National Memorial
Legislation to recognize theMemorial to Fallen Educatorsat Emporia State University as a national memorial is headed to the desk of President Donald Trump after passage April 16 by the U.S. House of Representatives. The bill was sponsored by Rep. Roger Marshall (R-Kansas) with bipartisan support from representatives from nine different states. Marshall is shown above left with Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (R-Texas) signing the House bill. Marshall also visited the memorial last Friday while in Emporia.
Highest Honor
Dr. Kevin J. Rabas, professor and chair of English, Modern Languages, and Journalism was named the 2018 Roe R. Cross Distinguished Professoron April 13. The Roe R. Cross is the highest faculty honor bestowed at Emporia State.
Pulitzer Finalist
Congratulations to Kelsey Ryan, a former Bulletin editor and 2011 ESU journalism program graduate, who contributed to a story about secrecy in state government that resulted in the Kansas City Star being named a Pulitzer finalistApril 16. Kelsey contributed to the first article “Why So Secret, Kansas?” at this link.
Honors College
A team of four Honors College students led by Dr. Mary Shivley participated April 13 and 14 in the Heartland Regional Collegiate Leadership Competitionat Fort Hays State University. They won the 2018 Team Process Champions award, one of only three awards given. The students were Audrey Desrosiers, Grace Donaldson, Kylie MacGregor and Kayla Searles.
Arts & Sciences
Students from Kansas high schools competed in the state’s Economics Challengeon April 11, 2018, at ESU. Students took a series of tests at their school before the event, and the top qualifying schools attended the challenge. The students took three more tests during the challenge that focused on microeconomics, macroeconomics and international/current affairs. The top two team scores from two different divisions then competed in a economics quiz bowl competition to determine the winner. Nickerson High School and Shawnee Mission Northwest won and will go on to represent the state. The Economics Challenge was organized by Mr. Rob Catlett and Dr. Bekah Selby.
Congratulations to Courtney Schauer, assistant director of debate, who received the District 3 Person of the Year Awardfor the competition year spanning 2017-18.
The Alpha Kappa DeltaSociology Honor Society celebrated its 2018 initiation banquet on April 16 with keynote speaker Brittany Moore, KSNT News Morning Anchor and Health Check Reporter, who spoke on “Advocacy as a Tool for Social Change.” The new members of Alpha Kappa Delta are Madison Galliano, Ana Bailon, Myranda Hegwald, Sakeena Agha, Patrice Haggerty, Cherie Crisp, Kira Ford, Abigaile Wieser, Cole Bettenbrook and Brandon Quaney.
ESU’s Kansas Beta Chapter of Kappa Mu Epsilon, a national mathematics honor society, hosted its KME Regional Conventionon April 13 and 14. Around 70 students and faculty from seven schools and three states attended the event. Henry Weiner, ESU Mathematics Education major, won a top three student presentation award during the event for “Staying a Step Ahead of Disease.” (Photo courtesy Chad Wiley)
Congratulations to Alaina Buchanan (MS Biology, 2017) who has been accepted to the doctoral biological educationprogram at the University of Northern Colorado.
Loren Pennington, professor emeritus in Social Sciences, recently portrayed Congressman “Sockless” Jerry Simpsonduring an event in Admire.
Congratulations to Kevin Ash (B.A. Political Science, 2016) who just accepted a job as assistant to the city managerof Abilene, Kansas. Kevin is nearing completion of his master’s of public administration at Wichita State.
Beginning in fall 2018, ESU will offer undergraduate and graduate certificates in public history.
A group of students recently returned from the Midwest Political Science Associationconference in Chicago (above).
The Teachers College
School psychology faculty Dr. Carol Daniels and Dr. Jim Persinger co-instructed a preschool assessment workshop the weekend of April 13 and 14 at the Metro Center, as part of the newly expanded school psychology respecialization program. The program, which began in 2002, is one of the first and largest in the country and will expand into Salina beginning in fall 2018.
Kimberly Nguyễn, a second-year student of Emporia State University’s Art Therapy and Clinical Counseling Dual Curriculum program, was profiled as a featured member of the American Art Therapy Association in the most recent edition of Art Therapy Today, a newsletter issued by AATA.
The Emporia State University Triathlonwas held on April 15. The participants braved temperatures were in the 30s with wind speeds in the 20s to swim 400 meters (indoors), bike 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) and run a 5K. The annual event was hosted by Emporia State’s Coaching Education program and proceeds go toward coaching education scholarships.
Students in the athletic training program were honored by the Kansas Athletic Training Societyin early 2018. Juniors Robert Lyles, Michael Meadows and Haylie Schmidt received certificates for second team all-America honors, meaning they all had GPAS of 3.6 or greater and had a minimum 4/5 clinical performance rating. Senior Mizuki Kiriyama, juniors Daisuke Monda and Hannah Smith and sophomores Nicole Blick, Amber Krehbiel and Monica Schmidt all received honorable mention all-America honors for their GPAs of 3.4 or greater and achieving minimum 4/5 clinical performance ratings.
For Earth Day, faculty and students from the athletic training program worked to do their part to clean up the planet serving as an Adopt-a-Highwaycleanup crew along I-35 on April 22. Together they gathered 12 full trash bags in one hour.
ESU Health Methods students presented Healthy Habitatsat the David Traylor Zoo on April 17. The students taught elementary students from Emporia Christian School and Sacred Heart how people and animals stay healthy.
