Inside Webster

January 14, 2003

Students Win Study Abroad Award

Five Webster undergraduates have each won a significant study abroad award that will help make it possible for them to attend classes at the Cha-am campus this semester. This is the first time that Webster students have won the Freeman Award for Study in Asia (Freeman-ASIA), which provides each student with a $5,000 scholarship. In return, the Freeman Foundation asks students to share their experiences and "spread understanding of Asia" upon their return to campus.

In an interview last month before she left for Thailand, Tianis Hill, a sophomore majoring in Psychology, said she was "thrilled" to receive the award. She has never traveled abroad and is looking forward to hosting an Asian fair at her church when she returns. She said that she is the only member of her church currently enrolled in college, and she hopes to encourage high school students to study in Asia.

Michael ("Misha") Sulpovar, a sophomore majoring in Art and Religious Studies, said he plans to organize a "visual, conceptual" response to Thai culture. Born in Russia, Misha already has some experience getting acquainted with a new culture.

Rachel Weir, a junior majoring in International Relations, said that without the program she would never go to Asia by herself. The hard-working student is looking forward to her stay in Thailand because she will be able to focus exclusively on her studies. "This is the first time ever that I’ve ever gone to school and not had a job," Rachel said. Thanks to the scholarship, as well as additional support that she and the other students will receive directly from Webster, Rachel will be able to give up her 50-hour-a-week job for a few months.

Angelina Bertania, a senior majoring in Photography, and Marie Schafers, a sophomore majoring in Video Production, will also study in Thailand with support from Freeman-ASIA. In addition, all of the students qualify for the University’s Thailand Initiative, which provides free housing and a $1,000 Presidential Stipend.

Mark Beirn, coordinator, Study Abroad, says, "I am extremely proud of these students. They have shown initiative and perseverance, and their hard work has paid off. For students considering a term or year abroad at Webster-Thailand or in Osaka, Japan, at Kansai University, the Freeman-ASIA scholarship provides incredible financial support. $5,000 is a considerable amount of money to a student! I want to see to it that every student who studies abroad in Thailand or Japan applies for this award."

For Spring 2003, the Freeman Foundation awarded 11 scholarships to students studying in Missouri. Webster received more awards than any other school in the state, and Mark notes that the good news gets even better. This semester 60 students—an all-time high-- will study in Thailand. "We’ve broken the record for Thailand and, for that matter, for all Webster study-abroad programs."

Interest in study abroad in Europe is up as well. This spring 60 students will study in Europe, a 20 percent jump over last spring.

The Freeman-ASIA awards were established in 2000 to increase the number of undergraduate students studying in Asia. The Institute for International Education in New York administers the program. This semester 120 students received awards nationwide.

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Loretto Hall Open House

The Executive Office has completed its move to Loretto Hall. President Richard S. Meyers; Karen Luebbert, vice president and executive assistant to the president; Mary Birkenmeier, executive secretary, and Suzanne Walls, executive secretary, are now all located at 370 Loretto, where they share the floor with University Communications.

The faculty and staff are invited to tour the second and third floors of Loretto on Thursday, January 16, from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Refreshments will be served.

Eventually 112 Webster Hall, where the Executive Office was previously located, will become home to Academic Affairs, which plans to centralize its offices and bring more of its international staff to Webster Hall.

According to Dave Garafola, vice president, Finance, all office relocations will be completed by Fall 2003. The renovations and moves have enabled the University to create additional classroom space. In just the past month, five classrooms have been created on the fourth floor of Webster Hall.

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Doll Magic

ST. LOUIS WARMS TO NEW HOLIDAY ACTIVITY

The dolls were on display in the University Center the week before the judging.

Little girls and dolls make a happy combination—especially at holiday time. It inspired Kate Northcott, coordinator, Student Literacy Corps, to try a new seasonal activity at Webster’s St. Louis campus. She bought some plastic baby dolls—brown ones, pink ones, every one missing clothes—and she organized a Dress-a-Doll contest. She challenged the faculty, staff, and students to roll up their sleeves, blow the dust off their sewing machines, and get those dolls dressed in time for Christmas Day. About 60 members of the extended Webster family responded, paying the $5 contest fee ($3 to students), which covered the cost of the dolls and additional toys, such as Legos, Play Doh, and art sets, for the children who would be attending Larry Rice’s Christmas Party at the New Life Evangelistic Center in downtown St. Louis.

