FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 6, 2009

Contact:
Elizabeth Blevins, Director, Office of Communications
Office: (740) 351-3810; FAX: (740) 351-3179; Cell: (740) 464-4854
E-mail: eblevins@shawnee.edu
 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 6, 2009

Contact:
Elizabeth Blevins, Director, Office of Communications
Office: (740) 351-3810; FAX: (740) 351-3179; Cell: (740) 464-4854
E-mail: eblevins@shawnee.edu
 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 6, 2009

Contact:
Elizabeth Blevins, Director, Office of Communications
Office: (740) 351-3810; FAX: (740) 351-3179; Cell: (740) 464-4854
E-mail: eblevins@shawnee.edu
 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 9, 2009

Contact:
Elizabeth Blevins, Director, Office of Communications
Office: (740) 351-3810; FAX: (740) 351-3179; Cell: (740) 464-4854
E-mail: eblevins@shawnee.edu
 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 9, 2009

Contact:
Elizabeth Blevins, Director, Office of Communications
Office: (740) 351-3810; FAX: (740) 351-3179; Cell: (740) 464-4854
E-mail: eblevins@shawnee.edu
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Elizabeth Blevins
February 9, 2009 (740) 351-3810; FAX (740) 351-3179 E-mail: eblevins@shawnee.edu


 

 Shawnee State University Named to Presidential Honor Roll For Community Service

            The Corporation for National and Community Service honored Shawnee State University today with a place on the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll for exemplary service efforts and service to America’s communities.
            “The community is such a big part of Shawnee State University, and our past and future success,” SSU President Rita Rice Morris said. “That’s why community service is so important to us. To be recognized nationally for the efforts of our students, faculty and staff in making a difference in our community means a lot to us and makes us especially proud.”
            Launched in 2006, the Community Service Honor Roll is the highest federal recognition a school can achieve for its commitment to service-learning and civic engagement. Honorees for the award were chosen based on a series of selection factors including scope and innovation of service projects, percentage of student participation in service activities, incentives for service, and the extent to which the school offers academic service-learning courses.
            Shawnee State students, faculty and staff have participated in numerous service projects including food and clothing drives for local homeless shelters, working on Habitat for Humanity houses, alternative school break projects where students travel to help clean a forest or build houses, and donating many hours of their time with various service organizations in the community.
            “In this time of economic distress, we need volunteers more than ever. College students represent an enormous pool of idealism and energy to help tackle some of our toughest challenges,” said Stephen Goldsmith, vice chair of the Board of Directors of the Corporation for National and Community Service, which oversees the Honor Roll. “We salute Shawnee State University for making community service a campus priority, and thank the millions of college students who are helping to renew America through service to others.”
            Overall, the Corporation honored six schools with Presidential Awards. In addition, 83 were named as Honor Roll with Distinction members and 546 schools as Honor Roll members. In total, 635 schools were recognized. A full list is available at www.nationalservice.gov/honorroll.
            The Honor Roll is a program of the Corporation, in collaboration with the Department of Education, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the President's Council on Service and Civic Participation. The President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll is presented during the annual conference of the American Council on Education.
            “I offer heartfelt congratulations to those institutions named to the 2008 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll. College and university students across the country are making a difference in the lives of others every day – as are the institutions that encourage their students to serve others,” said American Council on Education President Molly Corbett Broad.
            Recent studies have underlined the importance of service-learning and volunteering to college students. In 2006, 2.8 million college students gave more than 297 million hours of volunteer service, according to the Corporation’s Volunteering in America 2007 study. Expanding campus incentives for service is part of a larger initiative to spur higher levels of volunteering by America’s college students. The Corporation is working with a coalition of federal agencies, higher education and student associations, and nonprofit organizations to achieve this goal.
            The Corporation for National and Community Service is a federal agency that improves lives, strengthens communities, and fosters civic engagement through service and volunteering. The Corporation administers Senior Corps, AmeriCorps and Learn and Serve America, a program that supports service-learning in schools, institutions of higher education and community-based organizations. For more information, go to www.nationalservice.gov.


