November 19th, 2009

On November 17, “Global Lunch in the Dining Commons” featured foods from Peru, India, Italy, and Canada in recognition of International Education Week. Schools, colleges, and universities across the United States celebrated the benefits of international education and exchange worldwide as part of this joint initiative of the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education.

Photo: Hannah Dale

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From The Academic Excellence Conference Committee: The College welcomes all students engaged in interesting work and research to consider sharing that work with the College community at this year’s Academic Excellence conference.

The 2009 conference will be held Saturday, March 27, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Student Center and the David F. Putnam Science Center. This is a great opportunity for students to present outstanding work. Guidelines, FAQs, and the new online proposal form can be accessed here. For more information contact Ann Rancourt, Yi Gong, or Donna Hinz. Proposals are due Wednesday, December 9, at 5 p.m.

Faculty support for and student participation in the conference has been excellent, and the conference committee looks forward to another excellent conference.

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From William Stroup, English: On Tuesday, November 24, Dr. Ana Estrella, visiting contract lecturer in English from Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador, will present “Ecuador Linguistic Atlas Project” as part of the English department’s Third Tuesday Series. She will present in the Appian Way Conference Room, Mason Library; free and open to all (refreshments served).

Drawing on her ongoing scholarly study of how Ecuadorians actually speak Spanish and the difference between the regions of Ecuador, this talk will be about the research methods and actual findings of Dr. Estrella’s project.

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From Heather Jasmin, Continuing Education: This fall, the Office of Continuing Education is sponsoring “Great Decisions,” a series of discussions of global issues. A 45-minute lecture on a topic of global interest is followed by moderated discussion; all lectures are free and open to the public. A nationwide forum of the Foreign Policy Association (FPA), “Great Decisions” is part of the longest-running civic education program in the United States devoted to foreign affairs.

Chuck Weed (Political Science) will moderate “Cuba” on Thursday, December 9, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
 in Rhodes N210. Attendees are encouraged to buy the Great Decisions 2009 publication ($18, available at the KSC Bookstore). RSVP Continuing Education, 8-2290.

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From Connie Lester, Redfern: The Keene State College Chamber Singers will perform songs from around the world during their fall concert on Sunday, November 22, at 3 p.m. in the Alumni Recital Hall.

Conducted by KSC music faculty member Elaine Broad Ginsberg, the KSC Chamber Singers will present works from the Renaissance and Baroque period, including Palestrina’s Hodie Christus Natus Est, sung in Latin by two choirs antiphonally, and Purcell’s In These Delightful Pleasant Groves. Also on the program are several of Ginsberg’s compositions and arrangements, including the well-known Irish Lullaby. Other highlights include In Dulci Jubilo; the traditional folk tune Shenandoah, conducted by KSC music education major Melinda Abodeely ‘10; So Close, arranged by KSC music technology major and composer Tim Price ‘11; an arrangement of a Bosnian folk melody; and a traditional song from South Africa. KSC music faculty member George Loring (piano and organ) will accompany several selections. For tickets, call the box office at 8-2168.

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From Connie Lester, Redfern: In 1974, Harvey G. Phillips, world famous tubist and distinguished professor emeritus of the Department of Music at Indiana University, Bloomington, Ind., founded MERRY TUBACHRISTMAS®. This year is the 36th anniversary of the national concerts being presented in over 200 cities throughout the United States and in several foreign countries. Phillips was inspired to create TUBACHRISTMAS as an annual event honoring his teacher, the late, great tubist William J. Bell, born Christmas Day, 1902.

In 1990, Doug Nelson, past chair of the Department of Music at Keene, began TUBACHRISTMAS concerts in Keene. Since that time, hundreds of tuba players, both professional and amateur, have participated in this celebration of the holiday season and the heritage of this noble instrument. This year, the free concert will be held on Sunday, December 6, at 1 p.m. in the Mabel Brown Room of the L.P. Young Student Center. The performance will feature traditional Christmas carols especially arranged for TUBACHRISTMAS by American composer Alec Wilder, who died Christmas Eve, 1980. Through Wilder, TUBACHRISTMAS concerts pay grateful tribute to composers who have embraced these noble instruments with solo and ensemble compositions.

