Volume 30, No. 28
April 9, 1999
Contact: Mike Carpenter (570) 662-4848
mcarpent@mnsfld.edu
On Monday, April 12, MU will begin an 18-day celebration of President John R. Halstead's April 16 inauguration.
Built on the theme "Character, Culture, Scholarship, Service," the celebration includes presentations by Stephen D. Keener, president of Little League Baseball Inc.; Assistant U.S. Attorney Larry Spong, MU Class of 1975; The Cossack Folklore Ensemble of Volgograd State University, Russia; ABC News veteran Sam Donaldson; and Dr. Margaret Miller, president of the American Association of Higher Education. In addition the celebration will include academic research conferences, concerts, Shakespeare's "As You Like It," and spring sporting events.
"At the start of the planning process, Dr. Halstead asked the university to use the inauguration to showcase its history, its achievements and its leadership role in the larger community," said Dr. Priscilla Travis, co-chair of the university's Inauguration Steering Committee. "What we found was that the university already had a strong nucleus of cultural and educational events to draw on, a natural result of our vibrant academic community."
The celebration will kick off Monday, April 12, with student projects,faculty-student projects, exhibits and displays in many of the university's academic departments.
Highlighting Tuesday, April 13, will be the presentation by Keener, "Little League Baseball: Today's Children, Tomorrow's Leaders" at 7 p.m. in Manser Hall's North Dining Room. Keener is only the third full-time president in Little League's nearly 60 years of existence. He will highlight some of the philosophies and standards that have made Little League Baseball, the world's largest youth athletics organization.
Also on April 13, from 2:30-6 p.m. in the sixth floor community room of North Hall, MU honors students will give their senior projects.
On Thursday, April 15, at 7:30 p.m. in Memorial Hall 204, Spong will speak on "Character, Integrity and the Practice of Law" while at 8 p.m., the university's Department of Music will present a concert of 15 small ensembles in a fast-paced hour of music including strings, winds, percussion, and voices, performing songs ranging from Beethoven to Willie Nelson.
The official inauguration ceremony for MU's 25th president is Friday, April 16, at 11 a.m. in Straughn Hall. Dignitaries from around the state and across the nation -- representing Halstead's more than 25 years of higher education leadership experience -- are expected to attend. An open reception and luncheon buffet honoring Halstead will following the ceremony
Events for students continue throughout the weekend with the annual Maple Fest Block Party.
On Monday, April 19, the Cossack Folklore Ensemble will bring its 200-song repertoire to the United States for the first time with a free 8 p.m. performance in Steadman Theatre. The five-woman group is known throughout Russia for its lively presentations of war songs, folk songs and a traditional Cossack wedding.
On Tuesday, April 20, the university and Citizen's & Northern Bank, will present "An Evening with Sam Donaldson," including a dinner (open to all with reservation) and a speech, "The View from Washington." Tickets to the speech are $10 each, with proceeds to benefit the MU scholarship fund. For information on the dinner, call 570-662-4292.
Events continue Thursday, April 22, with an Earth Day Celebration sponsored by the Native American Student Association on the South Hall Mall from 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; a psychology research symposium from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. in Manser Hall's North Dining Room; and a panel discussion on teaching and learning led by Miller, president of the American Association of Higher Education.
The university's annual Music Scholarship Benefit Weekend kicks off on Friday, April 23, at 8 p.m. with an Orchestra Concerto Concert. It continues with a performance of Haydn's "The Creation" by the university's 100-voice Festival Chorus on Saturday, April 24, at 8 p.m. The weekend concludes with a performance of the MU Wind Ensemble Sunday, April 25, at 3 p.m. All performances are in the university's Steadman Theatre. Tickets for each concert are $5 for adults and $3 for students and senior citizens. All proceeds benefit the music scholarship fund.
MU Theatre will also present its production of Shakespeare's "As You Like It," at 8 p.m. April 22-24 and 2 p.m. April 25. Admission will be charged and tickets will be available at the door.
Other events include a meeting of Pennsylvania State Student Government Association leadership conference April 23-25, a graduate-student research conference Wednesday, April 28, from 3-9 p.m. in Manser Hall's North Dining Room; a Spring Fling Dance Party Thursday, April 29, from 4-10 p.m. on the South Hall Mall, sponsored by WNTE-FM and the Student Activities Office; and an invitation-only academic honors banquet Thursday, April 29, at 6 p.m.
Three Concerts to Benefit Music Scholarship Fund
The music department will host three separate concerts April 23-25 in Steadman Theatre with proceeds benefiting the music scholarship fund.
Top music students will perform Friday, April 23 as MU's Symphony Orchestra hosts a concerto concert. Mansfield students John Manning, Irena Pevzner, Yukiko Matsudome and Beth Kramer were chosen by a panel of music faculty to appear with the orchestra. The MU Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Associate Music Professor Dr. Kenneth Sarch will round out the program. Tickets are available at the door and cost $5 for adults and $3 for students and children.
The Festival Chorus will present Haydn's "The Creation" on Sat., April 24 at 8 p.m. The performance will feature two voice faculty members, Dr. Jean-Anne Teal, soprano, and Dr. Youngsuk Kim, tenor and MU alumnus Thomas Jones, baritone. A large orchestra of student and professional players will accompany the soloists and chorus. Tickets are available by calling (570) 662-4710 and cost $5 for adults and $3 for senior citizens, students and children.
The Wind Ensemble will perform in concert Sunday, April 25 at 3 p.m. The ensemble, under the direction of Adam F. Brennan, MU's director of bands and percussion studies, will perform a number of new works. Tickets are available in advance by calling (570) 662-4735 and can also be purchased at the door. Prices are $5 for adults and $3 for students and children.
