Thursday, April 7, 2011

Ambassador to Angola reschedules C-SC visit
Dan Mozena, U.S. Ambassador to Angola from 2007-2010 will present “U.S. Interests in the Developing World” on the campus of Culver-Stockton College on Thursday, April 14. The forum will be held in Merillat Chapel inside the Robert W. Brown Performing Arts Center from 7 to 8:30 p.m. C-SC Assistant Professor of Political Science Chad DeWaard will moderate the forum with Ambassador Mozena. Brian Borlas, Quincy University Professor of Political Science and frequent media consultant on American foreign policy will also take part in the forum. Mozena was appointed as ambassador to Angola in 2007. Through his work, Mozena has made developing and supporting U.S. policies to help southern Africa fight and win the war against HIV/AIDS, strengthening and improving governance, enhancing regional stability and promoting economic growth his highest priorities. Mozena is currently seconded to the National War College, where he teaches national security strategy to senior members of the military and civilian national security agencies. While visiting Culver-Stockton College, Mozena will address key issues of U.S. foreign policy related to the developing world and can discuss the recent events surrounding the leak of cables through the internet site WikiLeaks. Mozena will be available for media interviews prior to and following the forum. Limited interview time is also available upon request on the morning of Friday, April 15. Read more online.

C-SC adjunct faculty member featured soloist at QSO finale concert
William Machold, adjunct faculty member for the Fine Arts Division of Culver-Stockton College, will be the featured soloist for the Quincy Symphony Orchestra finale concert, titled “Harmonic Rhythms,” on Saturday, April 9, 2011. The concert begins at 7:30 p.m. in Morrison Theater inside Quincy Junior High School. Machold will perform on the timpani drums, and the concert will include works by Beethoven, Russell Peck and Johannes Brahms. Bruce Briney and the Quincy Symphony will open the program with a rare performance of Beethoven’s Overture to King Stephen. Composed in 1811, the opera is no longer performed, and the overture is among the least often played of Beethoven’s orchestral works. The title refers to King Stephen I, founder of the kingdom of Hungary in the year 1000. Bridging from traditional to contemporary, percussionist William Machold will take the stage for his performance of Russell Peck’s Harmonic Rhythm Concerto for Timpani and Orchestra. Read more online.

C-SC celebrates 25th Annual Guest Artist Production
Culver-Stockton College students will have the opportunity to share the stage with C-SC alums as the Theatre Department presents its 25th annual Guest Artist Production. Five decades of alumni will be represented as “The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail” is staged April 7-9 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, April 10 at 3:00 p.m.  C-SC alums have prominent roles both on stage and behind the scenes of the production. Ben Martin ’75 is this year’s guest artist and will fill the role of Ralph Waldo Emerson. Greg Owen ‘84 is scenic designer for the play; Shelli Beck ’86 is dramaturg and will focus on development and research for the production; and Tony Luetkenhaus ’06 is lighting designer. Each year, the C-SC Fine Arts Department brings a guest artist to campus. It is an opportunity for students and faculty to experience theatre with a professional actor/actress. Students are able to work with the actor on stage, behind the scenes and in workshops and master classes; learning new techniques in the art and sharing first-hand experience of how the profession plays out on a day-to-day basis. Read more online.

C-SC professor of finance presents at national conference
Culver-Stockton College Assistant Professor of Finance Kim Gaither presented at the National Business and Economics Society international meeting in Curacao held March 10 and 11, 2011. Gaither’s presentation focused on the recent changes at Culver-Stockton, including the implementation of a new mission statement and a revised experience-driven curriculum. The curriculum, now in its second year, divides the traditional 15-week college semester into two terms; a 12-week term and a 3-week term. During the 12-week term, students take three to four courses that emphasize hands-on learning with real-world applications. The 3-week term allows students to focus primarily on one course. That course typically includes an internship, research, clinical experience or travel, domestically and abroad. The Culver-Stockton College mission statement was also revamped to focus more directly on the college’s responsibility to students. “The conference provided a great opportunity for me to share the research behind the development of our new curriculum, the process employed to change the curriculum and a sample experiential course from the business division,” commented Gaither. “I was very pleased by the reaction to the presentation, with several audience members speaking to me at the end of the session and others who came over to discuss our curriculum at dinner. I felt it was a great compliment to what all the faculty and administration have accomplished during the past few years,” Gaither continued. The National Business and Economics Society is a multi-disciplinary academic and professional organization, which focuses on promoting interdisciplinary research of both a theoretical and practical nature. It includes scholars and practitioners from the fields of Finance, Accounting, Marketing, Management, Information Systems, Operations Research, Economics, Public Administration, Psychology and other related areas.