PHOTO
One annual project Shawnee State University students and staff participate in is the “Cans Across America” food drive in collaboration with Sodexo, SSU’s dining service. In 2008, more than 3,390 pounds of food was collected and distributed to six local food pantries.
 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 9, 2009

            Johnny Rawls, who has been described as playing a “sweet soul’d fusion of blues, R&B, and emotion-laden pop stylings” will be performing for Black History Month at 7 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 20 at Shawnee State University’s Vern Riffe Center for the Arts.
            “We are very fortunate to have Johnny Rawls as a headline act for Black History Month,” said Matt Matthews, coordinator of Multicultural Student Affairs. “This is going to be a great show.”
            Rawls began his career playing behind some of the south’s biggest blues and soul artists beginning when he was a teenager in Mississippi. In the mid-70s he worked as a band director for O.V. Wright, Little Johnny Taylor and in the ‘80s he began to tour under his own name.
            Rawls formed his first band at the age of 13 called The Sextets. The band attracted national attention from some of the top blues artists. He moved to Milwaukee, Wis. and formed a band that became The Ace of Spades, which was the legendary O.V. Wright Band. He began to record and eventually got the attention of “crossover” audiences, predominately white listeners.
            Today, Rawls is both a recording artist and producer for JSP Records. His new CD is “Lucky Man.”
            The Johnny Rawls show is free and open to the public. The event is sponsored by Multicultural Student Affairs. For more information, call Matthews at (740) 351-3553 or e-mail mmatthews@shawnee.edu.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 9, 2009

            Shawnee State University’s Counseling and Psychological Services has planned several events during National Eating Disorder Awareness Week from February 24 to 26 with movies and experts leading discussions on eating disorders.
            The documentary “Slim Hopes” is scheduled to play from noon to one p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 24 through Thursday, Feb. 26 at the Clark Memorial Library Alcove for a brown bag lunchtime viewing. Jim Weaver, Matt Matthews and Fred Chrisman each will be the clinical screeners on the different days.
Also at noon on Tuesday, Feb. 24, in the University Center lobby, students from Health and Wellness will explore the influences of music, film and television on body image and eating disorders with clinical screener Michelle Patrick.
            Supplement abuse and performance enhancers will be discussed by SSU athletic trainer Tony Ward from 6 to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 24, at a wing of Flohr Lecture Hall with clinical screener Mary Ann Malone.
On Wednesday, Feb. 25 from noon to 1 p.m., nutritionist Kim McCray will talk about “Portion Distortion” in the University Center Lobby and Jennifer Bailey is clinical screener.
            Wednesday evening, from 6 to 8:30 p.m., is feature movie night with the movie “Thin,” an HBO documentary on four young women struggling with anorexia, at the Flohr Lecture Hall. Popcorn provided by Student Activities. Discussion facilitated by SOMC clinical counselor Lori Guinn with clinical screener Lisa Goodan.
            To cap off the week, a recovery forum is scheduled from 6 to 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Feb 26 at a wing if the Flohr Lecture Hall with clips from people in recovery. Clinical counselor Stephen Ford will facilitate discussion and Linda Koenig-Brown will be clinical screener.
            Students, faculty and members of the community are invited to attend all events at no charge. The Southern Ohio Medical Center, SSU’s Student Government Association, Sodexo, Pepsi and SSU’s Counseling and Psychological Services sponsor the events. For more information, contact Linda Koenig-Brown at (740) 351-3655.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 12, 2009

            The last piece of steel is going to be placed on top of the new addition at the University Center at Shawnee State University and a Topping Out Ceremony is planned at 2 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 18. “Topping Out” is a term used when the last steel beam is placed on the structure.
            On Monday, Feb. 16 before the Topping Out Ceremony, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., all university faculty, staff and students are invited to sign the last steel beam which will be located just outside the construction site in the east parking lot before it goes up on Wednesday.
            “Anyone involved with the university can sign the beam before we put it up,” said John Temponeras, construction projects manager.
            The SSU University Center will double in size as a result of a $15 million expansion and renovation project, the largest facilities investment in the University’s history. The University Center is slated for completion January 2010.
            With enrollment increasing, students voted to invest in their “home away from home” by increasing student fees to help pay for the center. As “part owners,” students have been involved in the planning and design of the new University Center and the final product reflects what is needed and wanted most by the nearly 4,000 students at SSU.
            The Topping Out Ceremony is open to the public.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 13, 2009

