Inside Webster - November 2006

Inside Webster is published for Webster University's faculty and staff.

Michael Erickson (l), Randy Holmes and Dean Wilson at the breakfast.

A group of English department alumni and faculty gathered Nov. 15 for breakfast with David Carl Wilson, dean, College of Arts and Sciences.

The accomplished group of alumni in attendance included:

• Joan Lipkin, founder and artistic director of The Uppity Theatre Company, who was chosen Outstanding Alum of the College of Arts and Sciences in 2002;

• Kathy Corley, professor, School of Communications, who has been with the University 21 years;

• Tim Noelker, a partner with Thompson Coburn and child welfare advocate;

• Randy Holmes, adjunct professor, Music, a jazz trumpeter who performs locally with his band Hard Bop Heritage; and

• Mary Lee Dooling, 2005 recipient of Notable Alumni Award, and Jackie Sontag, past recipient of the Mary Elizabeth Newell Award, both from the class of 1950.

"The English Department is going strong," said Meg Sempreora, chair and associate professor, who co-hosted the event with Dean Wilson. "One of the things I'm excited about is the nature of the students at Webster University. There is a hunger and a commitment to education I haven't encountered elsewhere."

Sempreora and Michael Erickson, associate professor, English, shared the following:

• The London campus now has a Drama Studies minor and the department encourages students to go there to study dramatic literature.

• The department has a new honors program to recognize and challenge the strongest students. The honors language requirement is two semesters of a foreign language, plus either a third semester of foreign language or a study abroad semester.

• Sempreora and Erickson taught an intensive two-week course at the Universidad Nationale de Cuyo in Mendoza, Argentina, this past summer. The new masters program for English teachers of 20th Century literature attracted a cohort of 40 students.

• Noteworthy authors are invited each semester to share their expertise with the students and the University community. Dan Chaon, author of the novel "You Remind Me of Me," was featured Nov. 16.

• Many English majors pursue double majors, most of them in education, but also in media communication, religion and other disciplines.

• In addition to English major alumni who go on to pursue MFAs, Ph.Ds or law degrees, many go into service activities such as AmeriCorps, Teach for America and English As a Second Language, training to work with non-profit organizations and teach underserved students.

• "Surfacing" is a program of four to six student-produced plays presented each April. Last year, 50 students from many disciplines participated in the production. The program was started by former department chair Reta Madsen

• The department continues to publish the student publication, "The Green Fuse," and "The Mercury," devoted to scholarly and honors work, which is published and edited by Anne McIlhaney, associate professor.

• Kathleen Finneran, author of "The Tender Land — A Family Love Story" was recently hired as an adjunct English professor. She will begin teaching non-fiction writing workshops in Spring 1.

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Hector Vargas

Hector Vargas, dean of the School of Engineering, CETYS (Center for Technical and Higher Education) University in Mexicali, Mexico, has joined Webster's academic affairs team for the 2006-07 academic year as an American Council on Education (ACE) Fellow.

The ACE Fellows Program, begun in 1965, is a higher education leadership development program that provides college vice presidents, deans, department chairs, faculty and other emerging leaders with the opportunity to spend an extended period of time on another campus. The program enables participants to immerse themselves in the culture, policies and decision-making processes of another institution as they observe and participate in key meetings and events.

"After 29 years of working for CETYS, I decided that I need a sabbatical," Vargas says. "So this is my sabbatical and I decided to go for the full year experience, so I will be here until the end of next June.

"I was interested in the operation of a multi-campus university and that is the main reason I am at Webster," Vargas says. "Part of my job at CETYS is to help the campuses to run more efficiently.

"I'm also interested in the openness to internationalization and the multi-cultural experience. CETYS has collaboration agreements with universities in Europe, South America, Canada and the states. Our students can go to an international campus for a semester or a summer session, up to two semesters."

A not-for-profit university system, CETYS offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in engineering, psychology, business and management, marketing, international business, law, graphic design and counseling at locations in Mexicali, Tijuana and Ensenada, Mexico. CETYS has approximately 5,500 students and 20,000 alumni.

