COLLEGE OF HUMANITIES AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS NEWSLETTER

Missouri State University

VOLUME 8-1   Fall 2005

CHPA Graduate Survey (Update Address Info)

Dean's Corner: Dean Lorene Stone

There's a chill in the air, and the leaves are changing to their fall colors.  That reminds me that it's time to send the latest edition of our newsletter to faculty, staff, alumni, and friends of the College of Humanities and Public Affairs. 

While last year was memorable because of the centennial celebration and the successful completion of the University's first ever comprehensive campaign, the 2005-2006 academic year has started with a bang!!  To begin with, the campus welcomed a new President on July 1 – Dr. Michael Nietzel.  Dr. Nietzel hit the ground running with his ambitious plans and enthusiastic outlook.  Then on August 28, the University's name officially changed to Missouri State University, and we had a fabulous celebration to mark the beginning of another era in this University's great history.  

As shown throughout this newsletter, changes have also occurred in the College of Humanities and Public Affairs.  A number of new people have joined our faculty.  The Department of Defense and Strategic Studies opened fall classes in the Washington, D.C. area.  The Dean's office suite even moved from the north wing to the south wing of the second floor of Strong Hall.  In keeping with our public affairs mission, the CHPA faculty continues to engage in scholarly work and active service to their disciplines and the community, as well as to provide a quality educational experience for our students. 

I hope that you enjoy reading about our activities, and I invite you to join us on campus at any time.  We are proud of our accomplishments and are always ready to showcase them. 

I

Defense and Strategic Studies Moves to D.C. Area

On September 22^nd President Michael Nietzel joined Defense and Strategic Studies faculty, students, alumni and sponsors at their new facilities for a ribbon-cutting ceremony.  This event marked the formal opening of DSS in the Washington, D.C. area following its move from Springfield over the summer months.  Dr. Nietzel offered his congratulations for the DSS opening and eloquently described how the DSS Program contributes to Missouri State's goals.  Dr. Lorene Stone and Dr. William Van Cleave, DSS founder and mentor to many of those assembled in the auditorium, also offered remarks describing the value and legacy of the DSS program, the challenges involved in moving an entire department to Washington, and the unparalleled opportunities made possible by the relocation to Washington.  Following the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Dr. J.D. Crouch (Assistant to the President and Deputy National Security Advisor and past Associate Professor at DSS for 10 years), who now has several of his DSS graduates from Springfield either working directly for him or supplying support work to him in his current role in the Administration, and Dr. Robert Joseph (Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security) offered remarks and congratulations for the Department's opening in Washington.  At the reception following the ceremony, Dr. Van Cleave was honored for his incomparable efforts in the establishment of the DSS program and decades-long commitment to the success of DSS students.  During the reception, DSS Professor Brad Thayer announced a Festschrift in honor of Dr. Van Cleave.  The ribbon cutting and reception marked the beginning of a new period in DSS history.  Students and faculty are adjusting well to the challenges of a Washington lifestyle, particularly the traffic and housing costs.  Dr. Keith Payne, the new DSS Department Head, summed it up, saying "We all are enthusiastic about the myriad of educational and professional opportunities here in Washington and are confident that DSS will do much in coming years to further Missouri State's public affairs mission."  Check out the DSS web site for more details on this move and the program: http://www.missouristate.edu/dss/.

Economics Department Sponsors Panel
on Hurricane Katrina

In the wake of the devastating effects of Hurricane Katrina on New Orleans and much of the Gulf Coast of the United States, the Missouri State Economics Department quickly put together a panel of faculty, who spoke from their own areas of expertise on what the likely aftermath of the storm would bring for that region and the rest of the United States.  The panel was moderated by Dr. John Hoftyzer (ECO) and consisted of: Dr. Terrell Gallaway and Dr. Tom Wyrick from Economics; Dr. Patrick Scott and Dr. Jim Kaatz from Political Science; and Dr. Jeff Nash and Dr. Michael Carlie from Sociology/ Anthropology/Criminology. Among the topics explored by the panelists was the likely economic impact of the hurricane over both the short and long term, the difficulties faced by bureaucracies at the local and national level in dealing with natural disasters, and the possible social and criminal repercussions caused by the displacement of nearly a million people. 

