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FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE
Julia Basham (right), professor of
biology at SSU, received the University's highest honor given to
faculty members for excellence in teaching--the Distinguished
Teaching Award. Basham
Awarded
A natural sciences professor at
Shawnee State University is this
year's recipient of the SSU Distinguished Teaching Award. Julia
Basham, professor of biology at the University and resident of
Franklin Furnace, was one of 12 faculty members who were nominated
by students and colleagues for this award--the highest honor that
can be bestowed upon a member of the faculty for excellence in
teaching. Dr.
John Valentine, professor of philosophy at SSU and chair of the
institution’s Educational Policy and Curriculum Committee (EPCC)
through the end of June, said a committee that was convened and
chaired by the deans of the College of Arts and Sciences and College
of Professional Studies selected six finalists from among the 12
nominees. “After
a careful reading of teaching portfolios prepared by the finalists
followed by considerable discussion, the 11 faculty members on the
EPCC selected Professor Basham. The committee was especially
impressed with how highly her students regarded her teaching in
required lower level biology courses and in general education
courses,” he said. “Ms.
Basham also earned the admiration of the Committee for the
high standards of excellence that she set for her students,
and for the fact that her students accepted these standards.” Dr.
Jeff Bauer, professor of geology and former interim chair of the
Department of Natural Sciences at SSU, said he nominated Basham
because he has seen her work for over 13 years and knows that she
has all of the characters of a master teacher. “Julie
Basham is a superb instructor—well organized, contemporary,
creative, and professional. She
extends her caring approach for students beyond the boundary of the
classroom and, in the process, has gained their love, respect, and
admiration, “ Bauer said. Bauer
said he has had the opportunity to visit Basham’s classroom on
many occasions and that as the former interim chair of the
Department of Natural Sciences, he read her student evaluations.
He also has listened to students make comments about her and
as a result, he has formed a good picture of her teaching style. “Julie
has well defined goals (student outcomes) for each of her classes.
She is one of the best organized instructors in the
Department of Natural Sciences,” he said. “In her instruction, she uses a wide variety of media and
pedagogical approaches. Slides,
web sites, living specimens, videos, field trips Finalists
for the award include Dr. John H. Lorentz, professor of history;
Lane Raiser, associate professor of art; Dr. Jim Day, professor of
business management; Larry Essman, professor of accounting; and
Marsha Walker, associate professor of office administration. Basham,
who received a check in the amount of $500 for the honor, said that
when she had heard she had been nominated for the award and then
found out later that she would receive it, it was a very humbling
experience. “At
the same time, it is very gratifying to know that you have been
nominated by one of your colleagues and that a group of colleagues
selected you for this award,” she said. “I was surprised but yet I was very moved by the fact that
my colleagues thought enough of me to nominate me and then to select
me; that apparently what I am doing at Shawnee State University has
been noticed and that’s always a nice feeling.” “I
think Julie Basham is very deserving of the Distinguished Teaching
Award. She’s a model
instructor and has served our department and the University with
spirit and professionalism for nearly 20 years,” Bauer said. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Dr.
Michael J. Field (right), interim president of Shawnee State
University, his wife Diane (second from right), and Dr. John L.
Kelley (third from right), interim provost and vice president for
academic affairs at SSU, converse with SSU students outside of the
Clark Memorial Library. Field and Kelley began their tenure in their
interim positions today (July 2).
Shawnee State University may be entering a
brand new academic and fiscal year full of new challenges but the
individuals filling the institution’s top two positions are
familiar faces to all affiliated with the University. Dr.
Michael J. Field, provost and vice president for academic affairs at
SSU for the past two years, began his tenure as the University’s
interim president today. Field
is serving in that capacity through June 30, 2002.
Dr. John L. Kelley, professor of history at SSU and its
predecessor institutions since 1969, will serve as interim provost
for the new year. Prior
to coming to SSU, Field was professor of English, director of the
Honors Program, and director of the Center for Professional
Development at Bemidji State University in Bemidji, Minnesota.
He received his Ph.D. in English from Cornell University in
1970, and has published widely on interdisciplinary topics and on
the outcomes assessment movement in higher education.