Dr. Jim Chesebrough, band director at Keene State College, will direct the 19th Keene TUBACHRISTMAS. All area tuba and euphonium players are invited to perform (please, no instruments other than tubas, euphoniums, and baritone horns). Rehearsal will take place in the Mabel Brown Room at 10:30 a.m. the day of the concert. Performers pay a $5 tax-deductible fee to the Harvey Phillips Foundation. The concert is free and open to the public. For more information on Keene’s TUBACHRISTMAS, please contact Dr. James Chesebrough.

Keene TUBACHRISTMAS (courtesy photo)

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From Connie Lester, Redfern: The Keene State College Chamber Orchestra, conducted by KSC artist-in-residence Don Baldini, will perform “Music from the Stage” on Wednesday, December 2, at 7:30 p.m. at the Redfern Arts Center

The KSC Chamber Orchestra will perform Mussorgsky’s “Night on Bald Mountain” and Beethoven’s Overture to the play Egmont by Goethe. Also performed will be the Intermezzo from the opera Cavalaria Rusticana by Mascagni, music from Bizet’s opera Carmen, and Grieg’s play Peer Gynt. The KSC Chamber Orchestra is comprised primarily of KSC students and includes several community members. Tickets are available through the box office at 8-2168 or online.

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Graph prepared by Lynn Roman

From Mark Reynolds, College and Media Relations:

Want to feel especially good going into the holiday season, and have another reason to be proud of KSC? The campus United Way campaign needs your help, and so do the many struggling people in our local community. The agencies that the Monadnock United Way supports are overwhelmed this year with requests for assistance, and it’s important that KSC be there for the community when it needs us.

If everyone gave just $1 a week, or $2 per pay, we’d raise about $52,000. Donating via payroll deduction is easy, you’d really be helping your neighbors who need it, and you’d never even miss the $2 each pay. Besides, Sedexo is donating cakes and the Bookstore has donated KSC sweatshirts, so there will be some fun raffle prizes for several lucky donors. Step right up!

Over 160 faculty and staff members contributed last year, and the need is far greater this year. So, please, chip in what you can. You’ll be glad you did!

Send in the pledge cards you received, or contact Francis Brush (8-2652) or Melissa Laughner (8-2865), our general campaign chairs, or Mark Reynolds (8-2147), the Leadership Giving campaign chair. They’d love to hear from you.

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In the fall of 2008, senior seminar students in the Biology Department held a successful marrow registration drive in honor of Biology Department faculty member Dr. Johanna Kolodziejski, who was, at the time, being treated for leukemia in Boston. “Dr. K” lost her battle against leukemia in January of 2009. On November 18, students from the KSC Biology Club and the Biology Honors Society sponsored a second marrow registration drive in Johanna’s memory. Kristin Porter-Utley (Biology) reports that near the end of the day on Wednesday they had 156 registrations.

Lynn Roman photo

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From Rebecca Briggs, Dining Services: Keene State Dining Services’ Helping Hands across America promotion was a success - we reached our campus goal!

More than 500 pounds of food was collected (538 pounds, 9 ounces to be exact - every ounce counts when you’re shooting for a world record!). We also raised over $330 to donate to the Community Kitchen. Thanks, everyone. Your support and generosity are greatly appreciated.

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From Dottie Morris Chief Officer of Diversity and Multiculturalism: This fall, the Office of Diversity and Multiculturalism has sponsored a series of Diversity Summit meetings. The last of the four summits will be on Wednesday, December 9, from noon to 2 p.m. in the Student Center Atrium Conference Room.

The goals of these meetings are to:

• Address joys, concerns, hopes, and fears associated with diversity and multiculturalism
• Discuss our collective understanding of diversity and multiculturalism
• Help create a mission statement and develop goals and objectives for the Office
• Devise a plan of action to support diversity and multicultural efforts throughout the College.

After this last summit, a summary will be generated and distributed to the Keene State College community for feedback. The information obtained during the meetings and feedback period will help inform some of the work I will do as Chief Officer for Diversity and Multiculturalism. If you have not been able to attend any of the fall summits, you can send your thoughts, feelings, and ideas to me by e-mail (dmorris@keene.edu) or call 8-2206 and schedule a time to meet with me.

