Volume 31, No.17
January 21, 2000
Contact: Terry Day (570) 662-4844
tday@mnsfld.edu
Responding to the desires of students and the needs of
employers Mansfield University is adding three new degree programs. A Master’s of
Education program in School Library and Information Technology program and a Bachelor of
Science program in Sports and Fitness Nutrition will be implemented this fall. The
Bachelor of Science in Applied Statistics and Computer Data Analysis will begin in the
fall 2001 semester.
The three new programs were announced by MU President John
Halstead following approval by the State Board of Governors. "We like to say that
Mansfield is on the move and building a dynamic academic program is part of that forward
movement," Halstead said.
The School Library and Information Technology program is the
first of its kind in the United States. Offered completely on-line, the master’s
program will help address the shortage of certified library media specialists. It will
also help current school librarians, whose job responsibilities have evolved and now
include web page development, maintaining computer labs and instructing students in
information management as well as other duties.
Student requests led to the development of the program in Sports
and Fitness Nutrition, Halstead said. The program will prepare graduates for careers in
sports and nutrition which they can use in settings as varied as corporate wellness
centers, sports clinics and hospitals. It will be implemented through Mansfield’s
Robert Packer Department of Health Sciences.
Halstead said the ever expanding computer field, and the need for
people who can design databases, communication and problem solve, led to the development
of the Applied Statistics and Computer Data Analysis program.
All three programs went through Mansfield’s academic
planning process, receiving a strong endorsement from the University Senate. The
University’s Council of Trustees approved them in November. The Pennsylvania State
System of High Education Board of Governors gave their approval Thursday, January 13 in
Harrisburg. "Approval of these new programs demonstrates the State System of Higher
Education's ability to adapt to the ever changing demands of business and industry in
Pennsylvania," said Chancellor James H. McCormick.
The Gospel Truth
An inspirational woman and her music will come to life in
Straughn Hall on Wednesday, February 2 at 8 p.m. as Mahalia comes to Mansfield
University.
Mahalia follows the life story of Mahalia Jackson,
considered to be the greatest gospel singer of all-time. The production chronicles her
amazing journey, from growing up in a three-room shanty in New Orleans, through struggles
against prejudice and discrimination, to the pinnacle of wealth and fame and performing
before presidents and royalty.
Packed with 22 musical numbers this "gospel" musical is
filled with Jackson’s larger- than-life intensity, humor, charisma and character.
Always one to meet life’s challenges head on, Mahalia Jackson lent her songs and
spirit to the struggle for civil rights. Despite the personal risk she stood beside her
friend Martin Luther King Jr. and became known as the "voice of the movement."
Chaundra Cameron, a veteran of many Broadway productions, brings
Mahalia Jackson to life and leads a standout cast that has delighted audiences nationwide.
Daniel Burghardt, Sharlene Nelson and Don Corey Washington round out the cast.
Tickets for Mahalia are $5 at the door. The play is free
to Mansfield students, faculty and staff. The event is sponsored by the MU Fine Arts
Committee. For more information call ext. 4444 or visit the Fine Arts section on the
Mansfield University website at www.mnsfld.edu
Center Steps Up
Mansfield University's Center for Arts and Folklife, home of
the Northern Tier Cultural Alliance, has been designated Pennsylvania's third Regional
Folk Arts Support Center, joining with the Philadelphia Folklore Project and the Steel
Industry Heritage Corporation in the Pittsburgh area. The designation provides for yearly
infrastructure monies from the Institute for Cultural Partnerships in Harrisburg.
The funding originates at the National Endowment for the
Arts in Washington and is part of a Federal initiative to help foster the growth of
cultural support centers across the nation. The Center has also been awarded two grants
totaling $30,000 from the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and the
Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. The funds will support in-school programs
at Towanda High School and Sullivan County High School.
Center coordinator Douglas Manger will work with students,
teachers, and community mentors over the next year to create a public database of
cultural/historic sites in Bradford and Sullivan County. The project falls under the
Pennsylvania Heritage Park Program which is administered locally by the Endless Mountains
Heritage Region in Towanda. Manger is also lending support to university classes in
history, anthropology and education.
The Center is involved in several upcoming projects, including
the second annual exhibit by area folk artisans and a concert by The Masters of the Steel
String Guitar, both in March, as well as development of a management action plan for
anti-slavery studies in Susquehanna County. Bonnie Kyofski, project director for the
Center, says "the efforts of many people and organizations in our eight county area
have gone into the development of the Center, and seeing the educational impact in the
community is very gratifying."
Jay Gertzman, Languages and Literature, Mary Lou Shaw, Health, Physical
Education and Recreation and R. Howard Kramer, police officer, have retired.
Anthony Regalbuto, police officer, has been promoted and Robert Davis has
been hired as a police officer.
Harry Hillson, baseball coach, and his wife Erin are the proud parents of
an eight pound, 10 ounce baby boy. Kip Thomas Timothy Terrance Hillson arrived Sunday,
January 16.
The women’s basketball team has opened the season 2-0 in
Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) play, following a 66-50 win over West
Chester Saturday. Sophomore Allyson Buss scored a team-high 16 points. The Mounties lost a
non-conference game to Lock Haven Monday, 62-55, despite 14 points each from Buss and
sophomore Jennifer Nichols.
Tommy Harvey broke two school records Wednesday night in a 96-85
loss at Edinboro. He set the school records for career three-pointers and free throws
made, and scored a team-high 18 points in the loss. MU lost to PSAC East rival West
Chester Saturday, 81-70. Demontric Doddles scored 19 points.
Cristina Jacome finished first in the 50 free and 200 back but it
wouldn’t be enough as an undermanned Mansfield University team fell to Edinboro
123-72 in women’s swimming on Saturday.
LIBRARY LISTINGS
These bestsellers are now on the shelves at North Hall:
The Greatest Generation Speaks by Tom Brokaw
Have A Nice Day! By Mick Foley
When Pride Still Mattered by David Maraniss
A Man Named Dave by Dave Pelzer
Atlantis Found by Cliver Cussler
A Walk To Remember by Nicholas Sparks
Monster by Jonathan Kellerman
Saving Faith by David Baldacci
"A successful person is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks that
others
throw at him or her."
--David Brinkley