Kelley has been the president
of the SSU University Faculty Senate for the past year and has held
numerous positions as chair and president on committees and
assemblies/senates at the University during the past decade.
Field and his wife
Diane were married in 1964, celebrating their 37th
anniversary this past Thursday.
They have three children: Valerie, who is a law student at
the University of South Dakota; Carolyn, who is a doctoral student
in sociology at the University of New Hampshire; and Josh, who is a
blackjack dealer in Las Vegas. Diane
received her bachelor's degree in English in 1964 from the State
University of New York at Stony Brook.
She and Field were undergraduates there together.
She also received a master's degree in counseling at Bemidji
State University where she worked as a counselor in the Counseling
Center. She spent several years working as a Guardian Ad Litem for
the court system, representing the interests of children in legal
proceedings. For the
last seven years in Bemidji she served as the executive director of
the Bemidji Community Arts Council, coordinating all of the
activities of the Community Arts Center. Field
says he will do his best to build on the institutional growth that
has taken place since he arrived as provost two years ago. “Shawnee
State University has experienced real growth and maturation as an
institution. It does
not resemble the place it was several years ago,” he said. The
recent North Central Association (NCA) of Colleges and Schools
Commission on Institutions of Higher Education (the organization
that accredits SSU and other universities) evaluation, according to
Field, shows the institution is truly coming into its own. “I
am very pleased that the NCA gave SSU a resounding vote of
confidence during their recent visit to our campus.
Because SSU has successfully addressed the concerns raised by
NCA in 1997, they will not visit us again until the next regular
visit in 2007,” he said. At
the top of his list of projects, Field says he plans to move forward
with a sound strategic plan, building on a solid foundation
comprised of talented faculty members, students who are striving for
excellence, and a dedicated group of administrators.
The University will also look at ways to emphasize enrollment
growth, including using existing as well as new academic programs
that will draw more students to the institution. There
are no major structural changes expected during Field’s term as
interim president, however, he indicated the University must respond
to budgetary restraints experienced by all state institutions in
Ohio. “SSU
will continue to look for innovative ways to handle its resources
with intelligence and care, even in this day and time when resources
are limited,” he said. Field
also plans to work on having events on campus that will draw
regional and statewide attention to SSU, such as bringing key
individuals to the University to conduct seminars and give
presentations. Pleased
that Kelley agreed to serve as interim provost and vice president
for academic affairs, Field will rely on an individual who has been
a faculty member with a long record of service at SSU to serve as
the interim chief academic officer at the University. “John
Kelley knows this institution, how it evolved, and has been a part
of its growth since the beginning.
He is thoughtful, analytic, and well respected.
He will serve the University well as its interim provost,”
Field said. Kelley,
noting that he did not seek the provost position at SSU, said he had
planned on finishing out his career as a faculty member at SSU. “There are others at SSU who have greater administrative experience than I do. However, we would have experienced replacement problems with these individuals’ positions,” Kelley said. “I accepted the position to do what I can to see that SSU continues its growth. SSU is a wonderful small university. I had no idea when I first came here in 1969 that it would develop so impressively. I look forward in the coming year to making my small contribution towards further improvements." During
his one-year appointment, Kelley plans to examine the impact the
recent reduction SSU experienced in its special subsidy will have in
the short and long-term. “We
may also have to revisit the issue of switching from quarters to
semesters. Ohio State
is considering it and if they move that way, we will consider doing
so as well,” Kelley said. Kelley
noted that he has a lot of experience in academia and that it will
be an experience for him seeing things from the higher-level
administrative angle. “Serving
as provost will give me a more comprehensive perspective about
Shawnee State University,” he said. George
Clayton, chair of the SSU Board of Trustees, said he feels confident
that Field and Kelley will do very well in their interim positions. “I
feel very confident that Dr. Michael Field and Dr. John Kelley will
continue the academic progress that has taken place at SSU during
the last three years and I know they will promote leadership for the
future growth of SSU,” Clayton said. #
# # FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE The
Holocaust, An Intensive One-Week Study,
For the past 11 years, Shawnee State University, in cooperation with
Kent State University, the Holocaust Foundation, and Portsmouth’s
B’Nai Abraham Temple, has presented a one-week intensive study of
the Holocaust of World War II.
