Campus News: August 7th, 2008

Keanan Jasmin blows “body bubbles”; Diego Betancourt works on his invention, which is designed to light a bulb using wires, batteries, bulbs, and materials brought from home. Photo by Julio Del Sesto.

Two Science Out of the Box inquiry science units were field tested in Kids on Campus courses this summer: Bubble Festival (grades 1 to 3) and Electricity (grades 4 to 6). These field tests will be analyzed and used to develop Science Out of the Box curriculum for Winchester and Keene elementary schools.

The College received a $20,000 Bank of America Charitable Foundation grant to develop the enrichment program, which engages elementary school students in direct experience and experimentation to enhance essential concepts and principles in science. For more information on the Science Out of the Box program, contact Deborah Black (dblack@keene.edu) or Sally Jean (sjean@keene.edu).

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Andrew Watson, Tim Callaghan, and Brennan Natoli, students in Keene State College’s Spring 2008 Product Design II course, created a bicycle-powered kayak trailer.The trailer has two-axle pivots for smoother riding, and offers kayakers a carbon neutral transport option. Photo by Lisa Hix.

Keene State is adding a new baccalaureate program in Sustainable Product Design and Innovation (SPDI). The College is waiting for final approval from the University System of New Hampshire, but hopes to start offering courses in the fall of 2009.

The new four-year, preprofessional SPDI curriculum will integrate the social and scientific aspects of sustainability concerns into the current Product Design and Development option in Technology Studies. This option draws on five disciplines – art, management, mathematics, safety, and industrial/product design – to teach design theory and practice, material sciences, production processes, digital technology, and the quantitative and qualitative issues of sustainability and business practices.

“We know that innovation happens at the boundaries between disciplines,” says Lisa Hix, principal faculty member for the new SPDI program. “Courses in the arts and safety help with ergonomic design; math and management courses help students understand the economic implications of a new product.”

Integrating sustainability values into KSC’s current Product Design and Development program will prepare students for engagement in the new “lean and green” global economy. But faculty in the Technology, Design and Safety and Management departments also expanded and refined the curriculum in response to students’ growing interest in sustainability issues.

“Young people want to do something about environmental issues. More and more students are choosing projects that reflect safety or environmental concerns,” says Hix. “They are ‘tinker-thinkers.’ They’re asking, ‘How can we fix this?’”

Another stimulus was feedback from the business community. The region’s historic manufacturing base is refocusing on high-tech, precision production, and businesses are having trouble finding trained employees.

“Manufacturing has taken on a new focus and demands more creativity,” says John Pappalardo, chair of Keene State’s Management Department. “Students are realizing that they need to understand how things are made – we don’t live in a virtual world.”

The College has already purchased a 3D rapid prototyper so students can create physical models of the concepts they design with CAD. Graduates from this program will be able to transition directly into careers in product design/engineering, technology/evaluation, planning, supply, production, quality control, technical services, marketing, and sales or other related professions.

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From Kim Harkness, Human Resources: The trustees have approved a 5.5% salary increase pool for Operating and PAT staff. This commitment expands the original 4.5% pool detailed during budget prep and adds an additional 1% to the pool.

That additional 1% reflects the trustees’ commitment to assure fairness between employee groups within USNH.

The OS and PAT Councils have reviewed models for how the 5.5% could be distributed. Based on their latest input, the models have been revised and will be presented to the President’s Cabinet at their retreat this week. The actual increases will be reflected in the paychecks of August 22 for PATs and August 29 for Operating Staff.

