SEPTEMBER 2005

• University Honors Indonesian President, Alum

• E-mail and List Serve Challenges: A Discussion with Larry Haffner

• A Whirlwind Webster Tour

• Human Resources Corner

• St. Louis Calendar Highlights

• Employees of the Month

• Just for Laughs

• Kampus Kudos

• Service Anniversaries

• New Employees

• Condolences


To view the Inside Webster archives, click here

A moment of humor during President Meyers' remarks at the ceremony. Photo by Claudia Burris.

Webster University launched a new tradition on Sept. 12.

"Today, we start the tradition of welcoming presidents of countries who are Webster graduates back to the campus," President Richard S. Meyers said, before he and Ed Glotzbach, chair of the Board of Trustees, presented Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono with an honorary doctor of laws degree.

Yudhoyono—the first directly elected president of the Republic of Indonesia—earned a master's degree in management from Webster's Kansas City campus in 1991.

The ceremony included a number of Webster commencement traditions, including the bagpipes that heralded the faculty procession. However, this unique ceremony included the singing of the Indonesian national anthem and an invocation offered by Mohamed Nur Abdullah, Imam of the St. Louis Mosque.

After accepting the doctor of laws degree, Yudhoyono—or SBY, as he is commonly known—thanked the University community and offered his sympathy for the victims of Hurricane Katrina before presenting a speech focusing on democracy in America and Indonesia.

Stating he had been queried as to whether he would make a policy speech or an academic one on this occasion, Yudhoyono said, "I have learned that policy making and academic analysis are two sides of the same coin, and I am grateful for the invaluable academic training Webster gave me."

"So if anyone asks me what hat I will be wearing today: whether a president's hat, academic hat or military hat? Well, none of those. This is the hat I'm wearing today—a Webster hat," he said, pointing to his mortarboard.

Turning to issues of the day, Yudhoyono, who lives in the world's largest Muslim nation, said, "There are some that say Islam is incompatible with democracy. Well, what we see in Indonesia is just the opposite. You can be a strong Muslim and a staunch democrat at the same time."

"The results of the elections show that the Indonesian voters did not vote based on religious consideration. In fact, the final two presidential candidates at last year's elections—which was won by a Webster graduate—carried a nationalist, rather than religious, platform."

Since his election, Yudhoyono has negotiated a peace treaty with rebels in the Aceh province, aided thousands of Indonesians displaced by last year's tsunami and taken a hard-line stance against terrorism.

Yudhoyono traveled to Fort Leavenworth, Kan., after his St. Louis visit and then on to the United Nations in New York. He left with the fondest wishes from Webster University and hints of a partnership in the future.

"What a remarkable day," Meyers said. "We look forward to the day when we open a campus in Indonesia."

For more information about Yudhoyono, click here.

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Larry Haffner, vice president, Information Technology, recently sent an e-mail message to the University community outlining the impact to the University's servers when the Connections portal went live this fall. Since the portal's launch, users have experienced delays in receiving messages, especially through the internal announcement and discussion lists.

Inside Webster met with Haffner recently to discuss the situation.

IW: What caused the e-mail slow down?

LH: "Basically, it's a combination of the increased use of the discussion lists and the 30,000 new accounts the portal created for students, faculty and staff. The amount of e-mail traffic now moving through the University's two servers is five times what it used to be."

IW: Can you explain how the e-mail program works?

LH: "Until now, IT has used a bulk mailing list program to send announcements and conduct discussions within the University community. They work fairly well for discussions conducted across a geographically dispersed group because one person sends a message out and it's gone from their server. If there are 500 addressees, the e-mail can be delivered to 500 different servers.

"The situation with our system right now is that when someone sends a message to the discussion list serve, it doesn't go out to other servers. There are 780 addresses in the discussion mailing list, so 780 messages (sent after each is virus-checked and scored for spam) arrive on the servers at the same time, where each one is again virus-checked and scored for spam. The increased volume of discussion messages during the Katrina crisis, in particular, coinciding as it did with the roll-out of the Connections portal, really upped the overall traffic. In terms of internal discussions, a bulk-mailing list program is probably not the best way to go. (Announcements also create even more load, as there are 1,277 addresses in the stl-announcement mailing list, and 2,237 in the Webster-World list.)"

IW: How are you addressing the situation?

LH: "We have upgraded the memory on our servers and are also improving the system configurations, which will help in the short term. In the long term, Connections will allow us to target messages to audiences that are truly interested in receiving them, and a bulletin board forum for discussions will eliminate the discussion e-mail crunch."

IW: What is your timeframe for these changes?

LH: "Sometime in the Spring."

IW: In your message to the community, you made the statement that e-mail is not an appropriate vehicle for distributing time critical information. Would you elaborate?