CETYS has a 65-member board of trustees geographically divided into three chapters. "On top of this, we have an executive assembly that has the main responsibility for the strategic policy and vision of the institution," Vargas says. "For me, they are the main power, but the chapters also think they are the main power and they put pressure on the general directors, which are the equivalent to your campus directors."

As a member of president Enrique Blancas de La Cruz's staff, Vargas works with the general directors, deans and faculty of all three campuses. One of his responsibilities is to respond to requests for new programs and new faculty. In addition, he writes the policy for the engineering schools.

Vargas will be doing some traveling during his year at Webster. He attended the Central Regional Faculty Conference at the Kansas City campus in October, and will attend the regional conference in Columbia, S.C., in December. He would like to visit all the higher education institutions in the states of Missouri and Arizona.

"I'm trying to see what works here," Vargas says. "I was impressed by all the fantastic photos you have on display of your faculty, students and employees. That creates a sense of humanity and oneness. That is something we don't do enough of in Mexico — cheering up employees — and I admire the universities here for that because it affects people's morale."

Vargas is enjoying his experience in St. Louis. "In my life, I have never seen so many trees," he says. "Even in Autumn, with the leaves falling down on the ground, I don't mind." However, Vargas does have a complaint about the sidewalks, or the lack thereof, expecially on his walk along Edgar Road each morning on his way to campus. "I have to switch sides to keep from being hit by an automobile," he says.

A special treat was attending some of the St. Louis Cardinals' World Series games and Vargas believes he brought the team luck. "They went from a series of 10 lost games in sequence, and then when I arrived, they began to win," he says, laughing.

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What would you be willing to sacrifice for a good cause? Jon Gruett, director, Financial aid, was willing to part with his hair to raise scholarship funds for the Missouri Association of Student Financial Aid Personnel (MASFAP).

Gruett loses his locks.

Gruett and three colleagues came up with the idea at the association's spring conference at the MASFAP March conference at the Lake of the Ozarks, Mo. Leo Hertling, St. Louis College of Pharmacy; Dan Peterson, Commerce Bank, and Larry Doggett, Elm Resources, joined Gruett in an offer to shave their heads for an auction bid of at least $4,000.

"We actually raised a little more than that," Gruett says. "We were the last item on the auction and we raised nearly the amount the rest of the auction brought in, close to $4,200."

The head shaving took place Nov. 6. "Pardon the pun," Gruett says. "But they kind of made a 'mane' event out of it at the fall conference." A professional hairdresser related to the conference program chair performed the task.

Gruett's new 'do' has received mixed reviews. "A lot of people say they really like it," he says. "But I guess if they didn't like it, they wouldn't tell me they didn't."

"My son (age 11) said it looks stupid, my 12-year-old daughter can't stop laughing and my wife is pretty quiet," Gruett says. "I'll probably let it grow back."

Gruett sports his new look.

In addition to raising scholarship funds for Missouri students, MASFAP also hosts College Goal Sunday, every February each year, at community centers and churches across the state. "This year I believe we will be at 27 different locations, helping people with the financial aid process," Gruett says. "A school might do that to help recruitment, but our association does it to help the citizens of Missouri apply for financial aid." The association also holds a summer institute where people who are new to the financial aid profession receive instruction from more seasoned professionals.

"Please stop by and say hello to our now bald boss," says Cathi Nolde, assistant director, Financial Aid. "To be quite honest, the new look is not too bad!"

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by Jennifer Gammage, writer/editor, Marketing Office

Beginning Spring 2007, Webster University is launching the new Webster debit card that enables U.S. students to get their refund money faster.

Webster has partnered with Higher One, a financial services company from Connecticut, to bring this new method of refund disbursement to U.S. students.

The first financial aid and tuition refund disbursements will be sent out via the new Webster debit card in January. With this new card, refunds will be delivered in the manner a student chooses — debit card, electronic transfer or paper check.

• If students choose to have their refund deposited to their OneAccount-Easy Refund, it will take one day or less.

• If students choose to have their refund deposited to another bank of their choice, it will take two to three business days.

• If students choose to have their refund mailed as a paper check to the address they designate, it will take five to seven business days.

All registered U.S. students at Webster will receive a Webster debit card. The OneAccount from Higher One is a fully functioning, FDIC-insured free checking account that allows students to access their student refunds quicker and easier than ever before.

