I'm A Hornet from Interim President Jackie Vietti

June 17, 2015 None

Bravo to Emporia State Summer Theatre, which opened its 61st season last week. The 24-member troupe is primarily Emporia State students but also includes students from Missouri Western State University; Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas; University of Nebraska Omaha; University of Kansas and Richland College in Dallas, Texas. The second show opens June 24. For more: http://bit.ly/1TnITUq
Hats off to all our faculty and staff as we dealt with the issue of a possible furlough. Whether it was spending hours planning how to keep meet our obligations for the week of June 8 in terms of staffing or waiting to hear the outcomes of the planning efforts, everyone approached the situation with patience and professionalism. Thanks to the terrific members of Hornet Nation for pulling together!
Three brothers from Syria who are studying at Emporia State University became the face for an Associated Press story about “academic refugees,” students for whom violent conflicts keep them from getting education in their native countries. Molham, Mohammad and Ebrahim Kayali reunited in Emporia. The article has been picked up by more than 400 media outlets in the United States as well as United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, Argentina, Taiwan, India, Canada, Bulgaria and Australia. See the article here: http://dpo.st/1JTvYVK
The School of Business is excited to welcome Dr. John Rich as interim dean and Dr. Shawn Keough as chair of the faculty.
An article about Emporia State’s approach to treating student teachers like doctors-in-training was featured June 9 on Bright, a pop-up publication about innovation in education. Bright is funded by the New Venture Fund and is supported by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The story is located at http://bit.ly/1HJZaP0
Congratulations to our newest Hornet in the Big Leagues! Dean Long became the 22nd Emporia State baseball player to get drafted in the MLB Amateur Draft when he was picked by the Texas Rangers in the 38th round on June 10. For more: http://bit.ly/1IYkr9l
The ESU Biology Department held its fifth annual Biology Camp for third to sixth graders, May 26-29. The camp is sponsored by the Emporia Recreation Commission and was organized by Dwight Moore, David Edds and ERC’s Amanda Gutierrez. Twenty-four campers participated in activities that included worm digging, compost building, insect harvesting, insect mounting, plant identification, bird watching, mammal tracking, plankton sampling, seining and herpetology hunting. Campers took field trips to the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve and ESU’s Campus Woods, Wooster Lake and Ross Natural History Reservation. The week culminated with a picnic at the Ross Reservation and an awards ceremony in Science Hall. Volunteer activity leaders included Dr. Matt Seimears, associate professor in the Department of Elementary Education/Early Childhood/Special Education; biology professors Drs. Moore, Edds, Bill Jensen and Brent Thomas; biology undergraduates Stephany Ponciano and Tiffany Khounsombath; Emporia High School student Carmen Ruano; and biology graduate students Judith Bilyea, Andrew Coleman and Justine Becker.
Wow! Residential Life has moved to a waiting list for non-required, undergraduate and graduate students in order to assign bed spaces in upperclass facilities, as they become available, throughout the summer. Compared to the same period last year, 147 more students have completed the housing contract. We have 120 beds remaining for required freshmen students and are filling rooms quickly.
Congratulations to former Emporia State University Lady Hornet Merissa Quick, who will travel to Terceira Island of the Azores later this summer to play professionally for Clube Juvenil Boa Viagem, Portugal’s top league for women. Boa Viagem finished in sixth place last season with a 12-10 record. Merissa, who is from Cheney, Kansas, graduated last month with a degree in crime and delinquency studies.
Dr. Joan Brewer, associate dean of The Teachers College, has been selected as a Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation site visitor as part of CAEP’s Volunteer Corps. CAEP works to advance excellence in educator preparation through evidence‐based accreditation to strengthen P‐12 student learning.
With five of 15 sports programs placing nationally in NCAA post season play, Emporia State University finished in the top one third of over 300 NCAA Division II schools in the Learfield Sports Director's Cup standings for the 13th straight year with 226.5 points. The Director's Cup measures the overall strength of an athletic program based on NCAA postseason play. The Hornets placed 88th overall this year. For more: http://bit.ly/1MWpENe
Twenty-five K-12 teachers from Marais des Cygnes, Eureka, Southern Lyon County and Emporia school districts are in Visser Hall this week studying robotics. STEM Makes Academic Success Happen (SMASH) was awarded a grant earlier this year for nearly $200,000. Projects include constructing Bod-Pods to solve the housing problems in the Mumbai slums.
Congratulations to Nicholas Hensley, who graduated from the police academy last Friday. He joined ESU Police & Safety immediately after.
The five 2015 National Teachers Hall of Fame inductees met with 35 high school students attending the Kansas Future Teacher Academy on Thursday, June 11. Students got to meet in small groups with each veteran teacher to discuss the challenges, rewards and difficulties in education. The KFTA concluded on June 11; the National Teachers Hall of Fame formal induction ceremonies included a formal banquet and ceremony last Friday evening. During the ceremony, the five teachers from New York, Kansas, Virginia and Washington shared amazing stories about why they chose the teaching profession and the differences they have made for students over many years.
Congratulations to Eldon Hinck, an electrician senior in the Power House, who graduated cum laude in May with a bachelor’s degree from ESU in elementary education.
The Hornets wrapped up another year with the annual Emporia State Athletics Auction and Golf Tournament. Just over $50,000 was raised on June 5 as 26 items were auctioned off live and another 95 items went in the silent auction. For more: http://bit.ly/1HKfgZ2
School librarians, educators and public librarians came to Emporia State last week for the Kansas Summer Institute for School Librarians, which has a 20-year history on campus. Sessions held at The Teachers College were led by local and regional library leaders and two special guest speakers. The Institute theme this year was “Transforming School Library Services to Children and Youth,” organized by Professor Mirah Dow on behalf of the School of Library and Information Management.
Emporia State senior Justin Harris can add to his list of honors after being named Capital One Academic All-America Division II First-Team earlier this month. This is Emporia State's 22nd Academic All-America honor of the 21st century for Emporia State and the 46th all-time dating back to 1972. For more: http://bit.ly/1IYjZYq