What can you be sure of? The trustees established a 3% across-the-board increase for all eligible employees. That’s money you can bank on! But to distribute the rest of the pool, the principles that guided the OS and PAT Councils’ discussions may be summarized by the following precepts:

• We are desirous of treating all employees fairly and want to leverage this salary pool to meet the most critical needs while assuring fair consideration for all staff members.
• Given the difficult economic situation today, we feel that a 3% across-the-board and an additional general increase distributed as a flat dollar amount provides our staff with the best advantage against an uncertain economy.
• We reaffirmed our commitment to folks receiving range movement and are keeping with the most recent years’ practice of providing 3% if a classification is moved to a higher range in order to alleviate compression.
• We want to continue making progress on multiple fronts and want to provide relief for those staff members whose rates are most deficient from their target and would support use of equity dollars to also provide changes in OS bases (e.g., increasing hours to the 40-hour base) where the workload or coverage needs are a critical consideration.

The trustee guidelines indicated that .5% should be used for market equity and the other 2% was to be distributed by campus discretion to equity, merit, reclassification, or general increases.

For the third year in a row, Human Resources has reviewed the backgrounds of each staff member, including their years of experience and years of degree-awarded education, to establish a target rate for each person compared to the range associated with their position. This review also included special credentials such as achieving a Journeyman or master’s designation in the trades. When we began addressing the compensation irregularities three years ago, almost 70% of our staff was deficient. In today’s review, less than 23% of staff is showing a deficiency to target and only 27 staff (or 8%) was more than 5% from their target rates. This progress is something we should all be proud of because it took a campus’s commitment to one another to make it happen.

As soon as a final increase plan is approved, we will e-mail the details and start coding them to the record. Please share your feedback and thoughts with your OS and PAT Council chairs (Tim Garland, OS; Kim Schmidl-Gagne, PAT), Council representatives http://www.keene.edu/opstaff/members.cfm, http://www.keene.edu/pat/members.cfm, or myself.

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From Melinda Mosier, Development: It is with both sadness and great excitement that I share with you that I will be leaving Keene State College. I have been offered an opportunity with the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, which will allow me to build on my skills, stretch my wings in a new way, and meet the needs of my family.

I will be both on and off campus over the next few weeks tying up loose ends and handing off the projects that I am involved with. In addition, I will be on vacation the week of August 11. I will make myself available to the Development staff for questions via phone or e-mail for a period of time to ensure a successful transition. Please contact Development Office manager Amy Proctor at 8-2372 or aproctor@keene.edu with any outstanding project questions, during this transition.

It was an emotional decision for me to make because of the deep pride I feel for the College and the confidence I have in the success of the fund-raising opportunities that lie ahead. Ultimately, the decision hinged upon what was right for my family. Regardless, I will be cheering you on from the sidelines and intend to make a financial commitment to the upcoming campaign. It will be an easy “ask,” so, when the time comes, I look forward to being a part of the future in this way and hope that you will consider joining me as a donor. It will take all of us, but the collective energy that comes from individual generosity is the cornerstone for making dreams a reality.

I am so glad to have been a small part of the 99-year journey that has brought us where we are today. Thank you for allowing me to serve the College and be a part of this wonderful community.

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Traditionally more than 300 faculty, staff, and student volunteers help incoming freshmen move into their dorms.

From Kent Drake-Deese, Residential Life: We will be swinging open the College doors on Saturday, August 23, and we will need your help to do it! Moving more than 1,300 first-year students into five different residential facilities in just six hours is a daunting task that requires detailed planning, good communication, and a dedicated community of volunteers to help move personal items from cars to residence halls.

While this task is hard work for everyone, it clearly demonstrates the spirit of our community and sends a strong “welcome to Keene State College” statement, which students and their families greatly appreciate.

Many of you have participated in the past and can attest to the important role this initiative plays in reassuring families that they are leaving their loved one(s) in a community that cares. Consequently, I thank you for your contributions in the past and look forward to having you back again this year.

For those of you who have not yet participated in a Fall Welcome program, I encourage you to volunteer and witness how this event transforms the campus from sleepy summer mode to vibrant fall in a matter of hours! Typically, volunteers work one shift (8 to 11:30 a.m., 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., or 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.) However, another block of time that works better for you can easily be arranged. Please contact Caroll Lothrop in the Residential Life Office at 8-2346 or clothrop@keene.edu if you would like to know more about the program. To volunteer, please contact her by Wednesday, August 13.