MUSIC NOTES
On Thursday April 15 at 8 p.m. in Steadman Theatre the Mansfield University music department presents a concert of small ensembles. Similar to the Fall Prism concerts fifteen groups will be highlighted in a fast-paced hour of music including strings, winds, percussion, and voices ranging from Beethoven to Willie Nelson. The concert is free and open to the public and is part of the Mansfield University presidential inauguration festivities.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Due to personnel changes in the Office of Public Relations and Publications, all requests for Updater items should be directed to Mike Carpenter (4848 or mcarpent@mnsfld.edu). All requests for news coverage of university events should be directed to Dennis Miller (4846 or dmiller@mnsfld.edu). Ann Klinger (4293 or aklinger@mnsfld.edu) will continue to handle Items for the Campus Announcement Network television message board.
The SGA in conjunction with the Wellness Committee will have "Lets Clean up some Butts Day" on Earth Day, Thursday, April 22, 1999. Students and other volunteers interested in celebrating Earth Day will meet in lower Manser at 12:30 p.m. to clean up cigarette butts from around campus. Please call Susan Pottichen (5215) for more information.
The Mansfield University alumni association invites all employees to the annual Senior Brunch Friday, May 7, 1999 from 9-11 a.m. in the Main Dining Room in Manser. Cost is $2, and reservations are required by April 30. For more information, call 662-4853.
A trip to visit the Great Blacks in Wax Museum, the Inner Harbor and the World Trade Center in Washington D.C. will leave campus Sat., April 17 at 5:45 a.m. Students can go for $3, while non-students will be charged $10. Sign-up is in 213 South Hall. For more information, please call Dr. Washington (4602) or Dr. Toni (4694).
The 1999 Service Recognition program will be held in early May. Employees will be honored that have served the university for 10, 15, 20, 25, 30 and 35 years (faculty will be recognized by academic year). Also recognized will be employees who have retired or will be retiring between July 1998 and August 1999. The following individuals have been identified as meeting the above criteria.
Ten years: Brian Barden, Nancy Boston, Barry Brucklacher, David
Devoue, Susan Laib, Margaret Launius, Scott Miller, Ronald Smith and Louise Sullivan-Blum.
Fifteen years: Mike Crum, Gopalan Kutty and Shaker Ramasamy.
Twenty years: Tondelaya Baylor-Ayewoh and Susan Krieger.
Twenty-five years: Stephen Brown, Thomas Johnston, Peter Keller, Howard Kendrick,
Joan Sargent and Ira Newman.
Thirty years: Ann Marie Beuter, Joyce Bixby, Olin Cook, Jay Gertzman, Ralph Goff,
Connie Kreger, A. Vernon Lapps, Olivia Mitcheltree, Bernard Sabol, Patrick Sullivan and
Larry Uffelman.
Thirty-five years: Elena Lukasz.
Employees who have, or will be retiring prior to August 1999: Richard Heck, Charles Wunderlich, Raymond Paskvan, Donna Ranck, David Russell, Linda Cloos, Enrico Serine, Robert Graham, Daniel Davis, Kathleen Hindman, Shui Pien, Wellington Engel, Yvette Finkele, David Iovino, Mervin Harbold, Frank Brown, Henry Shaw, Michael Leiboff, Joanne Davis, June Rudy, Dennis Wydra and Robert Putt.
If you feel you qualify under the above criteria and your name is not included on the list, please call Lorraine Farr (4893) before April 16 to confirm your years of service.
All graduate students are invited to attend dinner in the North Dining Room in Manser on Wed., April 28 at 5:30 p.m. in conjunction with the graduate research conference. Meals for all presenters are compliments of the graduate office while all others must pay $3. Tickets must be reserved by April 21 and can be purchased through the provost/associate provost's secretary
SCHOLARS SPOTLIGHT
J. Dennis Murray and Peter Keller, psychology, recently published an article entitled "Training Master's Level Psychologists for Rural Practice: An Update" in a special issue of "Rural Community Mental Health" celebrating the 25th anniversary of the National Association for Rural Mental Health.
Robert Maris, biology, reports that Samantha Cunningham, a junior at North Penn High School,Blossburg, and an MU special student, has been accepted to give an oral presentation at the upcoming National Conference on Undergraduate Research to be held in Rochester, NY, April 8-10. Her topic concerns the use of mini-biocells for the bioremediation of petroleum under laboratory conditions.
Andrew Longoria, communication and theatre, has been selected to participate in a National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Seminar as a Visiting Scholar at Columbia University this summer in New York. The program is titled "The American Playwright 1920-1950," and will cover works by major playwrights including Eugene O'Neill, Tennessee Williams, Arthur Miller, Lillian Hellman, and others. Longoria said the seminar relates directly to several theatre classes he teaches at MU as well as to his directing.
Helen Biblehimer, health sciences, presented "Doing Health Promotion: Using the Canadian Health Care System as a Model," at the Pennsylvania Canadian Studies Consortium's annual meeting at Millersville University on Feb. 11, 1999. Biblehimer also presented a paper, "Developing Theory from Phenomenological Studies" at the International Conference on Advances in Qualitative Methods, Feb. 18-20 in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
STAFF SCENE
Frank W. Brown would like to thank anyone that has sent him cards while at home and since his admission to the rehab center. His address is: Williamsport Hospital, Frank W. Brown, Room 316-3, 777 Rural Ave., Williamsport PA 17701.