DECEMBER 2007

Jacksonville, Fla., “Santas” with toys and gifts for the children at George Washington Carver Elementary School. Pictured, from left, Ellen Windhauser, the Gorlok, Pat Sager, Jennifer Jamison, Lester Lyons, Lisa Snowberger and Rita Braunegg.

• Congratulations to the School of Education

• Artist-in-Residence Mary Lamboley

• Webster University Press Publishes First Book

• Webster Campuses Share Holiday Cheer Worldwide

• St. Louis Calendar Highlights

• Employee of the Month

• Just for Laughs

• Kampus Kudos

• Service Anniversaries

• New Employees

• Condolences


To view the Inside Webster archives, click here

Five years of preparation, documentation and program assessment by the School of Education has been rewarded. As announced in last month’s issue of “Inside Webster,” Webster’s School of Education recently received official notification of accreditation from the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE).



NCATE notified President Meyers Nov. 5 stating the accreditation decision indicates the education programs at the main campus, as well as Kansas City Metropolitan Campus, Mo., Crystal Lake Metropolitan Campus, Ill., and Jacksonville Metropolitan Campus, Fla., “meet the rigorous standards set forth by the professional education community.”

In addition to the NCATE review and accreditation, the School also received notification from the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) granting approval through July 2012.

“We hadn’t had a department of elementary and secondary education visit for a long while,” says Fyfe. “The Missouri standards have changed to emphasize the focus on student learning outcomes. In past visits, the focus was on what was put into the education: course syllabi, instructors’ credentials and addressing course standards, but not on data from student learning.

“That has been the biggest challenge for us, as it has been for the whole University with the Higher Learning Commission also having shifted toward the focus of learning outcomes. Everyone is involved in developing assessment systems that generate that kind of information, so that decision-making is based on data, rather than opinion and other kinds of reviews of input.

“We celebrate the incredible accomplishments of the faculty and staff of the School of Education and the terrific support we received from faculty and staff across the University.”

Carol Hoyt, assistant professor, Teacher Education, was accreditation officer during the two years preceding the NCATE visit, and Roy Tamashiro, co-chair and professor, Multidisciplinary Studies, served in the newly created position of assessment coordinator for six months. Hoyt worked with Fyfe and Kathy Marlock, director of academic assessment, Academic Affairs, to ensure that assessment systems and data collection were in place.

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“It can take time to understand a painting,” says Mary Lamboley, visiting artist and assistant professor, Art, during an informal tour of her current exhibit in the Hunt Gallery. “People should take time with them, enter into them and move around. There’s a story that’s always unfolding.”

Good advice to keep in mind when viewing Lamboley’s work, which is multi-layered, both in texture and meaning.

Mary Lamboley and her drawing, “Hymn.” Photo by M. Kirk.

One of the larger works in the exhibit, “Hymn,” depicts an abbey in central Italy that was bombed during World War II. “The important thing to me was that the abbey could refer to a particular story while representing all things of that nature from whatever time period or place,” Lamboley says.

“The fact that this was an abbey or monastery where people came together to live peacefully or to work for the benefit of others in a non-violent way, and then it had succumbed to war, for me, points to the principle that non-violence doesn’t follow the rules of aggression. On the other hand, how many wars have been fought in the so-called, ‘name of god’? In ‘Hymn,’ I am placing these ambiguities together to address questions of faith, prayer and the laws of nature on different levels.”

An early influence on this native St. Louisan’s career was her relationship with a high school art teacher, Mrs. Kendall. (For St. Louisans who have to know, Lamboley attended Visitation Academy.) Back then, Lamboley wasn’t sure if she wanted a career in art or science, and Mrs. Kendall encouraged her to pursue art and to enter her work into art contests.

One contest for the Pasta House Company presented the challenge of incorporating a plate of spaghetti into a famous artwork. “I used Van Gogh’s ‘Starry Night’ and had a big fork with spaghetti wrapped around it floating in the sky,” Lamboley says, laughing, “which is so terrible.” She won third prize, $500, and three dinners to Pasta House.