LH: "E-mail is simply a way to send messages electronically, but there are a lot of factors that go into how immediate that is, or isn't. People assume e-mail is instantaneous, especially when it's internal. But when they back up on a server, the server deals with them as it has time. In our situation, that is often at the end of the business day, which is why many of the messages appear in the evening.

"A message that is e-mailed depends on the server it is sent from and the connection to the Internet. The recipient has to be online checking e-mail in order to receive it. E-mail was always meant to arrive as quickly as the servers could handle it, and the nature of networking internals guaranteed its arrival at some point. But it was never meant to be instantaneous. We have always told people that we need at least 24 hours notice to post an email list serve announcement.

"We will improve e-mail and it will get better, but people have to understand that there are no guarantees. As the load comes flooding in, the e-mail server will decide the best times to deliver it. We've become very dependent on something that wasn't designed to be used that way.

"One of the long-term solutions we're working on is building up the targeted message capabilities within the portal so we can target specific populations with specific messages. Webster has grown and changed dramatically over the past 10 years, and constantly pushing out information just won't work any longer. The student body has increased from 10,000 to 22,000; there aren't 40 sites, there are 105; and the things we had been doing simply don't scale well. We need to move away from exclusively pushing information out to audiences to providing capabilities for people to come and read information and announcements that are for them."

For information on the appropriate use of discussion and announcement lists, see the Campus E-mail List Policy here.

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Recently, Karen Burch, videographer, Marketing and Communications, traveled to several of Webster's Florida and South Carolina campuses to work on an extended campus video project. Burch is developing an interactive DVD for extended campuses to use in several ways. In addition to being used for recruiting, the DVD can be shared with alumni, donors and friends of the University.

During a very busy two-week trip, Burch found the time to take a variety of photos, which can be used for publicity purposes in St. Louis and at the extended sites. Burch says traveling to the extended campuses reminded her of the true diversity of Webster's worldwide campus network.

We thought you might enjoy some of Karen's experiences during her trip through excerpts from her daily journal.

Click here to view Karen's journal and photos

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Thinking about quitting smoking? Your Blue Choice or Alliance BC/BS plan can help.

Blue Choice's Breathe Easy program offers rewards for completing a smoking cessation class. Employees who regularly attend the class and stop smoking receive a one-time $50 award.

To participate in the Breathe Easy program, register in a smoking cessation program and attend all the classes. Many hospitals and organizations offer classes to teach some helpful tips for kicking the habit. A physician, or the nearest office of the American Cancer Society or the American Lung Association, can also give a list of smoking cessation classes.

After completing the class, send a receipt and certificate of class completion to:

Blue Choice Claims Dept.
P. O. Box 66834
St. Louis, MO 63166-6834

Alliance BC/BS offers a free stop-smoking kit called "TLC: The Last Cigarette Quit Kit." This kit provides information and resources to contact to help adopt a healthier, tobacco-free lifestyle. Employees can download the kit by going on the Alliance BC/BS website at www.bcbsmo.com

Click on Healthy Living (on the left)
Click on TLC: The Last Cigarette

The kit includes a three-week calendar of stop-smoking tips, successful quitting strategies of former smokers, Internet resources, tips on how to cope with cravings and more.

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ART EXHIBITION
Feels Like a Natural Woman
Work of Whitney Lee and Allyson Mitchell

• Oct. 1 to Oct. 28
• Gallery hours: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Mon. through Fri.; 1 to 4 p.m., Sat. & Sun.
• Admission: Free

For more information, contact Stephanie Jones, 314-968-7171.

A complete listing of University events can be found at www.webster.edu/calendar/calendar.html

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Contributed by Megan Connelley, Student Editorial Assistant

SEPTEMBER 2005 SPOTLIGHT AWARD
Kathie Ayers, manager of administration, Development and Alumni, won the Employee Spotlight Award for September.

Ayers says she learned about winning the award by accident, because one of her responsibilities, when her supervisor is out of town, is to check his mail. To Ayers' surprise, she opened the notification that she was a winner. When her supervisor returned, she told him what she had discovered and that she was very surprised and honored.

Ayers has been with Webster for 18 years, starting out as a part-time word processor in the Development office. "She has gradually moved up within the organization, and I believe that mobility has helped her more fully understand the operations and workings of the department on many levels," her nominator says. "Last year, Kathie was promoted to Manager of Administration, and it was a well-deserved promotion."

Ayers says she enjoys the work-study students who help out in her department. "Their energy and enthusiasm keeps me young at heart." Though her time with them is limited due to her job constraints, Ayers says she realizes the work the Development and Alumni office does is critical to their future. Their contributions are recognized during the annual scholarship luncheon, when students give testimonials expressing their gratitude for receiving scholarships.

Her nominator says Ayers faces a myriad of challenges in her job and always handles them fairly, efficiently and professionally. "She is an exceptional person and supervisor, as well as a true asset to this University."