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From the IT Group: It is almost the end of the semester, and students are busy working on presentations to share with the class. Please remind them before the big day that they should test their presentation in advance, using the technology in the classroom. This will give them an opportunity to catch any issues or incompatibilities ahead of time.

Also, if you or your students have a Macintosh computer and would like to use it in the classroom, the HelpDesk has adaptors available. Simply complete a Media Equipment Request form 48 hours in advance. As always, if needed, the HelpDesk will respond immediately to any classroom emergency, and we are always available to provide you with additional training. Feel free to contact us at 8-2532, email helpdesk@keene.edu or stop by our office on the 2nd floor of Elliot Hall.

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Because of Thanksgiving break, the next issue of Campus News will appear on Thursday, December 3. The deadline for this issue will be Monday, November 30, at noon.

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On November 17, the Art Department officially unveiled a colorful abstract mural created for the newly renovated Huntress basement hallway. Students enrolled in Color Design and Painting, an Integrative Studies Perspective course, taught by instructor Richard Carlson, produced the mural.

The eight-week course introduced 16 non-art-major students to principles of color and design, culminating in a large site-specific wall mural. Students were asked to consider the Huntress lobby’s shape, current wall colors, pedestrian traffic flow, and other design factors. Demonstrating awareness and appreciation for the history, intentions, methods, and aesthetics of site-specific painting (including cave paintings, Islamic tile work, and contemporary Minimal painting) were part of the outcomes for this course.

Carlson has been teaching design and drawing to first-year students for 19 semesters at Keene State. Studio Assistant Kyle Paquette helped students with the technical aspects of the project.

Lynn Roman photo

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From Stuart Kaufman, Sports Information: All-New England and All-Little East athletes in the pool, Keene State swimmers showed they can also strut pretty well on land when they participated in the Symonds School 14th Annual Turkey Trot on Tuesday afternoon.

For the past six weeks, Owl swimmers have been getting Symonds School third-through-fifth graders ready for the event as part of the school’s Healthy Bodies, Healthy Hearts program, which includes a variety of physical activities and games. The Turkey Trot has evolved over the years. Initially an exercise that encouraged students to be healthy and active, it has grown into a community event that includes donations for the Community Kitchen and raffle prizes for the participants. More than 500 people, including students, teachers, staff, family, and friends ran, jogged, and walked around the Symonds School path on Tuesday.

Pam Lawton, a physical education teacher at the school and a recent KSC grad says the connection between the Owl swimmers and the young students is one of the key elements of the program. “The students form a special bond with the Keene State athletes,” said Lawton. “They look forward to them coming every day and really make a strong connection.”

Symonds School Turkey Trot

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From Stuart Kaufman, Sports Information: After 110 minutes of scoreless play, the second-seeded KSC women’s soccer team connected on four of their five penalty kicks to capture the ECAC New England tournament crown from top-seed and two-time defending champion Brandeis University 4-2 in Waltham, Mass., on November 14. KSC sophomore goalkeeper Megan Dempsey, who registered her third-straight shutout, was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player. The Owls also won the ECAC Division III title in 2005 and as a Division II member in 1986, 1987, and 1993.

“We dominated most of the second half but just couldn’t find the back of the net,” said KSC Head Coach Denise Lyons. “Winning the ECACs is a great way to end our season and a nice way to send off our seniors.”

The 2009 ECAC Women’s Soccer Champions (photo courtesy of Brandeis University)

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The Communication, Journalism, and Philosophy departments created an historic timeline of the nearly 100 years of student newspapers at Keene State as a College Centennial project. Professors Julio Delsesto and Rose Kundanis presented this timeline on November 6 in the Media Arts Center Atrium, where Equinox staff past and present shared memories of their experiences working on the paper.

At the event Marianne Salcetti (Journalism) invited participants to view the collection of awards the student newspaper has collected, and announced that the Equinox had just been named first runner up for “College Paper of the Year” by the New England Society of Newspaper Editors in their first-ever College Newspaper of the Year Awards competition.