Students invited to enter C-SC Honors Exhibition
Culver-Stockton College will host its annual Student Honors Show April 14 through May 13, 2011 in the Mabee Art Gallery on the C-SC campus. A reception and gallery talk will be held April 14, 2011 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. All students are eligible to submit art work for the show, and entry is free of charge. The work must have been created between April 2010 and April 2011 in a C-SC art class or under the supervision of a C-SC faculty member. Work will be juried into the show by Culver-Stockton faculty members. Best of Show, first, second and third places, as well as honorable mention awards will be selected by judge. Faculty members will select winners of the Faculty Award and the Kathleen J. Regier Award, a travel award sponsored by C-SC Associate Professor of Art Robert Kennon. Culver-Stockton President Richard Valentine will select the recipient of the President’s Award. The winner of Best of Show will also receive a $100 monetary price provided by Dr. Thomas Spoerner ’60. For more information, contact the C-SC Fine Arts Division at (573) 288-6346, or e-mail Jennifer Bock-Nelson at jnelson@culver.edu.

C-SC to hold ‘Culver’s Got Talent’
In preparation for Culver-Stockton College’s annual music festival, HillStock, C-SC is holding a “Culver’s Got Talent” event to select student, faculty and staff performers for the festival. “Culver’s Got Talent” will take place on April 12 at 9 p.m. in the dining hall. All Culver-Stockton students, faculty and staff are invited to compete for a time slot at HillStock. All types of performances are welcome including music, comedy and novelty. For more information e-mail Susannah Mohaupt at smohaupt@culver.edu.

C-SC Department of Education premiers Education Week
Culver-Stockton College hosted its inaugural Education Week March 21-26, which featured various events both on and off campus. The week-long event allowed C-SC students of education to participate in numerous professional development opportunities. Culver-Stockton’s 2010-2011 student-teachers attended three career fairs throughout the week. The career fairs were held in Columbia, Mo., Cedar Falls, Iowa and on the C-SC campus. As a result of attending the career fairs, several of Culver-Stockton’s pre-service teachers were asked to attend a second interview from schools in attendance. The week also featured three educational leadership seminars, which were sponsored by C-STO and the Department of Education. The featured speakers at the seminars included Jackie Markovich, who gave advice on first-year teaching and spoke about the Teach for America; Dr. Karla Eslinger, assistant commissioner of education in Missouri, who spoke about the structure of DESE and answered questions on a variety of topics. The final seminar featured the first-ever panel of presenters. The panel included Dr. Donald Claycomb, an administrative representative and C-SC board of trustees member; Barbara Tripp, an elementary representative, retired educator and C-SC alumnus; Jennifer Leftwich, a special education representative, Palmyra R-1 Middle School English teacher and C-SC alumnus; Audra Hull, a physical education representative and current P.E. teacher, coach and C-SC alumnus; and Kristie Wolfe, principal of a new technology-based high school in Columbia, Mo. The panel of speakers gave advice and tips from their specific niches in education and answered questions regarding what administrators are looking for in teacher candidates, the future of technology in the classroom and which forms of assessment they prefer.
 
Culver-Stockton Mock Trial team held presentation
The Culver-Stockton College Mock Trial team held their annual presentation to the C-SC community on April 6 at 7:30 p.m. in Johann Room 118. Since 2008, C-SC mock trial members have learned to organize and analyze facts, work and function as a team, and enhance their public speaking skills. The team also offers students an unprecedented opportunity to learn to think on their feet, to approach a set of facts critically and to argue those facts in a courtroom setting. Each year, the American Mock Trial Association alternately publishes a civil or criminal case. The team then studies the case, presents opening statements and closing arguments, and examines witnesses. Students have the opportunity to present both sides of the case during the four rounds of tournaments. This enables each student to be familiar with both sides of the case and be able to argue each position. Mock Trial is excellent preparation for law school, careers in law enforcement, social work, government and education. The Mock Trial presentation was offered as part of the college’s Academic and Cultural Events program.