"That’s the group that seems to serve the poorest of the poor in St. Louis," said Kate in December just after the contest ended. These children, Kate notes, rarely get a new toy, but the contestants and other contributors made it possible for the children to "get something that is brand new, unique, and made especially for them."

Kate says that "the extraordinary generosity of the Webster community" helped inspire her project. "We had that children’s book drive just a few months ago, and in the course of just a couple of weeks we got well over 1500 books. So this popped into my mind. I know Webster is going to respond well to anything having to do with children in need and anything asking for artistic and creative abilities. I knew to be prepared to be dazzled."

The judges receive their instructions.

Despite her optimism, Kate started conservatively, buying just 20 dolls. But she had to go buy 15 more, and then 15 more again. "People just jumped all over it," she says. "I bought all the dolls in the 314 area code and had to order a bunch from Ohio where there was a distributor because we couldn’t locate any more in St. Louis. I called and went to every crafts store around. Sixty was far beyond what I had dreamed of."

For several weeks, people from all around Webster were swept up in their dolls. "We had people who work in the cafeteria, we had faculty members; we had the children of faculty members; we had students; we had the parents of students; we had alumni. All these different people were creating dolls for this contest. It was kind of unifying," said Kate. The entries ran the gamut from Southern belle to modern-day schoolgirl, from African princess to disco diva. The only man to enter to contest rigged up a doll with electric lights in her hair!

"A lot of people don’t sew, so they went to the store and bought an outfit for the doll," says Kate. "But most of the people who bought an outfit then did something else. They knit a little scarf to go with it or they put a little stuffed animal with her or a children’s book. So even the clothes that were store bought had something very unique about them. There really was a lot of love put into it."

The day of the judging about a dozen little girls—daughters, granddaughters and nieces of faculty, students and staff—gathered in the University Center to cast their votes. Kate says they were "very conscientious" and "adamant" about their choices. "They were all very certain, and we had to have a couple of tie breaker votes."

The winning dolls reflected a wide variety of styles.

The winners:
First place: the southern belle, by Webster alumna, Shawn Coplen

Second place: the doll in the hand-knit, fuzzy sweater dress, by Laura Thake, graphic designer, University Communications

Third place: the Hawaiian doll dressed by Anna, Laura and Mary Ellen Green, daughters of Ted Green, assistant professor, and area coordinator, social sciences, Multidisciplinary Studies

Most Creative: the doll in a black velvet gown with rhinestone trim and accessories, by Crystal McCoy, mother of student, Tra’sha McCoy

The winners received gift certificates from the Pasta House in Chesterfield or gift baskets of Webster paraphernalia.

Kate says the New Life Evangelistic Center was "just astounded" when the gifts arrived. "We just kept unloading the car. The woman was simply speechless. I know it was a lot more than they expected. It was beyond what I could hope."

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News from Memphis

Carol Nelson, Linda Nottestad and Capt. Wanda Riddle do the honors at the opening of the Memphis campus.

About 30 guests joined Memphis Director Carol Nelson and Linda Nottestad, associate vice president, Academic Affairs, to celebrate the grand opening of the campus on November 12. Captain Wanda Riddle, the commanding officer at the base, addressed the guests, who included students, faculty, staff and colleagues from Navy College. Margaret Ridings, the director of human resources for the City of Millington, represented the city where the base is located. A catered meal added to the festivities.

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News from China

CHENGDU RECRUITMENT

Professor Fu (center), Webster's main contact at UEST talks to the group that came in the rain.

On a foggy, cold, and rainy Sunday, just before Christmas, nearly 50 people turned out in Chengdu to learn about Webster’s joint M.B.A. program with the University of Electronic Science and Technology (UEST). The group heard several presentations, including one by Shanghai Director Rick Foristel and another by Professor Fu, Webster’s main contact at UEST. According to Rick, those who attended showed strong interest in the program. "All of us were answering questions about Webster, the program and instructors coming from the U.S. and Europe." He says that the potential students "stayed and stayed."