Big Eddy Dig Continues to Excite

Dr. Neal Lopinot and the team from the Center for Archaeological Research continued their excavation efforts at the Big Eddy site this summer. They are uncovering evidence that for over 12,000 years, beautifully crafted stone spear points and other artifacts have lain along the Sac River in Cedar County exactly where ancient Indians left them, frozen in place by the accumulation of over 11 feet of river sediment.  Paleoindian sites that yield substantial data on how these people lived are very rare and Big Eddy is of fundamental importance to understanding the early occupation of midcontinental North America. In addition to its rich Paleoindian record, possible artifacts were found in 1999, 2002, and 2005 that suggest people may have been at Big Eddy before the time traditionally accepted for the earliest Americans.  Hundreds of volunteers from all over Missouri and surrounding states joined research archaeologist Jack Ray and other professionals in 2005 as they worked to obtain as much data as possible from this important prehistoric site before it is eroded away by the release of large volumes of water from the nearby Stockton Dam for power generation.  In the accompanying photo, Dr. Lopinot gives a tour of the site to President Michael Neitzel and Dean Lorene Stone.  For more information on Big Eddy, see http://www.missouristate.edu/car/ab_eddy_2005.html or pick up the October issue of National Geographic Magazine, which features an article on the excavation.

Conference on African Studies

On September 29-30, Missouri State University hosted the Mid-America Alliance for African Studies 2005 Conference. This event, partially funded by the College of Humanities and Public Affairs and a Public Affairs grant, featured keynote speaker, Dr. Susan Rice, Senior Fellow in the Foreign Policy Studies Program at the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C. The title of her presentation was: "The National Security Implications of Global Poverty and Inequality: Africa's Strategic Importance to the US."  Among the participants were Dr. John Janzen (U. of Kansas), who was in Rwanda during the aftermath of the genocide and has written a book about it, and Dr. Dallas Browne (SIUE), who has been researching genocides and will also be presenting a paper on the Darfur genocide during the conference. A complete program of the papers presented and additional information about this conference that dealt with domestic and global issues is on their web site at: http://www.missouristate.edu/anthropology/MAAAS05callforpapers.html.

Outstanding Alumni Award Winners

As part of the 2005 Homecoming events Roy Green, '66, Beverly Miller, '73, and Richard Young, '61, will receive the Outstanding Alumni Award.  All of these distinguished alumni are graduates of departments in the College of Humanities and Public Affairs.

        
          Richard Young                                   Roy Green                           Beverly Miller

Richard Young grew up on Mountain Grove, MO, although he graduated from the American School in Rochefort, France in 1957 while his father served as an Eisenhower Administration appointee in that country.  He received his degree in Economics from Southwest Missouri State University in 1961 and later received a Masters degree in Economics from the University of Kansas.  Young served in the military with the First Infantry Division reaching the rank of Captain. In 1970 he began his career in financial services in Boston, rising from industry analyst to his present position as President and Chief Investment Officer with Welch & Forbes LLC.  He and his wife Doris divide their time between Boston and Mountain Grove. He recently endowed a scholarship at Missouri State in honor of his parents, J.C. and Sarah Edna Young that will benefit students from the Mountain Grove area who will be majoring in any discipline within the College of Humanities and Public Affairs.

Roy Green graduated from Missouri State in 1966 with a bachelor's degree in history.  For the past 22 years, Green has coached at Kickapoo High School and his teams have dominated the Springfield high school boys' basketball scene. His record boasts 461 wins with an average of 20.9 wins per year. Green has received the Springfield Coach of the Year award 10 times and was named Missouri Basketball Coaches Association Coach of the Year in 1987 and 2003. In 2005, Green was inducted into the MBCA Hall of Fame.

Beverly Millerearned a bachelor of science in education degree in 1973 with an emphasis in social sciences. Following a successful teaching career, Miller began volunteering with the Greater Ozarks Chapter of the American Red Cross in 2001. Personifying the term Public Affairs through her volunteer efforts on the local and national levels, Miller has accepted 16 national disaster assignments that include ground zero and hurricane Katrina, and serves on the local chapter's board of directors.  She and her husband, Jack, also a 1973 grad, reside in Lebanon, Missouri.