This year is no exception. The
Holocaust, An Intensive One-Week Study, will be presented Monday
through Friday, July 23-27, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the campus of
Shawnee State University in Portsmouth. The
literal meaning of the word “holocaust” is “destruction by
fire.” In its
symbolic sense, however, the term has come to refer most
recognizably to the planned extermination of the Jewish people and
of other so-called “undesirables” by the Third Reich before and
during World War II. There
were violent deaths and incarceration of, by some estimates, as many
as 11 million human beings—men, women, and children.
“The
immensity of the tragedy is literally impossible for the mind to
encompass—and yet only through honest exploration of this time can
this society hope to safeguard its future against other such
catastrophes,” said Ginnie Moore, director of the Office of
University Outreach Services at SSU.
Moore
said that the week of study is a full one that is often
overwhelming. “Students
meet and hear from Holocaust scholars; spend an unforgettable
morning with Morris Dach, a Columbus businessman who, as a teenager,
survived the camps; and view film footage at once brutally graphic
and heartbreakingly poignant,” she said. Though
much of the material is based in tragedy, there are also many
stories of great courage, according to Moore. “During
the week, students come to see historic figures in new
lights—figures as frightening as Adolph Hitler himself and as
inspiring as Oskar Schindler or Hannah Arendt,” she said. “Members of the class are also encouraged to pursue
individual projects regarding the Holocaust—projects that might
range from future lesson plans for teachers taking the course to
personal genealogical studies.” Over
the years, nearly 300 people have enrolled in the workshop, and
according to Moore, few have failed to take away something of value. “Many
have reported experiences that they themselves have called
transforming,” she said. Participants
in the workshop will receive four hours of credit (ENGL 499) by
registering with SSU’s Office of the Registrar.
The workshop may also be taken as non-credit through the
Office of University Outreach Services for $200. “In
addition, for the first time, Ohio University Graduate Credit is
available,” Moore said. “Students
can receive three graduate credit hours at a registration cost of
$255.” For
more information about the workshop, call the Office of University
Outreach Services at (740) 355-2281. ### FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE
Featured In Yellow Springs and Boston A
new play based on the life of Portsmouth's Julia Marlowe will have a
special preview on July 11 at the Antioch Writers' Conference in
Yellow Springs. The
one-person drama, written by Dr. Jerry G. Holt, dean of the College
of Arts and Sciences at Shawnee State University, will be featured
at the conference that yearly hosts some of the leading names in the
literary world. Barbara
Calarese, who is a familiar name to Cincinnati and Indianapolis
theatergoers and most recently starred as M’Lynn in the Dayton
Victoria Theater's revival of Steel Magnolias, will present
the play for the conference participants.
She is a resident artist with The Human Race Theatre Company
at The Loft in Dayton, Ohio. Having
performed numerous roles in that area, she has also worked in
Chicago. Her favorites
include Martha in Virginia Woolf and Eleanor in Lion in
Winter. Marlowe,
who lived from 1865-1950, was one of the great Shakespearians.
Her road to fame was hardly a conventional one.
The bizarre circumstances of her English childhood brought
her to this country a virtual fugitive, compelled by the
circumstances of her family to live in obscurity.
But an early love of Shakespeare drew her to the stage, where
she made her debut at the age of 11. By
the time she was 21, Marlowe was a fixture of the New York Theater.
She had immense success with the popular vehicle When
Knighthood Was In Flower, a play that she not only appeared in
but also directed. In 1911 she married the noted actor Edward Hugh Sothern, and
together they became the leading Shakespearian couple of their day,
performing in Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, and other
productions. One
of the most compelling aspects of the Marlowe story, in fact, is the
creative fire that she and Sothern clearly kindled within each
other. Even so,
Marlowe’s career remains very much her own.
Her talent, her devotion to Shakespeare, and her unwavering
perfectionism made her, in the words of one critic, an actress who
“. . . should be seen not once but many times; as the spectator
watches her he becomes aware that his critical armor is valueless.