Ayers selected the $100 savings bond as her prize.

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

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Barry Hufker, associate professor, Electronic and Photographic Media, recorded the audio for a new DVD release by guitarist John McClellan, adjunct professor, Music. The release, "Chet Licks," demonstrates how to play the guitar licks originated by the late Chet Atkins. The recording was done at the photo studio of Dan Dreyfus, adjunct professor, Photography, with the assistance of Audio Production students Chelsea Van de Drink and Matt Allen.

Larry Mabrey, director, Center for Professional Development, Downtown, is founder and artistic director of the Avalon Theatre Company, "A whole new world of theatre in St. Louis." St. Louis' newest professional Equity theatre company is committed to providing opportunities for St. Louis professional theatre artists. For more information, go to www.avalontheatre.org.

Rebecca Ormond, associate professor, Electronic and Photographic Media, has had her 35mm film, "All Fall Down," accepted into the San Diego Girl Film Festival. The film will play in October.

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

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The University extends its appreciation to the following individuals who have served the institution for many years:

Niel DeVasto, director, Undergraduate Admissions, 25 years

Joe Schuster, chair and associate professor, Communications and Journalism, 20 years

Curt Vehlewald, director, Finance, 15 years

Karen Quinn, coordinator, Accounts Payable, 10 years

Laura Rein, dean, Emerson Library, 10 years

Mary Akers, information systems coordinator, Development, 5 years

Margaret Finan, access services/electronic reserves clerk, Emerson Library, 5 years

William Haas, director of education, Kansas City Metropolitan Campus, 5 years

Martin Lopez, public safety officer, Public Safety, 5 years

Ruth Moore, coordinator, Kansas City Metropolitan Campus, 5 years

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We extend warm welcome to the newest members of the Webster family:

Necocli Armstrong, department assistant, Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., (573) 329-6777 or speed dial #6 014, replaces Krista Karstensen.

Diana Bourisaw, lecturer, School of Education, (314) 961-2660, ext. 7490.

Barbara Chatham, general clerk, Fort Smith Metropolitan Center, Ark., (479) 484-7747 or speed dial #6 076.

Amber Daulbaugh, women's basketball coach and compliance coordinator, Athletics, (314) 961-2660, ext. 7508, replaces Ryan Barke.

Maegan Denson, service clerk, Financial Aid, (314) 961-2660, ext. 7796, replaces Jason Huff.

Jennifer Dunn, department assistant, Community Music School, (314) 968-5939.

Amanda Fracker, secretary, Great Lakes Naval Base, Ill., (847) 578-0974 or speed dial #6 082.

Dennis Griffin, assistant women's basketball coach, Athletics, (314) 961-2660, ext. 6984.

Dan Harmann, groundskeeper, Facilities Operations, (314) 968-6904.

Gov. Robert Holden, visiting scholar in residence, visiting professor, School of Business and Technology, (314) 968-7423.

Gregory Kettinger, access services clerk, Emerson Library, (314) 968-6952, replaces Steven Davies-Sigmund.

Teresa Lazarin, office manager, Lackland Air Force Base, Tex., (210) 674-0014 or speed dial #6 078.

Kimberly Lesko, coordinator, School of Business and Technology, (314) 961-2660, ext. 5973, replaces Larry Mabrey.

Christina Little, assistant women's soccer coach, Athletics, (314) 955-3913.

Colleen Lockhart, public safety officer, Public Safety, (314) 961-2660, ext. 7430, replaces Denis Kopf.

Lana McBroom, department associate, Memphis Naval Support Activity, Tenn., (901) 873-1531 or speed dial #6 086, replaces Janice Mains.

Connie McCants, department associate, Columbia Metropolitan Campus, S.C., (803) 699-0900 or speed dial #6 083, replaces Gloria Jenkins.

Hector Ortizdevalle, general clerk, Fort Jackson Campus, S.C., (803) 738-0603 or speed dial #6 049, replaces William Moore.

Michael Siener, head men's and women's strength and conditioning tennis coach/asst. men's basketball coach, Athletics, (314) 961-2660, ext. 7764.

Brett Swip, women's softball coach/department development coordinator, Athletics, (314) 961-2660, ext. 7569, replaces Sue McClintock.

Erin Weathersbee, secretary, Columbia Metropolitan Campus, S.C., (803) 699-0900 or speed dial #6 083, replaces Miriam Carter.

Denise Whitehead, assistant director, Rolla Metropolitan Campus, Mo., (573) 368-4569 or speed dial #6 102, replaces Melissa Epperon.

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

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The University extends its sympathy to Janice Neal, bursar, Burser/Cashier, on the loss of her mother, and also to Deborah Stiles, professor, School of Education, on the loss of her mother.

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© 2005 Webster University