on a ‘topical working group’ that will consider funding and finance for the state’s transportation needs. That working group will begin meeting later this month.

“It is an honor to serve on the funding and finance group and assist in the development of the Kansas Long Range Transportation Plan,” AuBuchon said. “I am pleased that the governor and secretary of transportation have confidence in me to play a constructive role in this process.”

Alumni, faculty/staff, & students in the news
Jim Press, PSU alum who is now president of Toyota Motor North America, visited with National Public Radio this week about what makes his company tick.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=7770265

Jack Overman, PSU alum & former student center director, talks about opening day of trout season at Roaring River State Park in a feature story in the Joplin Globe.
http://www.joplinglobe.com/homepage/local_story_057005942.html?keyword=leadpicturestory

Cindy Ford, Biology, uses the wildlife habitat that she and husband, Steve, to explore a pilot curriculum for environmental education.
http://www.morningsun.net/stories/022407/local_20070224003.shtml

---Pitt State---