Volume 29, No. 7
October 3, 1997
Scott A. Miller
Contact: MU PR Office 662-4844
NEWS
An Open Letter to the Mansfield University Community:
The Board of Governors, the Council of Trustees of Mansfield University and its Presidential Search Committee have announced a national search for the successor to Rodney C. Kelchner who will retire next summer. The university has made significant advances during what will be his fourteen year tenure.
On behalf of the search committee, I seek your assistance in helping us to identify well qualified individuals whom we might approach about this fine opportunity to lead Mansfield. To aid your response to our request, the search committee, in consultation with various constituencies of the university, has developed a presidential profile, available on the University's web site at http://www.mnsfld.edu/depts/publrela/profile.html or in North Hall Library.
If you know of outstanding persons who are well qualified to lead Mansfield, please convey their names to me, along with sufficient information to help us reach them. We are being assisted by the Academic Search Service of Washington, D.C. Should you prefer, you may call Ronald Stead of ASCS (202-884-0807) to suggest possible candidates or to discuss this opportunity. Please be assured that any information you provide will be held in strict confidence.
Thank you very much for your consideration of our important request. Sincerely, Lewis B. Lee, chair, Presidential Search Committee.
Curtain to rise on MU prof's documentary
What do country-music legend Willie Nelson, former President Gerald Ford, Gov. Tom Ridge and MU sociology professor Gale Largey have in common? The answer -- Austin, PA -- may be as befuddling as the question.
But it won't be for those who view Largey's documentary "The Austin Disaster of 1911: A Chronicle of Character" Oct. 3-5 at 7:30 p.m. in Allen Lecture Hall. The Ken Burn's-style film tells the story of one of the worst dam disasters in Pennsylvania history. Nelson narrates the documentary. Ford provides the voice of President William Howard Taft, and Ridge speaks the part of Gov. John K. Tener
On Sept. 30, 1911, the dam above this Potter County town broke, killing 78 people. The tragedy drew worldwide attention. Largey's production explores the reasons and rationalizations offered for the disaster using a mix of newsreel footage and news accounts, historical photos, interviews with surviving witnesses and the writings of witnesses who have since died.
The documentary, which illustrates everything from the origin of the area's commerce to the aftermath of the flood, was more than four years in the making. The bulk of the work was done by Largey, Mark Polonia of MU TV, Mark Hamilton and Scott Gitchell. The film has already drawn media coverage from the Philadelphia Inquirer, Harrisburg Patriot, Elmira Star-Gazette, Wellsboro Gazette and Williamsport Sun-Gazette.
Tickets are $5 general and $3 for students. Proceeds will benefit the Mansfieldians, who provide theme music for the film, and the Mansfield University Foundation.
Lecture Series addresses religious liberty at the Millennium
The Mansfield University Lecture Series will look at the state of religious liberty in America on Tuesday, Oct. 7, at 3:30 p.m. in 204 Memorial Hall.
Francis Graham Lee of the Department of Politics at St. Joseph's University will lecture on the topic "Towards the Millennium: Religious Liberty, the American Paradox."
Lee will address the state of the First Amendment's religious liberty clauses as the year 2000 approaches including Supreme Court's interpretation of the Establishment Clause, the role of Congress in enacting the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, proposed laws designed to expand religious free exercise, the federal courts and their likely reactions to legislative branch initiatives.
The talk is prepared for a general audience. Refreshments and informal discussion will follow. The University Lecture Series is sponsored by the Provost's Office.
Friday, Oct. 10, 8 p.m., Steadman. Eastman School of Music faculty member and trombonist Robert Holland will prepare for international competition with a performance here. Accompanied by Eastman colleague Adrian Daly on piano, the recital will include several major works for the trombone. Holland is a graduate of the Oberlin College Conservatory of Music and the Eastman School of Music. He has appeared as the featured soloist with the William Jewell College Symphonic Band; the Liberty, MO, Summer Band; and the Flower City Parks Band. He was a fellow at the Tanglewood Music Center, Lenox, MA, in 1993. Daly, originally from Dublin, Ireland, received his undergraduate training at Trinity College, Dublin. He came to the United States in 1989 to study with William Cerny at the University of Notre Dame, where he earned the Master of Music degree. He was awarded a Fulbright scholarship to attend the Eastman School of Music where he earned his doctor of musical arts in piano performance and literature in 1994. Recent performances include a solo appearance with the Irish National Symphony Orchestra. The recital is sponsored by MU's Low Brass Studio.
Saturday, Oct. 11, 8 p.m., Steadman. The MU Festival Chorus, Concert Choir, and Wind Ensemble will join forces for a special concert entitled "American Music for American Hearts." The program will feature an all American program including such well-known tunes as "The Star Spangled Banner," "The Gift to Be Simple," "At the River," and Sousa's "Stars & Stripes Forever." Directors Adam Brennan and Peggy Dettwiler will share the podium in conducting 130 voices and 40 plus instrumentalists. Both the MU Concert Choir and MU Wind Ensemble have been invited to perform as featured groups at the Pennsylvania Music Educators State Convention next April. Some of this program will be presented at that convention. Featured styles in the program are gospel, American folk and hymn tunes, a revolutionary war song, and a country song, complete with square dancers! Copland's "Old American Songs" and Holsinger's powerful "Ballet Sacra" will feature all of the musicians.
Have an Updater announcement? Send it to Scott A. Miller
Stephen Brown, psychology, presented his paper "Don't they Know Better? Risky Heterosexual Behavior Among College Students" at the annual conference of the Pennsylvania/Delaware Council on Family Relations at Messiah College. Brown served on the conference planning committee. He continues to serve as of member of the organization's executive board and as the editor of its newsletter. Students Shannon Evener, Emily Royer and Sarah Weetman also attended the conference. Evener and Royer won first place for their poster "Academic Achievement Related to Birth Order."
If we build it, they will come. "It" is North Hall and "they" are universities like Penn State, Cornell and California University of Pennsylvania, who have sent or will send library faculty and staff to tour the facility and pick up tips on topics like buying and lending out laptop computers. We always said North Hall was a state-of-the-art facility. Now some of the region's other universities are saying it, too.
Another national fraternity has colonized at MU. What's so special about that? This chapter of Phi Mu Delta is taking part in the National Interfraternity Council's "Select 2000" program. The program seek to return fraternities to their "founding values" through substance-free chapter living, academic standards above university averages, and close working relationships with chapter parents, alumni, campus leaders and community leaders.
Junior forward Tandy Carey scored two goals and added an assist, as the field hockey team beat visiting King's College 5-2 on Parents and Family Day. The win improved MU's record to 3-2 and won Carey Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Player of the Week honors for the week ending Sept. 28. She is the first non-goalie in MU's history to win the award. The Mounties dropped a heart-breaking 2-0 triple overtime match to Shippensburg on Tuesday to fall to 3-3.
Freshman Todd Stewart continued his string of impressive performances with a fifth place finish at the Bloomsburg University Cross Country Classic Saturday, coming in just 36 seconds behind winner Kevin McGinnis of Stevens Tech. On the women's side, freshman Brianne Liddick was 13th out of 69 runners.
The football team fell to 0-4 on the season after a 34-19 setback to Lock Haven. Jason Donadi returned a kickoff for a 96-yard touchdown. Quarterback Lucas Smith completed 16 of 38 passes for 268-yards and two touchdowns. Freshman linebacker Gabe Kamarousky had 13 tackles with senior J.J. Cleaver adding nine stops. The Mountaineers open their PSAC East schedule when they travel to Millersville this Saturday night for a 7 p.m. meeting with the Marauders.
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