Faculty/Staff Achievements and Departmental Activities

CHPA Faculty Win University and College Awards

New Faculty Join CHPA Departments

Several new faculty have joined the College of Humanities and Public Affairs in 2005-2006.  They include Dr. Gabriel Ondetti (Political Science), who received his PhD in Political Science from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill in 2002. His research focuses on Latin America, social movements, and the politics of agriculture and land. Before coming to Missouri State he taught at Wesleyan University and the College of William and Mary.  The Department of Sociology/Anthropology/Criminology welcomes Dr. Judith Grant (Criminology), whose areas of specialization include domestic violence and rural women's addiction and recovery processes.  She received her doctorate from York University in Toronto Canada.  She previously taught at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio. Joining the Military Science Department as its new commander is Lieutenant Colonel Brendan McKiernan, an army field artillery officer. He holds an MBA degree from James Madison University, and among his past assignments has been deployment to Operation Iraqi Freedom. A new member of the Religious Studies Department is Dr. Leslie Baynes, who brings with her an expertise in Early Christian origins and Dead Sea Scrolls. She just completed her Ph.D. degree at Notre Dame University before coming to Missouri State.

                                      
                                       Gabriel Ondetti                           Judith Grant

In addition to new tenure-track faculty, several Lecturers have joined the College for this academic year.  They include David Mitchell and Aaron Johnson in Economics, Craig Smith and Eshete Tibebe in History, Muhamad al-Olimat in Political Science, and Ivy Yarchow-Brown in Sociology/Anthropology/Criminology.

History Professor Explores Education in Africa

As a Fulbright Fellow during the 2004-2005 academic year, Dr. Jamaine Abidogun (History) taught third year history students at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka.  She also conducted research in gender studies and education.  In a report on her experience, Dr. Abidogun noted that "teaching Nigerian students gave me a new respect for students' struggles. These students persevered in spite of severe resource shortages. For example, frequent electrical outages on campus made studying by candlelight or flashlight an almost normal event." Students took their studies seriously and never offered excuses in order to avoid assignments or class discussions. Her research provided her access to the wider community. She worked with high school students and parents to gather data on the impact of formal education on indigenous gender roles. She was delighted that "people welcomed me into their homes and were actively supportive of my research."  Her research assistant, Winifred Nwaefido, helped bridge cultural differences with research participants and aided her negotiation of the Nigerian bureaucracy. Her research culminated in a series of lectures arranged by the U.S. State Department. The presentations were held in several cities, including Nsukka, Calabar, Lagos, Abeokuta, and Ibadan.

Rutherford Serves as Fulbright Scholar in Jordan

During the spring 2005 semester, Dr. Ken Rutherford (Political Science), participated in the Fulbright Fellowship program (in partnership with the U.S. Department of State) as a scholar-in-resident at the University of Jordan in Amman.  While at the university, he taught courses focusing on international political concepts, issues, and current regional topics. Some of the topics covered included landmines, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, and the U.S. invasion of Iraq. Rutherford recalls, "My students were eager to learn about the U.S. position on every international issue we discussed. They are both fascinated and frustrated by U.S. foreign policy, yet they appreciate America's freedoms." In addition to his teaching duties, he researched human rights issues related to landmines and disability rights, and conducted research about Jordan's leadership in the global movements to alleviate the negative effects of landmine use and to protect the rights of people with disabilities. In this respect, Rutherford notes that "Jordan was one of the first Arab governments to sign and ratify the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty and the first Arab Government to implement a comprehensive domestic disability rights policy." 

Finch Participates in Princeton Post-Doc

Dr. Martha L. Finch, Assistant Professor of Religious Studies, recently returned from research leave during 2004-05 as a Visiting Fellow in Christian Thought and Practice at the Center for the Study of Religion at Princeton University.  Her primary project was the completion of a manuscript, Corporeal Saints: Religion and the Body in Plymouth Colony, for Columbia University Press.  The book investigates the ways the English Protestants who colonized Plymouth in New England during the seventeenth century explicitly located both their ideas about human embodiment and their bodies' activities at the center of their theology and social culture.  Finch also completed an article for Church History, "'Fashions of Worldly Dames': Discourses of Dress in London, Amsterdam, and Plymouth Colony" (Sept. 2005), the manuscript of a volume of essays she is co-editing with Etta M. Madden, Eating in Eden: Food and American Utopias (forthcoming, University of Nebraska Press), and book reviews.  At Princeton, Finch also participated in weekly Religion and Culture workshops with faculty and doctoral fellows and presented her research in a variety of forums.