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Featured Faculty

BUSINESS PROFESSOR APPOINTED TO D.C. THINK TANK

Donald Westerfield, professor, Business, has been named a senior fellow at the National Center for Policy Analysis, a Washington, D.C. public policy research foundation that supports private-sector solutions to public policy problems.

His appointment citation states, in part, "Part of the mission of the National Center for Policy Analysis is to ‘identify, encourage and market the best scholarly research.’ We are interested in your work because it meets the twin criteria of academic excellence and relevance to people’s lives." Don received a grant from the center to complete his forthcoming book, Insuring America’s Uninsured.

Don has written four books: War Powers: The President, The Congress, and the Question of War (Westport, Conn.: Praeger, 1996), with a foreword by Donald Rumsfeld, the current Secretary of Defense; National Health Care: Law, Policy, Strategy (Westport, Conn.: Praeger, 1993); Congressional Intent (coauthored with Thomas Curtis) (Westport, Conn.: Praeger, 1992), with a foreword by Donald Rumsfeld; and Mandated Health Care: Issues and Strategies (Westport, Conn.: Praeger, 1991).

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Brad G. Scott, assistant professor, and Daniel Viele, associate professor, Business, coauthored "Student Test Performance and Lessons: PIERCE the Online Experience," in the Proceedings of the Syllabus 2002 Ninth Annual Summer Conference. He also presented "Fortune’s 50 Best Companies for Minorities: Does Diversity Pay?" with two colleagues at the annual conference of the Financial Management Association.

Kathryn Bowers, professor, Music, received the Choral Director of the Year award from the St. Louis chapter of the American Guild of Organists; she conducted movements of the Verdi Requiem in concert with a combined American/Bulgarian choir and orchestra at the 4th International Conductors Symposium in Varna, Bulgaria.

Brian Kennelly, associate professor, Foreign Language and Literatures, presented "Adopting and Adapting: Language Teaching Strategies (from pre-AP to AP)," at the Lindbergh High School language teachers’ professional development day.

Rick Foristel, director, Shanghai, has been named an officer of the American Chamber of Commerce by its board of governors.

Greg Bolich, adjunct professor, Counseling, Greenville, N.C., Metro Campus, has published Twelve Magic Wands: The Art of Meeting Life's Challenges (Square One Publishing Company), a guide for recognizing the magic in our lives and using it to improve our lives.

Keep us posted on your professional activities and send us your story ideas by completing the UFO form.

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St. Louis Calendar Highlight

Brown Bag Lunch

The Center for Interdisciplinary Studies presents a panel discussion from the field of Environmental Studies, "How Hot is It Going to Get? Or, Global Warming for Dummies," featuring Karla Armbruster, assistant professor, English, Don Conway-Long, assistant professor, Behavioral and Social Sciences; and Jeff De Pew, adjunct professor, Biological Sciences. The event takes place on Wednesday, January 22 at noon. Beverages and snacks are provided.

For more information on St. Louis events, check the online calendar.

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Employees of the Month

January 2003

FROM MARIANNE KIRK, CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Angela Murphy, study abroad coordinator/student services officer, Geneva, and Mark Paule, in Facilities Operations at the St. Louis campus, are the January winners of the Employee Spotlight Award.

Angela’s nominator praises the outstanding assistance she gives the study-abroad students who attend classes at Webster’s Geneva campus. "While many people were looking forward to a nice, relaxing, and well-deserved fall break, Angela has been busy trying to locate housing for newly arriving Fall 2 study-abroad students, as well as trying to re-place Fall 1 arrivals," her nominator says.

"Most people are not aware of the amazing housing crisis that exists in Geneva. The city, as a whole, has an apartment vacancy rate of about 2 percent, and students cannot obtain their own off-campus housing until they have acquired a Swiss visa, and few of them have the French skills necessary to negotiate an apartment lease."