            For the past four years, Shawnee State University has provided state-approved food safety training awarding ServSafe Food Protection Certifications, a nationally recognized and accredited program. The training is scheduled this semester on Monday, Feb. 23 and Tuesday, Feb. 24 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day.
            The ServSafe Food Safety Manager Certification Program was developed by the National Restaurant Association and leads the way in providing foodservice industry with an up-to-date comprehensive food safety training and certification program.
            The two-day comprehensive ServSafe training at Shawnee State educates attendees on the elements of safe food handling and how to design a safety program that will protect customers from potential food-borne illness. In addition, attendees learn sanitation management and pest control.
            “Employees need to know food safety and the critical importance of its role,” said Ginnie Moore, director of University Outreach Services. ”This training teaches attendees safe food handling and specifics on micro-organisms and their relationship to food-borne illness.”
            The State Of Ohio requires that every food service establishment have a person certified in food safety or be able to demonstrate knowledge of food-borne illness and how to prevent its occurrence.
            ServSafe provides the restaurant and food service industry with an up-to-date, comprehensive food safety training and certification program and it is recognized both in Ohio and Kentucky Departments of Health.
            The Center for Disease Control reports that 90 percent of reported cases of food-borne illness are related to poor food-handling practices involving improper holding temperatures and poor personal hygiene.
            The cost of the program is $275 per person and includes lunch, book, exam and all handouts.
            For more information or to register on SSU’s food safety certification program, call Tracy Walters at (740) 351-3171, toll free at (866) 672-8778 or e-mail twalters@shawnee.edu.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 13, 2009

            The women of Shawnee State University join others in the nation to raise awareness of heart disease in women by wearing red one day each February. This year is the sixth anniversary of the nationwide campaign and on Friday, Feb. 27, women and supporters at SSU are encouraged to wear red to show support.
            Studies on unique stroke risk factors among women and gender disparities in stroke care are featured in a special issue of “Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association.” 

According to an editorial accompanying the special issue, stroke among women is the third leading cause of death, a leading cause of disability and an ongoing epidemic, with women accounting for more than 60 percent of all stroke deaths in the United States.
            “Go Red For Women celebrates the energy, passion and power we have as women to band together to wipe out heart disease and stroke,” said Sarah Smith Richards, Trio Center representative at SSU. “I think it’s wonderful that the SSU Women’s Center has partnered with the American Heart Association to raise awareness on this important issue.”
            To support heart research, representatives in many departments on campus will be collecting donations and supporters can purchase a red dress sticker or red dress lapel pin at the University Center from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 25 through Friday, Feb. 27. On Friday, everyone wearing red is asked to meet at the University Center for a photo session.
            For more information, call The Women’s Center at (740) 351-3738.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 16, 2009

            Prominent jazz flutist Galen presented a free concert at Shawnee State University on Friday, Feb. 6 at the University Center’s Main Lobby. For more than 40 years, Galen has been performing throughout the United States and abroad. Galen is considered one of the most popular artists on university and college campuses in the country.

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February 16, 2009

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February 17, 2009

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February 20, 2009

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February 20, 2009

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 20, 2009

            The last steel beam was placed on top of the new addition at Shawnee State University on Wednesday, Feb. 18. The beam was full of autographs from the faculty, staff and students at SSU. President Morris autographed the beam just before it was set on top of the new structure

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 20, 2009

            Shawnee State University is offering a series of three courses in real estate beginning March 24 through May 28.
            SSU has educated many of the real estate agents in the state of Ohio with a comprehensive program to help build a successful career in real estate. Both pre-licensing courses and classroom continuing education courses are offered.
            The three courses offered are Real Estate Principles and Practices, Real Estate Law and Real Estate Finance and Appraisal.
            Real Estate Principles and Practices will meet 5:30 to 9:50 p.m. from March 24 to April 23 on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The course is an introduction to real estate economics and administration and includes elementary physical, legal and economic characteristics of real estate and real estate markets and also national, regional and local economic influences on real estate values.
            Real Estate Law is 5:30 to 9:50 p.m. from April 22 to May 27 on Mondays and Wednesdays. The course includes the law of agency as applied to real estate brokers and salesmen, law of fixtures, estates, conveyance of real estate, real estate management, license laws of Ohio, zoning, cooperatives and condominiums.
            Real Estate Finance and Appraisal classes are 5:30 to 9:50 p.m. from April 28 to May 28 on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The course includes analysis of real estate financing, and includes lending policies in financing transactions in residential, commercial and special purpose properties. It also has an introduction to the fundamentals of appraising, focusing on the appraising process, site analysis, building costs, capitalization and reports.
            The non-credit fee is $399 for each course or $999 for all three courses. Fees must be paid by March 13 and a late fee of $75 applies after that date.
            For more information call (740) 351-3171 or (866) 672-8778 or e-mail twalters@shawnee.edu.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 20, 2009