Additionally, Corey Smith, managing editor at the Equinox, has been selected to participate in the Campus Coverage Project. This competition, sponsored by Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE), the Education Writers Association, and the Student Press Law Center, is designed to share investigative reporting skills that college and university students can use when covering campus issues. Seventy-five students from around the country were selected to receive full scholarships to participate in the project.

Smith, a journalism major in his junior year, entered Keene State as part of the College’s first Honors Program group. He will attend a workshop at Arizona State University in Phoenix in January, where sessions will focus on specific campus-coverage issues and overall reporting techniques and skills. Additional training opportunities will be provided throughout the year.

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At 6 p.m.
on Wednesday, November 18,
Tristam Johnson will present “Making Cents and Relieving Poverty in Latin America” in Morrison 110.

Johnson has worked for the past two decades in nine countries throughout South and Central America. His work focuses on community development related to health, education, microenterprise, governance, and natural resource protection. He will present on creating hope and opportunity with regards to poverty relief in Latin America through small entrepreneur investments. Refreshments will be served! This event is sponsored by the KSC Geography Department. For more information, contact Jo Beth Mullens, 8-2547.

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From Heather Jasmin, Continuing Education: Interested in a new hobby to keep you going through the cold winter months? Hoping to improve your job skills during this slow economy? Know someone looking to start their own business? The Office of Continuing Education offers an array of online courses to meet these needs and many others. Classes start monthly and run for six weeks. Each can be done at your own pace and from the comfort of your home. Most courses are only $99. For a complete list, visit Continuing Ed page. To register or for more information, call 8-2292 or email Lynne Rust.

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From Connie Lester, Redfern: KSC Theatre and Dance students will perform The Threepenny Opera, directed by KSC assistant professor Ron Spangler, Wednesday through Saturday, November 18-21, at 7:30 p.m. at the Redfern Arts Center.

The Threepenny Opera, a musical written by Bertolt Brecht and composer Kurt Weill, is an early example of the modern musical comedy genre depicting the dark side of human nature. Set in Victorian England, Brecht uses such characters as Macheath (Mack the Knife), who wants to marry Polly Peachum for reasons other than love, and Mr. and Mrs. Peachum, who control the beggars of London, to exemplify the idea that everybody cheats, and everybody sells someone out. Brecht makes it known to the audience that a fairytale ending can only happen in a play, not in real life.

The Threepenny Opera incorporates a sharp political perspective of the time with the sound of a 1920s Berlin dance band and cabaret. It’s apparent why Threepenny was the inspiration for such contemporary musicals as Chicago and Cabaret.

KSC professor of Theatre and Dance Cèline Perron is designing sets and lighting, and Professor Elisabeth Roos is costume designer for the production. Theatre and Dance faculty members Craig Lindsay and Marcia Murdock serve as technical director and choreographer, respectively. Tickets are available through the box office at 8-2168 or online.

Cast members of The Threepenny Opera (from left): Sara Handspicker, Sam Massahos, Riley Ahern, and Ryan Demers (courtesy photo)

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From Connie Lester, Redfern: The KSC Guitar Orchestra and Latin American Ensemble will perform their fall recital, “Bach to Brazil,” on Wednesday, November 18, at 7:30 p.m. in the Alumni Recital Hall.

The KSC Guitar Orchestra, directed by José Lezcano, will perform Two Chorales by Bach, Concerto in D by Telemann, and Machado’s Dances from Northeast Brazil. Also on the program is Villa-Lobos’ aria from Bachianas Brasilieras No. 5, arranged by Roland Dyens for five guitars and featuring vocals by KSC senior music education major Melissa White (soprano). The KSC Guitar Orchestra is comprised of nine Keene State students and a few members from the community.

Under the direction of José Lezcano, the KSC Latin American Ensemble will perform music from Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia. The ensemble features 28 members and includes panpipes, flutes, violin, and other instrumentation. For tickets, call the box office at 8-2168.

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From Mark Reynolds, College and Media Relations: My mother used to tell me, “First, take care of your own.” One of the best ways we can take care of our own - our neighbors right here in our local community - is through the Monadnock United Way, and now’s the time. There are plenty of folks in the Monadnock region that desperately need our help. Area requests for food, shelter, and heating assistance are way up and well beyond what the local agencies can handle. The cry for help is loud and strong.