The situation is further exacerbated by the growth in the number of students at the Geneva campus. Angela’s nominator continues, "During the summer, Angela fielded housing queries from 127 students (about 50 percent more than last year). She found housing for 71 of them . . . ."

To be more effective, Angela and her student assistant, Andre, have established "a great working relationship" with the local regies, or landlords, and she has been able to place 17 students for Fall 2, and 31 from Fall 1 now have a permanent place to live. Angela is still working hard to find housing for 13 more students who do not have permanent residences.

"What a nice way to start the New Year," said Angela when she learned she had been chosen for the Spotlight Award. Of her 14-year association with Webster, Angela says, "I love my position at Webster in Geneva. I feel privileged to be part of the Webster family. Working with young people is so very rewarding—they keep me on my toes! While my days can be stressful at times, I often say, "I don’t go to work, I go to Webster."

Angela chose a $100 savings bond as her prize.

Mark Paule’s nominator gives kudos to Mark for his exceptional technical skills as a heating and cooling technician and also for his positive attitude on the job. Mark is not only talented in his craft, but "well versed in most of the trades." He can always be counted on to complete any assignment he is given in a "timely and professional manner" and "he is always pleasant with the students, faculty and staff, always willing to go the extra mile."

Mark said he was "surprised, of course," when notified about being chosen for the Spotlight Award. He came to Webster a year and a half ago, after working for18 years in a similar capacity at Washington University. Mark says he was very excited when he saw the job opening in Webster’s Facility Operations department on the Web site. "What drew me to this place was the campus. I drive through the area often and the beauty of the grounds is outstanding, and I wanted to work here. I knew this was a place where I would be proud to work." In addition to liking the physical face of Webster, Mark has also enjoyed getting to know the people who work here. He says the faculty, staff and students, have been a pleasure to work with.

Mark says he did not have the heart to take a day off with pay as his prize because he has been serving on a grand jury for the City of St. Louis since November. During his jury term, which extends through February 7, he only works at the University on Mondays, Wednesdays and every other Friday. Mark says the experience of working on the grand jury has been interesting and enlightening. "Perhaps I led a sheltered life before!" he laughs. Mark chose a $100 savings bond as his prize.

Employees everywhere are eligible for the monthly Employee Spotlight Award. Using the nomination form is easy!

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New Employees

With the new year, 23 members of the library staff become Webster employees. We extend our best wishes to them as they work over the next year to make the Emerson Library a reality.

A warm welcome to the newest members of the Webster Family:

Stephanie Kay Becerra, academic advisor, San Diego Metro Campus, 858-458-9310 or speed dial #6 072, replaces Kim Varey, who was promoted to director.

Bernadette Gail Bell, community relations coordinator, Albuquerque, N.M., Metro Campus, replaces Thomas Schatzman.

Joetta Bennett, department assistant, School of Education, ext. 7097, replaces Alyson Shapiro.

Tammy Michelle Burke, community relations coordinator, Jeffersonville, Ind., Metro Campus, 812-283-1000 or speed dial #6 012, replaces Charlotte M. Moore.

Patrick Dailey, technician, Charleston, S.C., Metro Campus, 843-572-2875, replaces Carissa Melton, who is assuming other duties.

Stephen Fife, general clerk, Las Vegas, Nev., Metro Campus, 702-435-6660, replaces Jason Leavitt.

Becky Ann Hurst, representative, Fort Bragg, N.C., 910-436-9802 or speed dial #6 085, replaces Stephanie M. Altamirano.

Donald Wayne Meyer, Public Safety supervisor.

Ronald Pointer, telecommunications coordinator, Telecommunications, ext. 5996, replaces Jean Wheeler, who is moving to a half-time position and eventual retirement.

Al Wiman, vice president, University Communication, ext. 6997, replaces Peggy Brockmann.

Tracy R. Winka, Public Safety supervisor.

To learn more about job opportunities at Webster, go to the Human Resources Jobs site.

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Inside Webster is published for
Webster University faculty and staff.

Debra M Schwartz, Editor
University Communications

Marianne Kirk, Contributor
University Communications

Pete McEwen, Technical Advisor
University Communications

Betsy Schmutz
Human Resources