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 23, 2009

            One of the bloodiest episodes of the 20th Century killed two million Cambodians including Loung Ung’s father, mother and two siblings. In her first book, “First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers,” Ung writes about her experience of being forced into training as a child soldier in the infamous Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge army. That was in 1978. In 1980, she and her older brother escaped by boat to Thailand where she lived in a refugee camp for five months.
            After Rita Haider, project coordinator for Shawnee State University’s Center for International Programs and Activities, read the book, she decided to try to get Ung as a guest at SSU. Shannon Lawson with the Women’s Center helped her.
            “Once you start reading the book, you just can’t put it down,” Haider said.
            With sponsorship by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and Holy Family Church parish in Burlington, Vt., Ung relocated to the United States.
            Fifteen years later, she returned to Cambodia for a memorial service for the victims of the genocide and it was then she learned that 20 of her relatives had been killed. Since that time, Ung has devoted herself to justice and reconciliation in her homeland. She has become a celebrated author and internationally known activist for human rights.
            Her first book was a national best seller and she is a recipient of the 2001 Asian/Pacific American Librarians’ Association award for “Excellence in Adult Non-fiction Literature.” The book has been published in 11 countries and translated into 10 languages. Ung has written several other books including, “After They Killed Our Father” and “Lucky Child.” She has worked for the Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation’s Campaign for a Landmine-Free World as well as being a national spokesperson for the campaign.
            “To go through that experience and yet to come out so positive is amazing,” said Lawson, who is assistant professor of English and Humanities. “As a reader, you wonder if you can be as strong as that person who has gone through so much.”
            Ung will be in the Main Theater at SSU’s Vern Riffe Center for the Arts at 7 p.m. on Thursday, March 12. Books will be available for purchase and signing at the event.
            The event is free and open to the public, sponsored by the Jane M.G. Foster Distinguished Lecture Series and co-sponsored by the Women’s Center, CIPA, the Office of the Provost and the Honors Programs.
            For more information, call Haider at (740) 351-3127 or Lawson at (740) 351-3295

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 23, 2009

            Associate Professor of Natural Science Kurt Shoemaker cuts the cake at Charles Darwin’s 200th birthday celebration on Thursday, Feb. 12 at Shawnee State University. Ecologist Dr. Bob Brodman, professor of biology at Saint Joseph’s College in Indiana presented two special lectures as part of the celebration.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 23, 2009

            Associate Professor of Natural Science Kurt Shoemaker cuts the cake at Charles Darwin’s 200th birthday celebration on Thursday, Feb. 12 at Shawnee State University. Ecologist Dr. Bob Brodman, professor of biology at Saint Joseph’s College in Indiana presented two special lectures as part of the celebration.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 24, 2009

            Johnny Rawls played a “sweet soul’d fusion of blues, R&B, and emotion-laden pop stylings” for Black History Month on Friday, Feb. 20 at Shawnee State University’s Vern Riffe Center for the Arts. In the photo, Rawls, third from left, performs with his band on stage at the VRCFA.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 26, 2009