The OneAccount has no minimum balance, no monthly fees and free Internet banking features. With it, students can use their Webster debit card to make purchases anywhere Debit MasterCard¨ is accepted.

The advantages of having refunds deposited directly to a OneAccount are:

• Easy Refund (depositing your refund to your OneAccount) is the quickest way to gain access to your money.

• Students can use the Webster debit card as a debit card to make purchases at all Debit MasterCard locations, access cash at an ATM, pay bills, send money electronically and more.

• There is no charge to students for receiving a refund directly to their Webster OneAccount.

Students who choose this option will receive an e-mail when their refund has been directly deposited to their OneAccount.

Additionally, they will be able to see details on their OneAccount by accessing their OneAccount Statement online. Regardless of how they choose to receive their funds, students will still need to activate their cards when they receive them in the mail by following the instructions mailed with the card.

The important thing to remember is Webster will not be able to disburse a refund at all unless the student has activated their card. So regardless of whether a student anticipates that he or she will receive a refund, it is important to activate the card and choose a refund preference. Faculty and staff are asked to encourage students to activate their cards once they receive them in the mail.

To learn more, check out our new Web site at www.websterdebitcard.com.

To learn more about Higher One, visit www.higherone.com.

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Why Doesn't Webster Have a School Song?

Q: Webster University is known for its fine arts programs. Why don't we have a Webster University song — not an athletics event fight song, but a goose-bumpy alma mater song?

A: There is a school song … at least one that the older alumnae know and sing when they get together. They sang it at the President's luncheon/Golden Circle ceremony during Reunion Weekend. I understand the song was written by two graduates of the class of 1945, although I have heard there is another song (perhaps the same song?) from the late 1920s.

Lyrics to Webster College Alma Mater

There is a College Called Webster
Green ivy-clad are her walls
Long live her laughter forever and after
That echoes through her halls
Dear Alma Mater of my heart,
Thy spirit proudly sets thee apart
Thy banner, streaming colors gold and white,
A symbol shining brightly through the night.
The friendships formed in Webster's name
Will honor thy glory and fame.
Loyalty pledg'd to thee
Throughout the far distant years.

Music department professor Kathryn Bowers is interested in recording the alumnae singing the song so that she can write the music to go with it. We hope to record the ladies at their monthly Bridge club meeting at the Alumni House in a few weeks.

Send your questions for Dr. Meyers to kirkma@webster.edu

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Central Regional Conference in Kansas City
The Central Regional Conference in Kansas City, Mo., Oct. 20-22, was attended by 194 directors, faculty and community relations coordinators. Carolyn Cottrell, regional director, Kansas City Metropolitan Campus, received a special award in recognition of her work in organizing and hosting the conference.

Regional Director Carolyn Cottrell with special recognition award. Photo by DeLyle Bowen

Francine Case and Carolyn Cottrell greet conference attendees. Case, Academic Affairs, coordinated travel and lodging for the conference. Photo by DeLyle Bowen

Conference attendees had time to network during breaks. Photo by DeLyle Bowen

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Steven Pierce (Bat Boy) and Gregory Schmerber in a scene from "Bat Boy: The Musical." Photo by Claudia Burris

CONSERVATORY OF THEATRE ARTS PRODUCTION
"Bat Boy: The Musical"
• This quirky musical comedy, concerning a half-boy/half-bat creature found in a cave near Hope Falls, W.V., received the Best Off-Broadway Musical Award in 2006 from the Outer Critics Circle.
• Dec. 1-3 and 6-10,7:30 p.m.; Sundays, 2 p.m.; free with Webster I.D., call (314) 968-7128 for reservations.
• Stage III, Webster Hall, ground floor

CHRISTMAS CONCERTS
Webster University Concert Choir and Choral Society — "African American Spirituals and Gospel for Christmas"
• Dec. 3, 2 p.m., St. John's United Methodist Church, 5000 Washington Place at Kingshighway, free

Webster University Jazz Singers — "Home for the Holidays"
• 12/4, 7 p.m., Moore Auditorium, free

"Holiday Reflections — The Annual University Celebration of the Season"
• Webster University Chorale conducted by Kathryn Bowers
• Dec. 10, 5 p.m., Moore Auditorium, free

LECTURE
"The Gettysburg Gospel: The Lincoln Speech that Nobody Knows"
• Gabor Boritt, the Robert Fluhrer professor of Civil War Studies and director of the Civil War Institute at Gettysburg College will discuss his newly completed book about Lincoln's Gettysburg Address.
• For more information, call (314) 968-7426
• Dec. 4, 10-11:15 a.m., Emerson Library Conference Room, free

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NOVEMBER 2006 SPOTLIGHT AWARD

Kathy Gaynor

Kathy Gaynor, reference librarian, Emerson Library, is this month's Employee Spotlight Award winner.