And we do not know what greater tribute can be given to an
artist.” According
to Holt, Marlowe spent part of her early childhood in Portsmouth,
Ohio. “I
had been interested in her story for some time, but the
possibilities of a play only became clear for me after I began to
discuss my ideas with Barbara Calarese,” he said. Holt
met Calarese at last year’s Antioch Writers’ Workshop and
credits the workshop as the beginning of the project. “I
am grateful to the workshop for its willingness to provide this
play-in-progress an early venue and, to borrow a phrase from the
play, I am especially grateful to Barbara for making flesh and blood
out of pen and ink,” he said. In
addition, Holt's play Rickey, that premiered at SSU in 1996
and has since played across the United States, opens in Boston on
September 6 for a three-night run.
The Nexus Theater Center has chosen Rickey as part of
its "Americana" celebration.
New York actor David Wilcox, who did the show for the Jackie
Robinson 50th Anniversary Celebration in Brooklyn, will again appear
as Branch Rickey. All of the writing Holt has done for the stage has been based on real stories of real Scioto County lives. “We have an endlessly fascinating history here, and it has been very gratifying to me to play a small part in making it better known,” he said. It has also been “a continuing blessing” for Holt to work with talented individuals.
“Geoff Nelson and David Wilcox have brought Branch Rickey to vivid
life, and Jim Hayes did the same last April for Thomas Waller.
Barbara Calarese's interpretation of Julia Marlowe promises
to be something very special as well,” he said.
"Let me add that these productions have depended on more
than the on-stage personalities.
I would cite particularly Dale Taylor's meticulous historical
research for Rickey, which brought a wonderful added depth to
that play." #
# #
FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE
PASS
Program “Snuffing” Out
Rhonda Zuhars of Cannonsburg, Kentucky, 2nd year respiratory therapy student at Shawnee State University, explains the dangers of using tobacco products, as they relate to teeth, gums, and the mouth, to 3rd grade students at Roosevelt Elementary School in Portsmouth. This session is a part of the SSU/SOMC PASS program--Prevent Addiction to Smoking and Snuff.
Christa Clevenger of Greenup, Kentucky, 2nd year respiratory therapy student at SSU, shows Roosevelt students what tobacco smoke did to the lungs of a pig. This session is a part of the SSU/SOMC PASS program--Prevent Addiction to Smoking and Snuff. When
a Shawnee State University (SSU) respiratory therapy student showed
the group of Roosevelt Elementary School students a set of pig lungs
that were destroyed by lung cancer, the impact was profound.
The young students saw firsthand the effect tobacco smoke can
have on living beings. This
is simply one of the many ways the PASS (Prevent Addiction
to Smoking and Snuff) program discourages tobacco use
by children. Developed
by Mary Ann Canter, associate professor of respiratory therapy at
SSU, the PASS program, in its third year of existence, has shown
over 550 elementary school students (over 230 this year alone) how
the respiratory system works and the harmful effects smoking and
smokeless tobacco use can have on human beings.
According to Canter, PASS is a collaborative effort between
Shawnee State University and Southern Ohio Medical Center (SOMC). “The
hospital did not have the staffing for such a program and we did not
have materials. They
provide the audio/visual supplies and SSU students conduct the
sessions of the program,” Canter said. Sharon
Carver, RN, community health specialist at SOMC who is instrumental
in administering the program with Canter, says PASS focuses on
prevention.
“Informally, we have asked the children who go through the
program how many of them live with smokers.
About 70 percent indicated they do and most have never heard
the negative aspects of using tobacco products,” Carver said.
“It’s a first time experience for them.
Most do not know that the same type of tobacco that is in
snuff is in chewing tobacco. The
information they receive literally opens their eyes.” Carver
also said that with tobacco being a prominent crop in southern Ohio,
many of the PASS students have relatives who raise tobacco.
In addition, Carver indicated that a survey conducted a few
years ago by SOMC, administered to all middle and high school
students in Scioto County, showed that 20 percent of all middle
school students use tobacco products. “There
were no state reports so this data was very important to us.
It showed us that we had to begin presenting the program at a
very young age, if we were going to prevent tobacco use,” Carver
said. Carver
said that since this time, the Ohio Department of Health completed
just last year a survey focusing on the use of tobacco products by
middle and high school students.