Approximately 400 people attended the 11th annual Laps for Landonon April 17, the annual event in Emporia that raises money for the Cystic Fibrosis Research Foundation at ESU Welch Stadium. People bid on silent auction items, participate in activities, and walk laps around the stadium’s track. Organized by health promotion students, the event has raised more than $80,000 for the CF foundation over the past decade.
Five alumni and a retiring faculty member from the health, physical education, and recreation department were inducted into the department’s hall of honor on April 13. Edna McCullough (BSE 1915), John Bell (BS 2003), Keita Koyama (BS 2003), Dr. Gary Smith (MS 1967), Dr. Jodie Leiss (BSE 2003, MS 2006) and Dr. Joella Mehrhof, retiring professor, were recognized at the event.
ESU health promotion students and medical staff from Emporia ushered area children through the 20th Annual Teddy Bear Clinicin Emporia on April 7. Children brought in bears, dolls, their toy of choice for mock checkups to learn that going to the doctor is not a scary experience.
The Teachers College at Emporia State University is pleased to announce for the fifth year in a row, the Teacher Education Scholarshipfrom international best-selling author James Patterson, will be awarded to six incoming freshmen in education. The $6,000 renewable scholarships will be awarded to eligible applicants for the 2018-2019 academic year. Applications for the scholarship are open now through 11:59 p.m. on Thursday, May 31, 2018.
Athletics
Emporia State picked up four championships during the 91st Kansas Relays on Saturday in Lawrence. The included wins in the men’s 400m, 800 m and 4x400m relay and in the women’s 4x100m relay.
Library & Information Management
Dr. Emily Vardell and Dr. James Walther took their Overland Park cohort SLIM 801 class to the Truman Presidential Libraryduring the class weekend on Saturday, April 14.
Congratulations to Dr. Sandra Valenti, Assistant Professor, who was elected to serve as second vice president of the Faculty Senate.
At the 2018 Oregon Library Association Conference, 1997 SLIM alumna, Jane Corry, was awarded this year’s OLA Evelyn Sibley Lampman Award. The Lampman honors a living Oregon author, librarian or educator who has made a significant contribution to Oregon in the fields of children’s literature and library services.
Current SLIM student Mel Austin was recently hired for the reference desk at Salt Lake Community College.Mel will graduate in fall 2018.
Business
The new Beta Gamma Sigmamembers inducted on April 19 were (left to right) Rachel Hays, Jacob Hubbard, Mohammed Alsalman, Hyeonji Kim, honorary inductee Greg Kossover, and Kalyn Meseke (not pictured are Elizabeth Ballenger, McKenzi Huettenmueller, Kirk Jackson, and Saba Tesfaye). Greg Kossover, 1985 accounting alumni, was the Honorary BGS Inductee.
During the honors banqueton April 19, the Stephen J. Butcher MBA award: Shane Swink; NBEA Award of Merit was given to Paul Reichenberger. The Business Faculty Endowed Scholarship was awarded to Caleb Weins; and Franzi Willenbuecher was named Outstanding Senior.
Academic Affairs
The Office of Institutional Effectiveness has honored six faculty members as 2018 assessment champions. They are Dr. Michael Dennis, associate professor in Communication and Theatre; Dr. Kat O’Meara, assistant professor and director of composition in English, Modern Languages and Journalism; Dr. Phil Kelly, professor, and Dr. John Barnett, associate professor, both in Social Sciences; Dr. Christopher Stone, assistant professor and associate chair in School of Business; and Dr. Gary Wyatt, associate provost, dean of the Honors College and professor in Sociology, Anthropology and Crime and Delinquency Studies.
Publications
“Fishes of the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, Chase County, Kansas,” co-written by Marcus Portofee (B.S. Biology 2014, M.S. Biology 2017), Dr. David Edds, Kristen Hase (M.S. Biology 1997) and Darin McCullough (B.S. Biology 2008) was published in Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science. This is the second paper from Marcus’ master’s research and work as an intern at the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve.
Presentations
Dr. Michael M. Widdersheim, School of Library and Information Management, presented April 6 and 7 at the 2018 Midwest Political Science Associationconference in Chicago. His paper talk was titled “A Revised Circulation of Power Model: Findings from a Historical Case Study,” and his roundtable session was titled “How to Succeed Teaching an On-Line Course.”
Dr. Mark Stanbrough and Dr. Bill Stinson, both in the health, physical education, and recreation department, presented at the SHAPE America National Conventionin Nashville, Tennessee, in late March. Their session, “Strategies Using Contemporary Brain Science to Improve Peak Performance,” focused on how the latest brain research can be applied to enhancing peak performance.
Business education student Drew Carder and Dr. Amanda Lickteig, secondary education, presented “Taking Control of Technology in your Teaching” on April 6 at the Kansas Association of Teacher Educatorsconference held at ESU.
Dr. Tim Marshall, department of School Leadership / Middle and Secondary Teacher Education, presented a history about the consolidation of Kansas school districts to the Emporia League of Women Voterson April 17.
Dr. Connie Schrock gave a talk during the American Educational Research Association Annual Meetingin New York, on April 14 titled “Partnering with Professional Associations to Improve Relevance and Impact of Research.” The talk was part of the meeting’s Invited Presidential Sessions.
Dr. Joyce Zhou received the Best Presenter for her session at the recent International Conference on Business and Economic DevelopmentApril 9-10 in New York. Her paper was titled “Consumers’ Perception of Organic Food in an Emerging Market.”