The MUW supports 49 critical agencies through a largely volunteer organization that puts 90% of your dollar to work for the people who need it most. As in other years, KSC is pitching in to help this important effort. So far, over 60 people are supporting the general campaign, and 12 have contributed at the Leadership Level by giving $500 or more. We’ve raised a total of $15,089. Those who have given have been remarkably generous, but we can still do a lot more.

We need everyone’s help! Most contributors choose to give by payroll deduction, an easy and painless way to help. Just think: If every employee on campus gave just $2 per pay (anyone can afford that!), we’d raise over $52,000. With so many people hurting in our community, there’s never been a more important time for those of us fortunate enough to be receiving steady paychecks to step up and help those who don’t have that security.

Everyone should have received a pledge form from Francis Brush (fbrush@keene.edu or 8-2652) and Melissa Laughner (mlaughner@keene.edu or 8-2865), our general campaign chairs. Please use that form to chip in and let the Monadnock region know that KSC cares. For those of you who are feeling especially fortunate, please contact Mark Reynolds (mreynolds@keene.edu or 8-2147) for a Leadership Giving Pledge form. It’s easy for you to make a big difference - and take care of our own!

President Helen Giles-Gee and KSC faculty, staff, and students kick off the Monadnock United Way campaign in the Student Center on October 29 (courtesy photo Jan Kobeski).

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From the Thanksgiving Basket Committee: There’s still time to join in the fun and build a Thanksgiving basket for a local WIC family (families with young children under five years of age) in Keene and the local communities. Last year, Keene State collected a record 158 baskets, which helped 703 people, including 400 children. This year our goal is to maintain that spirit of making a difference, and we can do this with your help. We cannot have too many baskets - there are so many families in need. As of November 5, more than 1900 requests for Thanksgiving baskets were received by local organizations. Any type of donation will help a local family and be greatly appreciated. Please consider encouraging co-workers in your office/area/building, organization or Residence Hall to put together Thanksgiving baskets for this holiday season.

Collection of Thanksgiving baskets will be on Monday, November 23, in the West Dining Area of the Young Student Center, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. For donations by check, please make payable to “KSC - Thanksgiving Basket” and send to Tara Kavanagh at the Child Development Center in Elliot Hall, MS 2503. New this year, we have donation boxes set up in the Gym, Library, Science Center, and Student Center until the 23rd for gently used winter outerwear and additional last-minute food items to be donated to the Community Kitchen. For more information, contact Human Resources at 8-2406.

Thank you & have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!

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Don’t forget to come to the Centennial Harvest Festival on Friday, November 13, from 7 to 11 p.m. in the Mabel Brown Room. This will be the last big bash to celebrate our Centennial and offer a hearty “thank you” to everyone who worked so hard to make our Centennial such a success. It’s all free for faculty, staff, and students (due to space limitations, we cannot open this event to the public; though, of course, you can bring a guest). Please bring a donation of non-perishable food items or new, clean children’s clothing and pre-register so we’ll know you’re coming.

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Dr. Margaret Walsh (photo by Mark Corliss)

Ann Marie Rancourt Academic Affairs: It is with great pleasure that we would like to introduce Dr. Margaret Walsh as the new director of the College Honors Program. We look forward to her building on the work of Dr. Beatriz Torres and Dr. Helen Frink, and we’re sure that much progress will be made under her leadership. In her time at Keene State, Dr. Walsh has demonstrated a strong commitment to academic excellence and a constant willingness to serve and to lead in multiple roles on this campus. Her success in working with students, colleagues, and the general public makes her an excellent ambassador for the program. The appointment begins in January 2010, and will end in May 2012.

Thanks to Dr. Anne-Marie Mallon, chair of the search committee, and to members of the committee, Shari Bemis, William Stroup, Peter Roos, Donna Smyth, Kent Drake-Deese, Karen Honeycutt, and Allison Shufelt (student rep) for creating a rigorous search process and conducting a successful search.

We would also like to acknowledge Dr. Frink’s successful efforts over the last 18 months in shepherding the program through the college approval process, as well as all the work she has done with the Advisory Council and many offices on campus in establishing processes that have contributed and will continue to contribute to the program’s success. Thank you, Dr. Frink.

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