After the results were found
via the SOMC survey, Canter and Carver decided they would focus on
presenting the prevention program to 3rd graders at
several elementary schools and then repeat the program to the same
groups of children three years later when they become 6th
graders. “Next
year we will present a peer resistance version of PASS to the
original groups of 3rd grade students who will then be 6th
graders,” Canter said. Dale
Foster, 3rd grade teacher at Roosevelt Elementary School,
said that the children seem excited when they go through the
program. “It
is a good program that starts them out very young.
You can never start children on anti-drugs, anti-alcohol, or
anti-smoking programs too young,” he said.
“And it is sinking in.
I have had many of my students say to me ‘Mr. Foster, we
know that we are not supposed to use tobacco products.’
This is because it is hands on.
I like that.” Roby
Bach, principal at Roosevelt Elementary School, said that he is glad
that several schools in the Portsmouth City Schools system are
participating in the program. “It
is great that Portsmouth City Schools, Shawnee State University, and
Southern Ohio Medical Center can work together and have common goals
about health education. The
program is a very effective means of helping prevent health-related
illnesses,” he said. Bach
also pointed out that many of his students have family members who
use tobacco products and some have health-related illnesses because
of this. “During
late primary school is the ideal time to begin such a program,” he
said. “We are very
pleased with the interactive nature of the PASS program, including
the utilization of learning centers, models, hands-on activities,
and videos.” While
wearing her “Smoking Stinks” button from the American Cancer
Society, Kim Newman, 2nd grade teacher at Roosevelt, said
that she is glad to see a program in her school that provides
information that encourages children to “stay as far away from
cigarettes and smokeless tobacco as they can.” “I
have had 2nd graders who have smoked before and it just
makes me sick,” she said. “My
mother smoked for more than 50 years and has had lung cancer.
She is very fortunate to have survived it for six years now.
However, she continues to suffer every day because of
smoking.” Stephanie
Kelley, a first-year respiratory therapy student from Wheelersburg,
said the program is “wonderful.” “I
work at SOMC and I see what tobacco use does to people.
It is disheartening to see 16- and 17-year-olds on
ventilators. If we get
people early enough, this type of thing will not happen,” she
said. “It is great to
hear children say they take materials we give them home so they can
show their parents and relatives who smoke why they should stop
smoking.” In
addition to SOMC and her students at SSU, Canter credits the Jimmy
Buffett Singing For Change (SFC) Foundation, for helping make the
program a success. She
received a second grant from the Foundation last November that
enabled the respiratory therapy program at SSU to purchase another
Discovery spirometer, a piece of medical equipment that is used to
record lung functions and demonstrate how smoking can affect a
person’s lungs. The
first Discovery spirometer was purchased in 1998 with funds obtained
from a previous grant Canter received from Buffett’s charitable
foundation. Future plans for the remaining funds include the purchase of
a TV/VCR unit and other educational materials needed for the PASS
program. And
just how effective, statistically, is the program? Canter said that post quizzes are given to participating
students over the materials covered during PASS sessions and
students score very high on them. Individuals
who would like information on tobacco use in Scioto County or would
like to have the PASS program presented at a school or to an
organization, can call Canter at (740) 351-3240. “We
are more than happy to present the program on request.
We are available to do screenings and also present
information at health fairs,” she said.
FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE
Phone
Numbers To Change To
accommodate current and anticipated growth, Shawnee State University
is changing the telephone numbers of its offices and departments.
Jaime
Madden, project manager with SSU’s University Information Services
(UIS), says the phone number change is necessary because the
University has grown to a point where it has utilized all of the
numbers available in the current 355 telephone exchange range. “Because
of the growth of the University, we must transition to the new 351
telephone exchange. While
a major change like this poses a great inconvenience to everyone, it
is unavoidable due to the lack of numbers needed to support our
growing campus,” she said. The
change will occur the weekend of July 13 through July 16. Madden
said that at the time of the change, Verizon will activate a call
intercept recording on all of SSU’s former numbers.
“Therefore,
after the conversion occurs, if anyone off campus dials an old phone
number they will receive a recording providing them the new
number,” she said. This
recording will be active until the new local telephone directories
with ###
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