In addition to being the University archivist and her daily activities, such as operating the Reference Desk, serving as a liaison between departments and teaching library instruction classes, for the past year Gaynor has been chairperson of the Library Web committee, guiding the redesign of Passports, the Emerson Library Web site.

"Her leadership and work on Passports has provided the entire Webster community with a valuable asset," says a nominator.

According to another nominator, the redesign of Passports was "a careful process that required leadership, organization, planning and lots of coding. Kathy guided the committee through decision making, solicited input from Passport users, led focus groups and conducted usability studies of the site."

Gaynor taught herself HTML to create page designs for the Web site and also taught the code to Library reference staff. After page designs were approved, Gaynor created easy-to-follow templates so the staff could convert existing pages to the new format.

"I can't say we wouldn't have a new Passports without Kathy," a nominator says. "But I can guarantee that it would not have been so well designed and smoothly implemented without her. Kathy is a tremendous asset to the Library and the University."

Gaynor, who has been with the University 13 years, says she was very surprised to be singled out. "Everyone in the library works very hard to serve our students, faculty and staff worldwide."

"I enjoy the variety that comes with the job — there's something new every day."

Gaynor chose a day off with pay as her prize.

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

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Help to Quit Smoking
The Great American Smokeout takes place in November. In light of that, Human Resources refers employees interested in learning how to quit smoking to the information provided by the Alliance Blue Cross Blue Shield Web site.

Barry Hufker, associate professor, Electronic and Photographic Media, recorded classical guitarist John McClellan, adjunct professor, Music, for an upcoming issue of "Fingerstyle Guitar Magazine." The selection to be included on the accompanying compact disc is "The Little Music Box" by Torrega. Hufker also recorded flutist Anna Uhlmann and pianist Sharon Tash at the First Congregational Church in Clayton, Mo., performing music by Prokofiev, Beethoven, Mozart, Brahms and Mendelssohn for a compact disc.

Fran Hooker, coordinator, Writing Center, presented the paper, "Freshman Writing Awards: One Center's Experience" at the Mid-West Writing Centers Association Conference in October. In addition, as part of a panel, she presented a second paper, "Mentoring in the Writing Center: How We Help Each Other Learn, Adapt and Grow."

Jiangping (J.P.) Wang and Peter Maher, assistant professors in the Math and Computer Science department, coached the University's winning team in the ACM Mid-Central USA Programming Contest hosted by the School of Business and Technology at the St. Louis campus on Nov. 4. Overall in the Mid-Central region, Webster placed 14th out of 124 teams. ACM (Association for Computing Machinery) has held the contest since 1977 to challenge students to become the 'best of the best' in collegiate computing. The multi-tier competition involves thousands of students from more than 1,700 universities worldwide. Regional winners will compete at the World Finals next year in Japan.

The Vienna Campus celebrated the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the Thomas K. Lang Gallery on Nov. 21. The gallery is named to recognize Art Department Chair and Professor Tom Lang for his contribution in developing an international exchange of students, faculty and professional artists between the Vienna and St. Louis campuses. As a result of Lang's efforts, a unique major — Art with an emphasis in Visual Culture — was developed by the Vienna faculty in cooperation with the St. Louis Art department.

Michelle Deatrick Cannon, academic advisor/representative, Fort Jackson Campus, S.C., was recently elected president for the Council on Military Education in South Carolina (COMESC). COMESC is a state-wide organization created to enhance education programs for military personnel stationed in South Carolina, to promote the understanding of the military, state and institutional roles in providing education to the military and to provide a forum for facilitating professional development to military educators.