After that auspicious beginning, Lamboley continued her studies at Kansas University, where in 1997 she earned a BFA in painting and participated in the study abroad program. She spent a year and a half in Florence, Italy, studying with South African artists Rose Shakinovsky and Claire Gavronsky at the Lorenzo de Medici Institute of Art.

“Rose and Claire have had a big impact on my life and my work,” Lamboley says. “They have more than 30 years teaching experience and also have work in major museums, so they are my role models on how to balance being a teacher and being an artist.”

Lamboley headed to John F. Kennedy University in Berkeley, Calif., in 1999, where she earned an MFA in arts and consciousness — a degree that approaches art from a holistic point of view — and also studied art in relation to creativity, the new physics and Eastern philosophy.

Following graduate school and several residencies in South Africa, Lamboley taught undergraduate foundation and intermediate painting and drawing in Syracuse, Sicily, at the Mediterranean Center for Arts and Sciences (MCAS), and also exhibited her work with the gallery Arte Contemporanea in Pescara and Bologna.

“My time in Sicily was amazing,” Lamboley says. “I feel really fortunate to have had the opportunity to experience that culture on a daily level. At a certain point, though, I began to feel motivated to take the next step, to return to where I was from, to be near family, to share what I’ve learned, and to see if I could relate all my experiences together from a new perspective.”

“Being familiar with St. Louis, I felt very attracted to Webster,” she says. “My mom actually graduated from here and I had met art department chair Tom Lang at a social function a few years ago. In hindsight, these random things seem to take on a sense of purpose.”

And that’s how Lamboley came to work with Webster’s art department this fall. In addition to her Hunt Gallery exhibit, she is teaching creative strategies and introduction to drawing this semester. Next semester she will teach two classes and will assist Tom Lang in printmaking and in making an artist’s edition to leave behind to commemorate the year.

“My intuition about Webster has proved to be right,” Lamboley says. “There is a sense and ability to balance high standards with professional freedom and autonomy, which creates a supportive, collaborative environment and a great place to work.

“I continue to be surprised. It seems like the road just keeps opening up for me. There is no real security in it, so I never know how long it’s going to last, but somehow it does step by step.”

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Susan Hacker Stang visits with guests and signs books at the reception. Photo by Claudia Burris.

A reception and book signing Dec. 10 celebrated the first publication of the Webster University Press: Encountering Florence, by Susan Hacker Stang, professor of photography, School of Communications.

To read more about Hacker Stang’s book, Encountering Florence, and Webster University Press click here.

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Staff and faculty at the St. Louis campus are aware of the many ways our constituents donate their time, energy and dollars to various holiday causes: food drives; clothes, toy and book collections; adopting families in need; and volunteering at the annual Christmas party for the poor and homeless sponsored by St. Peter and Paul Communities Services.

We aren’t as aware, however, of the good works being done at Webster’s other campuses during the holidays. Recently “Inside Webster” invited the extended and international campuses to share information about their holiday projects this year. Here are their responses:

Jen Copeland, left, and Deborah Straubinger, with toys collected for the toy drive.

The Orlando South Metropolitan Campus, Fla, participated in a toy drive with a local radio station, says Deborah Straubinger, community relations coordinator. Toys are collected for the station’s “toy store,” where children in need can shop and pick out a gift.

Orlando partnered with Sentry Management — a company in their building — for the second year in a row on the toy drive. Last year they donated more than 400 toys to the project.

Dawn Glasmeier, center, holding an ‘Elmo’ toy, surrounded by faculty members and director Carol Nelson, far right, with the toys they collected for the toy drive.

Carol Nelson, director, Memphis Naval Support Activity, Tenn., says their “Toys for Tots” drive was very successful this year, due to the efforts and dedication of Dawn Glasmeier, department associate, who headed up the project.

“Santa” Frank Sesko shares Christmas with residents at St. Joe’s home.

Frank Sesko, adjunct professor, Elgin Metropolitan Campus, Ill., has played Santa at several nursing homes for 45 years. Sesko and his wife, Mary Ann, co-wrote the book Santa and Sam’s Big Secret, which includes many of the questions children have asked him over the years.




“For the second year, we’re collecting items and money for Rose Brooks, a shelter for abused women and their children,” says Carolyn Cottrell, regional director, Kansas City Metropolitan Campus, Mo. “We have visited the shelter and it's a great facility.”