            Charles Shields, author of “Mockingbird: A Portrait of Harper Lee” will be talking about his research on the famous author who only wrote the one book at Shawnee State University at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 5 at Clark Memorial Library in the Flohr Lecture Hall.
            Lee’s Pulitzer Prize winning novel, “To Kill a Mockingbird” has been chosen for The Big Read Scioto County literacy project. The book, written 50 years ago, has sold 30 million copies and still sells several hundred thousand each year. Author Lee has become quite a mysterious figure and Shields has brought to life the warmhearted, high-spirited, and occasionally hardheaded woman who gave us two of America’s most unforgettable literary characters, Atticus Finch and his daughter, Scout.
            Shields spent four years researching and writing his book about Lee. He is a former English teacher who taught Lee's novel for a number of years and later wrote nonfiction books for young people.
            For his book, Shields interviewed more than 600 of Harper Lee's neighbors, childhood friends, law school classmates, and Kansas residents who became her friends while she was there helping Truman Capote research “In Cold Blood.”
            As a result of his research, information never before known is in this portrait of Lee, who stopped giving interviews in 1964. Shields’ book is the first book written about her.
            “Shields’ book is really interesting,” said Connie Salyers Stoner, director of SSU’s Clark Memorial Library. “He talks about her struggles in creating the book and also the highlights of her career. It is highly entertaining.’”
            To promote literacy in Scioto County, Shawnee State University is partnering with the Literacy Council of Scioto County and the Southern Ohio Performing Arts Association to present several events of the three-month long community-wide literacy project featuring Lee’s novel, “To Kill a Mockingbird.”
            SOPAA authored the grant in partnership with the Literacy Council and is one of 208 organizations in the United States to receive a grant to host The Big Read project from the National Endowment for the Arts. The Big Read is an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with the Institute of Museum and Library Services and Arts Midwest. Shields’ lecture is part of the Jane M.G. Foster Distinguished Lecture Series at SSU.
His book will be sold before the lecture and a signing will be available after the event with refreshments served. For more information, call Stoner at (740) 351-3462 or e-mail csalyers@shawnee.edu

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 26, 2009

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Elizabeth Blevins, Director, Office of Communications
(740) 351-3810; FAX (740) 351-3179 E-mail: eblevins@shawnee.edu

 

            Schools, health care centers, employment agencies, graduate schools, banks and other businesses will participate from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Tuesday, March 10 at Shawnee State University’s James A. Rhodes Athletic Center.
            Companies and organizations from the tri-state area and throughout the state of Ohio will be talking to students, such as USEC, the City of Gahanna, Adams County and Scioto County schools, Edgewood Manor, Ohio Center for Broadcasters, Southern Ohio Medical Center, Social Security Administration, the U.S. armed forces, federal agencies and several Ohio state agencies.
            “Students need to bring resumes and dress appropriately,” said Stephen Gregory, director of Career Services at SSU. “We’ll have a variety of opportunities for students and alumni – summer jobs, full time jobs, part time jobs and internships.
            Not all the companies will be interviewing but many will accept résumés.
            To register for an interview or to see the list of companies interviewing at the Job Fair, go to SSU Career Services, second floor, at the University Center. Students may sign up for interviews until March 3. A résumé must be provided for each interview scheduled.
            Career Services offers a Career Lab with books, computers and individual counseling to help students with résumés and letters. For more information, call SSU Career Services at (740) 351-3213.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 26, 2009

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Elizabeth Blevins, Director, Office of Communications
(740) 351-3810; FAX (740) 351-3179 E-mail: eblevins@shawnee.edu

 

            In Portsmouth, the local Ohio National Guard recruiter, SSgt. Chris Flannery, will be bringing Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s car from NASCAR to Shawnee State University.

Who: SSgt. Chris Flannery, recruiter for the Ohio National Guard.
What: Dale Earnhardt Jr. car will be on display.
When: Friday, February 27 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Where: Shawnee State University in back of the east parking lot near the floodwall by the Art Annex.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 27, 2009

            The Shawnee State University (SSU) Board of Trustees will meet Friday, March 13 at 1:15 p.m. in the Selby Board Room located in the Clark Memorial Library on the SSU campus.
            The committees of the Board will meet in the University Center at SSU as follows:
            • Finance and Facilities – 9 a.m. in the Founder’s Room;
            • Academic and Student Affairs –10:15 a.m. in the Howard/Ketter Room.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 27, 2009

            Shawnee State University students enjoy fruit parfaits at “Open Bar” on Wednesday, Feb. 18, in the University Center. The event was sponsored by SSU resident advisors. In the photo, SSU students are in line to make fruit parfaits