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After a successful bid process, the College will be contracting with a new residence hall laundry company this year. One of the goals of the bid committee was to select a firm that had a strong commitment toward sustainability.

Mac-Gray will replace all laundry equipment on campus with front load washers and dryers. The previous laundry firm will remove their equipment and use these units at other client sites. Look at how installing Energy Star front-load washers and dryers will have us cleaning up on energy savings:

Washers:

• Save 50% on water used in top-load washers
• Hold 32% more laundry than top-load washers
• Extract water at higher speeds, decreasing drying time
• Estimated annual water savings once installed: 482,000 gallons (142,000 gallons is hot water)

Dryers:

1. Dry loads faster due to air-flow technology
2. Larger drum allows for more laundry per drying cycle
3. Reduce drying time by 10 minutes per load
4. Yearly savings of 2710 KW and 241 million BTU’s of gas

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From Carole Whippie, Business Services: Banner Finance training sessions will begin on Tuesday, September 9, for the fall semester. The first session will focus on the Chart of Accounts (COA) and Budgeting Concepts, the foundation of our financial system. All classes are in Rhodes CE Lab unless otherwise indicated. Here is the Fall 2008 Banner Finance training schedule; please self-register for the classes and open labs at http://www.keene.edu/it/helpdesk/training/.

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From Lynne Andrews, Recreational Sports: Starting Monday, August 4 (through Friday, August 15), all wood floor areas of the Recreation Center/Spaulding Gym will be off limits while they are refinished. We will be conducting our indoor cycling classes in classroom 121 until the aerobics studio is available. There might be a slight odor from the refinishing product in the facility for a few days.

Also, there will be no hot water in the restrooms or showers and no heat in the facility because of the campus-wide steam plant shutdown from August 11 to 15 (we will be open for workout purposes). The pool repair work will continue through the end of August with a tentative reopening date of August 24.

The Recreation Center will be closed for workout purposes on Thursday, August 21, and Friday, August 22, so we can conduct our student staff training in preparation for opening weekend. Locker rooms and offices will be accessible for the facility staff and other individuals as needed. Thank you for your patience and understanding while the maintenance and renovation work is being done in the facility.

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Colin Abernethy (Chemistry) recently returned from the 38th International Conference on Coordination Chemistry held in Jerusalem, Israel from July 20 to 25, 2008. This event brought together more than 1,000 scientists and educators from 47 different countries. During the conference, some of the results of his research program involving the work of Keene State College students over the past three years was reported in the presentation “(Cyclopentadienyl) Vanadium Nitride Complexes” by C. D. Abernethy, M. L. Croteau, C. E. Johnson, A. S. Metell, S. D. Tay.

Allyson Mount (Philosophy) recently had two articles published in peer-reviewed journals: “Intentions, Gestures, and Salience in Ordinary and Deferred Demonstrative Reference” in Mind and Language (April 2008) and “The Impurity of ‘Pure’ Indexicals” in Philosophical Studies (March 2008).

Judith Reed (Education), in collaboration with Karen Saunders, a mentor teacher with the WEL program, presented at the Center for Anti-Oppressive Education (CAOE) Fifth International Conference on Teacher Education & Social Justice at the University of Illinois-Chicago, June 7-8. Entitled “Moved to Tears–Moved to Act,” Dr. Reed’s presentation featured innovative curriculum in social justice education that encourages Teacher Education students to move past guilt and beyond compassion to solidarity and committed action.

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Campus News will return to its weekly schedule on August 21. Deadlines will continue to be noon on Monday before the next Thursday’s issue.

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We are rebuilding our Faculty Experts section on the web and need your help. Our information will be listed on our website and in a database for journalists working on local and national stories. Please take a minute to update your information, add to your list of publications and accomplishments, and send it to rdutcher@keene.edu.

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