The base education department at Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo., joins with State Fair Community College and Park University to provide gifts and meals for two area families. “We truly enjoy giving back,” says Brook Morgan, director.



The Jacksonville Metropolitan Campus, Fla., participated in two Christmas projects this year, according to Lisa Snowberger, community relations coordinator, and Ellen Windhauser, office manager.

“We donated books to the children at George Washington Carver Elementary School as our Webster Works Worldwide this year,” Snowberger says, “And we were so touched by them, we decided to reach out again at Christmas.”

Jacksonville faculty, staff and students all participated in the drive, which provided toys to more than 450 pre-kindergarten to fifth-grade children.

The campus also decorated a tree for the Festival of Trees, a silent auction benefiting two St. Johns County charities: the St. Augustine Record’s Empty Stocking Fund and the United Way.



Camp LeJeune Marine Corps Base, N.C., also is completing a project begun for Webster Works Worldwide 13.

Cindy Rose, senior director, describes the project: “Artist Bob Ramsay and I, along with some students and faculty, will complete a 4-by-8-foot mural dedicated to the military men and women who have been, are, or will be serving with Operation Iraqi Freedom, and their families. For me, this will be the best Christmas of all!”

Vienna Campus holiday party.

Webster’s Vienna Campus collected donations for Kindsnest at a holiday party for students, faculty and staff Dec. 6. Jutta Pedigo, student affairs coordinator, says the group “drank hot punch, ate snacks and decorated a Christmas tree while listening to seasonal music.”

Kindsnest is part of the Kinderdoerfer institution in lower Austria, serving children with severe problems that impact their daily lives. The donations will help provide the special therapy they need.

Thailand director David Morgan, left, at the appreciation celebration.

“Since Thailand is predominantly a Buddhist country, Christmas is not celebrated on the same scale as it is in Europe and the U.S.,” says So-young McCollaum, student services manager, Thailand campus.

“However, every year we have a small gathering of staff members, celebrating the year’s achievements and accomplishments,” he says. “The event is to acknowledge the hard work our staff, especially the ground crew, have done for the school.”

This year the “Grand Crew Party,” organized by the Rector’s office and Student Services, took place Dec. 7.



Moody Air Force Base, Ga., has participated in two charity programs since it opened in 2003, says Robert Broaden, director: the Base Chapel’s Adopt-A-Family program and the Single Unaccompanied Airman/Deployed Spouses Dinner, also sponsored by the Base Chapel.



Editor’s Holiday Quiz
Can you guess which campus director submitted this “charity work” project? (The answer will appear in the January issue.)

On Christmas Eve, I will be hanging bright, shiny ornaments off of my antlers, wrapping a leather band with silver bells around my neck, primping my aerodynamic angel wings and flying through the darkened sky with some crazed fat guy in a red suit and loaded sleigh, bellowing out, “Come on Dasher, Dancer, Prancer and Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner and Blitzen, lift up my sleigh, up — up and away — so we can get to the roof tops and home before someone sees Rudolph’s replacement in the light of day!”

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Image by Mary Lamboley

Art Exhibit — “Recent Work by Artist in Residence Mary Lamboley”

Lamboley is driven by the belief in the power of art as an expression and reflection of life, viewing art as “a way of being, a science, a practice for self-transformation and social change, and a life choice.”

The exhibit, organized by Dana Turkovic, adjunct professor and Hunt Gallery coordinator, is on display through Dec. 21 in the Cecille Hunt Gallery, 8342 Big Bend Blvd.; Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., MondayÐFriday, or by appointment. Admission is free.

For more information, contact Stephanie Jones, Art Department, 314-968-7171

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NOVEMBER 2007 SPOTLIGHT AWARD

Trish Dillender, representative, Math and Computer Science, and Jennifer Copeland, representative, Orlando Metropolitan campus, share the Employee Spotlight Honors for the month of November. Since Copeland was nominated with an October winner, co-worker Deborah Straubinger, her information was in last month’s Employee Spotlight article.

Trish Dillender. Photo by Jonathan Schlereth

Trish Dillender has been with Webster for 15 years and in the School of Business and Technology’s Math and Computer Science department for the past 7 years.