Christopher Kummer, adjunct professor, Vienna Campus; director, Institute of Mergers, Acquisitions and Alliances in Vienna, Austria; and visiting scholar at Kingston University in London, will have his article, "Elements of Good Due Diligence," published in the Special Interest Supplement of The Times (London) on Dec. 5.

Melanie Gottlieb, international credential specialist and coordinator, International Recruitment and International Services, was elected president-elect of the Missouri Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (MACRAO) at the Fall 2006 Annual Conference at the Lake of the Ozarks, Mo. She will hold the president-elect position for one year before becoming president of the state association in Fall 2007. In addition, Gottlieb was cited in the Sept. 2006 NAFSA publication, "Admissions Wrap-Up," as an expert evaluator for Vietnamese credentials.

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:

NOVEMBER 2006

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

Art Lueking, director, Loretto-Hilton Center, 25 years

Bert Barry, director, International Recruitment and Services, 10 years

Benjamin Hockenhull, WAN administrator, Information Technology, 10 years

Merideth Daly, department associate, School of Communications, 5 years

Judy Helfrich, accounting assistant, Bursar/Cashier Office, 5 years

Laurie Smith, coordinator, Mail and Copy Center Solutions, 5 years

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

NOVEMBER 2006

Adrienne Bertrand, representative, Albuquerque Metropolitan Campus, N.M., (505) 292-6988 or Speed Dial #6 061, replaces Wanda Lyons.

Dawna Ferreira, coordinator, School of Education/Office of the Dean, (801) 281-4801, replaces Sue Pickles.

Stacy Garnes, general clerk-night monitor, Luke Air Force Base, Ariz., (623) 856-3506 or Speed Dial #6 116.

Cheryl Gustafson, community relations coordinator, Salt Lake City Metropolitan Campus, Utah, (801) 281-4801 or Speed Dial #6 118, replaces Kristin Gorang.

Vernon Jeys, general clerk, Camp Bullis, Texas, (210) 226-3373, new position. Cassandra Keaton, department assistant, Fort Stewart, Ga., (912)876-8080 or Speed Dial #6 092, replaces Monique Brown.

Carrie Leinicke, general clerk, Mail and Copy Solutions, (314) 968-7421, replaces Adriana Kincheloe.

Cheryl Lentz, computer lab assistant, Fort Leavenworth, Kan., (913) 6821922 or Speed Dial #6 107, new position.

Charla Lord, coordinator of external affairs, School of Business and Technology/Office of the Dean, (314) 968-5951, replaces Kimberly Lesko.

James Singer, student media coordinator, School of Communications, (314) 961-2660, ext. 7783.

Kathleen (Kate) Terveer, service clerk, Academic Affairs, (314) 968-6962, restructured position.

Shirley Torretta, accounts payable manager, Accounts Payable, (314) 968-7407, replaces Julie Snorton.

Michael Vollman, general clerk, Mail and Copy Solutions, (314) 968-7421, replaces Mark Albrecht.

Veronica Ward, general clerk-night monitor, Fort Sam Houston, Texas, (210) 226-3373 or Speed Dial #6 027, replaces Irma Marquez.

Eleanor Weiters, lab assistant, Charleston Metropolitan Campus, (843) 760-1324 or Speed Dial #6 054, replaces Jeromy Richey.

Lois Whitley, service clerk, Westport Campus, (314) 968-5955, ext. 3411, replaces Lynn Greenberg.

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

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The University extends sympathies to the friends and family of Michael DeManche, adjunct professor, Lakeland and Brandon Campus, Fla.; to Carl Dettlebach, Facilities Operations, in the loss of his father, Randy Haenel, and to Karen Quinn in the loss of her mother, Dolly Ann Akers Everding.

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EDITOR
Marianne Kirk, Editor
Office of Marketing

MARKETING OFFICE CONTRIBUTORS
Claudia Burris, Sr. Editor & Photojournalist
Casey Conroy, Graphic Designer
Dominik Jansky, Writer/Editor
Patrick Powers, Writer/Editor
Pete McEwen, Technical Advisor
Ashley Marshall, Writer

HUMAN RESOURCES CONTRIBUTORS
Betsy Schmutz
Gloria Barbre
Julie Dreiling