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 27, 2009

            During the brutal reign of Idi Amin in Uganda, hundreds of thousands of children were orphaned or left starving to death. After his demise, inspired by the singing of one small child, founder and human rights activist Ray Barnett and a team of volunteers recruited the first choir from among the orphans.
Bringing music and dance featuring more than 10 languages and unique cultural dancing from their homeland, the African Children’s Choir will be performing at Shawnee State University at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, March 16 at the Vern Riffe Center for the Arts.
            “This is one of the most exciting events of the year,” said Carl Daehler, executive director of the Vern Riffe Center for the Arts. “These children are incredible and will lift your spirits. You won’t want to miss them.”
            The choir will also be performing for local school children from Ohio and Kentucky at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, March 17 at SSU’s Vern Riffe Center.
The choir began in 1984 from orphaned children in the Kampala and Luwero areas of Uganda. Today, the Choir performs throughout the world spreading joy and inspiration and calling attention to the plight of the children of Africa.
            From their performances, the African Children’s Choir is caring for several thousand underprivileged children throughout Africa, focusing on education, among other things. The first choir built an orphanage in Kampala. More than 700 children have been in the choir since its inception with the funds they earned bringing education and hope to the orphans and at-risk children of Africa.
T            he event is sponsored by Student Affairs as part of Black History Month. The African Children’s Choir can be seen on its Web site at www.africanchildrenschoir.com and on You Tube

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 27, 2009

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Elizabeth Blevins, Director, Office of Communications
(740) 351-3810; FAX (740) 351-3179 E-mail: eblevins@shawnee.edu

 

            The 32nd Annual Appalachian Studies Association Conference is scheduled at Shawnee State University March 27-29. It is the first time the conference will be held in Appalachia Ohio. More than 600 people have registered for the conference in the past. The theme for the conference is “Connecting Appalachia and the World Through Traditional and Contemporary Arts, Crafts and Music.”
            The conference will feature keynote and plenary speakers; papers and panel presentations; reports on academic research and community practice; workshops; roundtable discussions; presentations of art, craft and film; exhibits and displays by book presses, regional organizations and artists.
            Two SSU faculty members and one staff member will be participating in the conference. On Saturday, March 28, Barbara Kunkle and Neil Carpathios, professors of English and humanities, will be moderating separate sessions. Each of the sessions will include SSU student participation.
Kunkle’s session, “The Patchworked Identities of Jesse Stuart’s Appalachian Subject,” begins at 8:30 a.m. and Carpathios is scheduled at 2 p.m. moderating “Student Appalachian Poetry – Poetry Reading.”
            Mandy Hart, CTFA, associate director of the SSU Development Foundation, is presenting Friday at noon. She will talk about “Philanthropy in Rural Appalachia in Music and Video.” Community philanthropy is the focus, with stories about real people making a real difference.
            “There are 200 breakout sessions, about 40 exhibitors and 62 universities represented,” said Ginnie Moore, director of University Outreach Services.
            The conference highlights the wealth of traditional and contemporary arts, crafts, and music of Appalachia and how they connect the region with the world. These and other Appalachia-focused topics will explore and share memory, landscape and community relationships that contribute to Appalachia’s connection with the world.
            During the conference, participants will have several opportunities to see some of the interesting places in the area and go to restaurants and shop. Tours of art and architecture, a quilt show at the Portsmouth Public Library, special tours of the Floodwall Murals, the Philip Moore Stone House, the Southern Ohio Museum and the 1810 house are being offered by several organizations.
            Musical entertainment and jamming is offered Friday night. Saturday night is SSU’s annual Appalachian Music Festival, “Scioto Valley Saturday Night,” featuring a string band, bluegrass, ballads and country music from local and regional musicians beginning at 8 p.m. at the Vern Riffe Center for the Arts. Bands include the Dr. John Simon Band, Poverty String Band, Home Remedy and an invitation to the audience to participate in a square dance. The event is free and open to the public. Tickets need to be picked up in advance at the McKinley Box Office at the VRCFA. For more information, call the Box Office at (740) 351-3600. The Appalachian Music Festival is funded by a gift from the Anna Margaret Daehler Stillwell Music Fund through SSU’s Development Foundation.
            Registration for the conference is $150 for regular membership and conference fee and $100 for students. For more information, go to appalachianstudies.org/conference.