Dillender has been very involved in the School of Business and Technology’s self-study for specialized accreditation from the Aassociation of Collegiate Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP), which — according to her nominator — requires a great deal of data compiled by hand.

“Trish has developed some techniques for the Math and Computer Science department to make sure all the syllabi and textbooks were collected and listed for each instructor in every course that is taught,” says the nominator. “This is a very labor-intensive task and the processes Trish has developed make the task manageable and efficient.”

Dillender’s nominator praises her attention to detail and perseverance on this task, which was done in addition to her regular duties.

Dillender says she was “pleasantly surprised” and honored to have received the employee spotlight reward.

“I like the fact that Webster is so student-oriented and how hard everyone works to make that a priority,” Dillender says.

Her nominator says, “We can always count on Trish for completely professional work, and, in addition, she’s always upbeat and a joy to work with.”

Information for this article was provided by Ashley Marshall, student editorial assistant.

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NOVEMBER 2007 KUDOS

Barry Hufker, associate professor, Electronic and Photographic Media, digitally recorded the Saint Louis Chamber Chorus’s performance of “Roman Relics,” a concert of hymns of praise to various saints by several composers, performed at the Mother House of the Sisters of St. Joseph. Hufker also recorded the “Bach at the Sem” concert at Concordia Seminary in Clayton, Mo., for Dec. 2 broadcast on KFUO-FM radio.

Melanie Gottlieb, international credential specialist, International Recruitment, was elected president of the Missouri Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers at their annual meeting Oct. 28-30.

Van McElwee, professor, Electronic and Photographic Media, donated a compilation of his video work to the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, which sold at their recent “Arts Desire” auction. McElwee’s video work from 1997, “Radio Island,” was shown on an installation of six vertically stacked monitors at the Palais des Beaux Arts in Lille, France, as part of the Lille International Film Festival. The “Radio Island” installation and other video works also were shown at Galerie Trabants 20th anniversary exhibition in Kitzbuel, Austria. “Diagonal Drift,” a new work by McElwee, premiered at the European Media Arts Festival in Osnabruck, Germany, and also was shown at the Athens International Film and Video Festival in Athens, Ohio. Digital prints by McElwee were exhibited at Art Palm Beach, Fla., by Galerie Trabant of Austria. In addition, McElwee’s videos were shown in concert with Rich O’Donnell and Denman Maroney in various venues in the People’s Republic of China, including East Normal University, Shanghai; Chongging University of Arts and Sciences, Chongging; and Sichuan Conservatory of Music and Sichaun University of Film and T.V. in Chengdu, China.

Etido Akpan, adjunct professor, Memphis Naval Support Activity, Tenn., has made several recent appearances for his new book, “Strategic Alignment: the Business Imperative for Leading Organizations.” He has appeared on Good Morning Memphis, Action News 5 Today and ABC 24 and had a booksigning event Nov. 17 at the Barnes & Noble bookstore in Collierville, Tenn.

The Gorlok Men’s Basketball Team hosted their 9th Annual Shoot n’ Hoops Clinic for a group of 38 people with developmental disabilities. The Nov. 11 clinic — led by Chris Bunch, head coach and coordinator of athletic operations, Athletics — focused on teaching dribbling, shooting and passing skills. The event was sponsored by The St. Louis Arc, a non-profit United Way agency.

Ellen Driber-Hassall, senior director, Albuquerque Metropolitan Campus and Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M., made the presentation, “Our Multigenerational Workforce: HR Issues and Concerns,” to the New Mexico Human Resources Council, on Nov. 15.

The Forensics and Debate Team performed admirably Nov. 8-12 at the Linfield College tournament in Portland, Ore. In individual events, Webster participants won two first-place and two second-place awards, among others. The team is coached by Scott Jenson, associate professor and director; and Gina Jenson, assistant director, Forensics and Debate.

Kathleen Finneran, adjunct professor, English, and author of the book, The Tender Land, A Family Love Story, received the 2007 Visionary Award for Women in the Arts in the Successful Working Artist category. Finneran was one of seven area women honored for their dedication to advancing the arts in the St. Louis community at a Nov. 28 ceremony, sponsored by Grand Center, Inc.