Bulgarian Exchange Program Negotiated

Student Activities and Achievements

Linda Leicht, a Religious Studies major and columnist for the Springfield News-Leader, was recently notified that she has won first place in the American Academy of Religion's News Writing Contest for News Outlets with less than 100,000 circulation for her story "Debating Life's Origins: Teachers Struggle to Learn and Present Evolution and Creationism." She will receive an award of  $1,000 and a plaque commending her work at the Academy's Annual Meeting in Philadelphia, November 19-22. To emphasize the importance of the Award Ceremony, the recipients will be honored at the beginning of the Presidential Address.
 

Transitions

Dr. Doris Sheets will retire at the end of the fall 2005 semester after serving the Economics Department since 1974.  During that time she has taught a variety of courses centering on the economics associated with government and the business world.  She has served for many years as the Business Editor for the Journal of Economics.  Her husband, Dr. Ralph Sheets, will also be retiring in December 2005 from the Department of Chemistry. Doris states that, "We do not have any very definite plans at this point.  We will likely do some traveling later on, but right now we intend just to read and relax a bit.  I plan to continue taking a few classes.  I also hope to find time to dust off my clarinet and get back to playing it in the Springfield Community Band."

Dr. Frank Dinka, former member of the Political Science Department, passed away at age 80 in Springfield on October 6, 2005. Born in Skalica, Slovakia, Dinka received his Ph.D. degree in Political Science at Washington University in St. Louis before joining the faculty at SMSU as professor of Political Science in 1961.  During his tenure at SMSU, he was instrumental in establishing a soccer program and served as head coach for the Club Team, and as Varsity Head Coach when the program was awarded that status. He also served as faculty sponsor for the Black Student Union and the International Student Association. He retired in 1991. Memorial contributions may be made to the Dr. Frank Dinka Scholarship Fund for Comparative Politics, c/o Missouri State University Foundation, Kenneth E. Meyer Alumni Center, 300 S. Jefferson, Suite 100, Springfield, MO 65804.

College Development Report

"The Founders Club" recognizes giving to Missouri State!

The Founders Club was established in January of 1983 to recognize the spirit of two individuals whose tremendous efforts helped gain approval to locate State Normal Number 4, now Missouri State University, in Springfield, Missouri in 1904 (http://www.foundation.missouristate.edu/founders.htm).

H.B. McDaniel and Senator Frank M. McDavid were the two prominent Springfieldians who provided the thrust needed to persuade a commission appointed by Governor Joseph W. Folk, that Springfield was the best site for the fourth Normal School.

Since its founding in 1905, Missouri State University has served the region and the State of Missouri with distinction.  In addition to achieving national recognition as a leader in business and teacher education, Missouri State has established new curricula in various academic programs and graduate studies which support the five themes of the University's mission.

Today, private support of public education is a recognized necessity.  Missouri State University and all state-assisted universities now depend upon private philanthropy.  To continue this support, it has created a distinctive recognition group know as The Founders Club.

1)      Make an outright gift of $10,000 or more in cash, securities or real or personal property.

2)      Sign a pledge to contribute $10,000 or more at a rate of not less than $1,000 per year.

3)      Establish a matching gift arrangement whereby a gift by an individual is combined with a corporate match for a total of at least $1,000 annually for a period of at least 10 years.

4)      Arrange for a planned gift of $100,000 or more through a bequest, life income agreement, trust arrangement or another acceptable planned or deferred giving instrument.  Gifts of life insurance also may be used to qualify for membership.

A)                A crystal award designed especially for members of The Founders Club.

B)                 An annual recognition dinner, hosted by the Missouri State University Foundation, to honor this special club and its membership.

C)                Parking privileges in all campus lots, excluding Lot number 1 and parking for athletic and performing arts events.

D)                Invitations to special occasions of the university.

E)                 Use of the Duane G. Meyer Library.

F)                 A lapel pin worn exclusively by member of The Founders Club.

G)                A special embossed card for members of The Founders Club.

The Founders Club members are truly making a difference in the lives of the students and faculty of Missouri State University now and for years to come.  For more information on how you can become a member please contact Bob Beumer at 417/836-4547 or by e-mail at bobbeumer@missouristate.edu  

Please contact Dr. Victor H. Matthews by phone (417-836-5529) or email: VictorMatthews@missouristate.edu if you have comments or questions about this newsletter.