Paula Hanssen, assistant professor and coordinator of German Studies, International Languages and Cultures, presented “Teaching Culture: On Campus, On Site, and Online with the ‘Hybrid’ Online + Study Abroad,” at the Nov. 17 national conference of the American Council on Teaching Foreign Languages (ACTFL). Her review of Ditte von Arnim, “Brechts letzte Liebe: Das Leben der Isot Killian (Brecht’s Last Love: the Life of Isot Killian)” was published in the Brecht Yearbook 200, and her article on the restaurant at the Theater on the Schiffbauerdamm in Berlin, “ ‘Die Weigels Kinderzimmer’? The Berliner Ensemble ‘Kantine,’” was published in Communications of the International Brecht Society, 2007. In addition, Hanssen has been appointed member-at-large for the Missouri American Association of Teachers of German (AATG).

Dave Knichel, adjunct professor, Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., had his paper, “Providing Tactical Behaviors for Army Robots,” accepted for publication and presentation by the technology and engineering organization, Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE), an international society advancing an interdisciplinary approach to the science and application of light. Knichel mentored a school district in Kansas City to start a robotics engineering program and student competition at the high school level, which has resulted in the first high school level robotics competition in Missouri. Knichel will be guest speaker at the Greater Kansas City Foundation for Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST) Robotics Competition scheduled for spring 2008.

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 2007

Linda Holtzman, associate professor, Communications and Journalism, 20 years

Kim Fazio, representative, Camp LeJeune Marine Corps Base, N.C., 10 years

Randal Melkus, maintenance technician, Facilities Operations, 10 years

Christine Wells Eason, director of media relations, Public Affairs, 10 years

Tammy Burke, community relations coordinator, Louisville Metropolitan Campus, Ky., 5 years

Shannon Christen, library computer technician, Library, 5 years

Stephanie Jones, department associate, Art, 5 years

Marsha Sands, assistant director, Hunter Army Airfield, Ga., 5 years

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

NOVEMBER 2007

Ardith Brearton, representative, Columbia Metropolitan Campus, S.C., 803-699-0900 or Speed Dial #6 083, replaces Sajata Griddle.

Carla Butak, department associate, Space Coast Metropolitan Campus, Fla., 321-449-4500 or Speed Dial #6 008, replaces Edward Jones.

LaShawnda Chavis, department assistant, Columbia Metropolitan Campus, S.C., 803-699-0900 or Speed Dial #6 083, replaces Elisa Blackwell.

Maggie Cooper, service clerk, Columbia Metropolitan Campus, S.C., 803-699-0900 or Speed Dial #6 083, new position.

Sonya Corbitt, representative, Columbia Metropolitan Campus, S.C., 803-699-0900 or Speed Dial #6 083, replaces Connie McCants.

Elizabeth Flynn, service clerk, Winghaven Metropolitan Campus, Mo., 314-968-5988, ext. 3106, replaces Kathy McClain.

Christopher Frisch, public safety officer, Public Safety, 314-968-7430, replaces David DeBord.

Elizabeth Grissom, department associate, Center for Interdisciplinary Study, 314-968-7703, replaces Ann Kruse.

Emma Laheus, admissions representative, Graduate & Evening Student Admissions, 314-968-7100, replaces Angela Sherman.

Michelle Loyet, assistant director, Academic Advising, 314-968-6972, new position.

Anna Santoya, department associate, Multidisciplinary Studies, 314-968-7097, replaces Paula Gleitz.

Gary Simmons, public safety officer, Public Safety, 314-968-6900, replaces Nelson Saucedo.

Lori Solis, general clerk, Fort Sam Houston, Texas, 210-226-3373 or Speed Dial #6 027, replaces Jonathan Rodriguez.

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

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The University extends sympathies to Marlene Birkman, professor, School of Education, on the death of her brother; Dianne Koehnecke, chair and associate professor, School of Education, on the loss of her father; and to Cynthia Foder, supervisor, Payroll; Stacey Foder, accounting assistant, Accounts Payable; and Stephen Foder, public safety officer, Public Safety, on the death of Cynthia’s stepfather and Stacey and Stephen’s step-grandfather, Ray Aggas.

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© 2006 Webster University